That'll Teach 'Em is a British historical reality documentary series produced by Twenty Twenty Television for the Channel 4 network in the United Kingdom.
Concept Each series follows around 30 teenage students who have recently completed their GCSEs as they are taken back to a 1950s/1960s style British boarding school. The show sets out to analyse whether the standards that were integral to the school life of the time could help to produce better exam results, when compared to the current GCSE results and to compare certain contemporary educational methods with modern ones (e.g. vocational vs. academic focus for the less "gifted").
As part of the experience, the participants are expected to board at a traditional school house, abiding by strict discipline, adopting to 1950s/1960s diet and following a strict uniform dress code, the only difference being the absence of corporal punishment as it was made illegal in all state schools in Britain in 1986, and in all private schools in England and Wales in 1998. Because of that, other strict punishments, most notably writing lines and essays and holding up heavy items for a certain amount of time were used instead. Throughout the series, a number of students have either been expelled for misconduct, or have chosen to leave the school voluntarily.
After four weeks, the students then take their final exams, produced to the same standard as contemporary GCE O Levels and CSEs.
There were three series of the show, the first airing in August 2003 (recreating a 1950s grammar school and featuring academically high-achieving pupils), the second in August 2004 (a 1960s secondary modern and the pupils academically average or poor), and the third and final series in April 2006 (a 1950s grammar school with high-achieving pupils again, this time focusing on practical sciences and with single-sex classes).
Series overview
Series 1 (2003) The first series of the show was filmed over 4 weeks in July and August 2003, at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. It featured 15 boys and 15 girls who had just sat their GCSEs and mostly did well, though some failed. The school was branded as "King's School".
Known TeachersSubjectMr Andrew MacTavishHeadmasterMr Tony PerryDeputy Head/Housemaster/ScienceMiss Pat CroweMatron/HousemistressMr Peter DaplynGym/Disciplinarian/Shower-MasterMr Geoffrey HeathMusicDr Elizabeth PidouxEnglish/HousemistressMr Simon RockellHistoryMr Austin VinceMathematics/CCF (Combined Cadet Force) Mr Simon WarrLatin/French/Housemaster
Boys Girls Harry Elgood Clare Dery Nic Hall Seraphina Evans Colum Hughes Nichola Greenhalgh Freddie Hutchins Henrietta Haines Tom Jewell Victoria Julien Richard Mylles Hina Khan Rajay Naik Kathryn McGeough (Head Girl) Blaine Pike Holly McGuire Ryan Smithson Emma Pinchbeck Andrew Stratton (Head Boy) Harriet Rykens Matthew Sweeney Hannah Smith Ali Unwin Frances Weaver Simon Waller Tarot Wells Andy Walne Rebecca Woodward Joe McCready Nadia Freeman
Joe McCready was expelled during the series for persistent bad behaviour and disrespect towards several staff members. Nadia Freeman chose to leave the school voluntarily owing to the food. In episode 4, Mr. Perry served as acting headmaster owing to Mr. MacTavish being unwell at the time.
Series 2 (2004) The second series of the show, called That'll Teach 'Em Too, was also filmed at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe in August 2004 and was known as "Hope Green Secondary Modern". This was the only series set in the 1960s.
Known TeachersSubjectMr Richard FawcettHeadmaster/Geography Mr Maurice PirotteDeputy Head/Housemaster/Rural ScienceMiss Jeanette GibsonEnglish/Housemistress/PianistMr Lee AustinGym/DisciplinarianMr Andre BakerWrestlingMr BarnesChief Examiner/Test TutorMiss Pat CroweMatron/HousemistressMs Jackie DunnNeedleworkMs Janet FahertyDanceMr Neil GarnerGuitarist/MusicMiss Kirby-JonesHome Economics ExaminerMrs Cherilyn Lloyd-JonesDomestic Science/Home Economics/CookeryMr John NosworthyBricklayingMr Francis PeacockHistory and TutorMr Thomas SmithWoodworkMr Austin VinceMathematics/Automotive/Scouts/TutorMrs Cornelia WelhamTouch Typing/Religious Studies
BoysGirlsPerry Goyen (Head Boy)Stevie Harman (Head Girl)Ben BarberEmily ApariAndrew BrownHannah BenjaminJosh DavisCharlotte DifoneAdam DoyleAvril HardyDaniel GallagherNikki HollingworthLuke GrahamMaureen IslamHarvey HerdmanRosie KnightChristopher HobinKasi KulonShina OniwindeCharlotte NeildAlex RobertsSara RoadknightHarry RoweErin TateFranklin De SantiHollyLewis DavisAliss HadleyAshley CattermoleSophia Madisonte
Sophia chose to leave the school voluntarily owing to her poor behaviour stemming from frequent clashes with multiple staff members, and out of frustration over the school's disciplinary enforcement. Though it was never shown, Aliss Hadley, Lewis Davis and Holly had left for unknown reasons. This was the only series in which no students were expelled. Most students passed only 1 CSE. As with Series 1, 15 boys and 15 girls entered the school at the start, and 26 finished.
