The Teacher is a British anthology drama, produced by Channel 5, created by Mike Benson and Barunka O'Shaughnessy. The first four-part series stars Sheridan Smith as Jenna Garvey, a secondary school teacher accused of having sex with a pupil.[2][3] The episodes were shown over four successive evenings from 31 January 2022.
| The Teacher | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy |
| Written by | Mike Benson Barunka O'Shaughnessy Jon Gilbert[1] (series 1) Michael Crompton Rebecca Wojciechowski (series 2) |
| Directed by | Dominic Leclerc |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Edmund Butt |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Mike Benson |
| Producer | Jyoti Fernandes |
| Production location | Hungary |
| Cinematography | Benjamin Pritchard |
| Editor | John Phillipson |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Clapperboard Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 5 |
| Release | 31 January 2022 – present |
The programme was renewed for a second series, which began airing on 9 September 2024.[4]
Plot summary
editSeries 1
editJenna Garvey is an English teacher who is good at her job and popular with her pupils but has a shambolic personal life. She is charged with having sexual intercourse with one of her pupils, 15-year-old Kyle, after a drunken night out.[5]
Jenna decides to plead guilty since she was too drunk to remember what happened on the night in question, and she wants to avoid forcing Kyle to give evidence. She receives a suspended sentence and a community service order. Soon after, she discovers that the evidence against her was fabricated.
Series 2
editThe series focuses on a new teacher, Dani, whose life spirals out of control when a pupil goes missing on a school trip.
Cast
editSeries 1
edit- Sheridan Smith as Jenna Garvey, an English teacher at Earlbridge School.
- Samuel Bottomley as Kyle Hope, a pupil at Earlbridge.
- Cecilia Noble as Pauline, Jenna's colleague.
- David Fleeshman as Roger Garvey, Jenna's father and a retired teacher.
- Sharon Rooney as Nina, another English teacher who is jealous of Jenna.
- Kelvin Fletcher as Jack, Jenna's colleague.
- Sarah-Jane Potts as Mary, Kyle's mother.
- Tillie Amartey as Izzy, a pupil who is the daughter of Nina.
- Ian Puleston-Davies as Brian
- Karen Henthorn as DI Sowerby
- Aaronveer Dhillon as Adnan
- Anil Desai as Rick Mills, Earlbridge's headteacher.
- Karen Bryson as Ava Mansouri, Jenna's solicitor.
- Matt Devere as Jojo, a bartender.
- Reuben Johnson as Sean, Jenna's boyfriend.
- Harry Hepple as Gabriel, a teacher.
Series 2
edit- Kara Tointon as Dani Oxley
- Will Mellor as Jimmy Spencer
- Emmett J. Scanlan as Tim Oxley
- Cal O'Driscoll as Zac Webster
- Forrest Bothwell as Matt Spencer
- Gwynne McElveen as DI Linda Calgetti
- Lila Coleman as Bel Clarke
- Ebby O'Toole-Acheampong as Chloe Novak
- Joni Morris as Sienna Ryan
- Niamh McCann as Nina Webster
- John Nayagam as Robert Caufield
- Callum Jess as Stan Oxley
Production
editAlthough the first series is set in Bradford, it was mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary, due to the financial savings offered by both cheaper overseas operating costs, and the financial support of the Hungarian Government and the Hungarian Film Institute.[6] The final editing process combined the Hungarian material with a smaller number of scenes filmed in and around Newcastle/Gateshead for the addition of scene-setting local landmarks.
Episodes
editSeries 1 (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Dominic Leclerc | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy | 31 January 2022 | 5.63 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Dominic Leclerc | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy | 1 February 2022 | 5.37 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Dominic Leclerc | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Jon Gilbert | 2 February 2022 | 5.23 |
| 4 | "Justice" | Dominic Leclerc | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy | 3 February 2022 | 5.59 |
Series 2 (2024)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBA | Dominic Leclerc | Michael Crompton | 9 September 2024 | N/A |
| 2 | TBA | Dominic Leclerc | Rebecca Wojciechowski | 10 September 2024 | N/A |
| 3 | TBA | Dominic Leclerc | Rebecca Wojciechowski | 11 September 2024 | N/A |
| 4 | TBA | Dominic Leclerc | Michael Crompton | 12 September 2024 | N/A |
Reception
editSeries 1
editCarol Midgley of The Times gave the first series four out five stars, dubbing it "highly entertaining" thanks to Smith and the lurid plot elements.[7] Sean O'Grady of The Independent also gave it four out five stars, praising Smith's performance.[8] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave it three out of five stars, also commending Smith but questioning the script and direction.[9]
Series 2
editEmily Watkins of i News was critical of the series' writing and characters, dubbing it 'heavy handed silliness'.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Speakers | Jon Gilbert | London Screenwriters' Festival". Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ "My5". www.channel5.com. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Geall, Kayleigh Dray & Lauren (1 February 2022). "Sheridan Smith's The Teacher is coming to Channel 5 this week". Stylist. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-teacher-season-2-air-date-newsupdate/
- ^ "The Teacher cast: Meet the characters of the Sheridan Smith drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ "How Channel 5's The Teacher turned Budapest into Bradford". The Independent. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Midgley, Carol. "The Teacher review — Sheridan Smith turns in a class act". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ "Sheridan Smith's performance in The Teacher balances flair with vulnerability: review". The Independent. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Singh, Anita (31 January 2022). "The Teacher, review: Sheridan Smith excels as the tutor you wouldn't let near your teenage sons". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/the-teacher-review-if-you-liked-the-first-series-i-have-very-bad-news-3258911
External links
edit- The Teacher at IMDb