Bad Education (TV series)
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Bad Education (TV series)
OR:
Bad Education (TV series) on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''Bad Education'' is a British television
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
produced by
Tiger Aspect Productions Tiger Aspect Productions (formerly known as Tiger Television from 1988 until 1993 and also known as Tiger Aspect Films for theatrical films) is a British television and film production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Fo ...
for
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
. It stars Jack Whitehall as young teacher Alfie Wickers – "the worst teacher ever to grace the British education system" – at the fictional Abbey Grove School, in Hertfordshire.


History

At the time of the series launch in August 2012, it broke
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
's record for the highest viewing figure for a first episode of a comedy, which was previously held by '' Horne & Corden'', but is now held by ''
Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
''. The second series premiered on BBC iPlayer on 27 August 2013, a week before the television air date of 3 September, as part of BBC Three's plans to premiere all its scripted comedy programmes online. This experiment proved successful, as the first episode of the second series received 1.5 million requests prior to its television airing. A Christmas special aired on 17 December 2013. The third series of ''Bad Education'' began transmission on 16 September 2014. Due to its success, the show was later adapted into a film, which was released on 21 August 2015. In late 2014, Whitehall confirmed that the show would not receive a fourth series. In May 2022, it was announced that the show will return for a special episode on the newly relaunched
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
channel to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
confirmed that the special is set to be followed by a new six-part series "written by a team of breakthrough writers" following the BBC's plans to invest more money in high-impact comedy programming. The special reunion episode aired on Thursday, 15 December 2022 at 9pm on BBC Three.


Synopsis

The series focuses on Alfred "Alfie" Wickers ( Jack Whitehall) – a posh, newly graduated secondary school History teacher at the fictional Abbey Grove School, in
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
or
Tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked to ...
, Hertfordshire. Ever determined to impress his crush, Rosie Gulliver ( Sarah Solemani) Alfie makes a repeated effort to appear "cool", performing activities including coaching the school football team, organising a weapons amnesty and fielding a candidate for school elections. Usually, in these efforts, he turns to his class of misfits for help, despite them often being unsupportive. The class include shy Joe ( Ethan Lawrence), wannabe hard man Mitchell ( Charlie Wernham), paraplegic
rude boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...
Rem Dogg (
Jack Binstead Jack Alexandar Binstead (born September 30, 1996) is an English actor, comedian, and retired athlete who starred as Rem Dogg in BBC Three's '' Bad Education''. He is also known for his junior career as a British wheelchair athlete. Binstead was ...
), sexually promiscuous Chantelle (Nikki Runeckles), camp Stephen ( Layton Williams), intelligent but snooty Jing (
Kae Alexander Kae Yukawa, known professionally as Kae Alexander, is a Japanese-born British actress. She gained prominence through her role as Jing Hua in '' Bad Education'' and its spinoff film. She played Leaf in the sixth season of ''Game of Thrones'', Li ...
), hot-tempered Cleopatra ( Weruche Opia), and school bully Frank (Jack Bence). At the same time, Alfie finds himself having to cope with the antics of his eccentric, laidback
headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...
, Shaquille "Simon" Fraser ( Mathew Horne), and meet the expectations of a string of deputy heads: at first ruthless authoritarian Isobel Pickwell (
Michelle Gomez Michelle Gomez (born 23 November 1966) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series ''The Book Group'' (2002–2003), ''Green Wing'' (2004–2007), and '' Bad Education'' (2012–2013). She went on to appear ...
), then the cruel yet pathetic Professor Celia "Pro Green" Green (
Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro (born 20 June 1968) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play '' Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick'' and the television films ''Cor, Blimey!'' and ''Babs'', DI Vivien F ...
), and then his own father, goofy and naïve Martin Wickers (
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and ''Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
). It is clarified in the third series that the entire show spans a single academic year.


Production

The first series started airing on 14 August 2012. On 23 August 2012, it was announced that ''Bad Education'' would have a second series. The second series began airing on BBC Three on 3 September 2013. Part of the second series was filmed at St. Michael's Catholic High School, Finchley,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. ''Bad Education'' was also partially filmed at the former site of Ashmount Primary School on Hornsey Lane on 12 and 13 May 2013. Some scenes were filmed at the former Salesian College in Battersea, London. Parts of Series 3 were filmed at Ricards Lodge High School in Merton. On 11 May 2022, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
confirmed that the show would return for a one-off special episode to be broadcast on the recently relaunched
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
, which would follow the characters Stephen Carmichael ( Layton Williams) and Mitchell Harper ( Charlie Wernham) becoming teachers, as well as a new six-part series.


