I first saw teachers when i was unable to sleep one night, and i was watching random programmes on the box. The character of Simon, played by Andrew Lincoln had me hooked straight away. Here was a character who was entirely believable, and who's situation was also recognisable as commonplace. I have followed the show ever since, and purchased the DVD box-sets. Series One was good in its own right but was perhaps more useful in creating and explaining the characters before the masterful series two, which is possibly my favourite series of any TV show ever, despite Simon's decision to go travelling. However, i have to say that the effect of his departure was what kept the show fresh for series three. Getting rid of Simon made it necessary to remove Susan, and create a new double act in Matt and Lindsay. It also served the purpose of allowing the other characters to develop, turning it from a one-man-show into a series with several strong characters, and thus while Simon's departure is a shame, it is also the only way to keep the series fresh. However, by the time the fourth series came around, all the strong characters were gone- Simon, Jenny, Matt, and the Brian-Kurt double-act. The new characters lacked focus, and the attempt to bring Bob into the group as an equal-footing teacher was frankly risible. I think the programme-makers know this as well, which explains why series 1,2, and 3 are available as a single box-set and 4 is only available separately. However, Series 1,2 and 3 combine to make possibly the best British comedy series since Blackadder.
