Following his release from a three month stretch in prison, Rab is astounded to find when he returns home that Mary has grown tired of his drunken lifestyle and throws him out on his ear. With nowhere else to go, he moves in with Jamesie ( who has also been thrown out by Ella ) into his filthy bedsit.
Depressed beyond measure, Rab ruefully bemoans about how his marriage to Mary was a mistake and thinks back to his schooldays when he met his very first love - a lovely young girl by the name of Isobel Niddrie.
Things go from bad to worse for Rab when he finds out from Isobel's sister Rena ( who Jamesie is trying to seduce ) that Isobel has died, following a marital breakdown...
A sweet little episode this, mainly because it starts to give us an insight into Nesbitt's past, showing us the Rab that might have been but never was. With a past like his, it is easy to see why he turned to a life of alcohol. James Cosmo, with his large stature, thick moustache and bulging eyes, is particularly fear striking as Rab's sadistic teacher. He later appeared in 'Trainspotting' as Mark Renton's dad and has also appeared alongside Mel Gibson in 'Braveheart'. Susan Nisbet plays both Isobel and Rena. The black and white flashbacks are touching as well as funny. The moment where Rab and Isobel first smile at each other will no doubt ring true to anyone who can recall their first love.
The plot of 'Lesson' was later re-used for as the storyline for the 'Rab C. Nesbitt' stage show which toured all round the UK in 1992, with Andy Gray replacing Cosmo as the teacher and Ashley Jensen taking on the roles of Isobel and Rena. It wasn't as funny second time round.
Funniest bit - Rab, absolutely paralytic, deploring to the audience that he 'married the wrong bloody woman', only then to be knocked out cold after he thumps his head off of a tree!
Depressed beyond measure, Rab ruefully bemoans about how his marriage to Mary was a mistake and thinks back to his schooldays when he met his very first love - a lovely young girl by the name of Isobel Niddrie.
Things go from bad to worse for Rab when he finds out from Isobel's sister Rena ( who Jamesie is trying to seduce ) that Isobel has died, following a marital breakdown...
A sweet little episode this, mainly because it starts to give us an insight into Nesbitt's past, showing us the Rab that might have been but never was. With a past like his, it is easy to see why he turned to a life of alcohol. James Cosmo, with his large stature, thick moustache and bulging eyes, is particularly fear striking as Rab's sadistic teacher. He later appeared in 'Trainspotting' as Mark Renton's dad and has also appeared alongside Mel Gibson in 'Braveheart'. Susan Nisbet plays both Isobel and Rena. The black and white flashbacks are touching as well as funny. The moment where Rab and Isobel first smile at each other will no doubt ring true to anyone who can recall their first love.
The plot of 'Lesson' was later re-used for as the storyline for the 'Rab C. Nesbitt' stage show which toured all round the UK in 1992, with Andy Gray replacing Cosmo as the teacher and Ashley Jensen taking on the roles of Isobel and Rena. It wasn't as funny second time round.
Funniest bit - Rab, absolutely paralytic, deploring to the audience that he 'married the wrong bloody woman', only then to be knocked out cold after he thumps his head off of a tree!
