Educating Yorkshire

Episode one
The charming ‘Educating Essex’ was one of the surprise TV hits of 2011. So, assuming another school was willing to risk the withering and desperately unfair scorn of the Daily Mail, a second series was a no-brainer.

The opening moments of ‘Educating Yorkshire’ show Mr Mitchell, headmaster of Dewsbury’s Thornhill Community Academy, dancing in a corridor. And the terrible thought occurs that maybe this new gang are going to go down the wacky route. Thankfully, it’s a red herring; Mr M and his colleagues are committed, engaging and sincere public servants and the kids are good value too.

There’s a serious issue in this opening episode involving an alleged case of racial abuse. But there’s light relief too, courtesy of the hugely endearing, deeply quirky Ryan; a youngster with a gruff voice and a thick Yorkshire accent who starts a lesson by asking his teacher if she’s suffering from the menopause and ends it by telling her, ‘It’s an honour being taught by you.’ A star is born.