Class Dismissed (TV series)
Class Dismissed is a British children's sketch comedy series created by Luke Beddows, Stephen M. Collins and Andy Potter. The series is produced by CBBC Productions and has run from 2016. The show has aired 4 series, with the first starting on 1 February 2016, a second series starting on 5 December 2016, a third on 27 November 2017, and a fourth on 11 March 2019. The series follows 'a school day at the fictional Dockbridge High, where 'nothing out of the ordinary ever happens' – unless you count the stunt diving supply teachers, explosive science classes and hazardous baked bean moments!'. The show features an ensemble cast, similar to Horrible Histories currently consisting of Richard David-Caine, Vivienne Acheampong, Jason Forbes, Greig Johnson, Steven Kynman, Suhk Ojla, Luke McQueen, Kat Bond and Denise Welch and formerly Sophie Willan, Marvyn Dickinson, Thomas Nelstrop, Dan Starkey, Ellie White, Jamie Rose-Monk, Naga Munchetty, Susan Harrison, Sam Battersea, Velile Tshabalala, Harvey Virdi and Marie Lawrence. It was originally filmed at St Anne's R.C. High School, Stockport.
In series 4 in March 2019, the series relocated to Quayside Academy with an almost entirely new cast other than David-Caine and narrator Turnbull. The series consisted of 10 episodes.
Production
Class Dismissed was first announced in 2014, as part of CBBC's 2015 commissions, despite not airing until 2016. 12 episodes were ordered. A second series of 12 episodes was announced as part of CBBC's 2016 commissions. CBBC joined with BBC Writersroom to find sketch writers for series one and did this again for series two. Series 2 began on 5 December 2016. Series 3 began on 27 November 2017. Series 4 began on 11 March 2019.Child Cast
Lead- Charleigh Brierley as Charleigh. Charleigh aspires to be a DJ but still dislikes Mr Bishop. She occasionally falls for Miss Crank’s pranks and out of the four she likes the teachers the most but still is annoyed by them
- Connor Elliott as Connor. Connor dislikes school the most of the four and is baffled by Warren’s obsession with it. He can often predict how a lesson will end in disaster.
- Alexcia Farquarson as Alexcia. The cleverest of the four who often tries to ignore her teachers. Mr Christopher nicknames her F minus and often tells her she has no talent.
- Hakeem Khan as Hakeem. Hakeem is often making sarcastic quips about the teachers who really get on his nerves and can often be found joking around with his friends.
- Charleigh Adams as Emily. Emily is a sensible girl who is often on the receiving end of the teachers' eccentricities. Her excellent art work is consistently ruined by Miss Flip while Mr Nasal regularly sneezes over her. She returned in a brief guest appearance for the final episode of Series 5.
- Billy Holland as Billy. Billy doesn't take school very seriously and enjoys gently baiting his teachers. He returned in a brief guest appearance for the final episode of Series 5.
- Tahj Miles as Tahj. Tahj is the brightest and most eager to learn of the students. He does find the incompetence and silliness of some of his teacher such as Miss Franks and Mr Capp frustrating. He is usually found giving advice to Mr Konnundrum. He returned in a brief guest appearance for the final episode of Series 5.
- Chanelle Thompson as Jasmine. Jasmine is a bright student but occasionally pushes the boundaries. She returned in a brief guest appearance for the final episode of Series 5.
- Ethan Proops as Martin. Martin is unquestionably the oddest of the students. He always seems to enjoy his teachers' antics including the ones who annoy the students the most such as Mr Capp, Mr Christopher and Miss Fun-With-Numbers. He returned in a brief guest appearance for the final episode of Series 5 in which it was revealed that Martin continued to work for Mr Christopher when he left school as his personal assistant and doesn't get paid by him.
- Emily Su as Mollie. Mollie contributes a few lines but her character is less well-developed than the other students.
- Shine Dosunmua as Shine. Kelly’s son who she is constantly fussing over and treating him like a baby. She nicknames him Boo-Boo Bear.
