Bad Education (TV series)

Synopsis

Production

Characters

Staff

• Alfred Prufrock "Alfie" Wickers – Alfie is a 23-year-old History teacher at Abbey Grove School. He has difficulty managing and disciplining his students, some of whom treat him with contempt, is often harassed by them and is even bullied by one pupil, but frequently recruits them to help save him from difficult situations. His classes are eccentric, using teaching techniques such as Class Wars and séances to summon the spirit of Adolf Hitler in his lessons. Though he pretends in front of the staff that he fully respects school rules, he frequently lets his students break them and regularly breaks them himself. Born on 17 June 1988, he attended the posh Middleton House school, where he was often bullied by pupils and staff, which he is still troubled by. His pupils wrongly maintain that it was a posh, upper-class boarding school where homosexuality was commonplace. Before coming to Abbey Grove, he worked at a B&Q home improvement store. He is poor at football and athletics in general, but is an accomplished Irish dancer, and wins the "Parent vs Teacher" race in "Sports Day". Alfie has a crush on one of his fellow teachers, Rosie Gulliver, and spends a lot of time trying to figure out ways to impress her, though he is frequently unsuccessful. By the end of Series 1, he had begun a relationship with her, but when Series 2 began, the relationship had been over for some time. In the first episode of series 3, he and Rosie are cohabiting, but she moves out after he wrongly accuses her of cheating. Alfie openly agrees that he does not know if his relationship with Rosie is over or not. He was disgusted when his father Martin Wickers started a relationship with his old flame and Abbey Grove's short-lived Deputy Headmistress Professor Celia Green. Alfie later learnt that Martin and Celia were engaged. Though opposed to this at first, he later accepted it, since Celia makes his father happy. He briefly felt sorry for his father when the relationship ends, allowing his father to move in with him, and annoying Rosie. But this quickly turned into a rivalry when his father becomes the new Deputy Headmaster. He is also shown to be a fan of Michael Bublé and was given his album Christmas by Rosie in the Christmas Special. He returns to his old job for one week because he finds saying goodbye to graduating students too difficult. But he is persuaded by his students and Rosie to return to teaching. He is often called "Dickers" by people who detest him, besides Mitchell, who ends up respecting him. Alfie's mother lives in Spain with her partner Javier and their children.
• Shaquille Banter "Simon" Fraser – Shaquille Fraser, usually referred to by his surname, is the headmaster of Abbey Grove. He is immature, irresponsible and generally incapable for the position which he held. He thinks of himself as intelligent and enjoys wordplay and metaphor, though it embarrasses his staff frequently. In the first episode of series 1, he shows some romantic interest in Rosie Gulliver, but does not pursue it throughout future episodes and series. On several occasions he shows that he is bad at communicating with parents and is insensitive to religious and racial issues, such as when he mistakenly believes England had instituted a religious items ban in the school and went around confiscating crucifixes from students, and when he said the word "nigger" to a black person, later remarking that "that word is probably best left to rappers". He was generally unfazed by such incidents and had a very casual attitude about them. He legally changed the spelling of his surname to "Fra$er", but it often appears on signs as "Fraser" or "Frazer". In the Bad Education Handbook, it is implied that he legally changed his middle name to "Banter", a word that he is obsessed with. In the Series 1 finale, he undergoes a review by the educational board when a video of him accidentally showing an inappropriate video to students goes viral. He retains his job, but admits in series 3 that he is no longer allowed to supervise exams. In series 2, he is conned for all the school's remaining finances, meaning that they are forced to make 'swingeing' cuts. In series 3, it is revealed that he lost all of the money raised in "Fundraiser" at the end of series 2 by investing in his own clothing range. As a result, one member of staff is going to be fired, but when Alfie resigns, he sells his flat so that Alfie could keep his job. He is continually undermined by his deputies and does not, with the exception of Martin, have a good relationship with them. In the final episode, he becomes inconsolable about Alfie leaving the school, hiding his upset behind childish insults. However while having does this, unlike Alfie he does not purposely put his students in danger and can be seen to care about them and the quality of the school.
• Isobel Pickwell – Miss Pickwell is the Deputy Headmistress at Abbey Grove. She is a very strict woman who believes in rigid discipline. Alfie often compares her to an SS Officer and makes fun of her fascist views. She was deeply conservative and religious, with contempt for what she believes are Rosie's attempts to turn the school into a "hippie commune": during her own sex education class, she reads passages from the Bible to her students that forbid premarital sex. Her classroom and office are dark and bleak, with the only decorations being various pictures of dictatorial heads of state. She frequently schemes for more power, and nearly succeeds in unseating Fraser as headmaster in the final episode of Series 1, until Jing proved that she had been stealing money from the school by lying about her expenses. Alfie and Rosie blackmail her into telling the board that Fraser is an excellent headmaster in exchange for them not exposing her. In the same episode, she reveals that she has not cried since 1990 – "when was hounded out of office by her own party." In