| “ | I was thinking if I don't swim anymore and I'm not a head boy, and I'm not very good at acting, then who the hell am I? Like, maybe I don't care about anything enough. | ” |
| — Jackson to Cal[src] |
Jackson Theodore Marchetti is one of the main characters in Sex Education. He is portrayed by Kedar Williams-Stirling. He is a former swimmer who spends the series looking for something he really enjoys doing. He's the best friend of Vivienne Odusanya, and is the ex-boyfriend of Maeve Wiley.
In season 1, Jackson is named the head boy of Moordale Secondary School and a swimming champion. He enlists Otis's help in getting Maeve to become his girlfriend, which he succeeds. Jackson's also under lots of pressure, as he's perceived as the best swimmer at school, which, however, often leads him to having panic attacks. Especially that his mother, Sofia, makes the situation worse by making Jackson to push himself harder with each training. Eventually, Jackson breaks up with Maeve, as he notices that she develops feelings for Otis, which devastates him, as he truly loves her. This also leads him to having lots of casual sex with multiple partners prior to season 2's storyline.
Couldn't stand the pressure anymore, Jackson decides to self-harm, breaking his arm, which rules him out of swimming for some while. He also befriends his tutor and one of the brightest students at his school, Viv, who advises him to think of a back-up plan in case he is not able to swim anymore. Thanks to this, Jackson gets the part of Romeo in the school play and asks Viv to help him with understanding Shakespeare as in return he could help Viv with making a move on her crush, Dex. As Jackson's hand heals, he wants to self-harm again, not wanting to swim again. But, he's interrupted by Viv, who decides to tell his parents about it. Jackson decides to tell his mother he doesn't want to swim anymore, which she accepts.
In season 3, Jackson bonds with a new non-binary student at Moordale Secondary, Cal. He also loses his position of headboy, as Hope decides to give it to Viv, which causes a tough time in their friendship. Therefore, Viv starts to be jealous of Jackson developing his relationship with Cal. Eventually the two make up and together prevent Hope from changing Moordale Secondary into a sex-free campus, ruining the open day. Despite their plan being successful, it turns out the school is set to be closed and every student needs to find a new school to finish their education. What's more, his and Cal's relationship does not turn into a romantic one, as Jackson still sometimes perceives Cal as a girl which they aren't. The two instead decide to remain friends.
Despite this, prior to season 4, Jackson starts ignoring Cal, as he still can't get over them. He also starts attending Cavendish College, and starts having casual sex with a girl called Anabelle, who informs him about a lump she finds on his ball. This freaks Jackson out and he decides to see a doctor, but eventually, it turns out to be nothing to be afraid of. In spite of this, Jackson decides to find out something about his biological father, whom he eventually finds, but he clearly shows that he doesn't want to have anything to do with Jackson. He's also being very protective of Viv, who starts dating Beau, who quickly discovers that he is not as perfect as he was at first. After Cal goes missing, Jackson takes a huge part in looking for them and eventually finds them in the same place the two were hanging out a couple months ago. Eventually, Cal's all safe and sound and what's more, a door is opening for Jackson and them to improve their relationship.
Early Life[]
Jackson is the son of Roz and her ex-boyfriend, Jerome. Despite Roz wanted him to be involved in Jackson's life, he didn't want to, as he was married and had his own family. After Roz met Sofia, with whom she fell in love with, she stopped caring about Jerome, and, with Sofia, decided to raise Jackson together and create a family.
Jackson suffers from anxiety and panic attacks due to the pressure and expectation put on him about swimming and being head boy. He has been on anti-anxiety medication since the age of 11 and has already seen a therapist, whom he returns to see in the second season. He told Maeve that he throws up several times a day, particularly before student assemblies and after swimming races. Jackson hurt himself once visibly during the second season by putting his hand under sport weights. After Viv's intervention and the return to his therapist, Jackson seems calmer and happier at the end of the second season.
