Joe Locke to star in gay student-teacher thriller series Black Church Bay
Joe Locke will star in teacher-student mystery-thriller Black Church Bay. (Getty)
Joe Locke will star in teacher-student mystery-thriller Black Church Bay. (Getty)
Heartstopper’s Joe Locke has had a busy summer.
In between wrapping up filming on Alice Oseman’s movie Heartstopper Forever, preparing for his new West End debut play Clarkston, and partying with Elton John and David Walliams, the 21-year-old star has managed to find time to film Black Church Bay, a little-known, upcoming mystery-thriller.
Filmed and set in Wales, Black Church Bay follows Locke as an out gay sixth form student who has an “intimate encounter” – read, affair – with his teacher.
“In a remote Welsh coastal village, the disappearance of an openly-gay sixth form student disrupts the delicate balance of local life for one deputy head teacher, exposing long-buried secrets and threatening to tear the community apart,” reads an official synopsis.
Written and directed by newcomer Rhys Marc Jones, Black Church Bay also “explores the lengths someone will go to in order to hide their true self”.
Jones’ series is set for release in 2026, and will feature Tom Cullen in the role of the teacher in question.
Cullen is best known for roles in Downton Abbey, The Gold, and in Andrew Haigh’s 2011 queer film, Weekend. Cullen will also star in the upcoming third season of House of The Dragon.
In a statement, Jones described the upcoming mystery-thriller as “ambitious”.
“Black Church Bay has been a dream made real by the cumulative efforts of a dedicated cast and crew.
“I’m immensely grateful to my long-time creative partners, cinematographer Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll and designer Paix Robinson.”
He added: “We’re excited to show audiences the exquisite Isle of Anglesey in a way it’s never been seen before.”
Black Church Bay wrapped filming earlier this week according to ScreenDaily.
Locke is currently in the tech rehearsal stage of his debut West End play Clarkston, written by The Whale writer, Samuel D. Hunter. Locke stars alongside Sebastian actor Ruaridh Mollica in a show “about identity, acceptance, and the transformative power of friendship”. Clarkston runs from 17 September to 22 November.
The Agatha All Along star wrapped filming on the Hearstopper movie Heartstopper Forever in July, with the film set for release on Netflix in 2026.
Heartstopper Forever will be the final instalment in the Netflix adaptation of Oseman’s graphic novel series, and will conclude the young, queer love story between students Charlie Spring (Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).
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