Big School is a British television comedy written and starring David Walliams . Set in Greybridge Secondary School, the series follows the exploits of the hopeless staff members, including Science Teacher Keith Church (Walliams), Sarah Postern (Catherine Tate) the attractive new French teacher who thinks herself as something of a maverick, and brutish P.E. master Trevor Gunn (Philip Glenister) who often vies with Keith for Sarah's affections.
The show provides examples of:
- Apathetic Teacher: The Headmistress really doesn't seem to care about the school at all, spending most of her time in her office drinking or smoking drugs.
- Casting Gag: Frances De la Tour plays a middle-aged, Deadpan Snarker in a school environment... no this isn't The History Boys.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Mr. Hubble, Head of Science. Often Asleep in Class, he still thinks the students are caned for misbehaving, often arrives in the wrong classroom, and uses the urinal as a proper toilet. Justified as his senility is due to his advanced age, having taught at the school for 40 years.
- Cool Teacher: Mr. Martin thinks he's one, though he frequently comes across as more Totally Radical.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Trevor can be this, though he seems genuinely supportive of the kids who are actually good at sports.
- Farts on Fire: In one episode introduction (with Keith demonstrating science experiments to his apathetic class), Keith demonstrates the power of methane by extinguishing the soap bubble using a flame on a stick, but before that, he asks Jo to get the fire extinguisher. Whilst she does that, she farts and as he accidentally puts the flame close to her bottom, the flame grows bigger with the gas. The class laugh at this, and after the experiment is demonstrated, one of them asks to do the fart thing again.
- Politically Motivated Teacher: Ms. Klebb, who likes to add her political views into whatever play her students happen to be performing.
- Singing Voice Dissonance: Jo's rendition of "Ave Maria" is ... unexpected to say the least.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The two lab assistants, Pat and Jo. Both The Voiceless, both Abhorrent Admirer s to Keith.