Series 2, upon learning of Rosie's lesbian relationship with Alex Scott, she secretly confesses to having previous lesbian relationships and attempted unsuccessfully to flirt with Rosie. Although in the Bad Education Handbook, she predicts that Rosie's sexuality was a phase and that she would soon return to heterosexuality. In Funeral, she is believed to have died after committing suicide over the abuse received from Alfie's class, culminating in her being covered in glue whilst being distracted when answering a staged "phone a friend". In her suicide note, she directly blamed Alfie for her decision. However, she revealed to Alfie that she faked her death in order to escape debtors and to live with her penpal, "The Beast of Bergendorff", a German dentist in his nineties who lives in Argentina. In the same episode, her ringtone is revealed to be California Love. She returns in the final episode of Series 2 and buys Alfie at a man auction for £25,000, more than enough to save Abbey Grove. She reveals she became a millionaire after the German died and she inherited his fortune. It is not known what Pickwell does with Alfie after she won him in the man auction; but the only relating shot showed Pickwell riding on Alfie like a horse complete with saddle, while both were in their underwear. She never appears again after that.
• Rosie Gulliver – Rosie is the Biology teacher and former interim Deputy Headteacher at Abbey Grove School. She is openly bisexual and was one of the few teachers who takes pride when inspiring and teaching her students. She is passionate about charity work, animal rights, human rights, feminism, and the struggles of people with disabilities. When teachers were asked to do a sex education class, she is the only one who leads an honest discussion of human sexuality and shows acceptance and patience of the changes that the students were going through. When mistakenly believing Alfie was raped by a teacher at Middleton House when he attended it, she urges him to accept that he was a victim and speak for all those who have had their "voices silenced". In "Funeral", Fraser asks her to become interim Deputy Headteacher, and, to Alfie's alarm, begins to develop similarities to Pickwell's dictatorial style. Her tenure ended with the appointment of Professor Green in "Valentine's Day". At the beginning of series 1, she breaks up with her boyfriend, stating she was too "physical" for him. At first, she finds Alfie callow and does not share his feelings for her, though over time she warms to him. At the school dance in the finale of series 1, she compares him to a student who really frustrates her, but has potential and is "perfect" after all, and kisses him in front of most of the student body. In the second series, however, Alfie is upset to learn that they are not together, and that she has formed a lesbian relationship with her former student, Alex Scott. In the fourth episode of the second series, this relationship comes to an end, and Rosie's feelings for Alfie return. She gets a job offer in Soweto in the final episode of series 2, but decides to decline it when Alfie declares his feelings for her, and she returns them. They share another kiss. By the beginning of series 3, they are living together, but she moves out after Alfie wrongly accuses her of cheating. She refuses to acknowledge the status of their relationship until "Prom", when the thought that Alfie will no longer be around shows her that she still cares deeply about him.
• Professor Celia "Pro Green" Green – Green is Mrs Pickwell's replacement as Deputy Headmistress after Pickwell's death. It is quickly revealed that Fraser hired her because he thought she was the British rapper Professor Green, and she retains the nickname "Pro Green" in tribute. When Alfie and she first met, she came across as very friendly, but in reality she was just as strict about the school rules as Miss Pickwell was, with Alfie even at one point saying that he preferred Pickwell. Later in the episode, she ended up sleeping with Alfie's father, Martin, when he invited her over to Alfie's apartment for a Valentine's Day dinner. She continued to act like a dictator, and continued her relationship with Martin, often tormenting Alfie with it. She became increasingly extremely obnoxious, pompous, sanctimonious and derisive, taunting other staff in insensitive ways. She also saw herself as a higher category of importance than anyone else, questioning why she should suffer for the school's 'profligacy', when she flaunted her own state of profligacy and ensured that she was the only person to benefit from the situation. In the Series 2 finale they got engaged. She is absent from the Christmas special due to her and Martin being on their honeymoon, but by the first episode of Series 3, she left Martin and took his money, causing Martin to live at first in his car, then alongside Alfie and Rosie.
• Martin Wickers – Martin Wickers, né Martin Stool, is Alfie's father. His wife left him for a Spanish man named Javier. Martin started a relationship with Celia who went to teacher training with him and in the Series 2 finale they got engaged. He was absent from the Christmas special due to him and Celia being on their honeymoon, but by the first episode of Series 3, Celia and Martin had already married, and she had already left him, taking all his money. Martin has been living in his car and moves in with Alfie and Rosie. He got a job as the new deputy head at Abbey Grove. He eventually began a relationship with Frank Grayson's mother, implying that he planned to move in with and marry her. However, it appears that this relationship is over in "Exam" when it looks like a student accidentally killed her dog Coco while she was in Martin's care.
• Olive Mollinson – Olive is the Art teacher and Head of Maths at Abbey Grove. She was the oldest staff member, having worked at the school since at least the 1960s. She does not appear in Series 2 and 3.

