I watched an episode of Channel 4’s docusoap/fly on the wall show Educating Yorkshire earlier and, as I could have predicted, I found it most enjoyable.
You see, despite my unpleasant experiences at the chalkface a few years back, I still find myself interested in the world of education. I find schools to be fascinating places, with their collection of hundreds or even thousands of diverse people thrown together and expected to survive without killing each other. They’re a great source of stories, both from the perspective of the teachers and the pupils, and I am constantly fascinated by fiction set in schools. (This explains my love of the following things: Buffy the Vampire Slayer; appalling high school drama movies; slice of life anime; visual novels)
Educating Yorkshire is set up well to tell some of these supposedly real stories, and it tells them well. Over the course of the single episode I watched today, we learned about the school’s headteacher and his ideals; the students’ attitudes towards him; the “back stories” of two persistent troublemakers; and a few other things besides. Although everything that happened was mundane to the max, these stories were presented in a compelling manner that made them interesting.
One image I absolutely could not get out of my head, though, was how much typical disciplinary proceedings at a school resemble a police interrogation — or at least one as depicted in the media. Before long, I was picturing Cole Phelps from L.A. Noire yelling at a kid (“[DOUBT] You did it, didn’t you, you sick son of a bitch!”) and pondering if there might be a market for a video game in which you play a teacher and have to investigate these incredibly mundane transgressions.
Well, I’d play it, even if no-one else would. Though given some of the creative interactive experiences we’re starting to get today, now, I can’t help but feel I might not be alone!
Discover more from I'm Not Doctor Who
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