Characters


Overview


Staff

* Alfred Prufrock "Alfie" Wickerss2 e1, stated on driving licence (born 17 June 1988, portrayed by Jack Whitehall) – Alfie is a 23-year-old History teacher at Abbey Grove School. He has difficulty managing and disciplining his students, some of whom treat him with contempt, and is often harassed by them. Regardless, he frequently recruits them to help save him from difficult situations. His classes are eccentric, using teaching techniques such as Class Wars (re-enacted battles with tables as trenches and wheelchairs as tanks) and
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spea ...
s to summon the spirit of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in his lessons. Though he pretends in front of the staff that he fully respects school rules, he frequently lets his students break them and regularly breaks them himself. Born on 17 June 1988, he attended the posh Middleton House school, where he was often
bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...
by pupils and staff, which he is still troubled by. His pupils wrongly maintain that it was a posh, upper-class boarding school where
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
was commonplace. However, it is hinted that he could be bisexual, due to comments made by his father and himself. Before coming to Abbey Grove, he worked at a B&Q home improvement store. He is poor at football and athletics in general, but is an accomplished
Irish dance Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vari ...
r, and wins the "Parent vs Teacher" race in "Sports Day". Alfie has a crush on one of his fellow teachers, Rosie Gulliver, and spends a lot of time trying to figure out ways to impress her, though he is frequently unsuccessful. By the end of Series 1, he had begun a relationship with her, but when Series 2 began, the relationship had been over for some time. In the first episode of Series 3, he and Rosie are cohabiting, but she moves out after he wrongly accuses her of
cheating Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert rules in order to obtain unfair advantages. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given preference using inappropriate crit ...
. Alfie openly agrees that he does not know if his relationship with Rosie is over or not. He was disgusted when his father Martin Wickers (
Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...
) started a relationship with his old flame and Abbey Grove's short-lived Deputy Headmistress Professor Celia Green. Alfie later learnt that Martin and Celia were engaged. Though opposed to this at first, he later accepted it, since Celia makes his father happy. He briefly felt sorry for his father when the relationship ends, allowing his father to move in with him, and annoying Rosie. But this quickly turned into a rivalry when his father becomes the new Deputy Headmaster. He is also shown to be a fan of
Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
and was given his album ''Christmas'' by Rosie in the
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
Special. He returns to his old job for one week because he finds saying goodbye to graduating students too difficult. But he is persuaded by his students and Rosie to return to teaching. He is often called "Dickers" by people who detest him, besides Mitchell, who ends up respecting him. Alfie's mother lives in Spain with her partner Javier and their children (Alfie's half-siblings). In one episode, he said that he once auditioned for the '' Harry Potter'' films, but he lost out the role to
Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...
. * Shaquille Banter "Simon" Fraser (portrayed by Mathew Horne) – Shaquille Fraser, usually referred to by his surname, is the headmaster of Abbey Grove. He is immature, irresponsible and generally incapable for the position which he held. He thinks of himself as intelligent and enjoys wordplay and metaphor, though it embarrasses his staff frequently. In the first episode of Series 1, he shows some romantic interest in Rosie Gulliver, but does not pursue it throughout future episodes and series. On several occasions he shows that he is bad at communicating with parents and is insensitive to religious and racial issues, such as when he mistakenly believes England had instituted a religious items ban in the school and went around confiscating
crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
es from students (he confiscated a Muslim girl's
burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
and apologised to her father by sending him a hock of ham and a bottle of wine), and when he said the word "
nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...
" to a black person, later remarking that "that word is probably best left to rappers", before he accidentally set fire to a makeshift Olympic Torch that resembled a cross, and he unknowingly put on his pointed hood in his swimming gown trying to put it out, making him look like a member of the KKK. He was generally unfazed by such incidents and had a very casual attitude about them. He legally changed the spelling of his surname to "Fra$er", but it often appears on signs as "Fraser" or "Frazer". In the Bad Education Handbook, it is implied that he legally changed his middle name to "Banter", a word that he is obsessed with. In the Series 1 finale, he undergoes a review by the educational board when a video of him accidentally showing a pornographic video (of an elderly man singing '' Sledgehammer'' with his scrotum) to an exam full of students goes viral. He retains his job, but admits in Series 3 that he is no longer allowed to supervise exams due to the aforementioned incident. In Series 2, he is conned for all the school's remaining finances, meaning that they are forced to make 'swingeing' cuts. In Series 3, it is revealed that he lost all of the money raised in "Fundraiser" at the end of Series 2 by investing in his own clothing range. As a result, one member of staff is going to be fired, but when Alfie resigns, he sells his flat so that Alfie could keep his job. He is continually undermined by his deputies and does not, with the exception of Martin, have a good relationship with them. In the final episode, he becomes inconsolable about Alfie leaving the school, hiding his upset behind childish insults. However while having does this, unlike Alfie he does not purposely put his students in danger and can be seen to care about them and the quality of the school. * Isobel Pickwell (portrayed by
