British Prep School Drama Is a Genuine Charmer

In the British teen dramedy Boarders, five Black students of great intelligence, but modest means, are given scholarships to the elite private school St. Gilbert’s. Their presence has little to do with altruism, and a lot to do with the school’s PR problem, after a rich white student posts a video of himself and his friends harassing an unhoused man. Gus (played by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who also created the series) runs the charity that helped select the five lucky kids, and while all of them are aware of the real reason they’re getting this opportunity, he encourages them to take full advantage of it. “Don’t be who they expect you to be,” he insists on the drive from South London to the palatial St. Gilbert’s campus.

The kids — charismatic Jaheim (Josh Tedeku), political activist Leah (Jodie Campbell), aspiring artist Omar (Myles Kamwendo), clever hustler Tobi (Sekou Diaby), and uptight Femi (Aruna Jalloh) — succeed at following Gus’s advice to varying degrees. Defying expectations with this particular kind of show, though, is tricky, because there are only so many variations possible within a high school setting. No matter the country, era, or cultures involved, there will always be conflicts regarding sex, class, and age. Daniel Lawrence Taylor isn’t stripping the genre down to its essence to start over, even if he’s chosen a very specific fish-out-of-water scenario for his five heroes. 

There’s nothing wrong with familiarity, however, if it’s done well. Boarders (which premiered on BBC Three last month and is now streaming on Tubi) is more or less what you expect it to be, but a very good example of that. And it may scratch the itch for anyone already missing Netflix’s Sex Education after it said goodbye back in the fall.

Though the scholarship kids are introduced to St. Gilbert’s as a unit, Taylor and his collaborators quickly establish them as distinct and interesting individuals. The Nigerian-born Femi, for instance, does his best to disassociate himself from the other four, convinced that Leah’s outspokenness and Tobi’s shenanigans will trip him up en route to a life full of rich and influential friends. The show also keeps their academic gifts at top of mind, often as a means to address conflict elsewhere, like how Tobi can get away with being a smartass in school because he’s smarter than most of the adults who might otherwise try to punish him.

Some stories overlap, and some largely stand alone. Abby (Assa Kanoute) is wary both of being friends with Leah and dating Tobi, in part because she’s fit in so seamlessly with the popular white girl clique that she seems afraid of reminding them that she’s biracial. Omar keeps missing various adventures organized by Jaheim or Tobi because he’s obsessed with joining a secret cartooning society that may or may not actually exist. And nearly all of them run afoul at some point of Rupert (Harry Gilby), the cruel bully whose viral video got the newcomers admitted to St. Gilbert’s in the first place.

You’ve seen variations on all of this before, even if Boarders pins some of them to this particular moment in space and time. Omar is gay, but the only one who finds this worthy of a remark is Rupert, and then only so he can better calibrate his verbal abuse. And Leah is wary of the friendship of Mabel (Georgina Sadler) because her new classmate is so palpably desperate to be seen as an ally. But the rivalry between Jaheim and Rupert, or Leah’s attempts to challenge the authority of Headmaster Bernard (Derek Riddell), could fit into many locales and eras with minimal changes. There’s some self-awareness — when Jaheim begins flirting with Rupert’s girlfriend Florence (Rosie Graham) to get back at his tormenter, Florence immediately recognizes and comments on his motivations — but not so much that Boarders ever risks collapsing in on itself. And when it wants to be sincere — as with an uncomfortable moment back in Jaheim’s home neighborhood where he, perhaps unfairly, accuses the posh Beatrix (Tallulah Grieve) of acting like a tourist — the emotions ring true.

The young actors are all excellent, especially once the tone gets a bit more light-hearted after a frequently tense opening episode. That kind of relaxation is another hallmark of the genre. Not all of this works: the show can’t seem to decide whether Rupert is an unforgivable sociopath, or just the misunderstood victim of a domineering mother(*). And given the series is only six episodes, even at an hour apiece, it feels too tight to fit all the stories Boarders is trying to tell. But the willingness to balance the teen angst with goofier ensemble moments is very welcome, and very effective.

(*) Rupert’s mom, played by Niky Wardley, uses her position as head of the school board to constantly try to browbeat Bernard into following her every whim, particularly whenever it comes to these five interlopers who have entered her son’s orbit. She’s also part of a growing TV trend of characters who are obvious Karens, but who are instead named Carol, in hopes the audience won’t feel like they’re being hit too hard over the head with the point.

Midway through the season, a longtime St. Gilbert’s student tries convincing Bernard to be more open-minded about one of Leah’s causes. Bernard insists that the scholarship students need to fit into the school, not fit the school around them. It’s an ongoing struggle for both the headmaster and the kids, and only sometimes can everyone meet in the middle. Boarders, though, consistently manages to both fit into the old tropes and reinvent the clichés to fit around these characters. It’s a real charmer.   

The first season of Boarders is now streaming on Tubi. I’ve seen all six episodes.

