The programme was set in the fictional Fenn Street Secondary Modern School and starred John Alderton as Bernard Hedges, a young teacher fresh out of training college.
[5] Character actors and actresses formed the guest cast, including Mollie Sugden as a parent of one of the pupils, Barbara Mitchell as Frankie Abbott's mother, and Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce in a pair of 1968 episodes.
Repeats of some first series episodes were later edited down into the standard 25-minute (half hour) runtime, losing a considerable amount of footage (and on occasion, plot detail) as a result.
The remaining episodes were in the traditional 25-minute format (to fit in a 30-minute slot) The transmission dates and times reflect the listings for the London ITV region.
In the other ITV regions, it continued to be broadcast on Saturdays at 6:30pm, so the rest of the nation saw the last 7 episodes of this series one day before Londoners saw them.
After misinterpreting a 'few white lies' made by a pupil accidentally left behind, Penny began to take shine to Bernard.
After a period of dating, Bernard attempted to propose to Penny but she already said yes before he could complete his sentence and they got engaged and later married.
He later resigned and left at the end of Series 4 episode 2 to take a course in Sociology at the University of London.. Mr Norman Potter (Portrayed by Deryck Guyler).
He is admired and consistently flattered by his deputy Miss Ewell and caretaker Potter but regarded more ambivalently by Hedges and Price.
He is the only person in the school who is unable to see through Potter's trouble-making and incompetence and sometimes ends up in childish arguments with the otherwise mild-mannered Mr Smith.
Her icy demeanour initially only breaks when she is with the headteacher to whom she is devoted but later on she strikes up a romantic relationship with careers teacher Mr Sibley who is capable of getting her to relax her strict standards.
In Series 4 in particular – possibly linked to her new relationship – Miss Ewell becomes more critical of the Head, becoming increasingly frustrated with his incompetence, limited work ethic and immature behaviour.
Mr Smith's unusual first name of "Osborne" reflects his rather quaint and old-fashioned personality although he is more commonly called "Smithy" by staff and pupils.
A science and maths teacher nicknamed "Pricey" by staff and pupils, any enthusiasm for teaching he once had had long since disappeared.
His personality swings between sarcastic and subversive humour (often with a poetic turn of phrase) to fury, particularly when antagonised by pupils.
A former army physical training instructor he is aggressive and bullying in his manner, showing contempt towards pupils and other staff – especially Potter.
He is a very posh former army officer but despite his traditional background he is a flashy dresser, drives a sports car and has liberal and progressive views on education.
He has a strong sense of humour and a fearless streak – he is the only member of staff confident enough to confront Mr Dix.
Her rather innocent nature does though help her make a connection with the similarly naive Mr Cromwell who also likes her desire to please after Miss Ewell drifts away from him.
In one of the ways in which the show occasionally touched on more serious themes Dennis often talks about the cruelty of his father towards him and his mother and staff and pupils are united in their solidarity with him.
He is embarrassed by his mother (played by Barbara Mitchell) who calls him "my little soldier" and makes all-too clear that he has a lot of growing-up to do.
She is generally one of the more dedicated pupils and often talks of her religious leader Monsignor Sopwith – another of the rarely seen (only one episode), much-discussed characters in the show.