Hayley CoyleBBC News, Yorkshire
More than a decade after Educating Yorkshire gave audiences an insight into life in a West Yorkshire school, one of the stars has said the TV documentary “changed my entire life”.
Musharaf Asghar, a former pupil at Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury, became famous after a segment in which teacher Matthew Burton * helped him overcome a stammer to recite a poem.
He said: “After all these years, I'm now * a key note speaker. I showcase the power of teaching, and the power of that little clip has really changed my entire life.
“Matthew will never admit how much of a help he really was at the time.”
English teacher Mr Burton *, who has since been promoted to head teacher at the school, told Musharaf to listen to music on headphones while he was speaking so he could not hear himself.
The technique helped the teenager recite the poem for his GCSEs.
Speaking ahead of a new Educating Yorkshire series on Channel 4, Mr Asghar, now * 28, jokingly said of the clip: “As awesome as it is, one thing I do regret is not having a haircut because that was something I should have taken into account.”
Mr Burton * said: “I think one of the reasons Musharaf was so successful in that moment was because of the fact he was allowed to demonstrate resilience and try.
“And maybe things didn't go so well in the run up to that, but he didn't stop going for it – and that's the brilliance and resilience of fantastic young people.”
Mr Burton * said teachers “up and down the country are doing fantastic work” every day.
Speaking about the new series, he added: “You will see some amazing stories of perseverance, resilience, grit and determination and some wonderful and inspiring young people – so it is exciting.”
Educating Yorkshire returns on Sunday on Channel 4 at 20:00 BST.
