Interview with Mr. Simon Rockell

The History Teacher Simon Rockell has kindly agreed to answer our questions.

He had a dual role in the series as the History and Geography Teacher and was also the Series Producer for Twenty Twenty Television the Production Company that filmed the series for Channel 4 television.

Please note that there is a follow up programme called That Taught ‘em currently in production so the answers to some questions may be limited in the replies so as not to spoil the content of that programme.

Q.Was the initial idea for the series from feedback on the Lads Army success?

A. Initially, the idea developed separately from Lad's Army. We were having discussions with Channel 4 about how we could compare and contrast the old Eleven Plus examination with today's Key Stage 2 SATS. Then we decided to look at O Levels and GCSEs. Then the whole educational debate widened and I argued that you cannot look at educational assessment in a vacuum, you had to place it within a clear historical, political and social context. It made sense to put our 30 students in a boarding school environment to hermetically seal them from the outside world - this is why Lad's Army worked as well.

Q. How much of what was actually shown was shown because it met a pre-determined criterion, or did you just have an outline to work from and wait to see what developed?

A. We had a clear timetable of events so that even if we did not get the actuality we wanted then at least there were set pieces. We did not know what to really expect from the examinations, we had a vague idea as to how people would perform given the statistical data from the 50s, but we were not sure what the results would be and so there was a genuine moment of excitement when they were marked. We had worked extremely hard to ensure that the O Levels were do able. The range of results confirmed that we got it right.

Q. Did you consult the Blackboard on the Channel 4 website at anytime and alter things in response to comments made there?

A. No

Q. Were you surprised at the amount of media attention the series received?

A. Yes. It is a quiet time of year for news and GCSEs are obviously extremely topical, but we were bowled over by the media interest it generated.

Q. Are there any plans to film another series in the future?

A. We are currently discussing with C4 a range of projects and will know by the end of the year whether there will be another That'll Teach Em 2. At present, as you know we are making That taught Em a highlights programme which also contains some great new material.

Q. Also are there any plans to do another follow up after the pupils have taken their A levels to see how they got on?

A. Two years is a long time in Television. We don't tend to plan that far ahead, but it would be nice to do.

Q. Why was it emphasised so much that Joe McCready was a State School Boy although several of the others were also from state schools?

A. It is just because Joe turned out to be a great character.

Q. On reflection do you think the whole series should have been filmed before being shown to the public?

A. This was never a practical option because we needed to transmit the O Level results and GCSE results and so it always meant a quick turnaround with the edit. I an ideal world we would have had a six week edit per show.

Q. Was the follow up programme pre-planed or commissioned because of the series success?

A. Commissioned after it was clear we had a hit on our hands.

Q. Do you know why the trailer for week 2 of the show was not correct for the programme content shown?

A. Because we were literally cutting the shows just before they were transmitted. Edits of just over a week mean that the final content can change right up to the last minute.

On a lighter note.....

Q. Nic Hall suggests we ask you about your rather pungent after-shave would it be Old Spice by any chance?

A. No it's something flash like Old Teacher -. Given that we had the hottest summer for 30 odd years I think a bit of Brute was preferable to really smelly pits. I was wearing about three layers of tweed plus an academic gown. It was a breeding ground for every known bacteria below that lot.

Q. Are you aware of any plans for the release of a Video/DVD or book about the series?

A. It would have been great to do a book but it would have had to have been written very quickly. DVD? Would be nice that's a C4 call.

Q. Do you know if the series will be repeated at all?

A. Again C4 own it now it's up to them. I guess they might in a couple of years depends on what our TV taste is like then - we could be watching country swap by then.

RGS Boys and the fans would like to thank Simon Rockell for supplying the answers to the above questions.

There were several other questions that will be addressed in the follow up programme That Taught 'em so were not answered directly but will be addressed in the programme being made.