Michelle Gomez Michelle Gomez (born 23 November 1966) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series ''The Book Group'' (2002–2003), ''Green Wing'' (2004–2007), and '' Bad Education'' (2012–2013). She went on to appear ...
) (Series 1 – 2) – Miss Pickwell is the Deputy Headmistress at Abbey Grove. She is a very strict woman who believes in rigid discipline. Alfie often compares her to an SS Officer and makes fun of her fascist views. She was deeply
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and religious, with contempt for what she believes are Rosie's attempts to turn the school into a " hippie commune": during her own
sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
class, she reads passages from the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
to her students that forbid
premarital sex Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolutio ...
. Her classroom and office are dark and bleak, with the only decorations being various pictures of dictatorial heads of state. She frequently schemes for more power, and nearly succeeds in unseating Fraser as headmaster in the final episode of Series 1, until Jing proved that she had been stealing money from the school by lying about her expenses. Alfie and Rosie blackmail her into telling the board that Fraser is an excellent headmaster in exchange for them not exposing her. In the same episode, she reveals that she has not cried since 1990 – "when Thatcher.html"_;"title="Margaret_Thatcher.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Margaret_Thatcher">Thatcher">Margaret_Thatcher.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Margaret_Thatcher">Thatcher/nowiki>_was_1990_Conservative_Party_(UK)_leadership_election.html" ;"title="argaret_Thatcher">Thatcher.html" ;"title="Margaret_Thatcher.html" ;"title="/nowiki> Thatcher">Margaret_Thatcher.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Margaret_Thatcher">Thatcher/nowiki>_was_1990_Conservative_Party_(UK)_leadership_election">hounded_out_of_office_by_Conservative_Party_(UK).html" ;"title="Margaret Thatcher">Thatcher">Margaret_Thatcher.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Margaret Thatcher">Thatcher/nowiki> was 1990 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election">hounded out of office by Conservative Party (UK)">her own party." In Series 2, upon learning of Rosie's lesbian relationship with Alex Scott, she secretly confesses to having previous lesbian relationships and attempted unsuccessfully to flirt with Rosie. Although in the Bad Education Handbook, she (correctly) predicts that Rosie's sexuality was a phase and that she would soon return to heterosexuality. In ''Funeral'', she is believed to have died after committing suicide over the abuse received from Alfie's class, culminating in her being covered in glue whilst being distracted when answering a staged "phone a friend". In her
suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depen ...
, she directly blamed Alfie for her decision. However, she revealed to Alfie that she faked her death in order to escape debtors and to live with her penpal, "The Beast of Bergendorff", a German dentist in his nineties who lives in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. In the same episode, her ringtone is revealed to be ''
California Love "California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first sing ...
''. She returns in the final episode of Series 2 and buys Alfie at a man auction for £25,000, more than enough to save Abbey Grove. She reveals she became a millionaire after the German died and she inherited his fortune. It is not known what Pickwell does with Alfie after she won him in the man auction; but the only relating shot showed Pickwell riding on Alfie like a horse complete with saddle, while both were in their underwear. She never appears again after that. * Rosie Gulliver (portrayed by Sarah Solemani) – Rosie is the
Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
teacher and former interim Deputy Headteacher at Abbey Grove School. She is openly bisexual and was one of the few teachers who takes pride when inspiring and teaching her students. She is passionate about charity work,
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
,
human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
,
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, and the struggles of people with disabilities. When teachers were asked to do a
sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
