Victoria Hamilton leads The Teacher season 3 on Channel 5, joined by soap stars from Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks – here’s the full cast list
The Teacher returns for its third season with Victoria Hamilton taking the lead role.
Channel 5’s school-based anthology, which initially premiered in 2022 with Sheridan Smith in the starring role, arrives two years following the second season featuring Kara Tointon.
Victoria, recognised for Unforgotten, Doctor Foster, Life and The Crown, portrays Helen Simpson, a teacher with three decades of experience, who dismisses what she considers woke ideologies of the younger generation.
Discussing how he’s progressed the narrative, director Dominic Leclerc said: “Each series of the Teacher is a study of character, with thriller elements. We look at complex ideas and constantly evolve the form to adapt to the theme.”
Victoria is joined by The Madame Blanc Mysteries and Benidorm star Steve Edge, Line of Duty’s Rochenda Sandall, Coronation Street’s Peter Ash and EastEnders star Navin Chowdhry. Here’s everything you need to know about the cast, according to The Mirror.
Victoria Hamilton plays Helen Simpson
Viewers will recognise Victoria for her numerous television roles, including portraying Anna Baker in the BBC hit Doctor Foster and Belle in its spin-off Life.
Victoria is also recognised for playing Ruby Pratt in Lark Rise to Candleford and Queen Elizabeth in The Crown.
In recent years she has appeared as Anna Marshall in COBRA, Juliet Cooper in Unforgotten and Dodie Gimball in the Apple TV+ hit Slow Horses.
Steve Edge plays Terry Simpson
Steve portrays Helen’s estranged husband Terry. Audiences will recognise Steve from his role as Billy Dawson in Benidorm and more recently starring as Dom Hayes in the Channel 5 drama The Madame Blanc Mysteries.
Steve is also recognised for The Cup, Star Stories, Phoenix Nights, All at Sea and Starlings, where he portrayed Fergie.
Rochenda Sandall plays Tessa Stewart
Rochenda portrays teacher Tessa Stewart. Rochenda is recognised for playing Vanessa Warren in Criminal: UK, Azure in Doctor Who and Lisa McQueen in Line of Duty.
Audiences might also recognise her for her roles as Anna in Love, Lies and Records, Lucy in Deceit, Kate Miller in Hijack and Cat Braithwaite in The Rig.
More recently she starred as Fi in the popular series Amandaland.
Olly Rhodes plays Sam Simpson
Olly portrays Helen’s son Sam. Soap enthusiasts will recognise Olly for playing Joseph Holmes in Hollyoaks, and Billy in Waterloo Road.
He has also featured in The Last Kingdom as Osbert and All Creatures Great and Small as Private Briggs.
Peter Ash plays Sebastian Blake
Peter portrays faculty member Sebastian Blake, who interviewed for Helen’s position. Peter is best recognised for playing Paul Foreman on Coronation Street, a role he held between 2018 and 2024. Prior to Coronation Street he also portrayed Keith Jowell on Casualty and Ron in Hollyoaks.
Outside of the world of soaps Peter is recognised for playing Darius Fry in the series Footballers’ Wives between 2003 and 2006.
Navin Chowdhry plays Simon Cookson
Navin is perhaps best recognised for his roles as Kurt in Teachers, DC Asap Qureshi in A Touch of Cloth, and Nish Panesar in EastEnders. Audiences will also know him from his appearances in Trying, Our Girl and Next of Kin.
The Teacher also features Alice Grant, who portrays Cressida Bancroft. She is widely known for her role as Susan Villiers in Mary and George, alongside Sex Education star Shak Benjamin, who takes on the role of Leo Dalton.
Malek Alkoni, recognised for G’wed and Vigil, portrays Miles Crawford, while Red Rose and Gentleman Jack actress Natalie Gavin plays DS O’Brien. Ellis Jupiter plays Dee Rainford-Thomas in their debut televised role.
Reflecting on the cast, director Dominic said: “Casting is everything; you have to have the right people in front of the lens. I admire Victoria Hamilton’s work so much, I’ve wanted to work with her for years. She set the bar for the whole series, surrounded by a cast of teenagers who bring life, vitality and very distinct personalities into the mix.
“At the centre of the show is a relationship between Helen and a character called Cressida. We saw lots of people for Cressida, but Alice Grant blew us away with her delivery that was charming, but with a slight unknowingness behind the eyes. Then we have Shaq Benjamin as Leo. I directed him in Sex Education but I didn’t even recognise him in his self-tape for this, he immediately got to the heart of the character, with his unique energy and style. Ollie Rhodes, for me, was a slam dunk. That character’s almost hiding in plain sight and suddenly becomes very, very big as the show goes on.
“There’s a quality in Ollie as an actor that I knew would take us on that journey. Ellis Jupiter was likewise immediately perfect for the role of Dee. Their wit, quiet spark and sensitivity captured Dee’s spirit with flair. Rochenda Sandall, Steve Edge, Peter Ash, Navin Chowdhury, and Natalie Gavin give the show depth and true Northern authenticity.”
The Teacher season 3 starts on Channel 5 at 9pm on Monday, March 30.
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