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Jackson is the king of the campus, as he is the best player in most of the school sports. He is very popular at the school, and he harbors a crush on Maeve. The two hook up and eventually he asks Maeve to be his girlfriend. At first their relationship seems rather shallow, but it becomes clear that Jackson indeed feels deep affection for Maeve. After meeting his mothers, Maeve feels inadequate and unaccepted compared to Jackson's apparent success and support. Their relationship goes on a deeper level when Maeve shows Jackson her trailer and tells him about her parents. As a reaction, he confides in her about his mental health issues. They date throughout most of the season, until Jackson realizes that Maeve has feelings for Otis and the two split up. It takes Jackson a while to get over Maeve.
Season 2[]
Jackson is under a lot of pressure from his mothers about his swimming career and, as a panic reaction, hurts his hand intentionally so that he can't swim anymore. He puts it as an accident. Viv starts to tutor him and they build a friendship throughout the season. She helps him try out for the school play (he gets the part of Romeo) and he helps her get the attention of a guy she likes. Viv also walks in on Jackson on Otis' party, while he has a panic attack and was about to hit a mirror to hurt his freshly healed hand again. Viv tells him that he needs professional help and can't keep hurting himself. She also mentions increased suicide risk at people who harm themselves. Since he reacts defensively, Viv talks to Jackson's mothers without his knowledge and tells them about his issues. At first, he is angry about this, but after he starts therapy, their friendship deepens.
Season 3[]
Jackson loses his head boy position, which was given to his best friend, Viv, by Hope. He ends up crushing on a new non-binary student Cal Bowman and Viv notices that he sucks up to Cal to make a change on school grounds to gender-neutral bathrooms and changing rooms. They end up having a deep connection but they're still figuring things out themselves. During all this he is confused on his sexuality and Cal mentioned that Jackson still sees them as a girl and not someone who's non-binary.
Season 4[]
Jackson starts attending Cavendish College alongside his best friend, Viv. Despite it's been a couple of months now, Jackson still can't get over Cal, who he starts ignoring, To partially forget about Cal, Jackson starts having casual sex (just like after the breakup with Maeve) with a girl called Anabelle, who finds a lump on his ball and informs him about it. Because of this, Jackson goes to see a doctor to check it. This also encourages him to find out something about his biological father, starting the investigation. Shortly after that, it turns out that the lump is nothing to be worried about and that Jackson's father wasn't a sperm donor, but his biological mother's ex-boyfriend called Jerome, who left her after he found out she was pregnant. Jackson gets mad at his mothers and goes to his father's house to have a chat with him. Eventually, Jerome tells Jackson to go away, which deeply upsets Jackson, but it also makes him aware of that he doesn't need a crap father whereas he's got such wonderful mothers.
Relationships[]
Romances[]
Maeve Wiley (ex-girlfriend)[]
- Main article: Maeve and Jackson
Maeve is Jackson's ex-girlfriend. Jackson and Maeve began having casual sex at the start of sixth-form. While Jackson sought to solidify their relationship, Maeve expressed no interest in having him as a boyfriend. It is only when Otis inadvertently advised Jackson to start taking an interest in Maeve's hobbies and to stage a grand gesture does Maeve agree to be his girlfriend. Their relationship did not last long, however, as Jackson soon came to the realization that Maeve was truly in love with Otis when he noticed the former's jealousy upon seeing the latter with Ola at the school dance. Accepting that Maeve will never be able to fully reciprocate his feelings for her, Jackson decided to break up with Maeve and remained hostile towards both his ex-girlfriend and Otis in the subsequent school term. Despite that, Jackson still had strong feelings for Maeve in another school term; while learning Romeo's lines about love for the school play, he was looking at the photo of him and Maeve. Eventually, Jackson fully got over Maeve between the season 2 finale and the beginning of season 3.
Ruby Matthews (flirted)[]
Jackson and Ruby used to flirt back in season 1. Ruby was satisfied with him becoming the head boy at Moordale Secondary, which increased his social status. The two were seen flirting shortly after Jackson was chosen to be the head boy. It is also possible that they hooked up after Jackson broke up with Maeve, as back then he was heartbroken and started sleeping with every girl at the school.
Gwen (former sexual partner)[]
Gwen is Jackson's former sexual partner. The two had casual sex after Jackson was depressed after breaking up with Maeve.
Martha (former sexual partner)[]
Martha is Jackson's former sexual partner. The two had casual sex after Jackson was depressed after breaking up with Maeve.
