The Teacher season 2 follows on from the previous Channel 5 thriller The Teacher, which starred Sheridan Smith and was a huge hit in 2022.
Now Kara Tointon is heading up the next part of the anthology. With a whole different cast to the original series, in which Sheridan played a teacher accused of having sex with a student after a drunken night out, this time the action focuses on an affair between two colleagues which comes to a head during a school trip.
Kara Tointon stars as Dani, a teacher who is unhappy in her marriage and embarks on an affair with a fellow educator. This soon spirals out of control and when a pupil goes missing on a school trip, Dani blames herself for being distracted. Then, as things take a sinister turn, her lies threaten to ruin her life. The series also stars Will Mellor and Emmett J. Scanlan as her lover and husband, both of whom are teachers too.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Teacher season 2…
The Teacher season 2 release date
The Teacher season 2 is a four-part drama starting in the UK on Channel 5 from Monday September 9 2024 at 9pm. All four episodes will be stripped across the week at the same time, concluding on Thursday 12 September at 9pm.
All episodes will become available on streaming service My5 and we'll update with any US or international channels and start dates, and if like previous Channel 5 dramas they end up launching on either Netflix or Paramount Plus.
The Teacher season 2 plot
The Teacher season 2 follows Dani Oxley (Kara Tointon) a brilliant and inspirational art teacher stuck in an unfulfilling marriage to fellow teacher Tim (The Tower’s Emmett J Scanlan).
While chaperoning a school trip to an outdoor adventure centre, Dani sneaks off for a spontaneous moment of passion with her friend and colleague Jimmy Spencer (Will Mellor). But while their students are unsupervised, a troubled teen goes missing…
The disastrous consequences of Dani’s actions put her career in jeopardy, and she finds herself at the centre of a mystery that she becomes determined to unravel.
Kara Tointon and Will Mellor on The Teacher: "There's twists and turns all the way through!"
The Teacher season 2 cast — Kara Tointon as Dani Oxley
Kara Tointon plays teacher DAni Oxley who has a risky affair. She reveals:
"I was shocked when I read the scripts!" says Kara. "It was exciting, because I’ve never really played a character who viewers may initially dislike because of a choice she makes. I thought, this is definitely something I can get my teeth into.
"It’s like Dani’s never really had a moment of craziness until now. But the one time she lets herself go, the fallout is so dramatically awful.
"She loves her job. She’s passionate about it and she loves the kids she teaches. Dani has a natural rapport with her students and they feel comfortable talking to her. Having grown up in foster care, she relates to Joanie Morris’s character. Danni sees a lot of herself in Sienna. Dani is coming to point in her life where she just needs to find herself again and everything is unravelling in doing so. She shares a son with Tim, a gorgeous teenage boy, Stan, who is also becoming affected by the couple’s troubles."
"I’m a massive fan of Sheridan Smith, and I thought the first series was fantastic because it made me question my entire belief system. I hope ours is half as good!"
* Kara Tointon is well known for her roles as Dawn Swann in EastEnders and Rosalie in Mr Selfridge. Kara has also starred in Too Good to Be True, Father Brown, Dream Team, The Sound of Music, The Football Factory and Archie.
Will Mellor on playing Jimmy Spencer
Will Mellor is playing teacher Jimmy Spencer (see main first look picture below) in The Teacher series 2.
Will says: Jimmy likes to be liked. He’s a person who craves that. And he wants everybody to see things his way. A lot of people who are controlling and very good at controlling situations are often very likeable. People like to be around them. I found Jimmy quite brazen the way that he is with Emmett’s character Tim. Jimmy is supposed to be best friends with him and yet he is having an affair with his wife. I don’t think Jimmy is that bothered about that. He feels, ‘If I want that, I can take it.’ But Jimmy doesn’t like to own up to a negative situation. He thinks, ‘We’ll find a way.’ Most of all, Jimmy is so scared of losing his son, Matt. There is this worry that Matt might be going back to his mum, Jimmy’s ex-wife Becky."
* WIll Mellor plays Harvey Gaskell in Coronation Street and is also known for his role as Gaz in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Will played Jack Vincent in Casualty and Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks. He’s also starred in Broadchurch, Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, No Offence, In The Club and White Van Man.
Emmett J Scanlan as Tim Oxley
Emmett J Scanlan plays Dani's PE teacher husband Tim Oxley in The Teacher season 2. He says: "He’s in a terrible place. Estranged and distant from his wife, they haven’t touched each other in ages. He’s vulnerable. He’s lost. He’s hurting. I think he is good at articulating his feelings. But I feel he’s in a place where he can’t. That’s damaging. It’s hurting him on the inside, which in turn is slowly killing him."
* Earlier this year, Emmett J Scanlan starred in Harlan Coben's Netflix thriller Fool Me Once and he plays Jimmy Kinsella in the BBC1 ganger series Kin. He’s also starred in The Tower, Peaky Blinders, The Deceived, Gangs of London and The Fall. From 2010 to 2013 Emmett played Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks.
Who else is starring?
