Channel 5 thriller The Teacher is set to air over four consecutive nights next week, with Sheridan Smith starring as a teacher accused of sleeping with one of her students.
Smith herself has described the upcoming drama as “incredibly uncomfortable viewing”, with her character Jenna trying to prove her innocence despite not being able to remember the night in question due to being blackout drunk.
In a preview exclusive to RadioTimes.com, we get a glimpse at an interaction between Jenna and 15-year-old Kyle (Samuel Bottomley in The Teacher cast), and there are hints at the inappropriate nature of their relationship.
After Kyle is bullied by a fellow classmate, who Jenna calls a “massive b***h”, the pair go into a room so Kyle can practise for an upcoming audition. Kyle performs a poem, but gets distracted and frustrated.
“If you want to get anywhere in life, you’re going to have to work twice as hard as the privileged kids. It’s not fair but I want you to go for this please,” Jenna tells him, before squeezing his arm.
A fellow teacher catches them, and it’s obvious she disapproves. See for yourself below – please note that the clip features strong language.
Though it’s unclear at this stage what really happened between the pair, Smith has already hinted at her “undoing”.
“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 explained.
Jenna’s chaotic life outside the classroom doesn’t help, as she suffers from blackouts regularly due to her excessive drinking, and there’s obviously a traumatic event in her past that still haunts her.
The Teacher will launch on Channel 5 on Monday 31st January at 9pm with all four episodes being stripped across the week.
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