“An A+ crime drama”: Channel 5’s “faultless” Sheridan Smith series The Teacher is back with "perfect" new cast

When it comes to TV dramas, Sheridan Smith really can do no wrong and Channel 5’s The Teacher is proof. The first faultless series saw Sheridan play a teacher accused of sleeping with a student and it was so good it spawned a second series with Kara Tointon as the lead. Now, the A+ crime drama is officially making its way back to our screens for a third series - and it’s bringing a perfect new cast with it.

The Crow Girl’s Victoria Hamilton is stepping into the limelight as Helen, a 50-something drama teacher, who’s finding life at a reputable private school challenging, to say the least. Despite being promoted to Head of Drama, she’s struggling to earn the respect of her pupils and when one of her students commits suicide following an argument with her, another of her students is determined to make her pay for it.

Intrigued? We thought you might be. While we patiently await the arrival of The Teacher’s third series on our screens, here's everything you need to know about the next instalment of the crime drama, including the plot, cast and how to catch up on series 1 and 2.

What is The Teacher about?

The Channel 5 anthology drama centres around the lives of secondary school teachers who find themselves caught up in personal and professional crises. Series 1, which first aired in 2022, starred Sheridan Smith as Jenna Garvey, an English teacher at a public school in Bradford who’s accused of sleeping with a 15-year-old student after a night out.

Series 2, which aired two years later in 2024, saw Kara Tointon lead the cast as new teacher Dani who, unhappy in her marriage to fellow teacher Tim (Emmett J. Scanlan), embarks on an affair with her colleague Jimmy Spencer (Will Mellor). What starts out as a spontaneous moment of passion, however, soon turns more sinister when a student goes missing.

What will happen in The Teacher series 3?

The third instalment of The Teacher will star Victoria Hamilton as Helen, a respected 50-something drama teacher, who’s struggling to keep up with modern social expectations in a reputable private school. Helen has recently been promoted to Head of Drama and 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.

It's not long before a sinister grudge match develops between the two of them and when Dee tragically commits suicide following an argument with Helen, Cressida resorts to blackmail to make Helen pay for what she considers to be outdated views. The official synopsis continues: “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.”

Who’s in the cast of The Teacher series 3?

As it stands, Victoria Hamilton (The Crown, Unforgotten, The Crow Girl) is the only confirmed cast member of The Teacher series 3. Channel 5 has, however, promised an “all-star” cast, so we’re expecting more big names to be announced soon. As soon as we have more news, we’ll update you here.

Is The Teacher any good?

Yes, when the series first aired in 2022, it became My5's strongest drama launch to date, with viewers and critic praising Sheridan Smith’s "faultless" performance. Series 2 was also well-received, so it’s hardly surprising that Channel 5 decided to bring it back for another run. One thing we should add: each series comes with a pretty major plot twist (we didn’t see either coming), so be prepared for series 3!

How can I watch The Teacher series 3?

Channel 5 hasn’t yet shared a release date for The Teacher series 3, but we’re expecting it to arrive on our screens at some point in 2026. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll share it here. In the meantime, you can catch up on series 1 and 2, which are available to stream in full on 5.

What other Sheridan Smith dramas can I watch?

For another powerful performance, check out Sheridan’s BBC drama Four Lives. The series stars Sheridan as the mother of Anthony Walgate, one of the four young gay men murdered by Stephen Port between June 2014 and September 2015. It’s a gut-wrenching watch that focuses on the plight of the victims’ family and friends to get justice for their loved ones. Excitingly, Sheridan also has a major new ITV drama, I Fought the Law, coming to our screens this August. Sheridan plays Ann Ming, the real-life mother who campaigned to change the Double Jeopardy Law and ensure that her daughter’s murderer was convicted. You can read more about it here.