I love playing people who are flawed and complex
SHERIDAN SMITH STARS IN A GRIPPING NEW DRAMA ABOUT A TEACHER ACCUSED OF A DRUNKEN SEXUAL ENCOUNTER WITH A PUPIL. JANE HAASE FINDS OUT MORE
AS ONE of Britain’s most popular and successful actresses, Sheridan Smith has hardly been off our screens lately.
Recent credits include playing the mother of one of serial killer Stephen Port’s victims in the BBC’s Four Lives, and soon she will be appearing in ITV’s No Return about a family’s holiday from hell in Turkey.
But first you can see the Baftawinning actress in the lead role in Channel 5’s new drama in which she plays popular teacher Jenna Garvey who is accused of having a drunken encounter with a 15-year old pupil.
Sheridan, 40, who welcomed her son Billy in May 2020, says she was gripped by the script of The Teacher.
“We’d all been in lockdown, I’d had my son and I’d been reading lots of different scripts,” she recalls.
“Then this one came along and I was gripped. Jenna is such a complex character, there are so many layers to her...
“All these twists and turns came along in the story that I did not expect, and I couldn’t put it down, which is rare. I read it all in one go.
“I really wanted to do the show – initially the dates weren’t working, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this script. Things moved around so it didn’t clash anymore, and it felt like a sign.”
Sadly, things aren’t going quite so well for her character, as Jenna’s life outside the classroom is crumbling.
“Sometimes characters written for women can be quite bland, but I love playing people who are flawed and complex like Jenna,” Sheridan explains.
“She’s got a drink problem, she’s lost her mum, has a really strained relationship with her dad and she has just gone off the rails and lost herself a bit. When she finishes work, she clocks out and has a chaotic life.”
The four-part drama also features Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher, Small Axe’s Cecilia Noble and My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney as fellow teachers.
Jenna is popular in the classroom, but that can also lead to problems.
Sheridan says: “I think she is a bit naive. She’s on a mission to save working-class kids because that’s where her mum comes from, and she really hates the fact that privileged kids can get further in life.
“She tries to be a mate to her students, which is her undoing in the end. There are teacher-student boundaries and she has maybe let that slip.”
The question of just how many boundaries Jenna has crossed is at the heart of the drama as, after a drunken night out to celebrate a promotion, the teacher is accused of sleeping with student, Kyle (Samuel Bottomley). But Jenna can’t remember what happened. Is she guilty?
Sheridan is hoping to keep the viewers guessing: “I always want to make a character likeable because I want to find the heart in them, no matter how flawed someone is, but
I do want the audience to
doubt Jenna and to feel unsure about where they stand, it’s exciting to play that in a role.
“Hopefully there will be lots of people not knowing if they trust me as Jenna – there are bits where it looks like I could be quite sinister...
“I hope there are a lot of conversations about whether she is guilty, especially as all the twists and turns come out, it gets so complicated and dark.”
The actress has enjoyed great success playing real people in dramas, such as the wife of train robber Ronnie Biggs in Mrs Biggs and her award-winning role as Cilla Black in Cilla, so she relished the chance to create a fictional character for a change.
“It’s been quite nice because I have done loads of factual dramas where I play real people, and it’s easier because you’ve got loads of research to use. I spent months researching Mrs Biggs and Cilla and watching all the footage, so you’ve got something to go on,” she says.
“The Teacher is a great script but I can’t rely on any footage of Jenna, I’ve got to make her believable in my own way, which is exciting and a different kind of discipline.
“I do love doing the factual dramas, but it’s really nice to play something made up.”
Sheridan also tried her hand at presenting recently. Is acting still her first love?
“A million percent, acting will always be my passion,” she says.
“I did some presenting for a while and I was really grateful for those jobs because I did love them – especially Pooch Perfect [the BBC1 dog grooming reality show] as I’m a mad dog lover!
“But I like being other people – it’s escapism for me to play other characters and to get into the mindset of someone else.”
Sheridan admits to feeling guilty when having to leave son Billy while at work.
“I do get mum guilt but when Billy gets to a certain age he’ll know that mummy is doing it for him,” she says. “I’m home now for a few months and I haven’t left his side, which is amazing.
“I try to take him everywhere with me, he’s like my little shadow – we’re like two peas in a pod, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“So long as I can keep working and have my little boy with me then I’m happy.”
There are teacherstudent boundaries and she has maybe let that slip Sheridan on her character, Jenna