Adult Cast
Current Cast
There are also four canteen assistants who wear red and white striped jackets and hats and have curly moustaches. They sing about their menu in the style of a barbershop quartet but find none of the students interested in buying. In Series 4 these characters were played by Richard David-Caine, Steven Kynman, Greig Johnson and Jason Forbes. In Series 5 Alex McQueen replaced Richard David-Caine in the group.Former Cast
The cast originally consisted of Richard David-Caine, Harvey Virdi, Jamie-Rose Monk, Marie Lawrence, Sam Battersea, Velile Tshabalala, Dan Starkey, Thomas Nelstrop and Marvyn Dickinson. Lawrence left after Series 1 while Ellie White and Susan Harrison joined the cast. Velile Tshabalala and Harvey Virdi left after Series 2. Naga Munchetty joined the cast in Series 3, making regular guest appearances. Other guest stars have included Fred Sirieix.| Starring Actor | Roles |
| Harvey Virdi Series 1-2 | Miss Crampon - An enthusiastic geography teacher who loves the Great Outdoors. Miss Spray - Miss Spray is a lab technician who sets eyes on Mr Nasal and the pair fall in love in a scene echoing Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet. In common with Mr Nasal Miss Spray has a rather grotesque appearance but she has a much more pleasant personality and none of his bad habits. After a sometimes tempestuous relationship the pair marry at the end of Series 2 and then leave the show. Mrs Collie - A judge in the dog competition. Mrs Haqvinder - She appears to be a rather elderly, traditional ICT teacher but in reality she loves video games and plays them along with her class when Mr Potter and other teachers are out of sight. Miss Veeo - She appears in one episode in Mr Barrowboy's Food Technology lesson. She speaks through a microphone in classic voiceover style, passing comment on the students' culinary efforts to their annoyance. |
| Jamie-Rose Monk Series 1-3 | Mrs Tucker - A dinner lady who loves making offers like a market-trader and hates healthy eating. Magda - A permanently miserable, silent personal assistant to the spoilt socialite Whizz Pinkham who humiliates her every lesson. Miss Openshaw - A supply teacher with excessive fake-tan and make-up. She used to work in a call centre and teaches as if she still does - her voice alternating between excessive sincerity to an automated style and telling the students "your education is important to us". Tammy - A "girl" who's been in isolation since 1989 following "a bad case of talking-back". Tammy idolises Jason Donovan and acts in an extremely immature way, often getting other students into trouble. Counsellor Joy - A PSHE teacher who advises the students on well-being issues but is easily upset herself. Mrs Hushman - A maths teacher who always shouts. To the students' relief she is replaced by the returning Mr Konnundrum. |
| Marie Lawrence Series 1 | Miss Flip - Miss Flip dresses in flouncy, hippy-like outfits and has paint-brushes inserted into her elaborate hairstyle. She notices an impressive piece of student work, asks in her posh voice "Is it finished?" and then proceeds to ruin it with her own ridiculous additions, often accompanied by the words "Very creative". At the end of her "creations" she dramatically says "Class dismissed!" Miss Bolton - The northern-accented, arrogant Miss Bolton constantly trumpets her own sporting triumphs to the students although these never amount to more than winning events in Dockbridge High when she was a student. Mrs Dogsbody - Mr Barker's PA who translates what he is 'saying.' Whizz Pinkham - Trainee teacher Miss Pinkham is related to one of the governors which seems to be the only explanation for her working at Dockbridge High. She boasts of her wealth and privileged lifestyle which are more akin to being one of the super-rich than a humble teacher. She patronises her students and her unfortunate assistant Magda. |
| Sam Battersea Series 1-3 | Miss Davis - Food Technology teacher Miss Davis, clearly modelled in appearance on Mary Berry, is well-spoken and demurely dressed. However she is also chronically flatulent, a problem that she completely fails to realise except in the final episode in which she accused the innocent Billy of having "launched a stink torpedo". Her emissions are always accompanied by a flatulent pun and leave the unfortunate students gagging. She is absent for Series 2 but returns in Series 3 as a general cover teacher Mrs Macintyre - She is the joint Deputy Head in Series 1 who advertises that she is Scottish by wearing a tartan scarf. She is constantly at odds with Mr Potter - the pair's attempt to divide everything in the office in half completely failing to keep the peace. Miss Dior-Durant - A textiles teacher with a Germanic accent who speaks in broken English. She often records makeup tutorials or haul videos in class instead of teaching. Her ideas of fashionable clothing are quite ludicrous, as are her turns of phrase such as telling one student "You look like Taylor Swift riding dolphin from volcano". Hillary Head - She arrives in Series 2 to replace Mr Barker "who has gone to live on a farm". She very much looks the part of the dynamic young Head except for one thing - she has a pathological fear of children. Lydia Prie - A reporter for the Media Studies class. |
