"Chalk" (1997)TV series

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

20 February 1997 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The comic and extremely chaotic adventures of the long suffering staff and pupils of Galfast High, probably the worst High school in the country...

Plot Keywords:

Chaos | School | Sitcom | Staff

Cast

David Bamber	...	Eric Slatt (1 episode, 1997)
Nicola Walker	...	Suzy Travis (1 episode, 1997)
Martin Ball	...	Dan McGill (1 episode, 1997)
C.J. Allen	...	Dr. Clipstone (1 episode, 1997)
Steven Beard	...	Mr. Olgilvy (1 episode, 1997)
Diana Berriman	...	Suzy's Mother (1 episode, 1997)
Amanda Boxer	...	Amanda Trippley (1 episode, 1997)
Paul Brooke	...	Max (1 episode, 1997)
Richenda Carey	...	Mary Langland (1 episode, 1997)
Mary Conlon	...	Bartholomew's Mother (1 episode, 1997)
Trevor Cooper	...	Archie Munt (1 episode, 1997)
Mem Ferda	...	Teacher (1 episode, 1997)
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Janet Slatt (1 episode, 1997)
Alison Goldie	...	TV Reporter 1 (1 episode, 1997)
Nicole Gordon	...	Girl (1 episode, 1997)
John Grillo	...	Mr. Carkdale (1 episode, 1997)
Luke Healy	...	David Jefford (1 episode, 1997)
David Henry	...	Toby (1 episode, 1997)
Milton Johns	...	Hugo (1 episode, 1997)
Andrew Livingston	...	Mr. Humboldt (1 episode, 1997)
Richard Lumsden	...	Ronald Langland (1 episode, 1997)
Doreen Mantle	...	Dr. Eleanor Gillespie (1 episode, 1997)
Neil Maskell	...	Arse face (1 episode, 1997)
Damien Matthews	...	Jason Cockfoster (2nd series) (1 episode, 1997)
Danny Midwinter	...	Danny (1 episode, 1997)
Stuart Milligan	...	American Man (1 episode, 1997)
Kristopher Milnes	...	Edward Arthur (1 episode, 1997)
Daniel Erskine Nartay	...	School boy [Danny Page] (1 episode, 1997)
Deborah Norton	...	Miss Drumlins (1 episode, 1997)
Tim Preece	...	Dr. Gray (1 episode, 1997)
Duncan Preston	...	J.F. Kennedy (1 episode, 1997)
Toby Ross-Bryant	...	Bartholomew (1 episode, 1997)
James Saxon	...	Mr. Crabtree (1 episode, 1997)
Jo Warne	...	Miss Murray (1 episode, 1997)
Daniel Wilson	...	Biffer - 4th Form Boy (1 episode, 1997)
Stewart Wright	...	Policeman #1 (1 episode, 1997)
Richard Janes	...	Studious Boy (1 episode, 1998)

Runtime:

30 min (12 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M

Company:

Pola Jones

Quotes:

[Slatt, while waiting for a group of inspectors, spots a group of female students on the stairs]
Eric Slatt: Are you wearing make-up?
Female Student 1: No!
Eric Slatt: Well, could you *borrow* some?

A hilarious farce

I can't understand other IMDB members' criticism of this very funny show. If you like Steven Moffat's other shows, how can you fail to be amused by this? Very much in the same vein as the previous "Joking Apart" and the latter "Coupling," "Chalk" puts its characters into farcical situations from which they have to find their way out of -- and suffer a world of embarrassment while doing so.

The writing sparkles, and the acting is superb. The cast understand the meaning of the words "comic timing." And no, I did not find the performance of David Bamber, as Mr. Slatt, "over the top."

Speaking of Mr. Slatt, you've got to love that the character starts out -- to use the British vernacular -- a total w****r. But then, in the episode where Mrs. Trippley meets her online sex partner (who goes by the screen name "Meat Helmet," while the dowdy, middle-aged teacher is "Hot Bitch" C'mon, tell me that that alone isn't already making you chuckle), Slatt is actually allowed to be heroic! This is akin to having M*A*S*H*'s Frank Burns turn around and do something noble at the end of an episode. Slatt's honorable action is totally unexpected, but a nice bit of character development nonetheless.

All-in-all I'd say don't be put off by a couple of negative reviews. If you like Steven Moffat, or you like farce, watch this show! Meanwhile, I wish someone would put out a Region 1 DVD of "Chalk" so that I can see the episodes that I missed when it ran on our local PBS station, and re-watch some of my favorite episode, such as the one mentioned above.