Educating Yorkshire is officially back for a second go around after a brand new episode brought us back to Thornhill Community Academy.
The Channel 4 documentary series is a sequel to the original Educating Yorkshire from 2013 and is the first new edition of the Educating saga since 2020.
Originally started by Educating Essex in 2011, the series has been taken across the country by Channel 4 to London, Cardiff, Manchester, and, of course, Dewsbury in Yorkshire.
The show was praised for its honest and frank depiction of teenagers in the 21st century, as well as its portrayal of the relationships between adults and children.
Educating Yorkshire came back on Sunday night and had viewers as enthralled as they were 12 years ago, with a brand new set of faces gracing our screens.
But what about the names from the original cast? What happened to Mushy, the teachers, and the girl with ‘the most famous eyebrows in Britain’?
Tom Foster
Tom Foster became a huge fan favourite among Educating Yorkshire fans after constantly endeavouring to turn everything he could into a joke for his fellow Year 10 classmates.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Tom at Thornhill Community Academy, with his behaviour sometimes causing disruptions for his teachers.
During the series, Tom struggled with sad events in his home life, and there was talk of placing Tom in isolation after his short temper and hyperactive tendencies made things problematic.
But in 2020 he revealed to Yorkshire Live that he was completely fine with how he was portrayed by the Channel 4 series, even if it felt some of his teachers acted up.
‘I’ve mainly worked in a warehouse but I’ve done a bit of everything – engineering, painting – you name it. I’m 100% happy with how the show portrayed me.
‘That’s exactly who I am – loud, outgoing and always trying to make people laugh. [But] looking back at my episode… I saw a lot of acting from teachers to make out like they were always very nice.’
Michael Steer
Teacher Michael Steer won Educating Yorkshire fans over with his dedication and commitment to teaching mathematics at the Dewsbury school.
After leaving a career in finance, Michael had dedicated himself to making sure the kids at Thornhill passed their GCSEs and set themselves up for their future.
A few years later, Michael was rewarded for his hard work by being named Assistant Headteacher at the North Huddersfield Trust School, which is less than 10 miles from Thornhill.
In 2023, Michael sadly revealed that his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer – he’s currently raising money for people living with the disease and planning a countryside hike fundraiser in September.
Bailey Hill
Bailey Hill once shaved her eyebrows off on national TV and was in a constant battle with her teachers over how much make-up she wore to school.
The moment she shaved her eyebrows went viral almost immediately, with Bailey proudly declaring to her classmates: ‘D’ya like me eyebrows? I’ve shamed ’em all off. Shaved all me eyebrows off.’
When Bailey decided to draw her eyebrows back in with a make-up pencil, she was dubbed as the girl with ‘the most famous eyebrows in Britain’.
Eventually, she was convinced by teachers to let her fellow students know she really was underneath, opting for a more measured approach with her make-up.
Now 27, Bailey has maintained her fashion interests through adulthood – she runs a hairdressing business, Hair By Bailey, and manages it through Instagram.
Musharaf Ashgar
Musharaf – or ‘Mushy’ as everyone knows him as – stole the nation’s hearts after his appearance in Educating Yorkshire and became the biggest star from the show.
He struggled with a stammer at Thornhill Community School and had lessons in public speaking and other speech therapies in order to help him overcome his fear.
It was during the documentary filming that one of his teachers, Mr Matthew Burton, realised that Mushy felt most comfortable speaking when music was playing.
Cue magic, and cue waterworks around the nation, as Mushy stood up in front of his classmates to deliver a speech, thanking Mr Burton for supporting him.
Mushy graduated from university in 2021, posting on Instagram: ‘From sitting in the classroom and contemplating if life would ever accept me for having a stammer, to going to university and graduating.
‘I can’t sum up in words how proud I am and how much my teachers’ changed my life. You can truly achieve anything you put your mind to!’
Mushy also became a YouTuber, with his channel now having thousands of subscribers, and turned his newly developed skills in public speaking into a career.
Matthew Burton
After helping Mushy overcome his fear of public speaking at Thornhill Community Academy, Matthew Burton was eventually made headteacher of the school.
Ahead of his appearance in the upcoming season of Educating Yorkshire, Matthew said: ‘I think one of the reasons Musharaf was so successful in that moment was because of the fact he was allowed to demonstrate resilience and try.
‘And maybe things didn’t go so well in the run up to that, but he didn’t stop going for it – and that’s the brilliance and resilience of fantastic young people.’
Speaking to the BBC about the new edition of the show, he said: ‘You will see some amazing stories of perseverance, resilience, grit and determination and some wonderful and inspiring young people.’
Kamrrem Harris
Sadly, things didn’t work out perfectly for every child at Thornhill Community Academy who featured in the first season of Educating Yorkshire.
Kamrrem Harris was 13 years old when he became a star of the Channel 4 documentary, but things changed just five years after the cameras stopped rolling.
In 2018, he was sent to a young offenders institution following a brawl at a pub that had occurred the year previous – Johnathan Binns had his jaw broken by Kamrrem during the fight.
After leaving the pub following the fight, 32-year-old father Binns was deliberately hit by a car on the road outside and later died of his injuries.
18-year-old Kamrrem was sentenced to 27 months in the institution for grievous bodily harm, violent disorder, and possession of an offensive weapon, while his brother Kallum was jailed for being the ‘driving force’ behind the tragedy.
Neil Giffin
Neil Giffin appeared on Educating Yorkshire while working as a teacher – he was the head of the humanities department at Thornhill Community Academy.
However, just months after the programme was broadcast in 2013, he suddenly resigned from his position after being accused of engaging in relationships with former pupils.
Allegations then cropped up from Bishop Heber High School in Malpas, Cheshire – a previous school he’d worked at in the 2000s near the Welsh border.
The humanities teacher admitted to having sexual relationships with two former students from Bishop Heber school after using fake names on social media.
Watch Educating Yorkshire on Channel 4.
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