Kit Connor, who plays Nick Nelson, at a fan convention in London in September 2022, five months after the first series came out. Photo by France RC (Roster Con). France RC (Roster Con) · CC BY-SA 4.0Kit Connor · Nick · 2022Joe Locke, who plays Charlie Spring, at the same London convention in September 2022. Photo by France RC (Roster Con). France RC (Roster Con) · CC BY-SA 4.0Joe Locke · Charlie · 2022The beach at Herne Bay in November 2022. Photo by pam fray (geograph.org.uk). pam fray · CC BY-SA 2.0Herne Bay · 2022Alice Oseman, who wrote the comics and every episode, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2025, between series three and the finale film. Photo by Philip Romano. PhilipRomanoPhoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Alice Oseman · 2025
Seven scenes · one script page
The margin.
Oseman’s script pages mark the big feelings with doodles in the margin, and the finished episodes draw them over the picture. Mark this page the same way. Each heading says where the story is set; each doodle says where the crew really went.
Scene headings written for this page, in script style; not quoted from the scripts.
EXT. THE SEASIDE — DAY
Series 1 · episode 8
Nick and Charlie spend a day by the sea and decide to stop hiding.
INT./EXT. HARRY’S HOUSE — NIGHT
Series 1 · episode 3
Harry Greene’s party.
EXT. A CAFÉ, PARIS — DAY
Series 2 · episode 5
After Charlie faints, the two of them sit at a café.
INT. PARIS HOTEL — NIGHT
Series 2
The school trip’s hotel rooms.
EXT. THE EIFFEL TOWER — DAY
Series 2
The school trip at the tower.
INT. THE LAMBERT SCHOOL — DAY
Series 2 · episode 7
Elle’s art goes up in the “Here and Queer” exhibition.
EXT. THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD — DAY
Series 3 · episode 8
A day looking round universities.
Pick a pen, then doodle in the margin beside a scene.
Where we read it
Doodled flourishes in the script pages and the animated doodles.
The one place the story and the camera agree on. Series one ends here; the finale film came back. Switch between the two visits and the seafront lights the spots each one used.
Pier
Beach
Town centre
Neptune’s Arm
Neptune Car Park
Series one, episode eight: Nick and Charlie spend the day by the sea and decide to go public. Filmed on the pier, the beach and in the town centre.
Where we read it
Series one, episode eight: Nick and Charlie spend the day by the sea and decide to go public. Filmed on the pier, the beach and in the town centre.
The beach at Herne Bay in November 2022. Photo by pam fray (geograph.org.uk). pam fray · CC BY-SA 2.0
The beach at Herne Bay in November 2022. Photo by pam fray (geograph.org.uk). pam fray · CC BY-SA 2.0
The beach
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent, by the Clock Tower
The seaside: Herne Bay beach
The crew came to Herne Bay to film a short scene for the eighth episode of series one, in which Nick and Charlie go to the seaside and decide to go public about their relationship; the pier, beach and town centre all feature.
The finale film came back to the beach as a tribute to series one’s final scene, which the Kent Film Office says took place on Herne Bay beach.
The Clock Tower on the seafront was built in 1837, paid for by Mrs Ann Thwaytes, and is thought to be one of the earliest purpose-built free-standing clock towers in the United Kingdom.
A free public beach of shingle and groynes along Central Parade, a few minutes from Herne Bay station.
Where we read itHerne Bay Pier from the beach in October 2010. Photo by Chris Whippet (geograph.org.uk). Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0
The pier · 206 m along
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay Pier
The pier is one of the series-one locations named for the seaside episode, and the finale film went back to it.
It was the third pier built at Herne Bay, and was once 3,787 feet (1,154 m) long.
A storm in 1978 badly damaged it; much of it was taken down in 1980, leaving a stub on the shore and the landing stage cut off out at sea.
Today the pier has fairground horses, a helter-skelter, a retail village of huts and a food court.
Open daily from 8am, weather permitting; shops from 11am; closes at 3.30pm in winter. Rides run at weekends and in holidays.
Where we read it
Herne Bay Pier
Herne Bay Pier
Central Parade, Herne Bay
Open daily from 8am, weather permitting, with the shops from 11am; it closes at 3.30pm in winter. Fairground horses and a helter-skelter run at weekends, on bank holidays and in the school holidays.