class, she is the only one who leads an honest discussion of human sexuality and shows acceptance and patience of the changes that the students were going through. When mistakenly believing Alfie was raped by a teacher at Middleton House when he attended it, she urges him to accept that he was a victim and speak for all those who have had their "voices silenced". In "Funeral", Fraser asks her to become interim Deputy Headteacher, and, to Alfie's alarm, begins to develop similarities to Pickwell's dictatorial style. Her tenure ended with the appointment of Professor Green in "Valentine's Day". At the beginning of Series 1, she breaks up with her boyfriend Richard, stating she was too "physical" for him. At first, she finds Alfie callow and does not share his feelings for her, though over time she warms to him. At the school dance in the finale of Series 1, she compares him to a student who really frustrates her, but has potential and is "perfect" after all, and kisses him in front of most of the student body. In the second series, however, Alfie is upset to learn that they are not together, and that she has formed a lesbian relationship with her former student, Alex Scott. In the fourth episode of the second series, this relationship comes to an end, and Rosie's feelings for Alfie return. She gets a job offer in Soweto in the final episode of Series 2, but decides to decline it when Alfie declares his feelings for her, and she returns them. They share another kiss. By the beginning of Series 3, they are living together, but she moves out after Alfie wrongly accuses her of cheating. She refuses to acknowledge the status of their relationship until "Prom", when the thought that Alfie will no longer be around shows her that she still cares deeply about him, and they get back together. * Professor Celia "Pro Green" Green (portrayed by
Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro (born 20 June 1968) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play '' Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick'' and the television films ''Cor, Blimey!'' and ''Babs'', DI Vivien F ...
) (Series 2) – Green is Mrs Pickwell's replacement as Deputy Headmistress after Pickwell's (faked) death. It is quickly revealed that Fraser hired her because he thought she was the British rapper
Professor Green Stephen Paul Manderson (born 27 November 1983), better known by his stage name Professor Green or simply Pro Green, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television personality and mental health activist from London. Growing up on ...
, and she retains the nickname "Pro Green" in tribute. When Alfie and she first met, she came across as very friendly, but in reality she was just as strict about the school rules as Miss Pickwell was, with Alfie even at one point saying that he preferred Pickwell. Later in the episode, she ended up sleeping with Alfie's father, Martin (whom she went to teacher school with), when he invited her over to Alfie's apartment for a Valentine's Day dinner. She continued to act like a dictator, and continued her relationship with Martin, often tormenting Alfie with it. She became increasingly extremely obnoxious, pompous, sanctimonious and derisive, taunting other staff in insensitive ways. She also saw herself as a higher category of importance than anyone else, questioning why ''she'' should suffer for the school's ' profligacy', when she flaunted her own state of profligacy and ensured that she was the only person to benefit from the situation. In the Series 2 finale they got engaged. She is absent from the Christmas special due to her and Martin being on their honeymoon, but by the first episode of Series 3, she left Martin and took his money, causing Martin to live at first in his car, then alongside Alfie and Rosie. * Martin Wickers (portrayed by
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and ''Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
) (Series 2 – 3) – Martin Wickers () is Alfie's father. His wife left him for a Spanish man named Javier. Martin started a relationship with Celia who went to teacher training with him and in the Series 2 finale they got engaged. He was absent from the Christmas special due to him and Celia being on their honeymoon, but by the first episode of Series 3, Celia and Martin had already married, and she had already left him, taking all his money. Martin has been living in his car and moves in with Alfie and Rosie. He got a job as the new deputy head at Abbey Grove. He eventually began a relationship with Frank Grayson's mother, implying that he planned to move in with and marry her. However, it appears that this relationship is over in "Exam" when it looks like a student accidentally killed her dog Coco while she was in Martin's care (Coco is shown to be alive and unharmed in his office after the incident, but it is never mentioned if she was returned). * Olive Mollinson (portrayed by
Leila Hoffman Leila Hoffman (née Rothstein) (born 11 June 1934 in Hackney) is an English comedian, actress and writer. Personal life Hoffman is the daughter of Esther (née Schaewitch) (1906–1992) and Joseph "Joe" Rothstein, both children of Russian Jews ...
) (Series 1) – Olive is the Art teacher and Head of Maths at Abbey Grove. She was the oldest staff member, having worked at the school since at least the 1960s. She does not appear in Series 2 and 3. * The P.E. teacher. The P.E. teacher remains unseen throughout the series. There is a
running joke A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...
where it is implied that he is a paedophile and hunted by the FBI, demonstrated by Mitchell and Rem-Dogg editing the
most-wanted list A most wanted list is a list of criminals and alleged criminals who are believed to be fugitive, at large and are identified as a law enforcement agency's highest priority for capture. The list can alert the public to be watchful, and generates p ...
to include Alfie in the Series 1 finale. In Series 2, Fraser believed that he quit his job to become a tree surgeon, after getting an e-mail from his lawyer about operations on a yew tree. Eventually in Series 3, he is fired after mis-interpreting the term
photo finish A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the finis ...
at sports day and is replaced by Alfie's nemesis, Preet van der Plessis.


