Sheridan Smith is to lead the cast for new four-part Channel 5 drama, Teacher.
Sheridan will play Jenna, a schoolteacher whose life spirals out of control when she’s accused of a drunken sexual encounter with a pupil. Joining her will be Strictly winner Kelvin Fletcher and Ackley Bridge's Sam Bottomley.
Episode 1: Jenna Garvey is a popular teacher, but beneath the veneer of professional respectability she is emotionally troubled and seeks to numb her pain with alcohol and promiscuity. After a night out celebrating a promotion, she is accused of sleeping with 15-year-old Kyle Hope, one of her pupils.
Episode 2: Jenna's life falls apart after being formally charged with having sex with a minor, with the press getting hold of her story. She loses her job, her friends fall away and her self-esteem shrinks further as she's forced to stay with her cold, critical father.
Episode 3: After receiving a suspended sentence for having sex with a minor, Jenna stops drinking and starts to reassess her life.
Episode 4: Jenna suspects she has an enemy and a confrontation uncovers the twisted truth behind the situation she finds herself in, but the whole sordid incident has only served to help her face her demons.
Series creator, Barunka O’Shaughnessy, said: "When we first developed Teacher, we had Sheridan in mind as someone who could bring empathy and complexity to the character of Jenna. So the fact she has agreed to come on board is hugely exciting. With eOne now attached we also have a partner who shares both ours and Channel 5’s ambition for Teacher – to explore the challenging and provocative themes thrown up by these types of cases."
The Teacher begins Monday 31st January at 9pm on Channel 5.