The most topical joke of the night is about partygate, but even without it, John Godber’s play could hardly be more on the nose. The playwright has not just warmed over Teechers, his widely performed 1987 comedy, he has fast-tracked it into today – Ofsted inspections, hand sanitisers and all.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Hull Truck and the 35th anniversary of the play, Teechers Leavers 22 hits home not only with the same laughter and punchy theatricality as the original but also with the same political rage. The faster the jokes come about unruly pupils and unrulier staff, the more the anger builds at an education system custom-built to sell young people short.
