Professor T: The reason he wears gloves, explained

The British crime drama series Professor T concludes its fourth season on PBS, and this might be a good time to jog our memories about the professor who has a peculiar way of cracking criminal cases.

The show, starring Ben Miller as Professor Jasper Tempest, serves as an adaptation of a Belgian TV series of the same name, which ran for three seasons between 2015 and 2018. It follows similar genre beats and tracks its eccentric professor, who uses his unique set of skills as a genius criminologist to assist the police in solving crimes.

A few things set the protagonist of the Belgian show, or its adaptations in European countries, apart from the one in this British show. He teaches at the University of Cambridge, while the drama leans more towards British sensibilities than the rest. Yet, there's one aspect that connects the professor in the Belgian and the British show.

Professor T suffers from OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), which lends itself to his peculiar way of handling his life. It can be debilitating for an individual, since their intrusive thoughts can get the best of them in many situations. That is also why he has some specific habits, including wearing gloves, since he wants everything clean and orderly.

Besides this, Ben Miller, the English comedian and actor who plays T, previously spoke in detail about the things that intrigue him about the character and his unique set of skills.

Ben Miller addresses Professor T's OCD and autism, and their connection to his crime-solving skills

The British adaptation of Professor T premiered in 2021 with a six-episode season, introducing Ben Miller as the titular character. Later, in August 2022, he spoke with WhatToWatch.com about the aspects of his character that appeal to him, including those that he finds similar to his own personality. During that conversation, Miller addressed T's OCD and ASD, saying:

"I wish I could be like that. I guess his ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) enables him to be open about his OCD. He doesn’t really care what other people think, certainly a lot less than I do."

He also added:

"I was always trying to hide mine. If it was ever exposed, I would feel so ashamed. People would sense that and pretend it wasn’t happening, and you’d go into a weird little dance with them. CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) was super-successful for me. Life changing."

Unlike the misconceptions related to OCD and its impact on an individual, Miller wanted to treat this part of Professor T's personality with the required sensitivity. In line with this, he told the outlet:

"I really wanted to be true to OCD in the sense of not making it look like it's meant to be funny or something. It can be funny in certain contexts for other people. You often want to laugh because it makes you feel awkward."

"But, for Jasper, it’s about trying to gain some emotional control in a world that has really, really damaged him. His OCD is an honest, moving struggle to be present in the world."

The British series, Professor T, is available to watch on the PBS Masterpiece channel on Amazon Prime Video in the US.

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Also read: Will there be a Professor T Season 5? Here’s what we know

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