From her upcoming role in ITV’s No Return to her recent heart-wrenching performance in the BBC’s Four Lives, Sheridan Smith isn’t one to shy away from a challenge – and her latest series is a perfect example. 

Last night, Smith returned to our screens in Channel 5’s The Teacher, a new four-part psychological thriller which sees the renowned actor take on the role of a teacher who is accused of having a sexual relationship with one of her pupils. 

Following in the footsteps of BBC Two’s A Teacher, which aired last year, the series has been described as “incredibly uncomfortable viewing” by Smith, which is hardly surprising considering the subject matter.  

The first episode aired last night (31 January) and Twitter was awash with thoughts and theories about the new show. The multi-dimensional pull of the episode drew many in:     

Many were quick to applaud Smith’s stellar acting:

While others were quick to start theorising about what could unfold in the next three episodes:

Viewers have been quick to pin this series as a “who set her up” drama but as the next three episodes come out consecutively this week, we’ll just have to tune in every night and find out.

What’s the plot of The Teacher?

The TV show aims to tell the story of Jenna, a teacher whose life falls apart after being accused of a drunken sexual encounter with one of her pupils.

As per the official synopsis provided by Channel 5: “With no memory of the night in question, Jenna’s only hope of redemption lies in uncovering the truth about a dark event in her past that returns to haunt her.”

Who stars in The Teacher?

Sheridan Smith will take the lead in Teacher as Jenna.

Speaking about the decision to cast the Cilla actor, Mike Benson, managing director of production company Clapperboard, says: “When we first developed The Teacher we had Sheridan in mind as someone who could bring empathy and complexity to the character of Jenna, so the fact she has agreed to come on board is hugely exciting.”

Smith will be joined by the likes of former Strictly Come Dancing champ Kelvin Fletcher, as well as Samuel Bottomley, Cecilia Noble, Sharon Rooney, David Fleeshman, and Ian Puleston-Davies.

What are people saying about The Teacher?

Benson has promised that the drama will “explore the challenging and provocative themes thrown up by these types of cases” – and tackle a series of difficult questions around consent, power and accountability.

However, it is worth noting that Teacher is set to walk a very difficult line. Because, by making the main drive of its story one of doubting a person’s allegations of rape (and by empathising with the woman who stands accused of committing the crime), it has the potential to perpetuate a dangerous myth.

As Katie Russell, national spokesperson for Rape Crisis England & Wales, previously told Stylist: “False rape allegations are very rare. By contrast, the experience of rape and other forms of sexual violence and abuse is much more common than most people realise. 

“The impacts on survivors are significant and long-lasting, and the vast majority of those who are subjected to these serious, traumatic crimes never report to the police.

“Among the reasons survivors tell us they don’t report are fear of not being believed and of being treated like the one under suspicion. The criminal justice process is long and difficult and it’s not something people routinely put themselves through for petty reasons.”

Discussing her character Jenna during an interview with Radio Times, Smith said that the crux of the series lies in her character’s decision to let the teacher-student boundary “slip”.

“I think she is a bit naïve,” Smith explained. “She’s on a mission to save working class kids because that’s where her mum comes from, and she really hates the fact that privileged kids can get further in life. She tries to be a mate to her students, which is her undoing in the end. There are teacher-student boundaries and she has maybe let that slip.”

She continued: “And then of course her life outside of the classroom is chaotic. I really hope people don’t know what to think about her. There were scenes where I was thinking, ‘This is so terrible, you’d be fired immediately’.

“Her actions didn’t sit right with me, but I enjoyed playing them as well. It will make incredibly uncomfortable viewing and you won’t know if you like her or not.” 

Is there a trailer for The Teacher?

Yes, and you can watch the full clip below:

Who is working behind-the-scenes on The Teacher?

The series has been created by Barunka O’Shaughnessy – whose previous credits include several episodes of Motherland – and Cold Call’s Mike Benson.

The A Word’s Dominic Leclerc, meanwhile, has taken on directorial duties.

When will The Teacher become available to watch on Channel 5?

The first episode aired last night (31 January) at 9pm, with further episodes airing on consecutive nights this week.

Images: Channel 5