  Pupils

• Chantelle Parsons – Chantelle is a female pupil in Alfie's form. She appears to be sexually promiscuous and this is often remarked on by both herself and her fellow pupils. She has an obvious crush on Alfie and frequently attempts to seduce him, as does her mother in "Parents' Evening". In "Valentine's Day", she had self-confidence issues, and wants Alfie to notice her, so she pretends to have fallen pregnant. She is jealous of Miss Gulliver due to her relationship with Alfie.
• Jing Hua – Jing is a Chinese pupil, who often speaks in her native language to insult Alfie. Jing appears to be the most intelligent and the most serious of the group and takes the register, carries on working while everyone else is asleep, and helped Alfie take down Pickwell at the end of Series 1. In Series 1 she is constantly frustrated that Alfie hardly teaches them anything, but in Series 2 she comes to Alfie's aid and comments that he is a "good and decent man". She helps Fraser keep his job by exposing Pickwell stealing money from the school. In Series 3, she undergoes a personality change, becoming much more moody and quoting various artists and writers. She reveals in "Exam" that her attitude change is not because of Alfie, but because of the pressure from her parents. She intentionally sabotages her Biology GCSE to avoid being sent to the university that her parents want her to attend. In the finale, she is believed to be the only person in the class who would stay in school to do their A levels, but she admits that she applied to a creative writing class in Paris. She helps Alfie one last time by convincing him that he is a good teacher and insisting that he should continue teaching.
• Joe Poulter – Joe appears to be Alfie's closest ally in the class, almost always calling him by his first name. He often helped out his teacher, having falsely come out, pretended his mother has a life-threatening illness, and cooks for Alfie's father. He is often the butt of jokes and pranks by other pupils, although they seem to have affection for him. In Series 2, he has a "bowl cut" haircut that is not fixed, and then in Series 3 he had a shaved head, but the hair slowly grew back. Also in Series 3, he appeared to grow in confidence and intelligence.
• Mitchell Harper – Mitchell appeared to be the tough guy of Alfie's class. He often poked fun at fellow pupils and his teacher. However, Alfie would usually get his own back by poking fun at Mitchell's family life, commenting that he didn't know who his dad was and how he lived in a caravan. He is a huge WWE fan and he cried at the end of Toy Story 3. He had a friendship with Rem Dogg which sees them constantly making insulting comments about each other and their respective mothers. Despite not liking Alfie, Alfie describes him as one of his favourite students in the Bad Education Handbook, and they develop a friendship during Series 2. In Series 3, they get along much better after Alfie successfully helps Mitchell impress Cleopatra, whom Mitchell is infatuated with. In the second episode of Series 3, Mitchell left Abbey Grove after his father's fairground is shut down by the council. It is implied that he had moved and transferred to another school, but by "The Exam", Mitchell is shown in a youth detention centre.
• Leslie "Rem Dogg" Remmington – Rem Dogg is a pupil who uses a wheelchair and constantly wears a pair of headphones and baseball cap. He came across as a cheeky chap who poked fun at Alfie, and is very close friends with Mitchell. In Series 3, he became an emo and rarely spoke, going some episodes without saying a word, which could often lead to him putting himself in compromising situations: in "Strike" he spent 24 hours chained to the school gates. He becomes emotional when Mitchell gives him an impassioned goodbye, but is called "gay" in response, as a reference to the nature of their friendship. He takes offense when a teacher pretends to be paralysed, and when a careers advisory computer program said he should become a stunt man, then a male escort. In the Bad Education Handbook, it is revealed that he doesn't get along with his father, who is blind in one eye.
