Sarah Solemani

Russell Tovey, Sarah Soleman Q&A

They're back - loveable slobs Steve (Russell Tovey) and Becky (Sarah Solemani) return to our screens this week in the third series of Stefan Golaszewski's acutely observed sitcom Him & Her.

Russell Tovey: 'Steve's going to propose!'

Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani are back with the third series of Him & Her on BBC3 and romance is definitely in the air as Steve is searching for the perfect moment to propose to his live-in lover Becky...

Russell Tovey & Sarah Solemani interview

As a new series of the hit sitcom Him & Her comes to BBC3, TV Choice talks to its stars Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani about what's in store for their characters Steve and Becky.

Sarah Solemani lost British Comedy Award trophy

While Him and Her snatched the Best Comedy Performance gong at the Royal Television Society Awards, an insider revealed Sarah Solemani lost her trophy while celebrating.

As a bunch of writers who spend most of our time drooling in front of the telly, it should come as no surprise that we identify greatly with Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani's slovenly lovers. For once, though, the crude couple may have something to get excited about, as Steve prepares to ask Becky for her hand in marriage. Now all he needs is the perfect moment to pop the question... shame Becky's currently nursing the world's worst hangover.

One of the chief joys of Jack Whitehall's sitcom is the superb supporting cast. Mathew Horne plays the tragically uncool head teacher, who longs to be everyone's best mate, to the chagrin of his cringeing staff. Equally hilarious is Green Wing's Michelle Gomez as the menacing, maroon-lipped deputy head who dreams of running the school like a concentration camp. Finally, there's Sarah Solemani as the hippy art teacher who loses her rag after our hapless hero, Mr Wickers, hijacks the school elections.

Sarah Solemani has a slightly thankless role in this, as Miss Gulliver, the love interest of man-child teacher Alfie (Jack Whitehall). At least tonight there's a change of scene: the two of them take Alfie's class on a school trip to the Tring Ink Museum and Petting Zoo. Their coach driver, played by the great Ted Robbins, is suitably awful ("If you look to your right you'll see a lay-by that is, in my opinion, a tad overlit") and before long the trip, like every comedy school trip, has gone very wrong.

Following on from the surprise that Jack Whitehall can actually act (Fresh Meat), we now get the chance to see if he can write in this new BBC Three sitcom, Bad Education. Judging by this opening episode, the jury's out.

Whitehall also stars in Bad Education, as a feckless secondary school teacher, surrounded by a mixture of odd staff and bosses, as well as somewhat cliché students. You can't help but think that Whitehall is trying to cram every minority and stereotypical student into his classroom, ranging from camp, bullies, unfit fat kids, wheelchair-bound, flirtatious, and intellectual oriental.

He seems to have fallen into the trap of making his own character the number one priority, while almost forgetting to flesh out all the others. The headmaster, played by Mathew Horne, comes across as an over-progressive idiot; Whitehall's love intereste (Sarah Solemani) is a bit too innocent; and the stern and frightening deputy head (Michelle Gomez) is like a less surreal - and less funny - version of Sue White from Green Wing.

There were odd moments of mirth, like Whitehall's Pearl Harbour history lesson, but I think the only reason this could possibly get a second series is because of the star name attached to it.

A good first day of term for this new school-set sitcom, the second to launch tonight alongside Sky Living's Gates. Bad Education sees Jack Whitehall casting himself as a flaky loser teaching in a state school, juggling the usual array of tricky students, a ball-busting headmistress (Michelle Gomez), and colleagues both unattainable (Sarah Solemani) and berkish (the brilliant Mat Horne, having a ball). Post-Fresh Meat, Whitehall's on a hot streak, and no mistake.

Having shown surprising acting chops in Fresh Meat, Jack Whitehall is a man presently in search of a worthy vehicle. In Bad Education - which he also writes - Whitehall stars as feckless, perpetually hungover teacher Alfie Wickers. His pursuit of the concerned, competent Rosie (Sarah Solemani) sees him spin a web of deceit in this opening episode, which concludes at parents' evening. It's funny and occasionally in creditably poor taste, but you get the feeling that Whitehall's phoning it in somewhat.