The BEST episodes of Mind Your Language season 1

Every episode of Mind Your Language season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Mind Your Language season 1!

Set in a London College Of Further Education the series focused on the activities of the Evening Classes, in particular – English as a Foreign Language, as taught by Mr Jeremy Brown whose class was a motley crew of foreigners, most of who could barely speak English. The comedy comes from the students inability to grasp the basic command of English. This leads to misunderstanding of words and terms causing all manner of disagreements and cultural differences.

Last Updated: 2/16/2024Network: ITV1Status: Ended
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The First Lesson
star
8.29
164 votes

#1 - The First Lesson

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/30/1977

Jeremy Brown arrives at his new job teaching English at a night school to a mixed race of Adult students. He meets the school principal Miss Courtney who tells him she wanted a Lady teacher because of the trouble she had with the last Male teacher. Jeremy assures her she has nothing to worry about, she gives him the job on a one month trial basis. Jeremy meets his new students & is getting to know them when Miss Courtney checks to see if there are any attractive women in the class to cause a distraction. When she is satisfied & thinks everything will be o.k. In walks Danielle the vivacious French Au Paire. Danielle sits right up front & Max & Giovanni want to sit next to her. Jeremy tells them to return to their seats & begins the first lesson. Jeremy is trying to teach the class about Verbs & asks them in turn to repeat what is written on the blackboard. Ali & Ranjeet are exchanging insults & before long the class erupts into one big argument. Jeremy leaves & Miss Courtney as

Writer: Vince Powell
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The Examination
star
8.22
36 votes

#2 - The Examination

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/24/1978

Ali,Giovanni & Max are in the pub. Ali is playing the poker machine & is sure he'll win soon.! He runs out of 10p coins & asks Jeremy who has just walked in if he has any coins. While Ali's back is turned, Ranjeet comes in,places 10p in the 'pokie' & wins the jackpot.! Jeremy tells them they should be studying for the upcoming exam not wasting time in the pub.! Jeremy is walking to the bar when a lady customer thinks he works there & gives him her order. Jeremy says he doesn't work there, He's a teacher. The lady thinks Jeremy has two jobs. He buys the drinks for the lady, her husband & himself. He forgets which one is his & takes a sip out of one. When Jeremy asks the lady for the money for the drinks, her husband refuses to pay because he saw Jeremy take a sip of one of them. The man insults Jeremy, Jeremy insults him back & pours the drink on the mans head & leaves. Later, Jeremy is telling the class about the exam when Miss Courtney wants him to meet the examiner. Jerem

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An Inspector Calls
star
8.10
117 votes

#3 - An Inspector Calls

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/6/1978

Miss Courtney tells Jeremy to expect a new student from Africa. An Inspector from the board of education calls to see Miss Courtney & drops in on Jeremy's class without warning to observe how he gives the lesson. Jeremy welcomes the inspector Roger Kenyon into the class believing that he is the new African student Miss Courtney told him about. During a tea break Jeremy goes to see Miss Courtney & tells him there's an Inspector in the building. Jeremy tells her not to worry, He'll sort it out. Back in class Jeremy calls the attendance roll & tells the class what he thinks about Inspectors & their old fashioned ways. Mr Kenyon is listening to what Jeremy is saying, when Miss Courtney walks in to the room & sees Mr Kenyon sitting in the back row. She apologises to him for Jeremy's remarks & tells Jeremy that Mr Kenyon is the school inspector. Later when the Inspector's wife comes looking for him, Jeremy mistakes her for the new African student & makes another embarrasing mi

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
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A Fate Worse Than Death
star
8.01
103 votes