Florence Simmons (kissed; friend)[]
Florence is a girl Jackson was playing Romeo & Juliet with during the school musical. At the beginning, their relationship was a bit tense, as Florence was accusing Jackson of treating the whole musical thing as a joke and that he didn't treat it seriously. They also had troubles with having scenes together, as they weren't showing any emotions while acting together, which was annoying Lily. Florence and her friends also perceived Jackson as a typical asshole, who sleeps with every girl. Florence's friends also encouraged her to hook up with Jackson, as she hasn't had sex yet. Thanks to that, Florence found out that she's asexual.
During the play, the two were doing great a piece of great work on the stage, and eventually shared a kiss, which was interrupted by Mr. Groff, who ran onto the stage, interrupting the musical.
Cal Bowman (close friend; kissed; in love with)[]
- Main article: Cal and Jackson
Cal is Jackson's friend and crush. Cal and Jackson met on campus as Jackson wondered if he should participate in defacing the school and therefore "removing" the history to it. The two originally pursued a more casual friendship but Jackson developed feelings for them and was teased for it. The two got high together and bonded over about their experiences with anxiety and worries for the future. Over the course of the series, they grew closer together.
Cal and Jackson kissed, and they considered starting a relationship, but Jackson didn't feel that he identified as queer, and Cal felt that they couldn't be in a relationship with someone who saw them as female.
With time, Jackson started ignoring and being a extremely mean towards Cal, as he couldn't get over them. When Cal went missing, Jackson's worried about them and was helping the rest of the students to find them. He eventually finds them in the place the two were hanging out in episode 3.3, and takes them home. Jackson's still caring a lot about Cal, and vice versa. It's possible that after the season 4 finale, the two were able to fix things and make things work between them.
Anabelle (hook-up)[]
Jackson and Anabelle started hooking up some time prior to season 4, and Anabelle emphasized that she wanted it to be just a casual thing. In episode 4.2, when the two were in Jackson's room and Anabelle tried to wank Jackson off, he couldn't come, until she put her finger up his bumhole. This incident made Jackson to start questioning his sexuality and decided to go get a piece of advice from Otis.
After a talk with Otis, getting to know that enjoying such a thing for some straight guys is normal, Jackson decided to invite Anabelle over again, and asked her if they could get to know each other a little bit more. Anabelle refused, reminding Jackson she wanted them to be casual. Anabelle also informed Jackson about a lump she felt on one of his balls. This freaked Jackson out as he later decided to see a doctor to check it. After that, Jackson decided to call things off with Anabelle, still having strong feelings for Cal.
Family[]
Sofia Marchetti (adoptive mother)[]
Sofia is Jackson's adopted mother. After Sofia met Roz, Jackson was already born, and she decided to raise him together with Roz. Sofia used to be a competitive swimmer, so the two bonded over their love for swimming. According to Jackson, Sofia felt insecure about not being his biological mother, so she felt pressure to connect with her son in other ways.
However, over time, Jackson felt that swimming was too stressful, but didn't want to tell his parents, so Viv did it for him. After hearing the news, Sofia didn't want to accept it, wanting Jackson to accomplish what she wasn't able to. But with time she tried to accept that Jackson didn't want to swim anymore, as she seemed happy after hearing that Jackson would take part in the school musical as Romeo.
Some time later, after Jackson fell for a non-binary student called Cal, he asked his mother when she found out that she was a lesbian, being confused which sexuality he is. After Cal and Jackson decided that they should remain friends, Sofia saw that something's wrong and offered Jackson a talk and some ice cream in order to cheer him up.
After Jackson found out about Jerome, he got mad at Roz and Sofia, but eventually, after Jerome showed that he didn't want to know Jackson, he apologized to his mothers and the three shared a family hug.