In the British teen dramedy Boarders, five Black students of great intelligence, but modest means, are given scholarships to the elite private school St. Gilbert’s. Their presence has little to do with altruism, and a lot to do with the school’s PR problem, after a rich white student posts a video of himself and his friends harassing an unhoused man. Gus (played by Daniel Lawrence Taylor, who also created the series) runs the charity that helped select the five lucky kids, and while all of them are aware of the real reason they’re getting this opportunity, he encourages them to take full advantage of it. “Don’t be who they expect you to be,” he insists on the drive from South London to the palatial St. Gilbert’s campus.

The kids — charismatic Jaheim (Josh Tedeku), political activist Leah (Jodie Campbell), aspiring artist Omar (Myles Kamwendo), clever hustler Tobi (Sekou Diaby), and uptight Femi (Aruna Jalloh) — succeed at following Gus’s advice to varying degrees. Defying expectations with this particular kind of show, though, is tricky, because there are only so many variations possible within a high school setting. No matter the country, era, or cultures involved, there will always be conflicts regarding sex, class, and age. Daniel Lawrence Taylor isn’t stripping the genre down to its essence to start over, even if he’s chosen a very specific fish-out-of-water scenario for his five heroes. 

There’s nothing wrong with familiarity, however, if it’s done well. Boarders (which premiered on BBC Three last month and is now streaming on Tubi) is more or less what you expect it to be, but a very good example of that. And it may scratch the itch for anyone already missing Netflix’s Sex Education after it said goodbye back in the fall.

Though the scholarship kids are introduced to St. Gilbert’s as a unit, Taylor and his collaborators quickly establish them as distinct and interesting individuals. The Nigerian-born Femi, for instance, does his best to disassociate himself from the other four, convinced that Leah’s outspokenness and Tobi’s shenanigans will trip him up en route to a life full of rich and influential friends. The show also keeps their academic gifts at top of mind, often as a means to address conflict elsewhere, like how Tobi can get away with being a smartass in school because he’s smarter than most of the adults who might otherwise try to punish him.

Some stories overlap, and some largely stand alone. Abby (Assa Kanoute) is wary both of being friends with Leah and dating Tobi, in part because she’s fit in so seamlessly with the popular white girl clique that she seems afraid of reminding them that she’s biracial. Omar keeps missing various adventures organized by Jaheim or Tobi because he’s obsessed with joining a secret cartooning society that may or may not actually exist. And nearly all of them run afoul at some point of Rupert (Harry Gilby), the cruel bully whose viral video got the newcomers admitted to St. Gilbert’s in the first place.

You’ve seen variations on all of this before, even if Boarders pins some of them to this particular moment in space and time. Omar is gay, but the only one who finds this worthy of a remark is Rupert, and then only so he can better calibrate his verbal abuse. And Leah is wary of the friendship of Mabel (Georgina Sadler) because her new classmate is so palpably desperate to be seen as an ally. But the rivalry between Jaheim and Rupert, or Leah’s attempts to challenge the authority of Headmaster Bernard (Derek Riddell), could fit into many locales and eras with minimal changes. There’s some self-awareness — when Jaheim begins flirting with Rupert’s girlfriend Florence (Rosie Graham) to get back at his tormenter, Florence immediately recognizes and comments on his motivations — but not so much that Boarders ever risks collapsing in on itself. And when it wants to be sincere — as with an uncomfortable moment back in Jaheim’s home neighborhood where he, perhaps unfairly, accuses the posh Beatrix (Tallulah Grieve) of acting like a tourist — the emotions ring true.

The young actors are all excellent, especially once the tone gets a bit more light-hearted after a frequently tense opening episode. That kind of relaxation is another hallmark of the genre. Not all of this works: the show can’t seem to decide whether Rupert is an unforgivable sociopath, or just the misunderstood victim of a domineering mother(*). And given the series is only six episodes, even at an hour apiece, it feels too tight to fit all the stories Boarders is trying to tell. But the willingness to balance the teen angst with goofier ensemble moments is very welcome, and very effective.

(*) Rupert’s mom, played by Niky Wardley, uses her position as head of the school board to constantly try to browbeat Bernard into following her every whim, particularly whenever it comes to these five interlopers who have entered her son’s orbit. She’s also part of a growing TV trend of characters who are obvious Karens, but who are instead named Carol, in hopes the audience won’t feel like they’re being hit too hard over the head with the point.

Midway through the season, a longtime St. Gilbert’s student tries convincing Bernard to be more open-minded about one of Leah’s causes. Bernard insists that the scholarship students need to fit into the school, not fit the school around them. It’s an ongoing struggle for both the headmaster and the kids, and only sometimes can everyone meet in the middle. Boarders, though, consistently manages to both fit into the old tropes and reinvent the clichés to fit around these characters. It’s a real charmer.   

The first season of Boarders is now streaming on Tubi. I’ve seen all six episodes.