Learners
Encyclopedia
Learners is a British
comedy drama television film starring David Tennant
and Jessica Hynes. The film was announced by the BBC
on 3 April 2007 and was broadcast on 11 November 2007. The DVD was released on 12 November 2007.
Beverly is trying to raise cash for her driving lessons, as Ian has spent all their money on a pair of owls, hoping to sell their offspring for a profit. She ends up looting her daughter's savings for university. During her ninth, secret, driving test, she runs into Ian on the street and as a result fails again. To make matters worse, Chris is leaving Gear Change because of Fiona's affair with Gerry, leaving all learner drivers without their favourite teacher. However, Chris returns when Fiona breaks up with Gerry (despite finding herself pregnant by him).
When one of the owls gets sick, threatening the life of the eggs, Beverly is forced to drive to the vet's herself. She runs into Gerry on the motorway who escorts her to the vet. The owl and eggs are saved, reuniting the family and giving Beverly enough confidence to try her test again, which this time she finally passes.
episodes "Human Nature
" and "The Family of Blood
". Shaun Dingwall was a recurring guest star in series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who.
. Beverly's house was filmed at Breach Barnes in Waltham Abbey behind First Avenue. Some of the mobile home's fences had to be removed in order for actors to walk through.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy drama television film starring David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
and Jessica Hynes. The film was announced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 3 April 2007 and was broadcast on 11 November 2007. The DVD was released on 12 November 2007.
Synopsis
The film tells the story of a group of learner drivers. One of them, Beverly (Jessica Hynes), is a housewife who works as a cleaner at the police station and has failed her driving exams eight times, mainly due to the driving lessons of her impatient husband Ian (Shaun Dingwall). She decides to take driving lessons from Chris (David Tennant), a devout Christian driving instructor at Gear Change, with whom she falls in love. Chris however is in love with Fiona (Sarah Hadland), his boss, who is having an affair with Beverly's colleague, policeman Gerry.Beverly is trying to raise cash for her driving lessons, as Ian has spent all their money on a pair of owls, hoping to sell their offspring for a profit. She ends up looting her daughter's savings for university. During her ninth, secret, driving test, she runs into Ian on the street and as a result fails again. To make matters worse, Chris is leaving Gear Change because of Fiona's affair with Gerry, leaving all learner drivers without their favourite teacher. However, Chris returns when Fiona breaks up with Gerry (despite finding herself pregnant by him).
When one of the owls gets sick, threatening the life of the eggs, Beverly is forced to drive to the vet's herself. She runs into Gerry on the motorway who escorts her to the vet. The owl and eggs are saved, reuniting the family and giving Beverly enough confidence to try her test again, which this time she finally passes.
Cast
- David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
— Chris - Jessica Hynes — Beverly
- Shaun DingwallShaun DingwallShaun Dingwall is a British actor and is known for his roles on British television.-Early life:Shaun Dingwall was born in 1972 and attended Ilford County High School for boys. His initial ambition was to become a photographer and for several years he worked as an assistant photographer within the...
— Ian - Sarah HadlandSarah HadlandSarah Hadland is an English actress who has a career spanning theatre, film, and television and as a voice-over artist.-Early life and education:...
— Fiona - Megan Jones — Juanita
- Richard Glover — Examiner
- Kyle Summercorn — Toby
- Bernadette Wilfred - nurse(credited)
Cast notes
Writer Jessica Hynes, who also stars as Beverly, had previously appeared together with David Tennant in the Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episodes "Human Nature
Human Nature (Doctor Who episode)
"Human Nature" is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
" and "The Family of Blood
The Family of Blood
"The Family of Blood" is the ninth episode of Series 3 of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Preceded by "Human Nature", it is the second episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
". Shaun Dingwall was a recurring guest star in series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who.
Production
Learners started filming in April 2007 on location in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Beverly's house was filmed at Breach Barnes in Waltham Abbey behind First Avenue. Some of the mobile home's fences had to be removed in order for actors to walk through.