''Hearts and Minds'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

television

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

created by

Jimmy McGovern James Stanley McGovern (born September 1949) is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama series '' Cracker'' (1993–1995), for which he received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He als ...

and first aired on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

from 16 February to 9 March 1995. The series won the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

award for Best Serial Drama. The series is about a young teacher at a tough

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

high school. After working in a factory, Drew Mackenzie (

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably the Ninth Doctor, ni ...

) manages to educate himself to become a teacher. He wants to share his idealistic approach to rising above his circumstances with his Liverpool students, but soon finds himself caught in the crossfire of racial tensions, homophobia, and the difficult home lives of the teenagers. According to series creator Jimmy McGovern, the series was based in part on the three years he spent as an English teacher at the Quarry Bank school in Liverpool. The series was well reviewed by British critics, who praised its realism as compared to other well known school dramas.Susan Ellsmore, ''Carry On, Teachers!: Representations of the Teaching Profession in Screen Culture'' (Trentham Books, 2005), , pp. 21ff
Excerpts available
at

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Cast

* Lynda Steadman as Emma Mackenzie *

as Drew Mackenzie *

David Harewood David Michael Harewood (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor, presenter and the current president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012 ...

as Trevor *

Ian McElhinney Ian McElhinney (born 30 June 1948) is a Northern Irish actor and director. He has appeared in many television series in a career spanning more than forty years; notable appearances include ''Taggart'', '' Hornblower'', ''Cold Feet'', and ''The ...

as Alex * Sara Mair-Thomas as Mo *

Peter Halliday Peter Halliday (2 June 1924 – 18 February 2012) was a Welsh actor. Early life The son of an auctioneer and estate agent, Halliday was brought up in Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, and attended Oswestry School in Shropshire. On leaving school ...

as Shotton * Pauline Black as Joanna * Jonathan Dow as Maurice * Peter Armitage as Norman * Mark Womack as Archie * Ann Joseph as Maggie * Trina Ali as Sahira * Paul Fox as Tony * John Brady as kid

References

External links

* 1995 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings 1990s British workplace drama television series Channel 4 television dramas Television shows set in Liverpool British high school television series 1990s British television miniseries British English-language television shows Television series about educators Television series by Fremantle (company) {{UK-tv-prog-stub