Former Stamford School pupil, George Robinson, reflects on experience starring in Netflix show, Sex Education

A Stamford actor who made his debut on the hit Netflix show, Sex Education, has reflected on life since making it on the screen.

George Robinson features on the second series of the show, which dramatises the lives of school pupils as they grow up and discover more about themselves.

He plays the character, Isaac, who is introduced in the first episode of the series and plays an integral role as the plot unfolds.

George, 23, is now busy filming the third season, which was initially postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

George said: “It depends which way you look at it but lockdown came at a really peculiar time for me in terms that the series came out in mid-January then lockdown was in March.

“I had just over two months of full-on being out in the world with Sex Education out.

“Since then most of my experience with public interest has been from the confine of home.

“I’ve had a few meetings and going to places getting recognised. People say ‘is that the kid from Sex Education?’ It’s all in a nice way.

“It was fun to some extent but I’m not the sort of person who seeks out attention too much.”

George is the first disabled character to appear on Sex Education, a show which has been celebrated for it’s diversity.

Similar to his character, George is also in a wheelchair after suffering a serious spinal injury in 2015 while playing rugby on a school trip in South Africa.

The accident left him paralysed below his shoulders, but with the support of friends and fundraisers working under the banner #TeamGeorge, equipment, treatment and resources were provided.

George, who has wanted to be an actor since he was about 13, believes it is important tetraplegic people are cast into the roles of disabled characters rather than people acting out the disability. He has been vocal about it on his Instagram account, on which he has nearly 140,000 followers.

The former Stamford School pupil said: “I think particularly these days where you have access to the actors and people playing these characters there’s no
need.

“For disabled people therefore to be watching a film, it’s always in the back of their mind that it’s acting rather than it being authentic. It takes away from the story.

“If you have authentic representatives you know there’s some proper truth coming across.”

He added: “We are not as far along as I thought we are so we should not get complacent, but the fact these conversations are being had is an indication we are moving in the right direction.”

After his accident, George spent 10 months in hospital but with the support of the community and #TeamGeorge behind him, he did not let the injury stop him from pursuing his acting dreams.

He said: “Initially after my injury I was unsure of my identity to some extent .

“As an actor we’ve got to be aware of ourself and understand ourself in how we can put ourself into characters.

“Initially I just wasn’t 100 per cent sure who I was and logistically how my body would work on set and how to articulate or express emotion.

“I really tried to work on that and have confidence in image.”

Now he is using the platform he gained through Sex Education, as well as through #TeamGeorge, to continue to spread awareness.

He is also set to feature in a film for the Back Up Trust - a charity which supports people affected by spinal cord injury. He said it was an experience he ‘really enjoyed’ as he discussed feelings he hadn’t before.

The third season of Sex Education, which had 40 million viewers for its first season, is set to be released later this year.

It is likely to pick up on the cliffhanger at the end of the second season, which involved Isaac meddling in the love life of the two main characters Otis and Maeve.

Following the plot twist, many fans were quick to express their anger with George’s character over social media. However, some people targeted the actor’s personal accounts.

“Luckily the way I tend to engage is by laughing them off,” said George.

“I don’t know long term how I will cope with a lot of negative feelings so initially what I did was screenshot, send it to my mates and laugh because I found them funny.

“The fact is it’s about a character on a TV show, even though it’s my social media, it’s not about me or a reflection of me as a person.”

While their morals are extremely different, George has admitted him and his character do have some similarities, including their sarcasm and ‘playing off insecurities with
humour’.

He added: “I think [Isaac] is much more comfortable with confrontation than I am which has helped me embracing that side of Isaac in my own
life.”