The Teacher's Will Mellor on "new" experience working with intimacy coordinator for sex scenes
Mellor and Kara Tointon's characters have a steamy affair in the new season of the Channel 5 anthology series.
The second season of Channel 5 drama The Teacher tells a whole different story from the first, focusing on an affair between two teacher colleagues which leads to disaster.
As the married Dani and her colleague Jimmy sneak away together to have sex on a school trip, one of the students in their care winds up dead, and they are forced to lie about where they were at the time when he disappeared.
Dani is played in the drama by Kara Tointon, while Will Mellor plays Jimmy. In an interview, Mellor spoke about filming the sex scene with Tointon, and revealed it was the first time he had worked with an intimacy coordinator.
"That was a new thing for me," he said. "I think it’s very important for younger actors and actresses who maybe aren’t aware of what you can and can’t ask for on set to have a middle person who can open up the conversation and lay the boundaries so that everyone is comfortable."
He continued: "With me and Kara for the boat shed scene, we had a chat. I said, 'I’m ok with everything. I’ve been there done that.' I had my first gay role on The Street where I was completely naked with Vincent Regan. All those years ago.
"That was quite scary, but it was an amazing moment. That was a breakthrough for me. The intimacy coordinator was lovely on this, and I understand why they are there. I think it’s a case of read the situation."
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Mellor said of the scene itself: "We wanted the scene to look messy and of the moment. We wanted to get taken away by the passion a bit and let the camera find us. Dominic let us know constantly what he was shooting whether it was Jimmy pulling off her bra or me pulling down my trousers.
"But you know what it’s like with sex scenes. The last thing they are is sexy. We ended up laughing about it. Kara is a lovely person and I’m glad I was working with her."
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Tointon previously said that playing Dani was "interesting" because she's "never really played a role where people might instantly take a disliking to my character. Not because of anything in her personality - she's not evil, but you question her choices".
"I've never played anyone so controversially naughty," she said.
The Teacher season 2 will air from Monday 9th September to Thursday 12th September at 9pm on Channel 5. Stream on My5.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
