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WITH TEACHERS LIKE THESE... Critics who lament the dumbing down of films these days can probably take comfort from the fact that there is one media that seems even dumber - TV. Neil Hannon, the driving force behind The Divine Comedy, pointed this out convincingly when he sang "Everything (on TV) is mindless fluff, like this world's not dumb enough..." Well, in an age of countless, repetitive "reality" shows, comedies that were once funny but have long been showing their age (like Friends) and game shows that begin to wear out their welcome, it is a relief to know that there is a group (sorry; should that be gang?) of semi-adolescents who can still brighten up our screens - the Teachers of (the fictional) Summerdown School in Bristol. So what makes this hour-long comedy drama so appealing? After all, some adults have found it offensive. Others have seen no point in it. Its strong language has proved too much for some, and, as a Teletext writer once noted, the show is "ageist, sexist and gloriously politically incorrect". Yet that same writer also declared that the show was "unfailingly funny". It is. The creation of Belfast man Tim Loane, Teachers was actually very nearly set in Northern Ireland. However, although they liked the characters, the show's producers wanted Loane to rewrite them into a different setting, which is exactly what he did. The result was three incredibly successful seasons of comedy/drama, with a fourth still to come. For the uninitiated, the show focuses around the lives, in and out of school, of a small group of...well...young teachers, who are, in many ways, just kids at heart. There were originally five of them: insecure English teacher Simon (Andrew Lincoln), icy English teacher Jenny (Nina Sosanya), witty psychology teacher Susan (Raquel Cassidy), dumb but well-intentioned PE teacher Brian (Adrian Bower) and wimpish IT teacher Kurt (Navin Chowdhry). To date, only Brian and Kurt have been in the show throughout its entire run. Season 2 saw the arrival of busty, but irritating English teacher Penny (Tamzin Malleson) and gay languages teacher JP (Shaun Evans). Towards the end of season two, Simon departed and was replaced by another English teacher, Matt (James Lance). By the time Season 3 came around, Susan, Jenny and JP had vanished without explanation. The only new arrival was Biology teacher Lindsay (Vicky Hall), meaning that the group once again consisted of five. There are two main reasons for Teachers' success (although it has much more going for it as well, which we'll come to later). First of all, although the show is CLEARLY not based on reality (as Raquel Cassidy once told some fans), once you set aside the jocular tone you sense that there may be some truth in it. As a result, schoolchildren see teachers in a different light - is this REALLY what teachers may be up to during their own crazy lives? And furthermore, if you have worked/are working in any profession, you'll only have to watch a few episodes and you will feel at home with these teachers (Especially students who have been on work placements, like yours truly, and also some of the young female teachers I know, who may see a bit of Susan, Penny or Lindsay in themselves). The supporting regulars are equally crucial. The largely mute school administrator, Carol (played brilliantly by Ursula Holden Gill), almost epitomises the series' subtlety. You can always sense there's something hiding beneath her silence. Not so with the hard headmistress, Clare, and sarcastic secretary, Liz. But this doesn't make them any less interesting, and they are even prone to out-of-character bursts (although, as Father Ted writer Arthur Mathews once warned, this shouldn't happen too often). It also helps immensely that the kids get lines that are almost (if not quite) as smart as the adults' lines. Few better examples can be found here than Liz's daughter Kayla asking Brian Biology questions. There are certain other wonderful aspects of the show that I have to mention, like the on screen "day of the week" captions. No other show I've seen has had such a touch. It's great fun to keep an eye out for where the Monday, Tuesday and so on will appear at the start of each day (these have become more innovative as the show has gone along). Then there's the "imaginary" sequences a la Ally McBeal (though far more funny & inventive) and the unexplained, but very amusing presence of a donkey in the school every now and then (they would have used sheep, Raquel Cassidy states, if not for foot and mouth). In fact, surrealism is one of Teachers' key traits. It's even visible in the way the relationship subplots are developed. Unlike The Office, Teachers doesn't go for a mock documentary approach, and as a result this surrealism is acceptable (Could you imagine Ricky Gervais' series being as wild as Teachers?). But like The Office, the writers know not to openly manipulate you, instead letting things develop more naturally with no real melodrama. All of this is accompanied by an excellent Britpop soundtrack that just seems to get more varied as the series goes on (with bands like Feeder getting a lot of airplay). And, in a real