Bad Education
2012
Original language: English
- comedy
The story
Welcome to Abbey Grove Secondary School, where the students are struggling to grow up and the teachers are struggling to convince everyone they already have. After all, it’s difficult to teach teenagers about becoming responsible adults when you’re still trying to become one yourself.
What it’s like
Bright, flatly lit school corridors, classrooms full of scuffed desks and whiteboard glare, and a camera that stays close and quick through cramped staffroom banter and hallway chaos, so the whole thing feels like a busy, slightly sticky weekday in a comprehensive. The palette is ordinary and unfussy, the sound is mostly loud voices, slammed doors and bells, with little score beyond cheerful sting-style music for the gags. Its vibe is scruffy, affectionate and silly, the kind of sitcom you put on for a light evening laugh or as easy background while doing something else. Pacing is brisk, with one-liners and physical bits landing in quick succession, and the emotional register stays warm and self-deprecating: the adult characters are as immature as the pupils, and their arcs follow a jokey, reluctant growing up rather than any deep crisis. Intensity is low: mostly crude jokes, awkward sexual talk and swearing, with some mild slapstick, but no real violence, gore or cruelty. It suits anyone who wants an undemanding, cheerfully rude British comedy about teachers and teenagers muddling through together.
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