Shakespeare lessons can often be some of the more testing and difficult hours of your school days.

In light of that, Professor Green decided to undertake a task befitting of his scholarly title by surprising a secondary school class with actress Meera Syal.

But it wasn’t a musical performance the British rapper and Goodness Gracious Me star treated students to – it was a scene from Much Ado About Nothing.

The unlikely pairing appeared at Uxbridge High School to help promote the new RE:Shakspeare app to Year 11s.

They performed the impromptu scene between characters Beatrice and Benedick from the play’s first act to the stunned class.

At one stage, Pro Green even made reference to a prominent scar on his neck – with the words lucky tattooed over it – using relevant lines from the play.

“God keep your Ladyship still in that mind, so some gentleman or other shall escape a predestinate scratched face,” he said, pointing to the scar on his neck.

“She did this”, he then quipped, looking at Syal.

Professor Gren and Meera Syal with children at Uxbridge High School.
The celebrity pair hoped to show Shakespeare was still relevant today (RE:Shakespeare/Samsung)

The app, created by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Samsung and hosted by David Tenant, brings the texts of Shakespeare to life through interactive games and tutorials.

Professor Green said: “I left school when I was 13, so my experience of Shakespeare was limited, but since starting this project, I’ve really taken to it.

“This has really taken me out of my comfort zone – we are all limited by our confidence and I was nervous in front of the students today. I hope that when they see me performing Shakespeare, they will be inspired to get up and do the same themselves.””