Neptune’s Arm, the breakwater at Herne Bay, in November 2022. Photo by Marathon (geograph.org.uk). Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0
The breakwater
The breakwater off Herne Bay’s seafront, east of the pier
Neptune’s Arm
The finale film shot on Neptune’s Arm, on the beach, on the pier and in Neptune Car Park.
The breakwater was built in the 1990s, when the old sea defences were judged inadequate, to protect the most exposed parts of the town.
Seafront regeneration followed it, and the Victorian seafront gardens could be fully restored.
Walk out along the breakwater from the seafront in calm weather; stay off it in a storm.
Where we read it
Slough · Richmond · Farnham
School, and after.
Truham and Higgs were filmed in Slough, 20 km from a Georgian house by Bushy Park where Harry throws his party, and 36 km from the art school where Elle shows her work. The series is plain about what school can be, homophobic bullying included, and about coming out.
Slough High Street in December 2011, the town where the series’ school scenes were filmed. A street view; the schools are not shown. Photo by Stephen McKay (geograph.org.uk). Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0
Truham and Higgs
Slough, Berkshire; the pin is the High Street, not a school
Truham and Higgs: Slough
The first series’ school scenes were shot in Slough.
Netflix says Slough set the stage for countless second-series scenes, from the Truham campus to the park picnic in the second episode.
The post-exam bonfire party in the third episode of series two was filmed in Slough too.
PinkNews names Upton Court Grammar School in Slough as Higgs, the girls’ school, and an academy in Buckinghamshire for Truham’s exterior.
The schools that played Truham and Higgs are working schools, closed to visitors, so neither is pinned. The High Street is the town as anyone can see it.
Where we read it
Hampton Court House on the edge of Bushy Park, in September 2006. Photo by Herry Lawford. Herry Lawford · CC BY 2.0
Series one · “Kiss”
Hampton Court Road, on the edge of Bushy Park, Richmond upon Thames
Harry’s party: Hampton Court House
Harry Greene’s party in the third episode of series one, “Kiss”, was filmed here.
George Montagu-Dunk, the 2nd Earl of Halifax, built the house in 1757. It is Grade II listed, and its grounds are on the register of historic parks and gardens.
It houses a private school and is hired for weddings and filming.
A private school. See the house from Hampton Court Road or from Bushy Park, which is open to all.
Where we read itThe courtyard entrance of the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, in June 2023. Photo by BabelStone. BabelStone · CC BY-SA 4.0
Series two · Here and Queer
University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey
The Lambert School: Farnham
The scenes at the Lambert School, where Elle shows her art in the “Here and Queer” exhibition in the seventh episode of series two, were shot in Farnham.
PinkNews names the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham as the Lambert School of Art.
The university was formed in 2005 from art schools in Kent and Surrey, and became a university in 2008.
A working university campus. See it from Falkner Road; public exhibitions are announced by the university.
Where we read it
The Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro, July 2011. Photo by NonOmnisMoriar. NonOmnisMoriar · CC BY-SA 3.0
Series two · the school trip
Paris, and a bit of London.
The crew spent several days in Paris and had two 90-minute slots at the tower. The coach there was a virtual-production stage in west London; the hotel rooms were sets built in the school’s gym; and the café where Nick and Charlie sit after Charlie faints is near Piccadilly Circus, 342 km from the tower.
Where we read it
Several days in Paris; the café near Piccadilly Circus.
The Cour Napoléon of the Louvre at night, April 2010. Photo by Benh LIEU SONG. Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Louvre
Rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, Paris
The Louvre
At the Louvre only a small team could film, with very little lighting kit.
PinkNews lists the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame among the Paris landmarks in the second series, with the Eiffel Tower.
The museum is in the Louvre Palace, first built under Philip II in the late 12th and 13th centuries; its collection includes the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
A national museum; book a timed entry. The courtyard is free to walk through.
Where we read itPiccadilly Circus in August 2022, a month before the second series began filming. Photo by Captain Galaxy. Captain Galaxy · CC BY 4.0
The café · London
Piccadilly Circus, City of Westminster
A Paris café, in London: Piccadilly Circus
The café scene in the fifth episode of series two, after Charlie faints in Paris, was filmed near Piccadilly Circus.