Roz Marchetti (biological mother)[]
Roz is Jackson's biological mother. Roz got pregnant young with a man called Jerome that already had a family. Wanting him to be involved in their lives, Roz was sending him pictures of little Jackson, hoping that someday Jerome would come to them and would want to bring up Jackson with her. Everything changed after Roz met Sofia and fell in love with her. Then, she decided to stop sending Jerome all of the pictures and together with Sofia, decided to raise Jackson together. Roz was also way more relaxed than her wife and wants Jackson to enjoy his life as a teenager, which often causes fights between her and Sofia, who wanted Jackson to keep swimming in the first place. When Jackson told them that he didn't want to swim anymore, she accepted his decision, knowing how much pressure he was under. She's also proud of Jackson while watching him as a Romeo in the school play. After Jackson found out about Jerome, he got mad at Roz and Sofia, but eventually, after Jerome showed that he didn't want to know Jackson, he apologized to his mothers and the three shared a family hug.
Jerome Saibu (biological father)[]
Jerome is Jackson's biological father. After Roz got pregnant with Jackson, Jerome didn't want to have anything to do neither with Roz nor with Jackson, as he had his own family. After 18 years, Jackson decided to find his biological father and eventually got Jerome's house address and went there with his best friend, Viv. Despite this, after he introduced himself and told Jerome he was his biological father, he chased him away. After that situation, Jackson decided to stop trying to reach out to Jerome and focused on his mothers, thereby his true family.
Friends[]
Vivienne Odusanya (best friend)[]
Viv is Jackson's friend and former tutor. Viv tutored Jackson in maths and helped him get a B+ on a maths test. She encouraged him to pursue interests outside of swimming and helped him prepare for his audition for the Romeo & Juliet play. In return, Jackson helped Viv talk to Dex, as Viv had a crush on him.
After Viv learned that Jackson self-harmed, she informed his parents. Jackson got mad at her for this, ending their friendship. The two eventually made up in the season 2 finale.
In the new term, they remained best friends, spending much time together. Everything changed after Viv started to suck up to Hope, and Jackson developed a relationship with the new student, Cal. The two kind of grew apart, but eventually in the season 3 finale, they organized 'The Thing' against Hope together and made up once again.
Despite tough times, Jackson and Viv were able to rebuild their season 2 bond after the closure of Moordale Secondary. Some time later, the two started attending Cavendish College, where Viv met a boy called Beau, whom she later started dating. Jackson let Viv know about a lump he had on one of his balls. Then, Viv started being very supportive of him and started giving him a lot of her attention, which started to annoy Beau, who started being abnormally jealous of Viv. Beau showed his real self in front of her before Viv's mock exam. He was jealous of some guy who just asked Viv a question about the exam and threatened her. After this incident, Viv was crying the whole evening in her room, when suddenly, Jackson came in, started talking about his mothers not telling him the truth about his biological father, but after seeing Viv like that, started supporting her right away. Despite Beau's behavior, Viv went with Jackson to his biological father's house and the two later took part in seeking for Cal. In the series finale, Viv dumped Beau and Jackson's proud of her.
Sean Wiley (former friend)[]
Sean is Jackson's former friend. The two lost touch after Jackson broke up with Maeve, who was Sean's younger sister, and Sean left Maeve.
The two met again at Sean's mother's funeral, but didn't have any occasion to talk, as Sean made a speech during which he insulted his mother and later leaving the funeral.
Rivals[]
Hope Haddon (enemy)[]
At first, Jackson had a good relationship with Hope, the new headmistress at his school. Everything started to change after Hope decided that Jackson would no longer be the head boy and gave this job to Jackson's best friend, Vivienne. Then, Jackson became mad at both Hope oldnd Viv. Jackson also developed a deep connection with a non-binary student, Cal, who was probably the biggest enemy of Hope's management. Because of hanging out with Cal, Jackson started to be perceived as an enemy by Hope.
With time, Viv also realized the nefarious side of Hope's management of the school, and secretly recorded her while Hope clearly showed her disdain for the students and their concerns. Viv sent the recording to Jackson, Cal and other students, and took part in the open school show which clearly stated the students' pride regarding them talking about sex, which was organized by her and Jackson. Thanks to that, Jackson, Viv, Cal and the rest of the students finally got rid of Hope, who lost her position and was kicked out of Moordale Secondary.
Beau (enemy)[]
At first, Jackson liked Beau and insisted on Viv to give him a chance. Everything changed after Beau started being jealous of Viv all the time, especially after Beau threatened Viv. Later, Jackson's also one of the people who told Viv to break up with Beau, which she eventually did in the finale.
