Oscar Gets An Avril Probe

Oscar Gets An Avril Probe is the first episode of the first season of St. Hopes, airing on August 13, 1997. It originally aired after the Young Dracula episode "Home Education".

In the episode, Oscar finds out his nightmare about Avril sneaking into his room is real, but some bad news occurs that leaves him no choice but to disregard the situation.

The episode received a mixed reaction from critics. Some praised the groundbreaking humor that would set the stage for the series, others criticized the violence and sexual nature.

Synopsis
Oscar Cole has a nightmare about classmate Avril Franklin sneaking into his bedroom at night and making love to him. He is convinced it is a nightmare, but the looks on his friends' faces say otherwise. Marks were on Oscar's mouth, as if he had been kissed hard enough to make said marks.

He refuses to believe it, up until it happens again; with Avril knocking him unconscious this time. The day after, he realizes it was reality. Not too long later, she is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and Oscar is forced to put the trouble behind him and set up a campaign to raise funds to save her. She recovers by the end of the episode, however, the boys appear to have contracted it from her.

Meanwhile, the school's principal, Kenneth Flatley, has had enough of the tyranny that deputy head Hermione King has imposed on him and sets out to kill her.

Trivia

 * The first appearance of the St. Hopes High School staff and students.
 * Scoop Doggy and Fifty Pence's rivalry is already established within the first act when they fight on the school bus after Fifty owed him 50 quid, and Scoop hurls him out of the bus and sends him crashing directly into a Tesco sign.
 * This episode aired after the Young Dracula episode "Home Education" on August 13, 1997. In that episode, protagonist-antagonist Ingrid Dracula references the upcoming episode following a commercial break that featured an ad for it, by saying; "Now if you will excuse me, I have to catch this new St. Hopes show tonight."
 * This episode was revisited in the Season 5 episode "Rerun", where Oscar sneaks into Avril's bedroom at night to send her a note about how Donovan Butler, her new crush, 'smells like shit', but she wakes up and exclaims, "Oh my god you're returning the favor!", leaving Oscar to explain his note.
 * Avril references her bout of tuberculosis in the Season 3 episode 'Spy For A Day', where she tells the Grand Mistress; "I've had TB before, want me to get it again and give it to you?"