Kit Connor and Joe Locke celebrated an unexpected anniversary while filming Heartstopper Forever. Toward the end of the finale movie, Nick (Connor) and Charlie (Locke) return to the beach where they enjoyed their first date. Production of the sweet scene was serendipitous in a way befitting the magic of Heartstopper. “It was exactly four years to the day since we’d been there last time,” Locke reveals on Heartstopper Forever: The Official Podcast.

It’s only natural to look toward the past, since your favorite friend group is stepping into the next chapter by graduating. In Heartstopper Forever, creator, writer, and executive producer Alice Oseman’s beloved characters stand on the brink of a new chapter, excited and terrified about all the unknowns the future holds. 

Nick, Elle (Yasmin Finney), Tara (Corinna Brown), Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), and Imogen (Rhea Norwood) are setting off to university or charting their own paths while Charlie, Tao (William Gao), and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) still have one more year at Truham. Equipped with bow ties, black gowns, and dance moves — some awkward, others smoother — the friends usher in the new stage of life with a Leavers’ Ball.

The finale film marks a congruent graduation for the cast, whose lives and careers are unrecognizable from when they first joined Heartstopper. “When we first met Kit and Joe, they were 16. It’s a sweet age to see their confidence grow and develop,” says executive producer Patrick Walters. “Five years later, they’re 21, and they’re conquering the world.” How do we say goodbye to a group of characters we watched grow up — and whom the world grew up alongside?  

Thankfully, we don’t have to bid farewell yet. Tudum is hosting its very own Leavers’ Ball right here to celebrate all that’s transpired in the past five years. Get the scoop on some of the juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits straight from the group chat itself — which Locke shares is called “Dinner at Fis’s” because they all went to dinner at the home of Fisayo Akinade, who plays their beloved teacher Mr. Ajayi. Heartstopper Forever: The Official Podcast host Tia Kofi asks Locke, Connor, Brown, Edgell, Finney, Gao, Oseman, and Walters our buzzer-beater questions before they embark on their next adventures.

Heartstopper Forever’s epilogue, which takes place three months after the film’s Leavers’ Ball, gives some indication of what’s next for its characters. But Gao and Finney are aware of how Tao and Elle’s ambiguous final moments leave a “big question mark,” as Gao puts it, about the state of their relationship — and how fans might have questions. After graduation, Elle heads to Berlin to pursue her art career, and the fan-favorite couple break up. But in the epilogue, Tao journeys to Germany to be there for his ex. “The fact that he backpacked all the way to Berlin by himself to see Elle’s exhibition was quite a moment,” Finney laughs.

“I was watching Friends last night, and there are definitely elements of Ross and Rachel in Tao and Elle,” Gao chimes in. “Are they together? Are they not? There are so many feelings in a romantic relationship. Love can turn us crazy.”

So do Tao and Elle have a Ross-and-Rachel-style reconciliation in their future? Finney knows one thing for certain: “They’re best friends and grew up together, and then she transitioned,” she says. “Their relationship is deeper than being together every single day. They have to go and find what they want to do in life.” And, as we’ve seen, a girl like Elle is always going to get on the proverbial plane. 

Nick and Charlie face their own ups and downs in Heartstopper Forever, including a brief but gut-wrenching breakup. In the epilogue, we see Nick visit Charlie during his first year at the University of Leeds, making their time apart feel like but a blip in their lifelong love story. Because this is Heartstopper, there’s even an Easter egg that proves longevity is possible. In the film, an elderly gay couple named Pete (Derek Jacobi) and Len (Richard Clifford) order black coffees from Charlie at the Rainy Day Cafe. The casual exchange blossoms into one of Heartstopper Forever’s most meaningful moments,  thanks in large part to BAFTA winner Jacobi. 

“He’s an iconic gay actor who has paved the way for lots of people,” says Walters. 

Charlie witnesses the couple’s sweet exchange, including Len’s moving line “We look after each other,” which inspires the curly-headed character to try to win Nick back. At “their” beach, Charlie deploys Len’s words to grand romantic effect. 

Oseman explains what makes Pete’s appearance extra special: “Len is played by Derek Jacobi’s real-life husband. That was so beautiful because it’s rare to see a gay couple of that age just talking about their ordinary daily lives.” To add yet another layer, Walters reveals that Jacobi and actor Clifford have been together for 47 years. “We were chatting with them between takes, and it felt like, ‘Oh my God, this is like Heartstopper Forever and Nick and Charlie forever,’” says the executive producer.

Meanwhile, Darcy and Tara graduate in the same class and set off on a backpacking adventure. Where will they go? Brown has a suggestion at the ready. “Barbados,” she says. “If I say it enough times, maybe there’ll be a spin-off in Barbados.” One thing is for sure: Brown and Edgell think their characters would get matching tattoos during their trip — of them skinny-dipping in Barbados, of course. In real life, the actors have their own ink dreams. “We were going to get a trumpet and a clarinet,” says Edgell.