| Velile Tshabalala Series 1-2 | Miss Franks - A French teacher who ironically hates France and knows almost no French - the only French expression she knows is the one for 'I would like a ham and cheese sandwich' which she inserts at every, usually irrelevant opportunity. Jasmine's Mum - A lady who is a fan of Sir Stanley Bleacher, though he cannot act or perform properly. Miss Clover - A energetic office worker who - ever so politely - makes things overly complicated for the students who need her help. Miss Goldfish - Miss Goldfish, who wears orange-gold outfits and huge false eyelashes, is a supply teacher who has a memory of only five seconds in common with her namesake-creature. This means that she spends the entire lesson introducing herself to the class to a mixture of amusement and later annoyance. Miss Presto - A geography teacher who spends more time showing the students magic tricks than she does teaching. |
| Dan Starkey Series 1-3 | Mr Weed - Mr Weed is a very old, slow man who appropriately teaches Ancient History. Sir Stanley Bleacher - Shakespearean actor Sir Stanley is very much a ham performer. He is always dressed in Victorian-type clothing and ends his exhibitions of over-the-top playing with the words "Now that’s acting!" Dave - Dave - the school caretaker - wears a cap, has ginger hair cut in a pudding basin style and speaks with a rural-type accent. He is overly involved with his job, for example treating the sight of chewing gum as an emergency. His pride and joy is "Lorraine" – the school mini-bus which fails to start on the day of the school field trip. Alan Potter - By the standards of Dockbridge High Mr Potter is quite an efficient teacher though prone to irritability. In the first series he has a bitter feud with fellow Deputy Head Mrs McIntyre with whom he shares an office. After Mr Barker’s departure he assumes the position of headteacher but to his annoyance Hilary Head has been given the job. Throughout Series 2 & 3 he becomes very jealous of his boss and makes several attempts to get her job. Lord Windlow - Lord Windlow is clearly modelled in dress and speech on Alan Sugar. Every lesson becomes a version of The Apprentice with students set "tasks" and advised that "One of you will be leaving at the end of the process. . Mr Rhomb - An enigmatic Art teacher with bleached hair and glasses and a softly-spoken voice who seems to be modelled on Andy Warhol. He literally immerses himself in his artwork out of which he often emerges or disappears. He sets the students bizarre tasks and finds fault for no obvious reason in Martin's work in Series 2, though this is changed to Billy in Series 3. Bruce Turnip - An outdoor survival teacher who thinks he's in Australia, calls the students weird nicknames and thinks the weather is boiling hot even in winter. Mr Spittle - A woodwork teacher who eats during lesson and gets food all over his students. |
| Thomas Nelstrop Series 1-3 | Mr Capp - Mr Capp desperately tries to make English seem relevant to his students, adopting the language and dress of "the street", regularly using slang and hip hop expressions, daubing graffiti around the school and skateboarding in class. He tries to make writers and poets more "relevant" with links to famous rap songs such as Gold Digger by Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. He even talks of "hanging out" at the skate park with the students over the summer, a prospect filling them with alarm. In Series 3, he grew a beard and dyed it and his hair ginger to look like Ed Sheeran. His antics leave them bemused and bewildered. His efforts to bond with them are not just painful metaphorically but also literally as he regularly injures himself trying out stunts in the classroom, ending his embarrassing efforts with the word "banter". Mr Hart - The school nurse with an American accent who seems to be under the illusion he is featuring in a fast-paced American medical drama. He reacts hysterically to the mildest medical problems such as headaches, minor cuts and nits, treating them all as emergencies. Kevin - Assistant to Dave the caretaker. He has a high-pitched Geordie accent and he makes even Dave seem competent. In Series 3 he has a Scottish accent instead. Mr Mumbles - A supply teacher who mumbles a lot and knows nothing about Science. Blake Papaway - A photographer who would rather take a lot of selfies than take photos of the children. Mr Love - An Australian PE teacher who teaches alongside his wife Mrs Love. Both profess their love for each other but that doesn't stop them soon descending into good-natured argument. Mr Busk - A part-time supply teacher who pretends he is a living statue and will only teach the lesson if he is paid £10. |
