The Teacher series 3: Plot, start date, and episodes as Doctor Foster star takes lead role in Channel 5 thriller
Helen Fear | 5:30pm Thu 24 JulThe Teacher has been commissioned for a series 3 after the success of the first two thrillers, and this time a new actress will lead the anthology.
Channel 5 viewers will remember the series started in 2022 with Sheridan Smith portraying the teacher accused of performing an inappropriate act on a student (while very drunk).
In series 2, which followed in 2024, Kara Tointon took the leading role. Her character embarked on a passionate but reckless affair with a colleague…
The upcoming series 3 will see another teacher tackle another seemingly impossible situation. Here’s everything we know about series 3 of The Teacher on Channel 5.
Victoria Hamilton, seen here as Ruth Jones in The Trick, will lead the cast of The Teacher series 3 [Credit: BBC/Vox Pictures]
Is there a series 3 of The Teacher?
Channel 5 has now confirmed that the popular anthology series The Teacher will be back for a third run. And we’re not at all surprised. As thrillers go, the previous two series were nail-bitingly entertaining.
Coupled with great casts, and silly but gripping plots, The Teacher remains one of the best thrillers on Channel 5.
And this time, popular TV actress Victoria Hamilton leads the cast. So we know we’re in good hands.
What’s the plot?
Viewers will be introduced to Helen who, on the surface, is a respected 50-something drama teacher. However, she is struggling to keep up with modern social expectations in a reputable private school.
A synopsis tells us: “Recently promoted to Head of Drama, Helen finds herself being challenged by outspoken pupil Cressida when she stumbles over student Dee’s correct pronouns. Helen insists that her class study Shakespeare as opposed to more modern progressive works.
“A sinister grudge match quickly develops between teacher and pupil and, when Dee takes her own life following an argument with Helen, Cressida resorts to blackmail to make Helen pay for her “outdated” views.”
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…
Those of you who watched Unforgotten series 6 may feel a slight sense of déjà vu here. Victoria Hamilton played university lecturer Juliet Cooper in the detective drama. Her character was also involved in a similar clash with a pupil over old and new ideas.
Victoria Hamilton as Juliet Cooper in Unforgotten series 6 [Credit: ITV]
Who’s in the cast?
Channel 5 has not yet released any other names attached to The Teacher series 3, but they have promised an “all-star cast”. Previous series have included Will Mellor, Kelvin Fletcher, and Emmett J. Scanlan.
Victoria Hamilton, who leads the cast of Helen, is a well-known actress of theatre, TV, and film. Most recently, she portrayed one of four suspects in Unforgotten series 6.
Doctor Foster fans will know Victoria for playing long-suffering wife Anna in the much-missed BBC drama, opposite Dalgliesh’s Bertie Carvel. She reprised the role in the spin-off Life three years later.
London-born actress Victoria has been on our screens for three decades. One of her first ever television roles was as Mrs Forster in Pride and Prejudice in 1995. That same year, she donned her corset once again to play Henrietta Musgrove in Persuasion.
She went on to star in Cone Zone, Mansfield Park, The Savages and Babyfather among countless others. In 2007, she played Esther in The Time of Your Life and, a year later, portrayed Ruby Pratt in Lark Rise to Candleford.
After appearing in The Game, and What Remains, Victoria starred in what is arguably her most significant role to date. Between 2015 and 2017, played Anna in Doctor Foster, and reprised the role in the spin-off series Life.
Victoria portrayed The Queen Mother in 17 episodes ofThe Crown from 2016 to 2017. And it wasn’t her first time playing a member of royalty. She won the role of Queen Victoria in the 2001 television production, Victoria & Albert, portraying the monarch in her early years.
Other notable roles include Senator Meaghan Sullivan in Deep State, Anna Marshall in Cobra, Ruth Jones in The Trick, and Dora Lang in series 4 of McDonald & Dodds.
Most recently, she portrayed Superintendent Verity Pound in The Crow Girl on Paramount+.
When’s the start date of The Teacher series 3?
Channel 5 has only just confirmed that The Teacher will be back for a series 3, so it’s very early days. The announcement came at the same time as news about The Madame Blanc Mysteries, as well as The Hardacres.
In the coming months, we’d expect some more cast announcements.
We’re hopeful the series will land early in 2026. Watch this space for more details.
How many episodes is it?
The Teacher series 3 is expected to be four episodes of 60 minutes each (including ads). This follows on from the first two series, which were both four hours.
The series continues Channel 5 tradition of providing some fabulously preposterous thrillers, such as The Game, The Au Pair, and The Feud.
Emmett J. Scanlan, Kara Tointon, and Will Mellor in the cast of The Teacher S2 [Credit: Channel 5]
How can I watch the thriller?
The Teacher will eventually land on Channel 5 and Channel5.com.
Series 1 and 2 are still available to watch on the streamer.
What happened in series 1 of The Teacher?
The first series in the anthology aired in 2022. Sheridan Smith portrayed teacher Jenna, a popular staff member at a middle school.
However, her life fell apart when young student Kyle accused her of sexual misconduct. At the time, the teacher was drunk, and barely remembered what happened…
Jenna became determined to discover the truth about that night, as the tatters of her life fell around her. You won’t find any spoilers here, but the series is still available to watch on Channel5.com.
Like the upcoming series 3, The Teacher series 1 had a cracking cast of popular TV actors. However, the series did receive criticism – for its borderline preposterous plot twists, and from real teachers who declared that it did not reflect the reality of working in a school.
What happened in series 2 of The Teacher?
The Teacher series 2 introduced Dani, a teacher who loved her job, known as a real mentor and inspiration to her students. However, her personal life wasn’t quite as successful. She lacked a properly functioning marriage with real intimacy and mutual desire.
Dani began an impulsive affair with a fellow colleague that, at first, answered all her needs, but soon spiralled out of control. And when a pupil went missing on a school trip, Dani rightly blamed herself for being too easily distracted.
A synopsis said: “When things start to take a sinister turn, Dani is forced to lie, and quickly finds her life falling to pieces. She risks everything to right the wrongs that she has, in part, been responsible for.”
