An EastEnders star looks completely unrecognisable after landing a role in a hugely popular Netflix series.

Lucy Speed looked worlds away from her iconic Walford character of Natalie Speed as she appeared in the new series of Heartstopper which was released this week on the streaming platform.

The actress, 48, played Natalie in the BBC One soap opera appearing in 526 episodes between 1994 and 2004.

She is also famed for playing DS Stevie Moss in the ITV police drama series The Bill from 2008 to 2010.

She now plays healthcare worker Susan in series three of Heartstopper – a series which follows teens Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) discovering that their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love.

Copy link to paste in your messageAn EastEnders star looks completely unrecognisable after landing a role in a hugely popular Netflix series

 

Lucy Speed looked worlds away from her iconic Walford character of Natalie Speed as she appeared in the new series of Heartstopper which was released this week on the streaming platform

 

The actress, 48, played Natalie in the BBC One soap opera appearing in 526 episodes between 1994 and 2004 (seen on the soap in 2003)

Lucy plays a mental health and eating disorder support worker who appears in episode four of the new series.

In a social media post, Lucy shared a series of behind-the-scenes cast snaps and gushed about taking part in the series.

She penned on X: ‘The entire Heartstopper cast are the most divine bunch of humans.

‘My tiny involvement in this beautiful fairy tale was a privilege and their treatment of my own beautiful young’un was gracious and inclusive. So very on brand.’

It comes after Heartstopper’s Joe and Kit recently confessed their seven-hour sex scenes left them both feeling ‘knackered’ and covered in chin ‘scabs’ which wouldn’t heal as they had to kiss so much on set.

During an interview with GQ Magazine, Joe, 21, and Kit, 20, discussed filming season three and how they took things to the next level as well as the horror at watching the show back with their parents.

Revealing how long their raunchy scenes took, Kit said: ‘We shot the sexy stuff for seven hours, which, you know, that’ll do it. We were both just knackered. Joe developed this huge scab on his chin.’

Joe chimed in by saying it was ‘horrible’ as Kit explained that they both had their own stubble, a textbook case of beard burn from all the kissing.

 

She now plays healthcare worker Susan in series three of Heartstopper – a series which follows teens Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) (Lucy is seen this year)

 

In a social media post, Lucy shared a series of behind-the-scenes cast snaps and gushed about taking part in the series

 

She penned on Instagram: ‘The entire Heartstopper cast are the most divine bunch of humans’

 

She added: ‘My tiny involvement in this beautiful fairy tale was a privilege and their treatment of my own beautiful young’un was gracious and inclusive. So very on brand’

The stars also mentioned that they were ‘kissing so much’ during the scenes that the scabs weren’t healing, in fact, they were getting worse.

As Joe revealed he can’t bear to watch even the ‘wholesome sex scenes’ with his mother and told her she could watch it on her own.

He confessed: ‘I was watching the screener with my mum a few weeks ago, and I almost (stopped) on episode six, because I was like, “You just can’t watch this with your mum.” Even the wholesome sex scenes, I can’t do it.’

The actor added: ‘We went and sat on the sofa, but it was tensely awkward and I was like, “Yeah, you know what? You can watch this on your own. You’ve got my Netflix account. You have the pin. You just watch it on your own.”‘

It comes after Heartstopper fans were left ‘crying and throwing up’ as Netflix dropped the show’s season three trailer last week.

Netflix viewers couldn’t contain their excitement over the new release as the trailer opened with Charlie Spring – played by Joe – listening to music on the beach.

Nick Nelson – portrayed by Kit – then came running over and playfully poked him in the face.

The clip then featured a voiceover mash-up of many of the show’s characters.

It began with: ‘Sixteen is when nothing makes sense anymore. Starting sixth form and thinking about uni options, and it’s all just… a lot.’

The trailer then teased a sensitive storyline regarding Charlie’s mental health as he is seen distancing himself from his friendship group and grappling with his eating disorder.

Nick raises his worries to Charlie and tells him he is ‘really worried’ as he has noticed he has been ‘really stressed’.

Viewers also caught a glimpse at Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey’s debut.

He portrays an Instagram-famous author, Jack Maddox.

Viewers were also treated to a seconds-long glimpse at the live-action version of the comic’s emotional shower scene.

This is where Charlie and Nick confess their love for the first time – a moment eagerly anticipated by fans.

But this wasn’t what had fans in a frenzy, as many noticed the glaringly obvious absence of Olivia Colman, who played Nick’s mother in seasons one and two.

While many fans questioned if she had been replaced after seeing a beach scene between Nick and a new maternal figure, Olivia has not been recast.

The woman on the beach is in fact Nick’s aunt and Olivia confirmed to Forbes earlier this year that she ‘could not fit [filming] in’.

She told the publication: ‘I couldn’t do number three. I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that.’

Netflix confirmed to MailOnline that just because she cannot star in the third season, it does not mean she has been replaced longer term.

The streaming giant told MailOnline: ‘There is no replacement casting for Olivia Colman in the upcoming season.’

Despite Olivia confirming that she would not star in the new season, fans were sent in a spiral at the thought of her being replaced as they confessed their excitement for the show.

One penned: ‘Wait, did Olivia Coleman get recast? Is the lady on the beach with Nick his new mom?’

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Lucy is seen playing her role in EastEnders in 2003 with Shaun Williamson as Barry Evans

 

It comes after Heartstopper’s Joe and Kit recently confessed their seven-hour sex scenes left them both feeling ‘knackered’ and covered in chin ‘scabs’ which wouldn’t heal as they had to kiss so much on set

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It comes after Heartstopper fans were left ‘crying and throwing up’ as Netflix dropped the show’s season three trailer last week

‘I miss Olivia Colman’

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