# Bad Education (2012)

> Teachers and pupils at a British secondary school stumble through adolescence together in this sitcom.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/52313

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Jack Whitehall
- Network: BBC Three
- Cast: Mathew Horne, Jack Whitehall, Jack Binstead, Layton Williams, Sarah Solemani, Charlie Wernham, Nikki Runeckles, Ethan Lawrence
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2337840/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, cringe, irreverent, affectionate, comforting

## What critics say

Critics warmly praised the early series for its sharp school-set comedy and ensemble cast, but found the later series weaker.

## Synopsis

Bad Education is a British school sitcom created by Jack Whitehall for BBC Three, set at Abbey Grove Secondary School in a modern English town. The comedy's engine is the gap between authority and immaturity: its teachers want to be respected by colleagues and pupils, yet crushes, schemes and personal blunders keep undermining them, while the students see through every pretence. Each episode is a self-contained run of classroom and staffroom mishaps, played as a fast, lightly crude ensemble piece with a steady stream of awkward situations and sharp one-liners. Beneath the bluster runs an affectionate sincerity about adolescence and the lingering immaturity of grown-ups who never quite left school behind. The tone is breezy, embarrassing and irreverent, comforting in its predictability and warm toward its ensemble. Viewers who enjoy The Inbetweeners, the UK version of The Office or Grange Hill will recognise the mix of corridor chaos and cringe humour. The show kept its cheerful, unglamorous energy across its run, though later seasons drew a cooler reception than the early ones, and it never tries to be more than an easy, funny watch.

## Shows like Bad Education

- [Trying (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/82564)
- [Derry Girls (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/65970)
- [Man Down (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/46811)
- [English Teacher (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/173350)
- [Chewing Gum (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56941)
- [Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/564)
- [Class (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/56759)
- [Teachers (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/9801)
- [Fresh Meat (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/37252)
- [Rita (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/45778)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt