Teach Me A Lesson with Greg James and Bella Mackie

Latest Episodes:

How Did Exploding Rats Help Win WW2? Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie don their best spy gear for a lesson in wartime espionage from History teacher Miss Patel.

Greg (Codename: Agent BaeWhizz) and Bella (00-PAL) learn how wartime recruits to the secretive Special Operations Executive (SOE) were trained up and prepared for covert activities in occupied Europe. They’ll acquire cover stories, costumes and gadgets – possibly including some exploding rats – and discover how much these real-life stories, like the amazing Noor Inayat Khan and Virginia Hall, inspired the likes of James Bond and the modern-day SAS.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

How Equal Is Your House? Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie are back with a new term of inspiring teachers, mind-blowing lessons and just a tiny bit of bickering.

This week it's sociology with Mrs Sewell, as Greg and Bella ask ‘how equal is your house?’

Find out why Greg not picking up his pants might be a feminist issue, why the Simpsons are so useful to sociologists, the surprising link between Greg’s love of baths and equality, and why Bluey’s dad from CBeebies is Mrs Sewell’s hero.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

Can Advertising Be Art? Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's art with Ms Bates, who poses the question 'Can advertising be art?' as a way of starting a conversation about Pop Art - where did it come from? Why does it endure? And does being involved in advertising compromise an artist? We also find out which artwork Greg and Bella would shove a granny to get hold of (although they'd like to clarify that they would rather just pay for it).

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk. We'll read out some of our favourites in our BBC Sounds exclusive bonus episodes, Teach Me A Lesson - Break Time.

How Can We Move To The Moon? Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's physics with Mr Hardie, who takes Greg and Bella through the science we need to understand in order to establish a human colony on the moon. You'll also find out how many seconds of fuel Neil Armstrong had left when he landed on the moon, how much it costs per kilo to send something there, and how rich we would all be if we shared a mineral-rich asteroid.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

Can We Trust Our Own Memories? Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's psychology with Mrs Harrowell, who explains how memory works to Greg and Bella - demonstrating her points by testing their recollections of everyday objects and iconic film quotes, and teaching them a dance that means they'll never forget the name of a part of the brain they'd never heard of before this lesson.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

How Much Should You Wee On A Jellyfish Sting? Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's chemistry with Miss Assinder, who explores the idea that weeing on a jellyfish sting will neutralise the pain. Listen to the end to find out how much you need - and along the way you'll find out how Greg and Bella want to be disposed of after their death, how to get your kids to clean the bathroom, and how long it takes to dissolve a mouse.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

That's Not So Random! Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's maths with Mr Fisher (call him Rob) who teaches Greg and Bella why it really annoys him when people say "that's SO random", when the things in question aren't random.

Along the way we learn what random actually means, with examples from the National Lottery and playlist shuffle, and why humans are so bad at choosing things randomly.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

How Do You Say "I Have Five Red Apples" In A Language Without Words For Colours Or Numbers? Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's languages with Miss Morris, who teaches Greg and Bella about foreign languages - the sounds, the words, and the structures that make other languages different to English. It's essential listening for broadening your understanding of language, and for making sure you don't accidentally tell a French person they've got a nice bum.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

Why Do We Get Ill? Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's biology with Dr Monks, who teaches Greg and Bella why we get ill. The lesson reveals what a germ actually is, the pivotal role pubs have played in keeping us safe, and discusses why it could be important to stick your fingers in dog poo.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk

Should We Be Afraid Of Computers? Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Greg James and Bella Mackie didn’t pay much attention at school. So they’re asking Britain’s most inspiring teachers to show them what they missed in this series of fascinating and fun lessons.

This week it's Computer Science with Mrs Cunningham-Smith (Mrs C-S to you). She talks Greg and Bella through how computers have developed to the point they're currently at, and how algorithms actually work. We also find out how a woman in the 1840s created TikTok - and we find out exactly how Greg James crushed the dreams of a 16-month-old child.

Bad students of all ages are welcome. Expect brilliant teachers, captivating subjects but absolutely no homework.

Get in touch with your funny school stories and teacher recommendations - email us at teachme@bbc.co.uk