Review of BBC Three s new comedy set in a pupil referral unit
Is it ironic to wish PRU, the BBC’s new comedy about teenagers excluded from mainstream education, would calm down and show a little more discipline?
The comedy, whose pilot episode dropped on iPlayer today, is based in a pupil referral unit, the acronym of the title. That this is a setting rarely seen on TV is actually a surprise given it’s such an ideal precinct for a sitcom, with diverse larger-than-life characters thrown together in a situation they can’t escape.
Its makers are keen to stress the authenticity: director Teddy Nygh and writers Alex Tenenbaum and Nathaniel Stevens have done their research and many of the cast have had their own youthful run-ins with authority.