• Stephen Carmichael – Stephen is a camp, gay member of the class. He came out in episode 2 of series 1 came out, when he offered to in "Sex Education" in order to aid Alfie's sex education class. That said, it was a well known fact to Alfie and other students, and he made no effort to hide his camp nature. This was best expressed in "Prom" when he ignored common advice and attended the prom in his drag queen persona. He has a passion for dancing, musicals and films. He was best friends with Chantelle. in the Christmas special may of began a relationship with Frank Grayson after they were both in Alfie's Christmas Play, "Robocracker". He appears to not get on with Frank in season 3, but Frank agrees to be his date for the prom and they are later crowned Prom King and Queen. In series 2 Frank gives Stephen a West Ham United ticket. At first Stephen was ungrateful and didn’t want the ticket because he said he was “Millwall for life”. He then finds out Frank gave him it so he decided he should maybe go. He often stuns people by being good at things that homosexuals are stereotypically believed to be bad at; including football and advanced martial arts. Stephen is shown to be interested in fashion and often makes that clear. Stephen is also very flexible and in a few scenes is dancing. They show Stephen is a very dramatic and funny guy, that everyone loves.
• Frank Grayson – Frank Grayson, usually referred to by his surname only, is the school bully, who intimidates his fellow pupils as well as Alfie, having once stolen his shoes and on another occasion forced him to buy him and his friends cider after it was originally confiscated by Miss Pickwell. After Pickwell's departure, he was controlled by Professor Green. At times, however, he appeared to be insecure about himself, breaking down in Alfie's arms after Pickwell dies and exploring his sexuality in the Christmas special, beginning a relationship with Stephen when Frank buys Stephen a ticket to watch West Ham United. In "Fundraising", Frank had been held back at school, but had been held back so many times that he was therefore the same age as Alfie. In the same conversation, he was officially moved to Alfie's class. The same episode revealed that Martin moved him in order to avoid expelling him, which would have upset his new girlfriend, Grayson's mother, meaning that Alfie and Grayson could become step-brothers if they married. In "The Exam", Grayson and his mother have moved in with Alfie and Martin, despite Martin saying that he would move in with her. But this arrangement appeared to be over by the next episode. In the same episode, he finally bonds with Alfie for real. In Series 3, he appears to no longer get along with Stephen, but agrees to be his date to the prom and they are crowned Prom King and Queen. It is revealed in the final episode that he has an older brother named Dean who now works at Alfie's old DIY workplace.
• Cleopatra Ofoedo – Cleopatra is a female pupil in Alfie's class, introduced at the start of Series 3. She was aggressive and did not like Alfie or Mitchell in particular. She is black and was shown to be sensitive to racial issues, accusing people of racism at every opportunity, even when no such inflection was made. She accused Alfie of assuming she is a good sprinter because she is black when her name was drawn randomly to run the 100 metres in "Sports Day". She agreed to make out with Mitchell, but still did not like him. After Mitchell leaves, she began making jokes at Alfie's expense like Mitchell used to. Despite her hostility, she admits in the final episode that she liked Abbey Grove. She claims to have been to 12 schools, but plans to get kicked out and sent to a new one.

