Kara Tointon reveals why she had doubts over racy role in The Teacher
The actor admitted she thought she couldn't do it when she read the script
What did you miss?
Kara Tointon has admitted she had doubts about her new show The Teacher, worrying: "I can't do this."
The Channel 5 show is returning for a second series with a new cast and storyline, and EastEnders actor Tointon plays a teacher named Dani who is drawn into an impulsive affair with a colleague. Her fling with fellow teacher Jimmy (Will Mellor) leads to tragedy when a pupil goes missing after the pair sneak off for an illicit encounter during a school trip.
Discussing the role on The One Show, Tointon confessed that she had some concerns when she first read the script.
What, how and why?
The actor was on the show on Thursday, 5 September along with her co-star Mellor, and host Alex Jones remarked: "Kara, you weren't sure about this role originally?"
Tointon replied: "Originally we got sent this script, both of us, and the first series is so fantastic, with Sheridan (Smith). It's a really good watch. Then I got ten pages in and I thought, 'Jesus Christ, I can't do this.'
"I called my agent and she said, 'Well you have never really played anyone who might initially be quite unlikeable.' Not that Dani is unlikeable but her choice in that moment is kind of outrageous and I thought, 'Oh God I don't know'."
She went on: "But you know, it's entertaining and I have to remember that. If it's as gripping as the first series was then that would be great. They have done a good job with it."
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Mellor chimed in: "It's a thriller with lots of twists and turns."
The first series of The Teacher aired in 2022 and starred Sheridan Smith as Jenna Garvey, a teacher accused of having sex with a 15-year-old pupil after a night out. It was a big hit, with Smith getting glowing reviews for her performance.
What else did Kara Tointon and Will Mellor say?
The stars are both small screen veterans, and told how the kinds of parts they are being offered is changing.
"I think it has come full circle because I always used to get the bitchy schoolgirls," said Tointon. "I was in the series Teachers when I was about 16, it was great fun, and now to be the teacher, definitely, I'm on the trajectory!"
Mellor said he used to play "Jack the lads" and "jokey parts" but that he is now getting to take on more drama, such as Mr Bates vs The Post Office. "I'm just grateful for the parts and to still be doing it after 34 years," he said.
The Teacher starts on 9 September at 9pm on Channel 5.
