In this programme David Blunkett, former Secretary of State for Education, attempts to teach an A-level poetry class for the first time in his life.
Mr Blunkett had an uneasy relationship with the teaching profession but now he's attempting to step into their shoes to pass on his passion for the romantic poetry of Christina Rossetti. However, it is a passion not shared by the pupils.
As the class begins, the students and their new teacher have a frank and revealing conversation about blindness and poetic imagery. The class is monitored by the school's head of english, Elena Soto.
Elena is anxious that he experiences what life in an overheated inner-city Victorian school building is really like for the teachers who have to work there every day. It proves to be a very engaging encounter, revealing a side of Mr Blunkett not previously seen.