Channel 5’s hit anthology drama The Teacher is returning for season 3, with a fresh story and a brand-new lead to the classroom. After unforgettable turns from Sheridan Smith in 2022 and Kara Tointon in 2024, the show is once again diving into some of the tricky, real-life issues teachers face today.
This time around, we meet Helen - a respected drama teacher played by Victoria Hamilton (best known for her roles in The Crown, Doctor Foster, COBRA, and Unforgotten). Helen’s "struggling to keep up with modern social expectations in a reputable private school" and when a student challenges her in unexpected ways, her carefully controlled world begins to unravel.
What is The Teacher season 3 about?
This season of the Channel 5 drama delves deep into themes of generational divides, gender identity, academic freedom and cancel culture - all set against the backdrop of a high-pressure private school environment.
Here's the official synopsis: "Recently promoted to Head of Drama, Helen finds herself being challenged by outspoken pupil Cressida when she stumbles over student Dee's correct pronouns and insists that her class study Shakespeare as opposed to more modern progressive works.
"A sinister grudge match quickly develops between teacher and pupil and, when Dee commits suicide following an argument with Helen, Cressida resorts to blackmail to make Helen pay for her 'outdated' views.
"As the war intensifies and her world comes crashing down around her, Helen must fight to hold on to both her family and her career before she loses everything."
Fans who saw Victoria Hamilton in her recent role as Juliet Cooper in series 6 of Unforgotten may notice some parallels with her new character, Helen. In Unforgotten, she portrayed a university history lecturer and department head who found herself at odds with students after making inappropriate remarks - a controversy that ultimately led to her suspension.
While there’s no official connection between the two roles, both characters grapple with the fallout of generational tensions and the consequences of misjudged words in high-stakes environments. However, in The Teacher, the situation quickly escalates beyond the classroom.
Who's in the cast of The Teacher season 3?
So far, stage and screen actress Victoria Hamilton (Life, The Crow Girl, The Crown) has been confirmed as the lead, taking on the role of drama teacher Helen.
The full cast list (including who will be playing Cressida and Dee) has yet to be announced, but we’ll update this page with the latest casting news as soon as it becomes available.
Is The Teacher based on a true story?
While The Teacher is known for its realistic portrayal of life in education, the drama series is not directly based on a true story. Each season tells a fictional standalone narrative, but the plots are heavily inspired by the kinds of real-life dilemmas, conflicts and controversies teachers face in today’s classrooms.
For example, in season 1, Sheridan Smith starred as Jenna, a secondary school teacher whose life is turned upside down when she’s accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student (played by Samuel Bottomley).
Then, in season 2 of The Teacher, Kara Tointon played Dani, a teacher who was having an affair with one of her colleagues (played by Will Mellor), while her husband (Emmett J. Scanlan) also taught at the same school. Her personal distractions lead to devastating consequences when a student went missing on a school trip that they were meant to be supervising.
What channel is The Teacher on?
While there's no sign of a release date yet, the show will be returning to Channel 5. You can stream the previous series of The Teacher on My5.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who has watched hundreds of dramas and is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and loves going on walks with her three dogs.