Channel Five has revealed a first look at the new Sheridan Smith drama which promises to leave audiences gripped.
In the explosive trailer, we see the Gavin and Stacey actress star as a secondary school teacher accused of sex with a teenage student, The Mirror reports.
Sheridan, 40, also know for her role in The Royle Family, recently starred in BBC drama Four Lives.
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She returns to screens for her second high-impact drama of this month, this time portraying scandal-accused teacher Jenna Garvey.
The emotionally troubled educator is accused of an illicit relationship with one of her 15-year-old pupils, Kyle, played by Ackley Bridge star Samuel Bottomley, on a drunken night out - but she has no memory of it.
She's forced to unearth the truth about what happened.
The first trailer shows how the accusation will see the character's life begin to crumble around her.
A colleague at the school tells her: “There’s been a report of inappropriate behaviour between yourself and a pupil. I need you to stay away from the school.”
As a media storm bubbles up around her, Jenna is seen scrubbing the word “paedo” off her car and a student tells her, “You’re so creepy - always trying to be friends with the kids”.
The actress said she had been "gripped" by the layered script and knew she wanted to be involved.
She said: “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 added: “Sometimes characters written for women can be quite bland, but I love playing people who are flawed and complex like Jenna.
“She's got a drink problem, she’s lost her mum, has a really strained relationship with her dad and she has just gone off the rails and lost herself a bit.
“When she finishes work, she clocks out and has a chaotic life. I always want to make a character likeable because I want to find the heart in them, no matter how flawed someone is, but I do want the audience to doubt Jenna and to feel unsure about where they stand, it's exciting to play that in a role.”
- The Teacher airs on Channel 5 at 9pm for four nights, from Monday January 31 to Thursday February 3.
