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Marcus Kirby is a former academic and the driving force behind the Kirby family's previous decision to home-educate Jonah and Ruth. Marcus home-educated out of pride and ambition, quantifying life success as academic success, and he's afraid that Waterloo Road will wipe out all of his brilliant work and harm his children's bright future. As they start at the school, Marcus is determined that his children will return to home-schooling, but when Karen brings him in for a review of their progress, Marcus is surprised to find her also offering him a job in the Geography department. She's seen his dynamism with pupils and wants to harness it at the school. Marcus has a long way to go in conquering his prejudices against the state system but no one can deny he's a great teacher. He and Karen had a good working relationship, connecting over their love for education and shared experiences with ex-partners.

On his first day in the job, Marcus finds himself involved in the case of Ronan Burley who plans to drop out of school and leave home. Marcus discovers that Ronan's dad, Kevin Burley, is an armed robber who is determined to have Ronan join the family business. When Ronan tells his dad he is planning to leave, Kevin is furious, and attacks Marcus when he tries to intervene. Ronan later calls the police on his dad and he is arrested.

After it is revealed in Series 6 Episode 9 that before the academic year started Chris Mead had slept with Karen's daughter Jess Fisher, the girlfriend of Marcus's son Jonah, Marcus demands that Karen sack Chris and threatens to walk out if she doesn't. After making Chris promise that he would learn from his inexperience in the role, Karen welcomes him back to Waterloo Road, causing Marcus to leave, though he and Karen later reconcile. He is later shocked to learn that Ruth wants to stay at the school instead of going to a private school after she did well in her admission test, but is supportive of her decision. Karen said the door was always open for him to return as a teacher, and she once mentioned to Chris that Marcus probably would have become Deputy Head if he hadn't refused to come back.

In Series 6 Episode 19 Marcus returned to the school in order to discus Jonah's failing grades. Discovering that Jonah has been having a relationship with languages teacher, Francesca 'Cesca' Montoya, Marcus is furious and drags Jonah away from her whilst Cesca is arrested.

Marcus, Ruth and Jonah return to the school a week later in Series 6 Episode 20. Marcus is confident that Jonah has moved on from what happened. Despite this, he decides to pull Ruth and Jonah out of the school, but reluctantly lets them attend their last day. Unbeknownst to Marcus, Jonah runs away with Cesca to Gretna Green to get married. Both Marcus and Chris call the police but they are too late as Jonah and Cesca manage to get married minutes before they arrive. Marcus is last seen leaving the school with Ruth and Jonah, after Jonah is brought back to school by the police. Despite being upset, Marcus tells Jonah that he will always love him no matter what. Karen reassures Marcus that what Cesca did was wrong and that no teacher should ever take advantage of a child and call it a relationship.

Quotes[]

  • "Ruth!" (first line)

  • "Do you even know what I've given them? How far ahead they are? Beyond anybody in this dump!"

  • "I gave you one week! It hasn't even been a day, Hannah, I was right about this place!"

  • "I spent my entire career climbing the ranks from secondary teacher to university lecturer, and all I saw was the same government interference and tedious bureaucracy at every single level. It just crystallised for me that I wasn't about to waste my children's lives or futures in the same flawed system. Now don't get me wrong - I...I loved my job, I loved teaching, I just didn't see it working the way it could do."

  • Karen: "I'm as opposed as you are to one pupil disrupting the needs of others. It's just I've got 600 of them to look after."
  • Marcus: "Well, now you've got 598."

  • Marcus: "Are you suggesting I return to state teaching?"
  • Karen: "There is a vacancy here, if you want it."

  • Marcus: "YOU'RE NOT TAKING THAT BOY ANYWHERE!"
  • Kevin Burley: "And who's gonna stop me, eh?!"
  • Marcus: "Looks like that's gonna be me."

  • Marcus: "What do you wanna do with your life?"
  • Ronan: "You what?"
  • Marcus: "Well, when I was your age, I wanted to lose my virginity and win a Nobel prize. Not necessarily in that order."

  • "Now you find your voice! Why didn't you find it during the debate?"

  • "Yes, but, um, Chris, um, you forgot to mention that the cameras would be in the classroom."

  • "OK, I'll make this easy for you. Sack Chris Mead, or I resign."

  • Karen: "And it's your last day as well? Unless you've had a sudden change of heart?"
  • Marcus: "No."
  • Ronan: "I hope it's not as a result of what happened between us."
  • Marcus: "My time here is done."

  • "He's never had any trouble applying himself in the past. Something's going on."

  • "I know I'm strict, but I don't expect you to live like a monk. You're a good-looking lad, I know the girls are chasing after you."

  • Jonah: "We're going to Gretna Green, and you can't stop us!"
  • Marcus: "HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?!"

  • Adanna: "It's a hell of a lot to be dealing with at any age. Especially now there's a baby involved."
  • Marcus: "Jonah won't be having anything to do with that. It's her mistake, her problem as far as we're concerned, isn't that right, son?"

  • "I love you. Nothing's ever gonna change that." (final line)
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