A hallmark of many early Gen Z's childhood, but forgotten until I saw a poster of this program on Instagram again a few days ago.
‘Oh My English’ is an educational comedy series that ran from 2012-2017 on Astro TVIQ, to help Malaysians enhance their English skills in a fun way. The show is set in a classroom of good hearted but mischievous 15-year-olds in Kelas 3 Merah at SMK Ayer Dalam, alongside their new English teacher, Henry Middleton. The shows goes on for five years, even up until the students have graduated and then returned as teachers at their alma maters.
Since I was born in 2000, the show ran all the way throughout my secondary school years. While I mostly stopped watching Astro TVIQ after finishing UPSR, I did sometimes stay behind to watch the comedic scenes of the ‘Oh My English’ cast after school, which was a good source of laughter.
Even though I wasn't a die-hard fan or avid watcher, I remember thinking how good of an initiative it was in encouraging Malaysians, regardless of age, to improve their English via relatable characters that feel close to home. While there are many tutorials online, most of them are by non-Malaysians teaching grammar in a very structured way - which even fluent English-speaking Malaysians don't uphold.
No matter how fluent we are in English, Malaysians will still choose to speak rojak English, which essentially are English sentences in proper structure and grammar, but with a little twist of Malay & Mandarin to reflect our culture. Seeing the students of 3 Merah fumble their way to better English, like the rest of us did when we were younger, truly hits home. It is SO MALAYSIAN, and makes me proud every time I think about this series.
As an adult now, beyond teaching us better English, it also united Malaysians in a single mission - even with our different races, religions, and cultures, no one would deny an opportunity to sit around fellow friends of other races to watch an episode of ‘Oh My English’ and share a laugh together.
Beyond a source of entertainment, ‘Oh My English’ is now a key memory that many Malaysians remember at the back of their minds - one that united Malaysia together over laughter, and reminded us that perhaps, we are all not so different after all.
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