moment of inspiration, Belle & Sebastian's The Boy with the Arab Strap is the show's theme song. In the beginning, the producers obviously felt that they needed a "name" actor to give the show early promotion, and so in came This Life's Andrew Lincoln. It was a choice that turned out to be inspired. Season 1 was really focused mostly on Simon, with almost as much time being dedicated to Susan (his closest friend). Somehow, Lincoln managed to make this smug, childish and sometimes whiny character more amusing and endearing than the others. During Season 2, however, the show gradually became more of an ensemble piece, and so even if his shock departure (initially) left the show disjointed, it wasn't long before it recovered. Lincoln's association with the show didn't end altogether, though - Simon returned as a "supply teacher" in the middle of Season 3 and Lincoln himself was allowed to go behind the camera for the last two episodes of the season. (I should point out that the episode involving Simon's return was one of the best of the series.) At this moment in time, though, the show's core is the Brian & Kurt double act, and a fine one it is too. Since these two are generally one-note, most of the episodes can be built around them, not on them, and that works almost perfectly. That said, some of the recent episodes focusing on their personal problems have been genuinely excellent, like the ones involving Brian's crush on a dinner lady and Kurt being stuck in a wheelchair. Yet there's a sneaking feeling that a "gay" subplot between them may have been played one too many times, and this is where I begin to mention the show's recent problems. Fans and critics have moaned about "declining standards" in Season 3. Personally, I didn't even begin watching the show until then, and it only took a couple of episodes before I was totally hooked. But after watching episodes of Season 1 recently I was struck how they seemed more subtle. It seems that in a recent attempt to broaden the show's audience, the writers may have been moving too far towards easy laughs. (For example, the "burping competition" at the start of one show didn't really work.) Nor have fans been too pleased by the departure of certain characters. Certain people, for example, may prefer Susan & Jenny in place of Penny & Lindsay. And then there's Matt, who, to begin with, seemed an inadequate replacement for Simon. Initially I found both Matt and Penny a little annoying. But they have gradually smoothed out their irritating edges to the point where they're not only bearable, but quite witty and essential. In fact, all of the show's current characters are important to the series. You must credit the producers for properly replacing those who have departed. The new characters are also adding a certain freshness to the show, especially when it comes to laughs. For a show that's generally meant to be a comedy, I have to confess that certain early episodes genuinely moved me. Only one episode in Season 3 has come close to having the same impact. Don't get me wrong - Season 3 is admirably put together, with sharp acting and lots of laughs. But, with a few exceptions, the characters generally stay one note. That's probably Season 3's underlying problem - less heart and more light-heartedness. This approach may be working better for the more undemanding fans, but it helped that the earlier episodes had more dramatic depth. Because Seasons 1 & 2 successfully combined the best of both worlds, they stunned. The characters don't have as much real substance as they used to. There are times when Season 3 has been going too far in the comedy direction, and as a result it's sometimes been hit and miss. Still, you can talk about decline all you like, for every show has worked on some level. My only real concern is that certain new episodes might not stand up so well second time around. For Season 4, Teachers should continue to play on its current strengths and hopefully the old ones will return naturally. If there are to be any more new teachers, they must fit in well. But if new love subplots are to be developed, they must be believable enough. (I say this because the most recent one, involving Matt & Lindsay, has never really convinced me yet...) Eventually, though, Teachers will outstay its welcome, so - as was the case with The Office - the makers should probably call it a day while they're ahead (but not for another season or two, at least). Teachers has (apparently) hit it off with young workers and students of all ages. Where it hasn't been so warmly welcomed is in the older critics' section. Frankly, these people are taking the show far too literally. It's sardonic and politically incorrect, and proud of it. They should credit it for daring to be different. I mean, why continue rewarding the more trite crowd-pleasing dramas like Cold Feet when you've got shows like this that will always take a chance? Actually, I'd be concerned if any of Teachers' viewers took it too seriously. After all, the key to Teachers' popularity lies in the fact that it is innovative, irreverent, takes no prisoners and, above all, never, ever insults its audience.
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