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How would you describe the show and what it鈥檚 about?

It鈥檚 really about the interplay between these teachers who are themselves pretty dysfunctional, and I quite like that about the fact the kids aren鈥檛 necessarily portrayed as that way. Whereas for me one of the things that really attracted me about it is that I think all the characters are quite damaged goods in some way. You have to be pretty special to be a teacher and you鈥檙e probably a bit damaged after 30 years. There鈥檚 something quite sad about them all and I think that鈥檚 what鈥檚 really clever about the script and its quite layered characters.

Mr Barber seems like one of the most damaged people in the show?

Mr Barber is terribly damaged, he suffers everyday with en masse racism against the fact he鈥檚 Welsh and his name is Barber, which leads the children to chant 鈥楤aa Baa鈥�. In fact we shot the first scene of that the other day, where we were doing a big assembly room scene, and to have the kids shouting 鈥楤aa Baa鈥� at you, I can imagine why he鈥檚 having a nervous breakdown. He does use this as well to his advantage where he thinks to try and get out of school. He鈥檚 one of those teachers who wants as much time off school as he can. But as the series goes on you will see that he does care as well, I mean that鈥檚 part of his dilemma, he wants the kids to do well but he can鈥檛 wait to get out of there and uses all sorts of devices he can to get out which are very funny.

Tragic comedy is what defines your character would you say?

Playing something like this, somebody who鈥檚 given no breaks at all, you have to play that very seriously. You can鈥檛 be nodding and winking and saying 鈥渙h look at me I鈥檓 having a break down鈥�. You鈥檝e got to go through the process of doing it, which is great, it鈥檚 terrific. All the characters have got their own idiosyncrasies, they鈥檝e all got their little flaws but I think Mr Barber鈥檚 are much more on his sleeve.

Do you have a favourite episode?

My favourite episode when I read the scripts was where we go on a trip to France. All these things happen on this trip and in terms of my overall character arc it鈥檚 a real nadir for him. There are some great episodes in there. There鈥檚 big event things that go on as well as the minutiae of detail which is the interplay of these characters interactions with each other, especially between David and Catherine鈥檚 characters. There鈥檚 some really lovely status transactions going on there and it鈥檚 a joy to watch and it鈥檚 a great cast to be in.

What do you hope viewers will take away from this series?

I think if you recognise you empathise and if you empathise you acknowledge and if you acknowledge you laugh, and that鈥檚 part of it. It鈥檚 universal. If you think how many times you鈥檝e been in a pub or at a dinner party or you鈥檙e chatting to a mate on a weekend and school will come up or teachers will come up, and no matter how old you are teachers will live in your memory. So this is putting these people right under the microscope in a way. And I think that there鈥檒l be a lot of recognition within it. It鈥檚 not a faded memory of what school used to be like; it鈥檚 very real as how it is today. And hopefully they鈥檙e going to laugh. That鈥檚 one of the things as well, school days are funny aren鈥檛 they?