School for SCANDAL

EMMETT J. SCANLAN, KARA TOINTON and WILEMELLOR on leading an all-new story in a hit drama collection

- STEVEN PERKINS

A popular art educator faces professional ruin after making an impulsive decision that has devastating consequences in the latest chapter of Channel 5’s anthology thriller The Teacher.

Following the 2022 miniseries featuring Sheridan Smith as a teacher accused of sleeping with a student, the second stand-alone outing sees Too Good to Be True star Kara Tointon take the lead as Dani Oxley, who is devoted to her work and her pupils.

But the spark has disappeared from her marriage to Tim (The Tower’s Emmett J. Scanlan), who teaches PE at the same school, and when Dani chaperones a group of kids on a trip to an outdoor adventure centre with her colleague Jimmy Spencer (Mr Bates Vs The Post Office’s Will Mellor), the pair can’t resist giving in to their mutual attraction.

However, while they’re distracted, one of the teenagers in their care goes missing and things then start to take a sinister turn…

‘When I was sent the scripts, I was quite shocked by the first episode!’ Kara tells TV Times, as we catch up with the cast. ‘But it was exciting – I’ve never really played a character before who viewers may initially dislike because of the choices that she makes. I thought, “This is something I can really get my teeth into!”’

Here, Kara and co-stars Emmett and Will reveal why this story is a touch of class…

TIM OXLEY EMMETT J. SCANLAN, 45, ON PORTRAYING DANI'S TROUBLED HUSBAND