Pupils

* Chantelle Parsons (portrayed by Nikki Runeckles) – Chantelle is a female pupil in Alfie's form. She appears to be sexually promiscuous and this is often remarked on by both herself and her fellow pupils. She has an obvious crush on Alfie and frequently attempts to seduce him, as does her mother in "Parents' Evening". In "Valentine's Day", she had self-confidence issues, and wants Alfie to notice her, so she pretends to have fallen pregnant. She is jealous of Miss Gulliver due to her relationship with Alfie. * Jing Hua (portrayed by
Kae Alexander Kae Yukawa, known professionally as Kae Alexander, is a Japanese-born British actress. She gained prominence through her role as Jing Hua in '' Bad Education'' and its spinoff film. She played Leaf in the sixth season of ''Game of Thrones'', Li ...
) – Jing is a Chinese pupil, who often speaks in her native language to insult Alfie (which he interpreted as a compliment, a question about 'English culture,' or a correct answer to a question). Jing appears to be the most intelligent and the most serious of the group and takes the register, carries on working while everyone else is asleep, and helped Alfie take down Pickwell at the end of Series 1. In Series 1 she is constantly frustrated that Alfie hardly teaches them anything, but in Series 2 she comes to Alfie's aid and comments that he is a "good and decent man". She helps Fraser keep his job by exposing Pickwell stealing money from the school. In Series 3, she undergoes a personality change, becoming much more moody and quoting various artists and writers. She reveals in "Exam" that her attitude change is not because of Alfie, but because of the pressure from her parents. She intentionally sabotages her
Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
GCSE to avoid being sent to the university that her parents want her to attend. In the finale, she is believed to be the only person in the class who would stay in school to do their A levels, but she admits that she applied to a
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
class in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. She helps Alfie one last time by convincing him that he is a good teacher and insisting that he should continue teaching. * Joe Poulter (portrayed by Ethan Lawrence) – Joe appears to be Alfie's closest ally in the class, almost always calling him by his first name. He often helped out his teacher, having falsely
came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
, pretended his mother had a life-threatening illness, and cooking for Alfie's father. He is often the butt of jokes and pranks by other pupils, although they seem to have affection for him. In Series 2, he had a
bowl cut A bowl cut or mushroom cut is a simple haircut where the front hair is cut with a straight fringe (see bangs) and the rest of the hair is left longer, the same length all the way around, or else the sides and back are cut to the same short lengt ...
, and in Series 3 he had a shaved head, although the hair slowly grew back. During Series 3, he appeared to grow in confidence and intelligence. * Mitchell Harper (portrayed by Charlie Wernham) – Mitchell appeared to be the tough guy of Alfie's class. He often poked fun at fellow pupils and his teacher. However, Alfie would usually get his own back by poking fun at Mitchell's family life, commenting that he didn't know who his dad was and how he lived in a caravan. He is a huge
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
fan and he cried at the end of ''
Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to '' Toy Story 2'' (1999). It wa ...
''. He had a friendship with Rem Dogg which sees them constantly making insulting comments about each other and their respective mothers. Despite not liking Alfie, Alfie describes him as one of his favourite students in the Bad Education Handbook, and they develop a friendship during Series 2. In Series 3, they get along much better after Alfie successfully helps Mitchell impress Cleopatra, whom Mitchell is infatuated with. In the second episode of Series 3, Mitchell left Abbey Grove after his father's fairground is shut down by the council. It is implied that he had moved and transferred to another school, but by "The Exam", Mitchell is shown in a youth detention centre. * Leslie "Rem Dogg" Remmington (portrayed by
Jack Binstead Jack Alexandar Binstead (born September 30, 1996) is an English actor, comedian, and retired athlete who starred as Rem Dogg in BBC Three's '' Bad Education''. He is also known for his junior career as a British wheelchair athlete. Binstead was ...
