The Teacher (2022 TV series) explained
| Genre: | Drama |
| Creator: | Mike Benson & Barunka O'Shaughnessy |
| Director: | Dominic Leclerc |
| Composer: | Edmund Butt |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| List Episodes: | - Episodes
|
| Executive Producer: | Mike Benson |
| Producer: | Jyoti Fernandes |
| Location: | Hungary |
| Cinematography: | Benjamin Pritchard |
| Editor: | John Phillipson |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Company: | Clapperboard Studios |
| Network: | Channel 5 |
| Last Aired: | present |
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.[1] [2] The episodes were shown over four successive evenings from 31 January 2022.
The programme was renewed for a second series, which began airing on 9 September 2024.[3]
Plot summary
Series 1
Jenna 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.[4]
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
The series focuses on a new teacher, Dani, whose life spirals out of control when a pupil goes missing on a school trip.
Cast
Series 1
- 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
- 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
Although 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.[5] 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
Series 2 (2024)
Reception
Series 1
Carol Midgley of The Times gave the first series four out five stars, dubbing it "highly entertaining" thanks to Smith and the lurid plot elements.[6] Sean O'Grady of The Independent also gave it four out five stars, praising Smith's performance.[7] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave it three out of five stars, also commending Smith but questioning the script and direction.[8]
Series 2
Emily Watkins of i News was critical of the series' writing and characters, dubbing it 'heavy handed silliness'.[9]
Notes and References
- Web site: My5. 2022-02-06. www.channel5.com.
- Web site: Geall. Kayleigh Dray & Lauren. 2022-02-01. Sheridan Smith's The Teacher is coming to Channel 5 this week. 2022-02-06. Stylist. en.
- https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-teacher-season-2-air-date-newsupdate/
- Web site: The Teacher cast: Meet the characters of the Sheridan Smith drama. 2022-02-06. Radio Times. en.
- Web site: 2022-02-03. How Channel 5's The Teacher turned Budapest into Bradford. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-teacher-channel-5-filming-location-b2007325.html . 20 June 2022 . subscription . live. 2022-02-06. The Independent. en.
- News: Midgley. Carol. The Teacher review — Sheridan Smith turns in a class act. . en. 2022-02-06. 0140-0460.
- Web site: 2022-02-03. Sheridan Smith's performance in The Teacher balances flair with vulnerability: review. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-teacher-sheridan-smith-channel-5-b2004513.html . 20 June 2022 . subscription . live. 2022-02-06. The Independent. en.
- News: Singh. Anita. 2022-01-31. The Teacher, review: Sheridan Smith excels as the tutor you wouldn't let near your teenage sons. en-GB. The Telegraph. 2022-02-06. 0307-1235.
- https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/the-teacher-review-if-you-liked-the-first-series-i-have-very-bad-news-3258911
