Sheridan Smith will star as a teacher accused of having sex with a pupil in a new Channel 5 drama called The Teacher. Check out the trailer below.
The four-part drama certainly looks as if it might become quite the talking point and sees the 40-year-old Gavin & Stacey actor taking on one of her most controversial roles to date.
Smith will play secondary school teacher Jenna Garvey, who is struggling with her mental health and using alcohol and sex as a way to momentarily ease the pain.
The emotionally troubled teacher is eventually accused of having sex with a 15-year-old student whilst on a night out to celebrate a promotion, but has no recollection of whatever took place.
That leaves her grasping at straws and seeking to unfurl the mysteries of what actually happened before her life is totally ruined.
The 15-year-old student is played by Samuel Bottomley, of Ackley Bridge fame, and Sharon Rooney from My Mad Fat Diary also features.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher and Black Mirror actor Cecilia Noble.
Channel 5 recently released a teaser trailer to give viewers a chance to get to grips with all that will happen.
In that short clip, Jenna is asked questions about her life beyond the classroom by her students.
She tells them: “What I do with my spare time is none of your business.”
Then, she awakens with a serious hangover after downing shots with student Kyle in a nightclub the night before.
A colleague tells Jenna: “There’s been a report of inappropriate behaviour between yourself and a pupil. I need you to stay away from the school.”
Her life is then turned upside down by the allegations.
In the teaser she can be seen scrubbing ‘paedo’ off her car, as well as being told that she is ‘creepy’ and ‘always trying to be friends with the kids’ by a student.
Smith said that she was attracted to the role after being ‘gripped’ by the script for the show.
She explained: “Jenna is such a complex character, there are so many layers to her and I love the fact that you don't know if she's telling the truth or not.
“All these twists and turns came along in the story that I did not expect, and I couldn't put it down, which is rare – I read it all in one go.”
She continued: “Sometimes characters written for women can be quite bland, but I love playing people who are flawed and complex like Jenna.
“She's got a drink problem, she’s lost her mum, has a really strained relationship with her dad and she has just gone off the rails and lost herself a bit.
“When she finishes work, she clocks out and has a chaotic life.
“I always want to make a character likeable because I want to find the heart in them, no matter how flawed someone is, but I do want the audience to doubt Jenna and to feel unsure about where they stand, it's exciting to play that in a role.”
The Teacher will air nightly starting on Monday 31 January at 9.00pm.
Topics: TV and Film, Channel 5, Celebrity
Tom Wood