Edge Hill lecturer, Lee Thompson, and alumnus, Jack McLoughlin, have joined forces. They have worked together to write a short drama entitled Special Measures. Channel 5 will broadcast the show tonight [Thursday 11 December] at 9pm.
The channel commissioned the duo as part of its rebooted anthology ‘Play for Today’. It features four original dramas written by new voices and celebrating off screen talent.
Special Measures stars Eastenders actress Jessica Plummer. It follows secondary school teacher Amy Harrison, played by Jessica, whose headteacher quits as Ofsted make a surprise visit.
Writer and creative writing lecturer Lee Thompson drew inspiration for Special Measures from his own experience teaching at a struggling secondary school.
He said:
“This play is a thrilling social drama that asks big questions and will leave you asking questions. I wanted to write a drama about what it feels like to be a teacher in the present day.
“Over a day, Amy is just trying to carry on when things are stacking up against the school. And it’s essentially a really bad day for a teacher.
“Amy’s got some issues in her personal life as well and she must put this mask on. Over the course of the day cracks start to appear, she’s a good teacher having a bad day.
“I taught English at a school that was placed into special measures by Ofsted, which meant they needed extra support and that the teaching was failing essentially.
“I really wanted to get across what it can feel like to be a teacher; the sort of overwhelm and the drive to carry on.”
Lee worked with LA Productions in Liverpool to develop the original idea. They produced the drama and brought in new emerging talent. An example of this new talent is Jack McLoughlin. He is a former Edge Hill film and TV production student, who was hired as the director.
Jack said:
“I remember getting the script for the show, and at the top Lee had put ‘this is a state of the nation piece’. And it is, this is happening right now in schools across the country.
“I think a lot of people – teachers, pupils and parents, will relate to what’s going on in this story. Lee and I both had personal experiences with this topic, when we first met, I told Lee that when I was in school, we were in special measures.
“So, it was quite powerful that we both had this mutual understanding from a teacher and pupil perspective of what that’s like.”
Jack graduated from Edge Hill in 2019. He has gone on to work as an independent film-maker on a variety of short films. But Special Measures is his first TV director credit.
Despite the heavy theme, both Lee and Jack loved working on the drama and were passionate about the project. They felt it was vital to have the opportunity to explore such relevant topic.
Lee said:
“Teaching can be an incredibly rewarding career, and I really respect the passion and dedication of the thousands of teachers working hard in schools across the country.
“But I want the public and the establishment to understand the challenges they are facing and make sure they are properly supported.”
Jack added:
“I hope it creates a conversation amongst viewers. If people are shocked by Special Measures, then good, because guess what? It’s not a shock for a lot of people in this country.
“This is happening in schools across the country and if people from working class families that are in a state school watch this and feel heard and seen on national television, then that’s all we can hope for.”
You can watch the show on Channel 5’s My5.
Find out more about studying creative writing or film at Edge Hill University.
