“We all decided we liked it (starting with Tori) because it was something unknown,” Oseman tells Tudum. “Tori plays a much larger role this season, particularly as it relates to Charlie’s mental health journey. This really touches Tori because she cares so much about him.”

Locke looks back happily on his scenes with Walser. “Jenny is a wonderful actress, so it was great to have some really exciting scenes with her and expand the brother-sister relationship,” he says. “It’s a really beautiful arc over the whole season.”

We see one of these scenes in the clip. Although the video begins with Tori alone, it’s only a matter of seconds before she’s sitting in Charlie’s room talking about his relationship with Nick. Charlie has been practicing saying “I love you,” but he’s nervous about how Nick will react when he finally gets up the courage to say it. Oseman calls their heart-to-heart relationship “adorable.”

“At the end of season two, we know that Nick and Charlie love each other,” they say confidently. “But when you’re a teenager, I think saying the words ‘I love you’ has so much weight. It’s a huge declaration of commitment to someone. This isn’t just a teenage romance anymore – it’s a real relationship.”

This is a big step for Charlie, says Locke. “In Seasons 1 and 2 we see that Charlie is quite shy. He is quite quiet and not very confident. The fact that he feels like he’s met someone he can say ‘I love you’ to – and thinks maybe he can say it back – is a big thing for him.”

When Charlie and Nick enter into a more serious relationship Heart stopper Expect things to heat up in Season 3. “Season 3 shows more mature and electrifying things,” Locke says. His co-star and on-screen romantic partner, Connor, agrees. “There’s spark, tension, horniness, all of it,” he adds with a grin. Connor teases that the passion isn’t limited to Nick and Charlie’s love story.

“A pretty tense situation arises at a New Year’s Eve party between Tao and Elle,” he explains. “Sparks fly and they get really excited and nervous.”

In the sneak peek video above, you can watch (animated) hearts fly between Nick and Charlie. Finally, Connor promises: “In a way Heart stopper are still just the cuties saying hello to each other.” See for yourself.

Look at everything Heart stopper Season 3 premieres on Netflix on October 3rd. Until then, keep coming back to Tudum for all the latest news about Truham and Higgs.

Say hello to the first episode of Heartstopper: The Official Podcast