The Circus was built in 1819 to join Regent Street to Piccadilly.
It is known for the video screens and neon on its north side, and for the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain with its statue of Anteros, often taken for Eros.
The café is not named, so the pin is the Circus itself. Piccadilly Circus station is underneath.
Where we read it
Dorset · Surrey · 2023
Series three.
The third series follows Charlie through an eating disorder and his recovery, and Oseman worked with the charity Beat, which read the scripts for anything harmful. It was mostly shot in and around west London, with a week by the sea in Lyme Regis and a Surrey château standing in for Oxford.
Where we read it
Charlie’s storyline and Beat’s script review; west London and studios; a week in Lyme Regis.
Lyme Regis beach and the Cobb in May 2014. Photo by Chris Gunns (geograph.org.uk). Chris Gunns · CC BY-SA 2.0
The start of series three
The beach and the Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset
Series three’s beach: Lyme Regis
Series three had a week of location filming in Lyme Regis, reported on the beach and around the town in early October 2023.
PinkNews places the beaches of Lyme Regis at the start of series three.
The Cobb appears in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and in John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman, whose 1981 film was partly shot in the town.
The cliffs and beaches are known for fossils and are part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. The town had 3,742 people at the 2021 census.
Free beaches either side of the Cobb, the town’s stone harbour wall. Keep off the cliffs; they fall.
Where we read it
Hotel Alexandra
Hotel Alexandra, Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3HZ
Not a filming location: an independent, family-owned hotel of 25 bedrooms and two self-catering apartments on the hillside over Lyme Bay, two minutes’ walk from the town centre, with sea-view gardens. Book online or on 01297 442010.
The Founder’s Building at Royal Holloway, Egham, in early morning sun, October 2022. Photo by George Honeywood. GeorgeHoneywood · CC BY-SA 4.0
Series three · episode eight
Founder’s Building, Royal Holloway, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey
Oxford, in Surrey: Royal Holloway
The university visit in the eighth episode of series three was filmed at Royal Holloway, and its Founder’s Building was presented as the University of Oxford.
The Founder’s Building is the original building of Royal Holloway, in a French Renaissance style modelled on châteaux such as Chambord.
It is still the dominant building on the campus.
A working university. Look from the drive and the public paths; open days are announced by the university.
Where we read it
During the run, 2022–2026
The people.
Kit Connor, who plays Nick Nelson, at a fan convention in London in September 2022, five months after the first series came out. Photo by France RC (Roster Con). France RC (Roster Con) · CC BY-SA 4.0Kit Connor · 2022
Joe Locke, who plays Charlie Spring, at the same London convention in September 2022. Photo by France RC (Roster Con). France RC (Roster Con) · CC BY-SA 4.0Joe Locke · 2022
William Gao, who plays Tao Xu, performing with his band Wasia Project at the Omeara, London, in July 2023, the month before the second series. Photo by Misfit Biscuit. Misfit Biscuit · CC BY 4.0William Gao · 2023
Alice Oseman, who wrote the comics and every episode, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2025, between series three and the finale film. Photo by Philip Romano. PhilipRomanoPhoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Alice Oseman · 2025
Alice Oseman began Heartstopper as a webcomic in 2016 and wrote every episode. See-Saw Films optioned it in 2019 and Netflix ordered the series in January 2021. Euros Lyn directed the first two series, Andy Newbery the third, and Wash Westmoreland the finale film.
Kit ConnorNick Nelson
Joe LockeCharlie Spring
Yasmin FinneyElle Argent
William GaoTao Xu
Corinna BrownTara Jones
Kizzy EdgellDarcy Olsson
Tobie DonovanIsaac Henderson
Jenny WalserTori Spring
Series 122 April 20228 episodes
Series 23 August 20238 episodes
Series 33 October 20248 episodes
Heartstopper Forever17 July 2026Feature-length finale
Where we read it
Webcomic, option, order, directors, premieres and cast.
11 places you can visit: three on the seafront at Herne Bay, five in and around London, two in Paris and one in Lyme Regis. The schools, Hampton Court House and the two campuses are places of study: look from the road.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: area · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A free public beach of shingle and groynes along Central Parade, a few minutes from Herne Bay station.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open daily from 8am, weather permitting; shops from 11am; closes at 3.30pm in winter. Rides run at weekends and in holidays.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Walk out along the breakwater from the seafront in calm weather; stay off it in a storm.
