The duo were commissioned as part of the channels rebooted anthology ‘Play for Today’, which features four original dramas written by new voices and celebrating off screen talent.
Special Measures – which will be broadcast on Channel 5 on Thursday 11 December, 9pm, follows secondary school teacher Amy Harrison, played by Eastenders star Jessica Plummer, as her headteacher quits and Ofsted make a surprise visit.
Writer and creative writing lecturer Lee Thompson was inspired to write Special Measures because of his own personal experience of working at a struggling secondary school while he was a teacher.
“This play is a thrilling social drama that asks big questions and will leave you asking questions. I wanted to write a drama about what it feels like to be a teacher in the present day.
“Over a day, Amy is just trying to carry on when things are stacking up against the school. And it’s essentially a really bad day for a teacher.
“Amy’s got some issues in her personal life as well and she must put this mask on. Over the course of the day cracks start to appear, she’s a good teacher having a bad day.
“I taught English at a school that was placed into special measures by Ofsted, which meant they needed extra support and that the teaching was failing essentially.
“I really wanted to get across what it can feel like to be a teacher; the sort of overwhelm and the drive to carry on.”
Lee worked with LA Productions in Liverpool to develop the original idea and they produced it alongside bringing in new emerging talent. One of them was Jack McLoughlin, former Edge Hill film and Tv production student, who was hired as the director.
Jack said: “I remember getting the script for the show, and at the top Lee had put ‘this is a state of the nation piece’. And it is, this is happening right now in schools across the country.
“I think a lot of people – teachers, pupils and parents, will relate to what’s going on in this story. Lee and I both had personal experiences with this topic,
when we first met, I told Lee that when I was in school, we were in special measures.
“So, it was quite powerful that we both had this mutual understanding from a teacher and pupil perspective of what that’s like.”
Jack graduated from Edge Hill in 2019 and has gone on to work as an independent film maker on a variety of short films, but this is his first TV director credit.
Despite the heavy theme, both Lee and Jack loved working on the drama and were passionate about the project. They felt it was vital to have the opportunity to explore a topic which is so relevant in the UK today.
Lee said: “Teaching can be an incredibly rewarding career, and I really respect the passion and dedication of the thousands of teachers working hard in schools across the country. But I want the public and the establishment to understand the challenges they are facing and make sure they are properly supported.”
Jack added: “I hope it creates a conversation amongst viewers. If people are shocked by Special Measures, then good, because guess what? It’s not a shock for a lot of people in this country.
“This is happening in schools across the country and if people from working class families that are in a state school watch this and feel heard and seen on national television, then that’s all we can hope for.”
You can watch the show on Channel 5’s My5 if you miss it.
Find out more about studying creative writing or film at Edge Hill University.
December 10, 2025