Series 3 (2005–06) Series 3 called That'll Teach 'Em: Boys Versus Girls was filmed during August 2005 at St Joseph's College in Ipswich, and broadcast during the following April. The series returned to the setting of a 1950s grammar school. The school was branded as "Charles Darwin Grammar" and focused predominantly on practical sciences. It also experimented with boys and girls being taught separately. The languages teacher in series 1, Simon Warr, took on the role of headmaster in Series 3.
Known TeachersSubjectMr Simon 'S.R.' WarrHeadmaster/Classical civilisationMr James WilliamsDeputy Head/Housemaster/BiologyMiss Jeanette GibsonEnglish/ArtMr David StanleyMusic/Tutor/DisciplinarianDr Andrew SzydloChemistryDr Peter WildePhysics/HousemasterMiss Anabelle BryantHousemistress/Gym (Girls)Miss CarterMathematics/Tutor/HousemistressMiss Pat CroweMatron/DisciplinarianMr TommsGym (Boys)Sgt Greg AllenCCF (Combined Cadet Force)Mrs TurnerLaboratory Assistant
Boys GirlsRob Hudson (Head Boy)Victoria Buxton (first Head Girl)Nathan AnidugbeSally Rushton (second Head Girl)Philip DonaldJessica BoultonHugh GilroyFrancesca BruceBrennon GunstonAnna CliftChris HedleyHollie DearmanWilliam HoKayleigh DurmanJames IngramAmy Jampa-NgoenSebastian JeffordRuby LallyJohn KempleRosie MortonLuke MillsJenny RitzmanScott PetersCorrine StewartMichael PetkovMeng-Yuan SunQadeer RazaqueAshleigh WaltersJoe SeathEmily WilliamsSimon TaylorSamantha Wyvill
Scott Peters was expelled early on in the final week of term for persistent bad behaviour, disrespect, and refusing to participate in some areas of the school curriculum; particularly CCF. Three more students chose to leave voluntarily; Brennon Gunston left on the third day owing to homesickness; Rosie Morton left partway through the second week owing to her disgust of hygiene product prohibition; and Amy Jampa-Ngoen left early on in the third week owing to frustrations with the school's standards. Mr. Warr, however, gave Jampa-Ngoen his explicit blessing to leave; owing to her consistently poor conduct record. After failing to stop some girls from using the telephone in the laundry room, Victoria Buxton was demoted from her position as Head Girl, and her role was filled by Sally Rushton. In addition, Brennon Gunston and Rosie Morton were replaced with Joe Seath and Francesca Bruce respectively. In the academic competition between the girls and the boys, the girls won overall, and most students managed to pass only one O Level.
That'll Test 'Em For the third series, a spin-off series, That'll Test 'Em, aired on More4 after the main programme. It saw pupils featured in the That'll Teach 'Em episode just aired being quizzed in competition with their parents on topics that they should have known well after their time in 1950s/1960s education.
International versions The format from the series has been adapted in eight countries: France, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands and Russia. The international rights are distributed by DRG.
CountryTitleTV channel(s)SeasonsDistribution(original format)That'll Teach 'EmChannel 43 5 August 2003 – 2 September 2003 17 August 2004 – 14 September 2004
4 April 2006 – 2 May 2006Le PensionnatM63 2 September 2004 – 7 October 2004 1 September 2005 – 13 October 2005 30 September 2013 – 21 October 2013InternatetTV Norge1 14 September 2005 – 16 November 2005Feriekolonien1 11 January 2007 – 15 March 2007 (Flanders)De Jeugd van TegenwoordigSBSVT43 November 2006 11 October 2007 2008Dat Zal Ze Leren!VTM1 23 March 2011 – 18 May 2011Dat Zal Ze Leren!RTL 51 4 September 2006 – 30 October 2006Curso del 63Curso del 73 Antena 3 neox2 6 October 2009 – 10 November 2009 2 September 2012 – 30 September 2012Die harte Schule der 50er JahreZDF1 19 May 2005 – 9 June 2005Das Internat – Schule wie vor 50 JahrenSF DRS1 25 July 2005 – 15 August 2005Il collegioRai 29 2 January 2017 – 13 January 2017 26 September 2017 – 17 October 2017 12 February 2019 – 12 March 2019 22 October 2019 – 26 November 2019 27 October 2020 – 15 December 2020 26 October 2021 – 14 December 2021 18 October 2022 – 29 November 2022 24 September 2023 – 5 November 2023 29 December 2025 – 4 February 2026 КолледжKolledzhSTS1 15 March 2021 – 12 May 2021
References
External links danielpemberton.com – Website of composer of music for the show