1The beach at Herne Bay in November 2022. Photo by pam fray (geograph.org.uk). pam fray · CC BY-SA 2.0
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent, by the Clock Tower
The seaside: Herne Bay beach
The crew came to Herne Bay to film a short scene for the eighth episode of series one, in which Nick and Charlie go to the seaside and decide to go public about their relationship; the pier, beach and town centre all feature.
A free public beach of shingle and groynes along Central Parade, a few minutes from Herne Bay station.
Where we read it
2Herne Bay Pier from the beach in October 2010. Photo by Chris Whippet (geograph.org.uk). Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay Pier
The pier is one of the series-one locations named for the seaside episode, and the finale film went back to it.
Open daily from 8am, weather permitting; shops from 11am; closes at 3.30pm in winter. Rides run at weekends and in holidays.
Where we read it
3Neptune’s Arm, the breakwater at Herne Bay, in November 2022. Photo by Marathon (geograph.org.uk). Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0
The breakwater off Herne Bay’s seafront, east of the pier
Neptune’s Arm
The finale film shot on Neptune’s Arm, on the beach, on the pier and in Neptune Car Park.
Walk out along the breakwater from the seafront in calm weather; stay off it in a storm.
Where we read it
Stay
A bed over Lyme Bay.
A hotel on the hill above the series-three beach.
Hotel Alexandra
Hotel Alexandra, Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3HZ
Not a filming location: an independent, family-owned hotel of 25 bedrooms and two self-catering apartments on the hillside over Lyme Bay, two minutes’ walk from the town centre, with sea-view gardens. Book online or on 01297 442010.
Herne Bay Pier most days of the year, and guided visits in Paris and Kent.
Herne Bay Pier
Herne Bay Pier
Central Parade, Herne Bay
Open daily from 8am, weather permitting, with the shops from 11am; it closes at 3.30pm in winter. Fairground horses and a helter-skelter run at weekends, on bank holidays and in the school holidays.
Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
The sketchbook
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
11 of 11 places · 14 of 14 Moments
The seaside: Herne Bay beach
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent, by the Clock Tower
The seaside
Nick and Charlie go to the seaside and decide to go public about their relationship (series one, episode eight).
Back to the beach
The finale film pays tribute to series one’s final scene on Herne Bay beach.
Herne Bay Pier
Central Parade, Herne Bay, Kent
The pier
The pier is one of the Herne Bay locations in the seaside episode.
Back to the pier
The finale film returns to Herne Bay Pier.
Neptune’s Arm
The breakwater off Herne Bay’s seafront, east of the pier
Neptune’s Arm
The finale film shoots on the breakwater and in Neptune Car Park.
Truham and Higgs: Slough
Slough, Berkshire; the pin is the High Street, not a school
Truham and Higgs
The school scenes for the first and second series are filmed in Slough.
The bonfire
The post-exam bonfire party in the third episode of series two is filmed in Slough.
Harry’s party: Hampton Court House
Hampton Court Road, on the edge of Bushy Park, Richmond upon Thames
Harry’s party
Harry Greene’s party in “Kiss”, the third episode of series one.
The Lambert School: Farnham
University for the Creative Arts, Falkner Road, Farnham, Surrey
Here and Queer
Elle shows her art at the Lambert School exhibition in the seventh episode of series two.
A Paris café, in London: Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus, City of Westminster
The café after the faint
A café scene set in Paris, after Charlie faints, is filmed near Piccadilly Circus.
The Eiffel Tower
Champ de Mars, 7th arrondissement, Paris
Two slots at the tower
The school trip films at the Eiffel Tower in two 90-minute slots.
The Louvre
Rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement, Paris
A small team at the Louvre
A small team films the school trip in the Louvre with very little lighting.
Series three’s beach: Lyme Regis
The beach and the Cobb, Lyme Regis, Dorset
The start of series three
A week of location filming on the beach and around the town.
Oxford, in Surrey: Royal Holloway
Founder’s Building, Royal Holloway, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey
Oxford, in Surrey
The Founder’s Building plays the University of Oxford in the eighth episode of series three.
