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| Musharaf Asghar, star of Educating Yorkshire, gets a show of his own | Musharaf Asghar, star of Educating Yorkshire, gets a show of his own |
| (7 months later) | |
| Musharaf Asghar, the vulnerable teenager who stole viewers' hearts in the Channel 4 reality series Educating Yorkshire last year when he overcame his severe stammer to address the school's assembly, is about to star in his own Channel 4 show. | Musharaf Asghar, the vulnerable teenager who stole viewers' hearts in the Channel 4 reality series Educating Yorkshire last year when he overcame his severe stammer to address the school's assembly, is about to star in his own Channel 4 show. |
| Stammer School: Musharaf Finds His Voice will follow a group of children, led by Asghar, as they learn how to overcome their problem from other stammerers. "I hope it will have a positive impact on other people with stammers to speak more and not give up on their dreams," he told the Observer. If the hour-long programme, airing at 9pm on 28 August, is well received, there could be a longer series. | Stammer School: Musharaf Finds His Voice will follow a group of children, led by Asghar, as they learn how to overcome their problem from other stammerers. "I hope it will have a positive impact on other people with stammers to speak more and not give up on their dreams," he told the Observer. If the hour-long programme, airing at 9pm on 28 August, is well received, there could be a longer series. |
| "Over the last year my confidence has grown," said Asghar, "and I'm not afraid to speak any more. I'm going into my second year at college, which is going well. I just want people to be more aware of stammering, and I think Educating Yorkshire helped with this." David Clews, creator of the TV series and an executive producer of the spinoff, added: "Seeing Musharaf find his voice in Educating Yorkshire was incredibly moving." | "Over the last year my confidence has grown," said Asghar, "and I'm not afraid to speak any more. I'm going into my second year at college, which is going well. I just want people to be more aware of stammering, and I think Educating Yorkshire helped with this." David Clews, creator of the TV series and an executive producer of the spinoff, added: "Seeing Musharaf find his voice in Educating Yorkshire was incredibly moving." |
| C4 is also returning to Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury this Thursday for a special Educating Yorkshire on the day that GCSE results are published, and to catch up on former pupils, including Asghar. The reunion will serve as an introduction to the third fly-on-the-wall series, Educating the East End, timed to start with the return to school on 4 September. | C4 is also returning to Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury this Thursday for a special Educating Yorkshire on the day that GCSE results are published, and to catch up on former pupils, including Asghar. The reunion will serve as an introduction to the third fly-on-the-wall series, Educating the East End, timed to start with the return to school on 4 September. |
| The third series features the very different Frederick Bremer School in Walthamstow, which occupies a spanking new building, and its ambitious headteacher, Jenny Smith, who is trying to improve its GCSE exam results. | The third series features the very different Frederick Bremer School in Walthamstow, which occupies a spanking new building, and its ambitious headteacher, Jenny Smith, who is trying to improve its GCSE exam results. |
| "It's about kids you really identify with, a very working-class area, a bog-standard comprehensive. A capital city school, but there's no knife crime, there's no metal detectors in the school," said Clews, who is head of documentaries for production company TwoFour. | "It's about kids you really identify with, a very working-class area, a bog-standard comprehensive. A capital city school, but there's no knife crime, there's no metal detectors in the school," said Clews, who is head of documentaries for production company TwoFour. |
| Clews kicked off the format quietly with Educating Essex in 2011, at Passmores Academy in Harlow, which won him a Bafta. He explained: "I started developing this in 2010 when Channel 4 asked me to look at what fixed rigs [the type of camera setup used in Big Brother] could do in schools. I thought [schools] were not dramatic enough. I had originally called it Classmates, about teenagers. But as soon as I started spending time in schools, I realised the most fascinating relationships were between teachers and pupils." | |
| The key to the programme is the use of the fixed rigs – 64 automatic cameras and microphones rather than intrusive film crews – as well as retaining teachers' trust and selecting the right school. | The key to the programme is the use of the fixed rigs – 64 automatic cameras and microphones rather than intrusive film crews – as well as retaining teachers' trust and selecting the right school. |
| The Educating series has adapted the Big Brother technique of adding in interviews to allow reflection, "to show a nicer side of people". He said: "We are honest about what we do, nothing is hidden." | The Educating series has adapted the Big Brother technique of adding in interviews to allow reflection, "to show a nicer side of people". He said: "We are honest about what we do, nothing is hidden." |
| "It really riles me that people say all we do is hoover up material. This is very sophisticated film-making … It isn't fast turnaround. It took four months to edit that key Musharaf scene. It is a new way of looking at worlds." | "It really riles me that people say all we do is hoover up material. This is very sophisticated film-making … It isn't fast turnaround. It took four months to edit that key Musharaf scene. It is a new way of looking at worlds." |
| Clews and his team are also behind Royal Marines Commando School, the current Channel 4 series about the commando training centre in Devon where raw recruits are turned into battle-ready soldiers in 32 weeks. The Royal Navy has for the first time allowed cameras inside the dormitories and into the offices of the trainers and officers who are trying to teach, coach and mentor. | Clews and his team are also behind Royal Marines Commando School, the current Channel 4 series about the commando training centre in Devon where raw recruits are turned into battle-ready soldiers in 32 weeks. The Royal Navy has for the first time allowed cameras inside the dormitories and into the offices of the trainers and officers who are trying to teach, coach and mentor. |
| With 2.6 million viewers, the frank approach has made it a hit with young men. A navy spokesman said: "Since the series start, visits to our websites have increased by 400%, translating into many more applications to join the Royal Marines." | With 2.6 million viewers, the frank approach has made it a hit with young men. A navy spokesman said: "Since the series start, visits to our websites have increased by 400%, translating into many more applications to join the Royal Marines." |