#4 - A Fate Worse Than Death

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/13/1978

Danielle needs help with her homework, she asks Max to help her when Giovanni walks into the room with the answers to the homework which he will sell to them for only 10p each.! Ali arrives late from his new job as a travelling salesman & proceeds to sell his wares (ties,socks,scarves,gloves etc.)in the classroom. Jeremy tells him to sell his merchandise in his own time. Ranjeet arrives late also with an explanation, He's getting married to Surinder whom he was betrothed to when he was 12 years old. Only problem is Surinder has changed since then & Ranjeet would rather die than marry her.! Surinder arrives & wants to see Ranjeet, Ranjeet hides & asks Jeremy to tell her he's not there. At tea break time the students sneak Ranjeet to the cafeteria, soon Surinder goes there too & thinks she sees her betrothed hiding behind the curtain. Ranjeet has left his shoes & climbed out the window. He climbs back in through Miss Courtney's window & bumps into Surinder in the Hall. Jeremy tells S

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
Watch Now:Amazon
Come Back All is Forgiven
star
7.88
64 votes

#5 - Come Back All is Forgiven

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/3/1978

It's Jeremy's Birthday & the class greets him singing Happy Birthday to you. Then they give him their gifts one at a time. Danielle gives the gift only she could give, Max & the other boys each give Jeremy an identical pen. Then it's on with the lesson, Today it's Vowel sounds. Miss Courtney says she wants to see Jeremy in her office, She tells him that she has found a female teacher to replace him. She reminds him that he was on a months trial & could have been replaced at any time. Jeremy is very annoyed & leaves straight away. He breaks the news to the class & goes home. Miss Courtney takes over until Miss Hardacre can come in to finish the lesson. The class decides to adopt a policy of non co-operation. When Miss Hardacre arrives and attempts to call the roll, no one answers. Miss Courtney has a meeting with Miss Hardacre & realises that she may have made a big mistake. Miss Hardacre has a few things to say about how Miss Courtney is running the school. The class

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
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The Best Things in Life
star
7.84
100 votes

#6 - The Best Things in Life

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/27/1978

Ali thinks he has won the football pools. He says he has eight score draws. Jeremy looks at his ticket & sees his eight score draws are not on the same line, so he hasn't won anything.! Jeremy has the class role playing real life situations, e.g. going to the Doctor, or going to the post office to post a letter or opening a bank account. Miss Courtney interupts the class to tell Jeremy that he's needed at the police station. Jamilla's been arrested for shoplifting.! Jeremy and Ali arrive at the police station & Ali talks to Jamilla to find out what happened. It seems Jamilla misunderstood 'free trial' and took the goods & left the store. Jeremy insists that the Sergeant look at his drivers licence & a five pound note falls out as the officer looks at the licence. Jeremy assures the Sergeant he wasn't trying to bribe him & donates the 'fiver' to the police charity collection box. The Sergeant lets Jamilla go,realising the misunderstanding and Jamilla takes Jeremy & Ali ba

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
Watch Now:Amazon
Kill or Cure
star
7.84
49 votes

#7 - Kill or Cure

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/24/1978

Poor Jeremy is sick with the flu,so his class decide to pay him a visit hoping to cheer him up.

Writer: Vince Powell
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All Through the Night
star
7.81
96 votes

#8 - All Through the Night

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/20/1978

Max & Giovanni meet Sid the Janitor in the cafeteria. Sid teaches them some cockney rhyming slang. Jeremy comes in with a bag full of groceries for that evenings lesson & they walk to the classroom together. Jeremy wants the class to identify the items he's holding up & then asks if everyone completed the homework he gave them the night before. When no one has completed it he tells them they'll have to finish it before he lets them go home. Sid is locking up the school for the night thinking everyone has gone home. He locks Jeremy's classroom door & then goes to the pub for a drink. When Jeremy realises they're locked in and asks if anybody will miss them & come looking for them the class says no. So to pass the time he suggests the students tell jokes, Juan tells a joke in spanish & no one understands. When Sid is leaving the pub,his friend Charlie sees the light on in the classroom & everyone waving. Sid has to get Miss Courtney out of bed to Investigate. After the

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
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How's Your Father?
star
7.81
36 votes

#9 - How's Your Father?

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/17/1978

Could it be that Sid the Janitor is Jeremy's father?

