Bad Education cast on ‘bigger, better and badder’ series 5: ‘We are in our stride’

It’s late August 2023, and I’ve found myself at a school in South East London. Bit of a weird time to be here, considering it’s the summer holidays, and it’s pretty empty. But I’m here to spend a day on set as filming for series five of BBC Three’s beloved Bad Education is in full swing.

The hit sitcom originally ran for three series in the early 2010s, led by comedian Jack Whitehall, who co-created the show with Freddy Syborn. Jack portrayed painfully hopeless history teacher Alfie Wickers, whose misguided attempts to run Abbey Grove School’s Class K often landed him in trouble in and outside the classroom. 

Following a 2015 film, the show went on hiatus but was brought back in 2023 for a fourth series. It quickly became the BBC Three’s highest-rated comedy since it relaunched the year before. A fifth series was soon commissioned.

Whilst a whole new bunch of young actors embody the famous Class K set, and Jack has stepped away from his role on-screen, co-stars Layton Williams’s exceptionally camp alter-ego Stephen and Charlie Wernham’s wannabe hardman Mitchell have been brought to the forefront as teachers. Series five sees them continue to run the show at Abbey Road, with fans getting to experience the madness of the duo switching their hand to attempting to teach PE and drama.

“It’s just stupidly genius, and a hell of a lot of fun to play” – Bad Education‘s Layton Williams

Meanwhile, Mathew Horne’s inept headmaster Mr Fraser has now been “demoted” to school cook in a bizarre but brilliant move. Vicki Pepperdine is back for her second term as Fraser’s successor; “dragon like” headmistress Ms Hoburn.

Of course, things run far from smoothly, which is all part of the fun. “Coming back as a teacher, and literally probably being one of the worst teachers that could have been employed by any institution was just hilarious,” Layton laughs during a chat with Attitude.

“If you thought Jack Whitehall was bad… I just make all of these kids my minions and get them to do exactly what I want when I want. And if not, there are consequences! It’s just stupidly genius, and a hell of a lot of fun to play.”

Gavin and Stacey star Mat talks through the idea to switch up his role within the fictional school. “I wasn’t part of that decision, but I thought it was really clever. To keep me there, but demote me. Of course, he couldn’t be promoted, because he was the headmaster. He still has the feelings of being part of the furniture, and still thinks of himself as having the status.”

“It’s really important to see different platonic relationships on screen, especially two boys” – Bad Education‘s Layton Williams

Vicki’s Ms Hoburn requires no notes for her portrayal of a classic children-hating headmistress, who would rather be doing anything else. Asked where she drew her inspiration for the part, it seems it all came from Jack and Freddy. “They created this rather monstrous Headmistress, so I took that and ran with it. They had really funny ideas for her. She’s not the most stable of people. And so you kind of just see her losing her shit all the time, which is very funny.”

Meanwhile, it’s arguably Charlie’s character Mitchell who has undergone perhaps the biggest shift in the revival. While the PE teacher “certainly hasn’t matured”, he’s developed “much more of a caring side” a decade on, says Wernham. “He’s got a little bit of emotional maturity. He cares a bit more about the kids and the school. He’s got a baby and a partner. So he’s growing up a little bit, and now has a reason to be at the school.”

While Mitchell has now got quite a few responsibilities in his life, it doesn’t stop things from going awry occasionally. “Although he’s absolute carnage and creates chaos, he needs to keep a job, because he needs to provide for his family. He does want to be there and he needs to be there. So it ups the stakes a little bit for him,” Charlie adds.

“People were seeing me as a queer student, out and about, living my life. Those same people have now grown up with us” – Bad Education‘s Layton Williams

Bad Education has always felt like a series with diversity and inclusivity at its core. Layton’s character, Stephen, was out and proud as a student on the show. The Strictly Come Dancing finalist discusses what it’s been like to be able to provide that representation over recent years.

“Originally, I had [a reception from LGBTQ+ fans] a lot more, which is beautiful. People were seeing me as a queer student, out and about, living my life. Those same people have now grown up with us, they’re about living their best life. They get to feel like they’ve grown with the character.

“[It’s] a great thing that happens when you bring a show out, and then you have a hiatus and you reboot it with characters that are loved. It’s just seeing somebody being ridiculous with his bestie, who is a completely different character to him [and] seeing how their relationships vibe.” He goes on to say: “It’s really important to see different platonic relationships on screen, especially two boys.”

“It’s such a privilege, and it’s been fun” – Bad Education‘s Charlie Wernham

Elsewhere, both Charlie and Layton have been given a chance to co-write episodes of this series, which helps inject even more of their personality into the show they now know inside out. Charlie admits it was “weird” working in that way with Freddy, and reflects on how much has changed in the past decade. “To be able to sit down and write like he did 10/12 years ago when I was first in it as one of my first jobs is a massive circle. It’s such a privilege, and it’s been fun.”

So what can fans – old and new – expect from series five?  “We are in our stride,” Layton confirms. “We’ve done a season now together, so we know the vibes and know our characters more. I’ve known mine for a minute, but the new class K, they’re friends in real life as well as on screen. You can really see that the gel has properly moulded and it’s belly laughing type hilarious. It’s so chaotic but in the best way.”

Mat promises that Bad Education viewers are in for a treat with a “really ambitious” set of episodes to come; the vibrancy and energy of the whole cast and crew is very clear throughout my day spent on set. He concludes: “I just hope that we’ve achieved what I think we have. There’s a really good feeling on set, we are now a really great team, having done one series in this iteration. It’s gonna work out but it’s bigger and better this time around.”

Bad Education is streaming now.