Teachers * C4 summer programmes

The fantastic Teachers returns to C4 on Wednesday at 10pm - although without Susan and Simon (he'll appear later in the series).

It's got a 13 episode run (so we can assume Graham Norton is off for three months) and according to Teletext, is the first Channel 4 drama to ever get a third series. Hopefully it'll get a fourth as well.

IMO probably one of the best UK comedy dramas of recent years. Just pay attention. One of my favourite scenes was the queue for Susan's office last year, which went right around the corridor and ended with a group of penquins. And don't forget the donkey!

Are series 1/2 available on video?

A couple of other C4 series beginning next week:

TUESDAY 9.00pm: That'll Teach 'em
A group of current students are taught 1950's style.

FRIDAY 11.10pm: My New Best Friend
A promising series in which a contestant is filmed Make My Day style for a day. All day the contestant is joined by their New Best Friend. If they can remain straight faced throughout the day as their new best friend reveals embarrassing secrets about them to their parents and real friends, they win £10,000.

And for those of you who prefer American imports, Friends is on C4 every weekday at 10.30am, 11.30am and 6pm, plus Wednesday at 6.30pm and Friday at 8.30pm. Must be using up their repeat quota before they get the rights to The Simpsons!!!

Talking of The Simpsons, I think it's a shame C4 have got the rights now they appear to have sorted out the 6pm slot. The Salon, Your Face or Mine and BBLB have all worked well in the 6pm slot, but I imagine many of these won't return next year when The Simpsons gets the slot (possibly except for BBLB!)

Did they change this somewhat from the first series to the 2nd? - I watched a fair chunk of the first seriesand I wouldn't have said there was much comedy in it.
Certainly the trailer seems to be selling it on its comedy value.

Is the first series' ever repeated on e4? I've always tried to get into the programme but ended up forgeting it was on.

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A few days to go.

Expands this thread to discuss a few other C4 programmes - I think the next month will see a few big programmes for the channel.

Robbie Williams tonight is a major coup, while another room is added to the 4 Homes mansion as House Trapped with Damon from Brookie begins on Tuesday (so those younger Big Brother fans will learn who Scott looks like).

Other series coming soon include Infamous Fives, previously shown on E4, while Phoenix Nights gets a welcome repeat run. C4 also have a new experimental strand called Outside every Wednesday after 11pm.

I watched the first 2 series of Teachers and thought it was very good so will be watching the new series on Wednesday.

I wasnt sure if they were having a 3rd series tbh as I seem to remember series 1 and 2 aired around March 2001 and 2002 so why is series 3 starting later in the year?

January 2001, March 2002 and August 2003.

I think it's probably due to a longer 6-month filming shoot as it's 13 episodes this year, and also having the 10pm slot free when Graham Norton is off the screens.

Brekkie Boy:
The fantastic Teachers returns to C4 on Wednesday at 10pm - although without Susan and Simon (he'll appear later in the series)."

Agreed. Can't wait for the return of Teachers , a fantastic comedy/drama series, so surreal yet realistic. Glad to hear the run is extended too.

What's more, the creator's wife was my old PE teacher!

Even though Andrew Lincoln will only be appearing in a couple of episodes, he has directed some of the episodes in the third series.

And are the characters of Jenny and JP still in the programme? I've not seen them featuring in any of the trailers.

The trailer with the Krankies is pure class!

Just seen That'll Teach'em. On the whole a very good programme well put together - except for the totally unsuitable "Still to Come" sequences before the breaks.

I have to say last night's episode of Teachers was a bit of a let down.

It seems to have become the Kurt and Brian show. While they are excellent characters and portrayed fantastically, the storyline of Brian wanting to sh*g new teacher Lynsey was boring, seemed a regurgitation of a storyline from Series 2 for some reason. And the fact that Kurt and Brian were in almost every scene gave the impression of a poor, cruder imitation of The Likely Lads .

The show is lacking something without the characters of Simon, Susan and Jenny. The last two series were less slapstick and more moralistic, and the Simon/Susan relationship, and Simon's rocky relationship with Jenny, made for great drama. Kurt and Brian were great as a diversion to the drama, but now they seem to be the central characters, Teachers has lost something.

It also seems the series is concentrating less on the pupils and their relationship to the teachers, and what happens in the classroom during lessons. The new series also Kayla (Kim the secretary's daughter) is the only returning "pupil" character, and there was no tension when she was in dialogue with Brian like Series 2.

Although the show still has its surreal and excellent humour intact; especially picking on the balding kid, and Carol the pregnant PA climbing up on an unsteady ladder!

I agree I thought that last nights episode wasn't as funny as I expected - but in reality the comic highlights of the series will make it worth watching - the flirting sketch was genious.

They should have explained the absenses a bit more - they made a reference to Simon and Susan, but not Jenny or the bloke that's disappeared.

I agree last nights episode was so good - Kurt and Brian are so funny

Oh yes...

Series 1 of Teachers is on release on DVD, either now or next week.