Channel 5 viewers were up in arms about Sheridan Smith’s new drama, The Teacher – but not because of the controversial student-teacher affair storyline, but rather about the length of her skirt.
The new drama is airing nightly on Channel 5 and follows 40-year-old Sheridan’s character, Jenna Garvey, who is accused of having an affair with a 15-year-old pupil called Kyle – played by 20-year-old Samuel Bottomley.
She struggles to recall the true nature of events due to being heavily intoxicated during the course of the night’s events – with fans being gripped by the twists, turns and drama.
But viewers took issue with Sheridan’s character's short skirt that many thought would clearly be in breach of the school's dress code rule – distracting viewers from the hard-hitting drama.
Taking to Twitter to vent their complaints, a string of fans have hit out at the show.
One “tweeted: #theteacher Sheridan Smith is awesome as always. BUT no teacher in the land wears a skirt that short to work. Really???"
Another grumbled: “Never seen a teacher wear such a short skirt at work. #TheTeacher.”
And a further fan expressed disbelief, tweeting: “Sensational acting from @Sheridansmith1 in #Channel5 #theteacher this evening. Skirt was a bit short for a teacher though, I'm sure teachers have a dress code.”
However, other viewers have expressed disdain over the fact that so many viewers are taking issue with the wardrobe choices of the show makers.
One tweeted: "Disappointingly predictable that #TheTeacher is at least 20% judging Sheridan Smith's character by the length of her skirt. What century are we in again? How about her being a hot mess who does no marking, lesson planning, assessments and administrative paperwork all night!"
And another exclaimed: “Reading the hashtag #TheTeacher after the C5 program tonight and getting annoyed at how many people commenting on the length of her skirt. I know we have to dress in an appropriate way, but is the length of a skirt really indicative of how well someone can do their job?"
Speaking about her part in the show, Sheridan herself has explained that she was attracted to the series due to Jenna’s complexed character.
She told What To Watch: "We'd all been in lockdown, I'd had my son [Billy, born in May 2020] and I'd been reading lots of different scripts — then this one came along and I was gripped. Jenna is such a complex character, there are so many layers to her, and I love the fact that you don't know if she's telling the truth or not.
“All these twists and turns came along in the story that I did not expect, and I couldn't put it down, which is rare — I read it all in one go."
She went on to explain she hopes the show will provoke a discussion among viewers.
She said: "Hopefully there will be lots of people not knowing if they trust me as Jenna — there are bits where it looks like I could be quite sinister.
“I hope there are a lot of conversations about whether or not she is guilty, especially as all the twists and turns come out, it gets so complicated and dark. I just can't wait for the audience to see it — when I first read it I was gripped, and I hope they feel the same and come on the journey with us."