Throughout Heartstopper, the titles of Isaac’s books telegraph what the character is feeling. “Whenever possible there’s a joke or a point in the name of the book,” says Donovan. In Heartstopper Forever, he’s reading Homer’s The Odyssey, a fitting title for the characters’ next great adventure. “Or it’s me manifesting working with Christopher Nolan,” Donovan laughs. “Let’s cut Tom Holland out of the whole thing, and I’ll do it.” 

It’s only natural that Isaac’s next chapter is picking up the author’s pen himself. So, what kind of book will he write? Donovan isn’t sure since his character has a diverse literary appetite. With a wink, Donovan suggests, “He wrote Heartstopper.” Now that is a fan theory to run with. 

Sadly, there were a few questions that went unanswered during the Heartstopper Forever podcast. What happened at Soho House? Locke and Connor still can’t tell us. Their co-stars can, however, spill on one night at a Soho cabaret nightclub. When Tia asks about the most un-Heartstopper thing that happened while filming, Brown starts, “We went to a place where they do rather interesting shows — performances, shall I say?” Tia offers, “Can we say The Box?” Brown laughs before continuing, “Fizz joined in. Bradley [Riches, who plays James] also fell offstage. I’ll just stop that there. Heartstopper, late-night edition.”

Brown should have no problem finding something to wear to any future Heartstopper celebrations, as she’s nicked a few things from set over the years. “The trousers I came in with today — they were from Sahar’s row,” Brown admits. “One of my favorite ‘borrows’ was Tara’s pointe shoes that were hung on her dresser. I hung them on my dresser when I got home. I’ve also got her Season 1 teal hair clips.”

No graduation festivity is complete without some superlatives: Most likely to go to jail? “It’s gotta be Harry Greene,” laughs Walters, before cheekily adding, “And Cormac [Hyde-Corrin] as well if we’re doing the cast.” Most likely to break character? Donovan. The bookworm actor is “really funny,” Oseman says. “He does like to try to make other people laugh during a take.”

Best dressed? Elle, Darcy, and Mr. Ajayi each got nods. Most likely to be famous? Superstar singer Sahar [played by Leila Khan]. Who would win the lottery but lose the ticket? Tao. Most likely to still get ID’d at 30? Tori — her portrayer, Jenny Walser, already had some practice. “Jenny is 30 and is playing a teenager believably,” Connor laughs.

Favorite line? Walser throws in Tori’s Season 1 mic drop response to Charlie breaking up with Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft): “Was he a knob? Well done then.” Donovan nods toward a book prop over an actual piece of dialogue, of course. “My favorite book that I read onscreen was Where’s Wally? I fought really hard to have a stupid book in there mixed with War and Peace and The Odyssey.

Brown’s favorite Easter egg is one that she actually engineered: “Whenever I have my character’s cell phone, I always follow myself,” she confesses. Unfortunately, the actor’s cyber bond with her character doesn’t last. “Someone in production will unfollow me. I’m like, ‘Damn it.’” 

Fans have become so adept at spotting Easter eggs that they’ve noticed some that were unintentional. “The globe in Charlie’s bedroom goes on and off. Fans were like, ‘It represents Charlie’s feelings for Nick. When he’s feeling really in love, the globe comes on,’” Oseman explains. “Actually, it’s just a faulty light that we didn’t spot when we shot it.”

There’s plenty of poetry in Heartstopper. And the last thing Locke shares from the group chat is the perfect adieu — “Four Years in Light and Laughter,” a poem written by Gao that he sent to his beloved castmates at the end of filming:  

Four years wrapped in stories we told with hearts on sleeves and hands to hold.
A chosen family scene by scene.
In between the lines we lived a dream. 
We stepped on set with nerves and hope. 
Grew side by side, learned how to cope. 
Cameras rolled. The world stood still. 
Each take a memory we’d later feel. 
There were laughs that echoed down the halls, late-night chats and curtain calls.
Inside jokes and quiet tears shared through joy and growing years. 
We danced through rain. We lit the dark. Each one of you left your spark. 
It wasn’t just a script we read, but truth and love in all we said. 
Now the credit’s near and the art complete, yet friendship keeps its steady beat. 
Those sets may strike, and lights may dim. Our bond still burns bright from within. 
So here’s to you, my truest crew, to every laugh, each line, each view.
Forever grateful, ever near. We wrapped the show, but love stays here.

Keep the Heartstopper love going by rewatching the series and Heartstopper Forever on Netflix. 

Heartstopper Forever: Cast and Creator Answer Fans Questions at the Premiere