  Guest characters

• Mrs Carmichael is Stephen's mother who wanted him to leave Abbey Grove thinking it wasn't the right school for him but in the end let him stay. She is later seen attending Abbey Grove's fundraiser where she gets one of Fraser's band members in the Man Auction, and supporting her son at "Sports Day".
• Richard Carmichael is Stephen's father who wanted him to leave Abbey Grove thinking it wasn't the right school for him but in the end let him stay.
• India is a drug counsellor who came to talk about drugs at Abbey Grove but actually took drugs herself.
• Kevin Schwimer is employed as a new history teacher in Series 2, who claims to be American and had lots of wild experiences that impress Mr Fraser. His short tenure at the school ends after Alfie and Jing expose him as a fraud and is actually from Dudley.
• Mr Harper is Mitchell's father who works at a fun fair and rents out his stalls for Abbey Grove's fundraiser.
• Alfie's Mum is Alfie's mother. She left Alfie's father Martin and now lives in Spain with her new husband Javier. She appears in the Christmas special where she was told by Fraser that Alfie was in a car crash so she would come to Abbey Grove's Christmas play.
• Javier Garcia-Ramires is the new husband of Alfie's mother. He appears in the Christmas special where he at first mistakes Rem Dogg for Alfie.
• Bonehead is a homeless man who appears in the Christmas special. He was first seen at a soup kitchen Alfie and Rosie are volunteering at and later attends Abbey Grove's Christmas play.
• Preet van der Plessis first appeared in "Self Defence" as a South African self-defense tutor hired to teach self-defense lessons at Abbey Grove. However, he was arrested for genuinely attacking Alfie and bringing dangerous weapons into the school. He later appeared in "Sports Day" where he is hired as the school's new P.E. teacher. Alfie strongly objected to his hiring due to the previous incident, and concern that Preet sought revenge against him. However, he asked Preet to train him to defeat Rosie's ex-boyfriend Richard in the "Parents vs Teacher" race. Just before the race, Preet cornered Alfie in the changing room and admitted that he hated Alfie for getting him put in jail. However, he realised that his aggression towards Alfie was out of frustration for not being able to express his romantic feelings for Alfie. During the aforementioned race, Preet tries to shoot Richard with a tranquilliser gun, but ends up accidentally shooting Alfie instead and is last seen being taken away by police. It is also implied during the same episode that he once murdered a woman.
• Mrs Katherine Grayson is Frank's mother who appeared in "Fundraising" and "The Exam". She was very keen for her son to stay at Abbey Grove despite nearly every class not wanting him. At the end of the episode, she is revealed to be in a relationship with Alfie's father Martin. She has a pedigree chihuahua called Coco who she considers a princess, showing more affection towards Coco than Frank. She and Frank briefly live with Alfie and Martin for one episode, despite Martin saying that he was going to move in with her. This arrangement comes to an abrupt end when it appears that a student may have accidentally killed Coco while she was in Martin's care. In the final episode "Prom", it is revealed that she has another son named Dean who works at a DIY store that Alfie briefly worked in.
• Coco who appeared in "The Exam" is Katherine Grayson's pedigree chihuahua who is considered a princess by her and receives more affection than Frank. It appeared that she was accidentally burned to death inside a handbag whilst she is in Martin's care, however it is later shown that she was not in the handbag at the time.
• Richard is an ex-boyfriend of Rosie's who first appears in "After School Clubs". He, along with Rosie, attended the same reading club, which Alfie also briefly attended, where he thought that one of the other club's members, Orlando, was Rosie's ex-boyfriend but was surprised to learn it was Richard. He later appeared in "Sports Day" where he took part in the "Parents vs Teacher" race. He did not appear after this, but is referred to often.
• Dean Grayson is Frank's older brother who works at a DIY store that Alfie also briefly worked in. It is also revealed that he also went to Abbey Grove and was taught by Rosie.

  Episodes

American adaptation

Film adaptation

Reception