) – Rem Dogg is a pupil who uses a wheelchair and constantly wears a pair of headphones and baseball cap. He came across as a cheeky chap who poked fun at Alfie, and is very close friends with Mitchell. In Series 3, he became an emo and rarely spoke, going some episodes without saying a word, which could often lead to him putting himself in compromising situations: in "Strike" he spent 24 hours chained to the school gates. He becomes emotional when Mitchell gives him an impassioned goodbye, but is called "gay" in response, as a reference to the nature of their friendship. He takes offence when a teacher pretends to be paralysed, and when a careers advisory computer program said he should become a stunt man, then a male escort. In the Bad Education Handbook, it is revealed that he doesn't get along with his father, who is blind in one eye. * Stephen Carmichael (portrayed by Layton Williams) – Stephen is a camp, gay member of the class. He
came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
in Episode 2 of Series 1 in order to aid Alfie's sex education class. That said, it was a well-known fact to Alfie and other students, and he made no effort to hide his camp nature. This was best expressed in "Prom" when he ignored common advice and attended the prom in his
drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
persona. He has a passion for dancing, musicals and films. He was best friends with Chantelle. in the Christmas special, he began a relationship with Frank Grayson after they were both in Alfie's Christmas Play, "Robocracker" (a mash-up of '' RoboCop'' and ''
The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...
''). He appears to not get on with Frank in season 3, but Frank agrees to be his date for the prom and they are later crowned Prom King and Queen. In Series 2, Frank gives Stephen a
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
ticket. At first Stephen was ungrateful and didn't want the ticket, saying that he was “
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
for life”, but changes his mind upon learning that it came from Frank. He often stuns people by being good at things that homosexuals are stereotypically believed to be bad at, including football and advanced martial arts. Stephen is shown to be interested in fashion and often makes that clear. He dances in a few scenes and is portrayed as dramatic and well-liked. * Frank Grayson (portrayed by Jack Bence) – Frank Grayson, usually referred to by his surname only, is the school bully, who intimidates his fellow pupils as well as Alfie, having once stolen his shoes and on another occasion forced him to buy him and his friends cider after it was originally confiscated by Miss Pickwell. After Pickwell's departure, he was controlled by Professor Green. At times, however, he appeared to be insecure about himself, breaking down in Alfie's arms after Pickwell dies (not knowing she was actually alive) and exploring his sexuality in the Christmas special, beginning a relationship with Stephen with the purchase of the West Ham United ticket. In "Fundraising", Frank had been held back at school for 5 years, but had been held back so many times that he was presumably the same age as Alfie. In the same conversation, he was officially moved to Alfie's class. The same episode revealed that Martin moved him in order to avoid expelling him, which would have upset his new girlfriend, Grayson's mother, meaning that Alfie and Grayson could become step-brothers if they married. In "The Exam", Grayson and his mother have moved in with Alfie and Martin, despite Martin saying that he would move in with her. But this arrangement appeared to be over by the next episode. In the same episode, he finally bonds with Alfie for real. In Series 3, he appears to no longer get along with Stephen, but agrees to be his date to the prom and they are crowned Prom King and Queen. It is revealed in the final episode that he has an older brother named Dean who now works at Alfie's old DIY workplace. * Cleopatra Ofoedo (portrayed by Weruche Opia) (Series 3) – Cleopatra is a pupil introduced at the start of Series 3. She was aggressive and did not like Alfie or Mitchell in particular. She is black and was shown to be sensitive to racial issues, frequently and often incorrectly accusing others of racism. She accused Alfie of assuming she was a good sprinter because of her race when her name was drawn randomly to run the 100 metres in "Sports Day". She agreed to make out with Mitchell, but still did not like him. After Mitchell leaves, she began making jokes at Alfie's expense like Mitchell used to. Despite her hostility, she admits in the final episode that she liked Abbey Grove. She claims to have been to 12 schools, but plans to get kicked out and sent to a new one (even though she was no longer required by law to stay in school).


