Q&A with Jack Whitehall and Mat Horne
How much of Bad Education is drawn from your school days Jack?
Jack: Umm... bits... elements. I mean my school was slightly different...! I was considering a fencing episode...
Did you have any teachers like Alfie?
Jack: Apparently there's a guy in that show, the other one on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three () who looks very much like Alfie & has a beard. I met his girlfriend and she said he gets called Alfie Wickers all the time by his class and we basically ruined his life. So there are real life Alfie's out there!
Are the pupils based on real people you knew at school?
Jack: Again, slightly different demographic to Marlborough...! I had a prince in one of my classes! It's drawn from people I've met and know. There was an actual guy called Rem Dogg in Manchester when I was a student there. We used to play five a side football and he would just sit on the side insulting us as we played so that's where his name comes from.
Mat - do you know any teachers like Fraser?
Mat: Yeah my drama teacher was a bit like that, wanted to be a lot younger than he was. Playing this character is quite a departure for me. The irony being that there's way more of me in this this character. It might look like it's a bit of a stretch, but no, I'm that much of a w**ker!
Did you have any bad sports day experiences at school?
Jack: The worst sports day ever was when my father turned up to the father's race in a full suit and refused to take off his jacket or change at all and came last by a full 30 metres. I was in floods of tears as he was dusting a bit of dirt off his brogues! It was an emasculation of both father and son.
Georgia Heyes asks: If you were a real teacher, what would you teach, and would you be any good?
Jack: Probably art. I did a lot of art in school. I got very into painting.
Amy Grace Harris asks: Would you like to star in Doctor Who like your former co-star Michelle Gomez?
Jack: I'd be up for Doctor Who. Is this a firm offer?? I enjoy the show, it's fantastic.
Mat: You do know it's filmed in Cardiff?
Jack: Well... there are other shows!
Ryan Dale asks: Who was your idol growing up?
Jack: The Chuckle Brothers. Actually, just Barry, Paul's a bit... No, I do actually love them. Rowan Atkinson. I love his amazing physicality which I try to emulate in some respect. He's just amazing.
Mat: Mine was Steve Coogan. I used to follow him around, and then he employed me!
Hannah Rachael Recas asks: Which character from Bad Education were you most like when you were at school?
Jack: A hybrid of Mitchell and Stephen. A camp wise-arse.
Georgia Mae Bromley asks: If you woke up as another person for a day who would you be, why and what would you do?
Jack: Probably a lady, just to see what it was like. I watched Tootsie the other night and I thought, "that would be fun!"
Lucia Stockwell asks: Out of the first two series of Bad Education what's your favourite scene?
Jack: There's one where I was naked in front of everyone and had the facial mask on so couldn't see anything. I slammed my body up against the frosted glass not realising that frosted glass doesn't work if you're right up against it so everyone in the cast and crew saw my genitals. That was certainly the most memorable scene for everyone.
Mat: The swimming gala was good for Fraser with the Klu Klux Klan pastiche. But I have to say from the new series, "suceedophile" is probably the best thing I've ever said in 15 years.
Jack: There's a scene from this series in episode 6. It's basically the last scene of the series when Alfie says goodbye to the kids. It's a slightly different tone to the bombardment of cock gags! It's slightly emotional, slightly subtler! It only took us until the last episode of the third series to achieve some subtlety!
Matt Walker asks: What was the naughtiest thing you did at school?
Jack: I filmed a video for an art project where I was naked in a field - it sounds so homoerotic - and I got caught by the Headmaster's wife.
James Cann: What is harder, doing stand up or the TV series and which do you prefer?
Jack: That's a very difficult question. They're totally separate and such different disciplines. I tend to find that whatever you're doing, you miss the other but I wouldn't want to have to pick between the two.