The other cast for The Teacher season 2 includes Joni Morris as Sienna, Forrest Bothwell playing Matt, Cal O’Driscoll as Zac, Ebby O’Toole-Acheampong as Chloe, Lila Coleman as Bel, Gwynne McElveen playing DI Calgetti and Niamh McCann as Nina.
Is there a trailer?
Yes, the trailer might only be a minute long, but it packs a lot in! The clip shows Jimmy and Dani's mistake leading to tragic consequences... but it seems the death of a teenager is just the start of the drama in this series.
The Teacher season 2 episode guide
Here's our brief guide to the four episodes of The Teacher season 2 with a few spoilers so do look away of you don't want to know....
EPISODE 1
Dani Oxley, a passionate Art teacher, stands by a school bus checking off students’ names as they board. She greets fellow teacher Jimmy and his boisterous son Matt. Dani has a stilted goodbye with her detached husband, Tim. She goes to the art room to find Sienna, a troubled but talented student, drawing. Dani, Sienna and lastly Zac board the bus and they travel to the Mallory Adventure Centre. Tensions rise between Matt and Zac which unsettles Dani but she’s preoccupied. A spark between her and Jimmy on the first night leads to a passionate kiss. The next morning as she readies the students for team building exercises, she tries to ignore Jimmy’s advances. In a moment of weakness, she leaves her students unattended and meets Jimmy in the boathouse where they have sex. Upon her return she finds the students scattered around. She does a head count but is missing one student - Zac. Panic sets in as Dani, Jimmy and another teacher, Bel, search for Zac...
EPIOSDE 2
Dani exits the school and flees. Tim visits Nina’s house to find the headmaster, Mr Caulfield there. At home, Dani waits for Tim to return, he is disgusted with her as DI Calgetti calls to request she go over her statement. Matt rails at Jimmy for having sex with Dani. Meanwhile, Calgetti grills Dani about the photograph. She returns home to a note from Tim explaining that he wants her gone. At the school, a suspended Dani gathers her artwork as Sienna tries to offer some comfort. They discuss their shared experience of foster care. Caulfield and Bel stand by as Dani leaves.
EPISODE 3
Dani wakes up to Stan having a nightmare as Tim sits in a holding cell at the police station. Jimmy tries to smooth tension with Matt. Dani questions Chloe further but reaches a dead end. At the park, Dani finds Sienna hiding out and they discuss their shared grief. Tim discusses their deteriorating marriage with Dani. Caulfield and Jimmy witness Matt in a fight with another pupil. Catatonic, Tim voices his fears of going to prison as Dani resolves to clear his name. Jimmy sends a seething Matt to his room. Dani seeks out Nina and asks about the nature of Zac’s friendship with Sienna but learns that Zac was gay. Dani calls Sienna who finally agrees to tell her everything. Matt angrily packs a bag intending to stay with his mum but Jimmy stops him
EPISODE 4
Tim rouses, hungover and bruised to Dani’s distress. Jimmy calls Dani asking for help as Matt has run away after an argument. Meanwhile, Chloe shows Dani an unsettling text Zac sent her about Sienna. Dani and Jimmy track down a volatile Matt. Jimmy expresses his love for his son and his belief that Matt didn’t kill Sienna. Dani questions Matt about Sienna. At school, Nina puts pressure on Caulfield about Sienna’s death, Bel observes Caulfield closely as pressure mounts on him. Dani and Tim’s marriage reaches a turning point as Dani admits she can’t stay with Tim and it's better if they separate. Dani finds herself at Jimmy’s front door. As she falls asleep in his room, a distinctive ceiling rose catches her eye. Waking up, Dani has a sudden realisation - she quickly leaves Jimmy’s house and runs to the school, sparking Jimmy's suspicions.
Behind the scenes and more on The Teacher season 2
The Teacher season 2 is from Clapperboard and written by Michael Crompton (The Catch, The Holiday, Silent Witness, Code of a Killer), while Rebecca Wojciechowski (Silent Witness, Death in Paradise, The Cuckoo). Dominic Leclerc (The A Word, Sex Education, Skins, The Teacher) are directors. Emma Foley and Tamryn Reinecke (It Is In Us All, The Cuckoo, Maxine) are on board as producers for Pale Rebel Productions and the show is produced in association with Newen Connect, who will distribute the series internationally.
The series was ordered for Channel 5 by Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer, UK at Paramount. Rachel Gesua (The Catch, The Holiday, Kidnap & Ransom) will Executive Produce for Clapperboard alongside Suzi McIntosh (Silent Witness, The Catch, Peaky Blinders) and Clapperboard MD Mike Benson.
Sebastian Cardwell says: “This is another gripping and exciting story evolved from The Teacher which was a huge success for the channel. We have an incredibly talented cast on board and I can’t wait for them to bring this story to life.”
Rachel Gesua, Senior Executive Producer, Clapperboard adds: “We’re delighted to be creating the next instalment of The Teacher, which is breaking new ground as Clapperboard’s first anthology collection. We’re honoured to build on the success of the original series, which was such a huge hit with audiences across the UK with such a brilliant new cast and crew.”