Guest characters

* Mrs Carmichael (portrayed by Hillary Whitehall (mother of Jack Whitehall) is Stephen's mother who wanted him to leave Abbey Grove thinking it wasn't the right school for him but in the end let him stay. She is later seen attending Abbey Grove's fundraiser where she gets one of Fraser's band members in the Man Auction, and supporting her son at "Sports Day". * Richard Carmichael (portrayed by Delroy Brown) is Stephen's father who wanted him to leave Abbey Grove thinking it wasn't the right school for him, but in the end let him stay. * India (portrayed by
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge (born 14 July 1985) is an English actress and screenwriter. She is best known as the creator, head writer, and star of the BBC sitcom ''Fleabag'' (2016–2019), which was based on her one-woman show of the same name. ...
) is a drug counsellor who came to talk about drugs at Abbey Grove but actually took drugs herself. * Kevin Schwimer (portrayed by
Kyle Soller Kyle William Soller (born July 1, 1983) is an American film, stage, and television actor. His accolades include one Olivier Award, and three ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards. Born in Connecticut and raised in Virginia, he attended the College ...
) is employed as a new history teacher in Series 2, who claims to be American and had many wild experiences that impress Mr Fraser. His short tenure at the school ends after Alfie and Jing expose him as a fraud and is actually from
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
. * Mr Harper (portrayed by Sam Douglas) is Mitchell's father who works at a fun fair and rents out his stalls for Abbey Grove's fundraiser. * Alfie's Mum (portrayed by
Frances Barber Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and ''Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Gar ...
) is Alfie's mother. She left Alfie's father Martin prior to the series and now lives in Spain with her new husband Javier and has children with him. She along Javier appear in the Christmas special where she was told by Fraser that Alfie was in a car crash so she would come to Abbey Grove's Christmas play. * Javier Garcia-Ramires (portrayed by
Jake Canuso Jake Canuso is a Swiss actor, who is known for his role in the ITV comedy series ''Benidorm'', in which he played the Solana barman Mateo Castellanos from 2007 until 2018. He also played Tony Peroni in the TV comedy series ''Scarborough'' alo ...
) is the new husband of Alfie's mother. He appears in the Christmas special where he at first mistakes Rem Dogg for Alfie. * Bonehead (portrayed by
Greg McHugh Greg McHugh (born 5 January 1980) is a Scottish actor. He is the creator, writer and star of the BBC1 comedy series '' Gary: Tank Commander''. He also played Howard in the Channel 4 comedy '' Fresh Meat''. Early life and education Greg McHugh ...
) is a homeless man who appears in the Christmas special. He was first seen at a soup kitchen Alfie and Rosie are volunteering at and later attends Abbey Grove's Christmas play. * Preet van der Plessis (portrayed by Harry Peacock) first appeared in "Self Defence" as a
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
n self-defense tutor hired to teach self-defense lessons at Abbey Grove. However, he was arrested for genuinely attacking Alfie and bringing dangerous weapons into the school. He later appeared in "Sports Day" where he is hired as the school's new P.E. teacher. Alfie strongly objected to his hiring due to the previous incident, and concern that Preet sought revenge against him. However, he asked Preet to train him to defeat Rosie's ex-boyfriend Richard in the "Parents vs Teacher" race. Just before the race, Preet cornered Alfie in the changing room and admitted that he hated Alfie for getting him put in jail. However, he realised that his aggression towards Alfie was out of frustration for not being able to express his romantic feelings for Alfie. During the aforementioned race, Preet tries to shoot Richard with a tranquiliser gun, but ends up accidentally shooting Alfie instead and is last seen being taken away by police. It is also implied during the same episode that he once murdered a woman. * Mrs Katherine Grayson (portrayed by
Katherine Kingsley Katherine Kingsley (born 24 December 1981) is an English actress. Early life Born and raised in Cambridge and schooled at Parkside Community College and Long Road Sixth Form College, Kingsley moved to London to study with the English National Oper ...
) is Frank's mother who appeared in "Fundraising" and "The Exam". She was very keen for her son to stay at Abbey Grove despite nearly every class not wanting him. At the end of the episode, she is revealed to be in a relationship with Alfie's father Martin. She has a pedigree chihuahua called Coco who she considers a princess, showing more affection towards Coco than Frank. She and Frank briefly live with Alfie and Martin for one episode, despite Martin saying that he was going to move in with her. This arrangement comes to an abrupt end when it appears that Cleo may have unknowingly killed Coco while she was in Martin's care (Coco is later shown to be unharmed in the post-credit clip). In the final episode "Prom", it is revealed that she has another son named Dean who works at a DIY store that Alfie briefly worked in. * Coco who appeared in "The Exam" is Katherine Grayson's pedigree chihuahua who is considered a princess by her and receives more affection than Frank. It was believed that she was accidentally burned to death inside a handbag whilst she was in Martin's care. However in the post-credits clip, it was later revealed that Coco was alive and had not been in the bag. * Richard (portrayed by
James Fleet James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' and the dim- ...
) is an ex-boyfriend of Rosie's who first appears in "After School Clubs". He, along with Rosie, attended the same reading club, which Alfie also briefly attended, where he thought that one of the other club's members, Orlando, was Rosie's ex-boyfriend but was surprised to learn it was Richard (owing to the age gap between him and Rosie). He later appeared in "Sports Day" where he took part in the "Parents vs Teacher" race. He did not appear after this, but is referred to often. * Dean Grayson (portrayed by Tom Davis) is Frank's older brother who works at a DIY store that Alfie also briefly worked in. It is also revealed that he also went to Abbey Grove and was taught by Rosie.


