Jack Whitehall

Bad Education is welcome, light-hearted, puerile, peculiarly British relief. Abbey Grove has a new deputy who, worse luck for Jack Whitehall's character Alfie, turns out to be his dad (Harry Enfield). Or, put another way - headteacher Fraser's way - there's a new banterlope at the watering hole. Fraser (Mathew Horne), incidentally, has started a new clothing range, Dolce and GoBanter.

Someone needs to go, to save money. There are interviews. Not Fraser, says Fraser. He is a "succeedophile ... a massive unrepentant succeedophile and you better put me on the goddam register sister, cos I will reoffend ... at succeeding."

Not Alfie either, says Alfie, who insists he's not feckless: "I've got loads of feck, I'm a fecking motherfecker so why don't you three just back the feck off ..." I know, very much the same kind of idea as the succeedaphile one. And very silly. But still funny.

The third series of Jack Whitehall's sharp secondary school comedy kicks off with some big surprises for his incompetent educator Alfie Wickers. Abbey Grove's new deputy head is none other than his dad Martin (Harry Enfield), and money worries at the school mean that Alfie's job is on the line. As usual, the pupils are on fine form: as the teachers begin a strike, Stephen's (Layton Williams) ignorance sparks a hatchet job from a local journalist, while Joe (Ethan Lawrence) struggles to adapt to his newfound veganism.

Bad Education: 10 reasons Whitehall is top of the class

As Bad Education, the sitcom both written by and starring the 'comedy king', returns to BBC Three for its third series, here's why we think Jack Whitehall has become such a popular performer.

Radio Times review

Back for a new term at school, the third series of the super-childish Bad Education has some new faces in the classroom... and one of them is Harry Enfield.

The comedy legend has made occasional appearances as the dad of Jack Whitehall's idiotic and needy teacher Alfie Wickers but is now the headmaster. And as well as making puerile jokes about his son's sexuality, budget cuts mean that he has to sack a member of staff, with Alfie the most obvious candidate.

This is a comedy that requires a bit of patience. It is idiotic, perhaps even offensive at times, and Whitehall's character does not seem enormously different from the posh buffoon he plays in Channel 4's Fresh Meat. But there's something engaging about this ensemble, it's skilfully directed and sometimes the gags do hit home. Will we ever look at Whitehall again without thinking of him as "a Topshop Peter Sutcliffe"? I think not, Sir.

Harry Enfield on starring in Bad Education

As the veteran comic returns to the BBC Three series he explains that taking on the role of the Dad to Jack Whitehall's Alfie Wickers is the worst thing he could do to his own children... and that was rather the point.

Jack Whitehall on new series of Bad Education

Jack Whitehall's secondary school-set sitcom Bad Education is back on BBC Three tonight for its third - and potentially final - series. We sat down with the 26-year-old comedy star before the show returns to our telly screens to find out where he stands on...

Jack Whitehall wants to be in Call the Midwife

Asked whether he's keen to follow in the footsteps of his Fresh Meat co-star Charlotte Ritchie and try his hand at a little serious drama, Whitehall revealed that he'd like to literally follow in Ritchie's footsteps and bag a part alongside her in Call the Midwife.

The genial host reopens his globe drinks cabinet as he returns for a 13th series. Years of chat and a bunch of other successful shows, radio gigs and stand-up tours now separate him from The Friday Night Project with Justin Lee Collins. What a long time ago that seems. He now stands alongside Graham Norton as the kingpin of British chat and rightly so. Among those confirmed for tonight are Jack Whitehall, talking about Bad Education, and the formerly hairy Kasabian, now smooth as a baby's bum.

Bad Education preview

When asked at the screening what his favourite scene has been, Jack Whitehall hinted that this may be the final ever series of Bad Education - "It's basically the last scene of the series when Alfie says goodbye to the kids."