Based on the Webtoon comic and graphic novel series of the same name by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper is now currently available to watch on Netflix.

And it is safe to say it’s a hit.

The show is currently the sixth most watched series on the streaming service in the world, and it holds a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The British coming-of-age romance series was highly anticipated in the run-up to its debut, thanks in part to the picture-perfect casting that got fans of the original comic series excited from the get-go.

Starring in the lead as Charlie Spring is newcomer Joe Locke, who is flying the flag high for the Isle of Man by excelling in his first role.

Joe was picked via an open casting call to play Charlie, going up against 10,000 other hopeful teenagers, who clearly didn’t match up.

And you can see why – Joe is astounding in the role.

He stars opposite Kit Connor – best known for portraying the young Elton John in Rocketman – who plays Charlie’s love interest, Nick Nelson.

The show excels in its simplicity. It’s not an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, but rather a lovely, heartwarming depiction of teen romance.

The fact that said teen romance is a queer one is a moot point, and it is refreshing to see a depiction of an LGBTQ+ romance played out with such care. There isn’t a harmful trope in sight.

Instead, we see gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender characters navigate the difficulties of teenage love.

Negative comments and stereotypes come by way of their fellow teenagers, but that is realistic, and it never treads into territory that could harm its young audience.

There is a distinct kinship queer audiences will feel watching one character type the phrase ‘am I gay?’ into Google; just to be met with a plethora of articles on the subject – and the unavoidable quiz he buckles down to fill out.

What is ground-breaking is the fact that the character who hesitantly opens up the Google searchbar on his laptop is not our protagonist, but his love interest.

The fact that young Charlie is self assured and knows who he is is refreshing to see, and it flips the script on what we usually expect in the LGBTQ+ teen coming-of-age canon.

What does live up to expectations is the attention to detail that Netflix deploys, down to the posters on classroom walls. Young viewers will feel like they could be watching their own high school on screen, and older viewers will be transported back to their own teen years.

The use of Instagram’s direct messaging feature as a visual tool is also pulled off perfectly, and far more successfully than I’ve seen done in other projects that display messages on screen. You can feel the tension as the teens erase potential messages and agonise over what they really want to say.

In a break from the Netflix norm (à la similar teen drama ‘Sex Education’), this is a show that feels wholly British.

The characters wear school uniforms, don’t slip into Americanised slang and aren’t sexualised - the most you will see is the odd kiss. It’s refreshing in a way that will leave you grinning at the screen.

The show also stays true to its comic book origins at key moments. It utilises cartoon elements like panels for added effect.

Ballakermeen High School, Joe’s own school, posted on Facebook last week to express how proud they are of their ‘star’.

I think the whole island can agree with that sentiment.