Sheridan Smith drama The Teacher isn’t far away from its airing on Channel 5, with the controversial series (not to be confused with FX’s A Teacher starring Kate Mara and Nick Robinson) set to kick off on the last day of January.
And now RadioTimes.com can unveil a first-look clip from the series, which sees an educator (Smith) accused of a serious allegation by one of her pupils. In the clip, you can see the first blurrings of teacher/student boundaries, which will have serious repercussions as the series continues.
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.
But is she guilty of the crime? And if not, what’s the real truth about what’s going on?
Read on for everything you need to know about The Teacher.
The Teacher starring Sheridan Smith release date: When will it air?
The series begins on Monday 31st January at 9pm on Channel 5. You can also stream it on My5.
The show will air across four consecutive nights.
The Teacher starring Sheridan Smith plot: What’s it about?
Smith stars as Jenna Garvey, a high school English teacher who is accused of having sex with one of her male students. But she was heavily intoxicated at the time and has no memory of that night, which leaves Jenna unconvinced that the allegation is true.
Did she do the unthinkable? Or is her pupil lying? And why?
The Teacher starring Sheridan Smith cast: Who else stars?
Samuel Bottomley (Get Duked!, Ackley Bridge) stars alongside Smith as Kyle, the 15-year-old who Jenna is accused of sleeping with.
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Other cast members include Kelvin Fletcher (Death In Paradise, Emmerdale), Cecilia Noble (Small Axe, The Lady in the Van) and Sharon Rooney (My Mad Fat Diary, Finding Alice) as Jenna’s colleagues Jack, Pauline and Nina, David Fleeshman (It’s a Sin, All Creatures Great and Small) as Jenna’s dad Roger, Ian Puleston-Davies (Pennyworth, Coronation Street) as Pauline’s partner Brian, Tillie Amartey (Almost Never) as high school student Izzy, Karen Henthorn (Viewpoint, Coronation Street) as DI Sowerby, Karen Bryson (Matchmakers, Safe) as Jenna’s lawyer Ava, and Sarah-Jane Potts (Gracepoint, Waterloo Road) as Kyle’s mum Mary.
Dominic Leclerc (The Syndicate, Bulletproof, Silent Witness) directed the series, with Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Motherland) on board as co-writer.
The Teacher starring Sheridan Smith trailer: When can I watch it?
You can watch the official trailer right now.
The Teacher will launch on Channel 5 on Monday 31st January at 9pm with all four episodes being stripped across the week.
Looking for something else to watch? Plan your viewing with our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Drama hub for the latest news.