Otis Milburn (former rival)[]
Jackson is the first rival that Otis encountered for Maeve's affection. While Otis liked and had feelings for Maeve, Jackson paid him £50 to tell him what Maeve likes. In an attempt to sabotage the relationship, Otis told Jackson that Maeve likes big, public displays (despite the fact she doesn't). This plan however, completely backfired as Maeve and Jackson began dating so Jackson never discovered Otis trying to sabotage him and the two remained friends.
The following term after breaking up with Maeve, Jackson became somewhat cold and indifferent to Otis. This because he knew Otis loved Maeve and vice-versa. Otis however, still wasn't seeing Maeve and hadn't confessed how he felt, much to Jackson's annoyance. By the latest term however, Jackson appeared to have forgiven Otis for his inaction seeing as he asked him to operate the projector during the parents evening and even did so in a polite way but did say he 'seems nerdy' yet this wasn't in malice.
A couple months later, this time at Cavendish, Jackson approached Otis at the gym, helped him and asked Otis for a piece of advice, as he started suspecting that he may be queer, hoping to rebuild his bond with Cal. Jackson told Otis that he doesn't like him, but the two kept on talking and Otis helped him out. Jackson also mentioned Maeve, saying that 'she was always looking for something better', referring to their relationship. Later, Jackson came to Otis once again, and the latter assured him that having a lump on a ball is completely normal for some men.
Personality[]
Jackson is a smart, genuine, popular guy who appears to be good at everything he does. However, he suffers from pressure-related anxiety and stage fright. He is kind and can be a very funny, sweet guy when he feels at ease with someone (like Viv).
Appearances[]
| Episodes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Total | |
| One | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 8 | |
| Two | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 8 | |
| Three | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 8 | |
| Four | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 8 | |
| Total | 32 | |||||||||
| Books | ||||||||||
| Sex Education: The Road Trip | Sex Education: A Guide to Life | |||||||||
| - | M | |||||||||
| ✔ = Appeared | M = Mentioned | |||||||||
| - = Did not appear | P = Pictured | |||||||||
Memorable Quotes[]
| “ | No, I like her. I wake up and I'm thinkin' about her. I go to sleep and I'm thinkin' about her. It's driving me insane. I think she could be...the one | ” |
| — Jackson to Otis about Maeve[src] |
| “ | You know, it's weird. You're my age, but wise. You're like my mum... in a little man's body. Like a little mum man. No offense | ” |
| — Jackson to Otis[src] |
| “ | This isn't about my future, sir, this is about your sports fundin' | ” |
| — Jackson to Mr. Groff[src] |
| “ | Oh, say hi to Maeve for me | ” |
| — Jackson to Otis[src] |
| “ | Well, you still have a friend. That's if you'll still have me. Oh, I miss hanging out with you, man. A lot. Please can we be friends again? | ” |
| — Jackson to Viv[src] |
| “ | I also poo sometimes | ” |
| — Jackson on the school trip[src] |
| “ | This is fucked up! | ” |
| — Jackson when Hope was humiliating Cal during the assembly[src] |
| “ | Otis! Can you help me out with something for the thing? Our computer guy has dropped out, so we need a replacement. I thought of you 'cause you seem nerdy | ” |
| — Jackson to Otis[src] |
| “ | Thank you. Hey, be more Eric, okay? Thank you | ” |
| — Jackson to Otis and Eric[src] |
| “ | There was someone I liked a lot, but it didn't worl out, so... | ” |
| — Jackson to Sofia about Cal[src] |
Trivia[]
- Jackson played Joseph in his elementary school nativity play; according to him, he was very believable in the role.
- When Jackson was a kid, he was afraid of water so much that he couldn't even have a bath.
Gallery[]
 |
Sex Education Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Jackson Marchetti. |
Promotional Images[]
.jpg "Sex Education Season 1 Promo Photos (10).jpg (601 KB)")
.jpg "Sex Education Season 1 Promo Photos (16).jpg (70 KB)")
.jpg "Sex Education Season 2 Promo Photos (2).jpg (2.12 MB)")
Episodic[]
References[]
|
|