Bella Maclean

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Bella Maclean
1997 or 1998 (age 28–29)New York City, U.S.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
2018–present

Arabella Georgina Lucy Maclean (born 1997 or 1998) is a British actress. On television, she appeared in the fourth season of the Netflix series Sex Education (2023) and the Disney+ series Rivals (2024). She is also known for her theatre work.

She was named a 2025 Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

Maclean was born in New York City to British parents and has older twin sisters. She spent her early childhood in New York for her parents' work, before they returned to England and settled in East Sussex when she was 10.

In 2020, Maclean graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting.

Maclean made her professional stage debut as Martha in the 2021 London revival of Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre. Her performance was described as "an eye-catching turn as Martha" by theatre critic Fiona Mountford. The production was directed by Rupert Goold, with Laurie Kynaston and Amara Okereke leading. A filmed performance of the production was screened at cinemas in the United Kingdom in November 2023.

She returned to the stage in 2024 as Bella Wilfer in the National Theatre's London Tide, a musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend. The production was directed by Ian Rickson, adapted by Ben Power, and music by Powers and PJ Harvey. While the play and score received mixed reviews, Maclean's performance was positively reviewed. The official cast recording was released in October.

In 2023, Maclean made her television debut in two episodes of the BBC One police procedural Silent Witness. She joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education for its fourth and final season as Jem. She has also appeared in the short films Dragged Up and La La Means I Love You.

In 2024, Maclean had her breakout role in the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals. She portrayed Agatha 'Taggie' O'Hara, the overlooked daughter of Declan (Aidan Turner) and Maud (Victoria Smurfit) who struggles with dyslexia while trying to pursue culinary dreams. The show was met with widespread critical acclaim, while Maclean's scenes with love interest Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) were described as "engagingly complex". The series was renewed in December, with Maclean set to return.

Maclean was cast as a lead role in Ray Panthaki's directorial debut film In Starland. The film follows a middle-aged man struggling to break free from the confines of his small town until he meets a group of bold young artists that transform his perspective. She is starring alongside Clarence Maclin, Marcus Scribner, and Maxwell Cunningham.

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2018	La La Means I Love You	Tallulah	Short film
2023	Dragged Up	Amy	Short film
Almedia on Screen: Spring Awakening	Martha	Filmed live performance
TBA	In Starland		In production

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2023	Silent Witness	Sara Mendes	2 episodes
2023	Sex Education	Jem	6 episodes (season 4)
2024–	Rivals	Agatha "Taggie" O'Hara	Main role

Year	Title	Role	Director	Venue	Ref.
2021	Spring Awakening	Martha	Rupert Goold	Almeida Theatre, London
2024	London Tide	Bella Wilfer	Ian Rickson	National Theatre, London

• 2024: London Tide (World Premiere Recording)

Maclean was a finalist in the Josephine Hart Poetry Prize in 2019, when a student at Guildhall. The prize is awarded for reading a poem.

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2024	iTalk Telly Awards	Best Breakthrough	Rivals	Nominated
2025	Edinburgh International Television Festival	Breakthrough Performance	Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	BPG Breakthrough	Won

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• Bella Maclean at IMDb
• Bella Maclean at Spotlight