Episodes


American adaptation

A pilot for a U.S. adaptation of ''Bad Education'', named ''An American Education'', was ordered by ABC with Whitehall set to reprise his role as Alfie Wickers. The pilot began filming in Los Angeles in January 2014. However, ABC passed on the pilot on 22 May 2014. Whitehall would continue with the original UK series of the show.


Film adaptation

On 27 February 2015, Whitehall confirmed that a feature film edition of ''Bad Education'' was in production. Filming took place in Cornwall with the majority of the main cast all reprising their roles for the film. The film is titled ''The Bad Education Movie'' and was released on 21 August 2015 in the UK. The film saw ineffectual teacher Alfie Wickers travelling to
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
with his students. Entertainment Film Distributors, who also handled the release of the box-office 2011 hit ''
The Inbetweeners Movie ''The Inbetweeners Movie'', known simply as ''The Inbetweeners'' in North America, is a 2011 British coming-of-age teen adventure comedy film based on the E4 sitcom ''The Inbetweeners'', written by series creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris ...
'' dealt with the release of the ''Bad Education Movie''.


Reception

The series received mixed reviews from the British press. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' called it "in poor taste" and accused Whitehall of "phoning it in". ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' gave the show a rating of 2 out of 5, claiming that the show "uses too many stereotypes" and that Whitehall "tends to repeat many jokes" rather than creating new ones. Both the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' and '' The Sun'' gave the sitcom a rating of 2 out of 5.
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gave the show 71%; a critic said, "the script is patchy and the story is too silly for its own good but there are enough laughs to make this a hit with the target audience"


Home media


DVD releases


References


External links

* * * * {{IMDb title, id=2337840, title=Bad Education 2012 British television series debuts 2010s British LGBT-related comedy television series 2010s British teen sitcoms 2010s British workplace comedy television series 2010s LGBT-related sitcoms 2010s high school television series 2020s British LGBT-related comedy television series 2020s British teen sitcoms 2020s British workplace comedy television series 2020s high school television series BBC television sitcoms British high school television series British LGBT-related sitcoms English-language television shows Television series about educators Television series by Banijay Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions Television shows adapted into films Television shows set in Hertfordshire Tring Watford