The Teacher review: If you liked the first series, I have very bad news
In the initial season of The Teacher, which aired in 2022, Sheridan Smith portrayed a disorganized English teacher who faced allegations of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The show attracted a huge audience and received mostly positive reviews, so it’s understandable that Channel 5 wanted to bring it back. This time, they’ve transformed it into an anthology, casting Kara Tointon as the new titular – and somewhat dubious – teacher. Sadly, the gripping premise of the original has given way to a clumsy and over-the-top approach.
In the northern part of England, art teacher Dani Oxley (played by Tointon) along with her colleague Jimmy Spencer (played by Will Mellor) was busy organizing a group of teenagers boarding a bus for a school trip. Right from the start, the drama highlighted Dani's genuine concern for her students, as we saw her rush back into the school to bring troubled student Sienna out of the art studio. Observant viewers might have realized that this moment could become significant later on.
Sienna's bold eyeliner and black beanie clearly expressed her troubled feelings, but the episode went a step further with dialogue to hammer home the point. "When I was in foster care, drawing helped me escape," Dani said, leading her to the bus with a tired yet knowing smile. This was pretty much the tone for most of Dani's lines throughout the episode.
At the same time, the intense looks exchanged between two boys on the trip revealed that there was some tension brewing—specifically between the quirky Zac (Cal O’Driscoll) and the loud Matt (Forrest Bothwell). A lingering view of a, well, very large knife in Zac's backpack highlighted his intentions—it was evident he was planning more than just a simple game of spin the bottle during their outing.
As I sat on the crowded bus, I couldn't help but notice the man next to me with his bag wide open. A knife was clearly visible on top of his belongings, and all my earlier doubts about what was happening disappeared instantly. We hadn’t even been on the bus for five minutes! It felt like I was watching a play where an ominous object has been introduced, and just like in any suspenseful TV show, I found myself expecting that knife to show up again later on.
When Jimmy and Dani reached the remote picturesque location, they established some basic rules—no vaping, no drinking, and no mobile phones allowed. With these restrictions in place, both the adults and teens had to engage in good old-fashioned face-to-face conversations. After venting about their partners, Dani and Jimmy ended up kissing fervently by a tree, pausing only when they heard a twig snap, indicating they might not be alone. Subtlety isn’t exactly the strong point of The Teacher.
The following day, after sneaking away for another secret meeting with Jimmy at a nearby boathouse, Dani came back to her students only to discover that Zac was gone, along with one of the kayaks that had been secured by the lake. When they located the kayak and Zac's lifeless body, Dani was heartbroken. Since she had been involved with her coworker when Zac went missing, she felt compelled to deceive the police.
Struggling with her feelings of guilt, Dani wandered through the school trying to support those around her. However, her attempts at being a good friend took a sharp turn when a dated photo of her and Jimmy in the boathouse began circulating on social media. Just to make sure everyone understood the implications, Chloe chimed in with, “You were hooking up while Zac was drowning?” while Matt added, “Zac died because of you.” Thanks for spelling it out, everyone!
While it’s important to guide your audience through your story, The Teacher approached its viewers as if they were clueless students. You don’t need to embellish secrets and relationships to capture attention, yet the clumsy and predictable plot removed any sense of intrigue, even from the juiciest parts. Let’s discuss this further later.
‘The Teacher’ will be back tomorrow at 9 PM on Channel 5.
