Prepare for a lesson in chaos as classroom comedy 'Bad Education' returns

The staff and students of Abbey Grove are back for their most unruly year yet.

A group of students sit on tables and have their arms around each other posing in a school hall

Bad Education season 5 Credit: Adam Lawrence/Tiger Aspect

When graduate teacher Alfie Vickers (series writer and comedian Jack Whitehall) first arrived at Abbey Grove School, he quickly established a reputation for himself as one of the worst teachers the school, and possibly Britain, had ever seen. Along with the rest of the failing secondary school’s staff and students, Alfie soon realised that his university degree and upper class upbringing had done little to prepare him for the realities of life inside a classroom. And so a lesson in Bad Education began.

Alongside his unsuccessful attempts to be ‘down with the kids’ and win over the students of his dysfunctional Class K, Alfie was immediately faced with some of the less joyful aspects of teaching: tense parent’s evenings, poorly organised field trips, and an obscene level of marking on which the future of his entire class depended. Add to that the scathing disapproval of deputy headmistress Pickwell (Michelle Gomez), erratic guidance from principal Fraser (Mathew Horne) and his inability to function as a successful adult, and it’s fair to say that Alfie Vickers, as his students so eloquently put it, is a pathetic excuse for a teacher.

Mathew Horne and Jack Whitehall in Bad Education season 1 Credit: distributor

With Whitehall at the helm of the first three seasons, cringeworthy moments and quick witted banter are guaranteed, as Alfie’s unmatched inadequacy sees him, and his class, fumble through the highs and lows of a school year. Though his chance of winning any awards for teaching excellence might be slim, Alfie somehow manages to forge an unintentional yet unbreakable bond with his class that endures through it all, and begins to realise that he has as much to learn from his students as they do from him.

Such was his influence that season four of Bad Education sees student become teacher as two of Alfie’s former pupils Stephen Carmichael (Layton Williams) and Mitchell Harper (Charlie Wernham) return to Abbey Grove as staff members themselves, ready to follow in Mr Vickers footsteps, and take on the challenge of educating the next generation of Class K students. Of course, in reality, neither are really that interested in teaching, and have come to the position with their own agenda. No prizes for guessing who might have influenced them there…

The legacy of Whitehall, and his cowriter Freddy Syborn, remains in the fast-paced, fresh script, following Stephen and Mitchell as they realise life on the other side of the teacher’s desk is harder than it appeared, thanks in no small part to a whole new brand of distinctly 2020s classroom chaos. Though they are hardly the best of friends, these young teachers are united against the strict new headmistress of Abbey Grove, Mrs Hoburn (Vicki Pepperdine), who has no time for the pair’s antics and appears to be on a mission that could threaten their jobs and the very existence of the school itself. The fourth season was a triumphant return, after an almost eight year hiatus, for Bad Education and it quickly established itself as one of Britain’s highest-rated comedy series.

Layton Williams as Stephen Carmichael in season 5 of 'Bad Education' Credit: Tom Jackson

It’s a trend that it hopes to continue as it returns for a fifth season. Thankfully, Stephen and Mitchell are also back, and Abbey Grove School seems to be safe… for now. They are both now committed to sticking at this teaching thing, at least in the short term, but each are still learning to separate their personal and professional lives with varying success. With relationship dramas, family responsibilities, potential fame, and the tyrannical principal Hoburn just the beginning in a long list of career-threatening problems awaiting them this year, getting Class K across the line will be far from straightforward. As Stephen continues to pursue his dreams of stardom with his signature flamboyance and sass, and retains his on-again, off-again rivalry with clueless new father Mitchell, the classroom is once again the stage for the hilarious and absurd.

In all its iterations, Bad Education has a unique ability to mesh the charm of a tried and tested sitcom format with clever contemporary comedy. Whether you’ve been a fan since it began more than a decade ago, or are just adding it to your list, know that this is one series you will be able to binge from start to finish, revisit when you need a laugh, or rewatch all over again without losing any of the sparkle. With all five seasons and specials now available to stream at SBS On Demand, now is the perfect time to get stuck in.

The fifth season of Bad Education is now available to stream at SBS On Demand. Seasons 1-4 are also available, plus the Reunion and

Christmas

specials.