| Marvyn Dickinson Series 1-3, 5 | Mr Konnundrum - Mr Konnundrum, characterised by a Northern accent and a comb-over, is perpetually anxious. The mathematical problems he sets his students which always start "If a man.." are based not on some hypothetical situation but some real-life challenge in his life such as running out of trousers or needing to return some roller skates. As Tahj's answers reveal his current crisis he rushes out of the room in panic with the instruction "Quiet reading!" Despite - or maybe because of - his struggles - Mr Konnundrum is regarded with affection by the students. He returned in a brief appearance in the final episode os series 5.His first name is Kenneth. Bouncer - A security guard who hates Miss Kinder and will not let her into the staff room because he thinks she is a child and a liar. Mr. Oakley - A carpenter and woodwork teacher who is obsessed with wood and makes everything out of it. He insists on referring to all the students as "lads" or "men". Despite his love of wood he can be terrified of the slightest risk such as a splinter. Emily's Dad - He makes one appearance at Parents' Evening in the first series. Although smartly-dressed his attire is insulted by Miss Dior Durant who asks him if he works as a "model for clothes to be thrown away" Mr Schofield - The excessively-tanned, silver-haired, Irish-accented Mr Schofield seems to be an amalgam of Henry Kelly and Phillip Schofield. He treats every lesson as if it were a game show such as Pointless and Family Fortunes, asking quiz questions and setting challenges. When he asks students and even an inspector where they are from he greets their answers with stock responses such as "Ofsted – a lovely part of the world". Mr Barrowboy - The food technology teacher who acts like Gregg Wallace. Mr Qwerty - An ICT teacher who believes he is up-to-date with new technology but whose knowledge seems to be trapped in the 1990s as he informs students about "electronic mail", failing to realise that the students know much more than he does. Mr Veloce - A supply teacher who can never find his classroom. When he does he only has a minute to teach the lesson and rushes it. Mr Nappy - A part-time teaching assistant who has three triplets he permanently has to look after. |
| Ellie White Series 2-3 | Miss Fun-With-Numbers - A maths teacher who acts and dresses like a pre-school TV presenter and seems to be under the illusion her students are in nursery as she tries to get them to learn by singing songs and playing games. She has an excessively jolly manner which only breaks when one of the students questions her misplaced teaching methods leading to a strict punishment Miss Glock - A music teaching assistant whose ridiculous dress sense is only matched by her ludicrous and inept efforts at making and teaching music. She was appointed by Mr Christopher despite the other candidates being more talented and even he admits his decision was about wanting to have an assistant who "wasn't as good" as him. She is also a fantasist who claims to be receiving calls from Gary Barlow but which are in fact are from the likes of PPI claims companies. Miss Droppit - A careers adviser who tries to tell students to forget their own sensible career ambitions and instead become a careers adviser like herself. Mrs Stein - A science teacher who throws food at students. Riddling Receptionist - A receptionist who gives visitors riddles instead of directions. |
| Susan Harrison Series 2-3 | Miss Kinder - A very short, young-looking teacher who often gets mistaken for a student by children and teachers - especially Mr Potter who refuses to accept she is a teacher and ejects her from the school, even calling her parents to collect her. Mrs Winstone - An unlikely-looking librarian who wears a dark suit and has slicked-back hair. Speaking with an Italian-American accent she appears be modelled on Marlon Brando's Godfather character and runs the library in a ruthless manner. Mrs Love - An Australian PE teacher who teaches along with her husband. Mrs Love is madly in love with him and pays more attention to him than the class. |
| Naga Munchetty Series 3 | Herself - The Media Studies teacher who reads out the school news like she is on BBC Breakfast. |