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Better to Have Loved and Lost
star
7.67
51 votes

#10 - Better to Have Loved and Lost

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/17/1978

Jeremy asks the class how they spent their weekend. Danielle says her new boyfriend was doing something naughty with her on the motorway and the police made him stop.! (he was speeding.!) Jeremy asks the others in turn & is interupted by Ali & Su Lee who announce they are getting married. The class congratulates them & Ali invites them all to the wedding. One week later,it's the day before the wedding. Gladys asks Miss Courtney if she's going, but she says no. Giovanni & Max invite the boys & the Groom to the Pub after class, Gladys tells Jeremy Miss Courtney wants to see him in her office. When Jeremy goes to see her she introduces him to Ali's wife.! Jeremy has a talk to Ali in Miss Courtney's ofice. He tells him he cannot have two wives. Ali says his religion says he can. Jeremy tells him English law forbids it. Ali tells him he & his wife have tried to have a baby for 4 years, and his religion states that if it's o.k. with the first wife,he can find a second wife. Je

Directors: Stuart Allen
Writer: Vince Powell
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Hello Sailor
star
7.60
43 votes

#11 - Hello Sailor

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/3/1978

Juan brings his new friend Boris, a Russian sailor to class with him. He asks Boris to wait in the canteen until after the lesson. Jeremy asks the class for words begining with the letters A, B, C etc. When Juan comes in late he apologises & takes his seat. Meanwhile Miss Courtney has found Boris & asks Gladys to tell Jeremy she wants to see him in the canteen. Juan & Jeremy go to the canteen to see Miss Courtney & Juan tells them Boris has fallen in love with a British girl & wants to stay in the U.K. Jeremy,Juan & Boris return to class & Jeremy introduces Boris to the students, telling them that Boris wants to defect to the west. Then he continues with the lesson until Gladys interupts to tell Jeremy that Miss Courtney wants to see him in her office. Jeremy is introduced to Captain Ivan Ivanovich. He tells Jeremy that Boris has to come back to the ship with him & return to Russia. After they leave the lesson continues again, until it's interupted by Capt. Ivanovich. Now h

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A Point of Honour
star
7.60
43 votes

#12 - A Point of Honour

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/10/1978

To prepare the class for an upcoming exam,Jeremy gives the class an oral exam. Danielle comes late,she says the woodwork teacher Mr Jarvis wouldn't let her go 'til she agreed to have dinner with him. Danielle had a bright idea, she told Mr Jarvis she was engaged to Jeremy.! Gladys (from the canteen) tells Miss Courtney about Danielle & Jeremy, Gladys later tells Jeremy that she thinks Miss Courtney fancies him. Jeremy tells Miss Courtney what Gladys told him & now Miss Courtney thinks Jeremy likes her.! Jeremy goes back to class & sees Mr Jarvis & Danielle in the corridor, Danielle tells Jarvis that Jeremy isn't frightened by him & Jarvis wants to meet Jeremy after class for a punch-up.! Back in class the lesson continues, when it's finished Mr Jarvis is waiting for Jeremy to fight until Miss Courtney intervenes. Jeremy tells Miss Courtney that Jarvis is forcing his attention on Danielle. So Miss Courtney arranges a boxing match after class next day. Giovanni & Max

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The Cheating Game
star
7.58
53 votes

#13 - The Cheating Game

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/10/1978

Miss Courtney tells Jeremy to prepare the class for their upcoming exam. Jeremy is not encouraged by their answers to his questions. He advises them to study the questions for a mock exam he is giving them after tea break. Giovanni & Max have a plan to pass the exam & make Jeremy happy with their progress, He's going to steal the answers. Jeremy meets Miss Courtney in the corridor and she tells him if the class doesn't pass she'll end the course at once.! Jeremy tells Gladys his problem, Gladys suggests he leave the answers on the desk where the students can find them. Jeremy leaves the answers on the desk & goes to the canteen, Giovanni & Max find the answers & copy them. Miss Courtney tells Jeremy she'll give the class the exam & he can wait outside. One by one the students ask for a toilet break & take their books with them. Miss Courtney collects the books to mark them & Jeremy gives her back the answer sheet. She realises that the answers are from last years test,

Writer: Vince Powell
Watch Now:Amazon