Grange Hill

The BBC in my opinion have totally lost the plot over the last few years, cancelling such classic TV shows like Grange Hill, Byker Grove, TOTP and even losing Neighbours to Channel 5 (although I wasn't a great fan of Neighbours though, so I was glad to see that one go!).

The director general of the BBC should be sacked for the mess he's made over the past few years of what was regarded as such a high class institution, but has now gone right down in society, with the best new rubbish they can come up with is idiots like Jonathan Ross. I bet most of these top shows were axed just so they could pay this idiots wages (and then look what he does). I certainly don't agree that the BBC should have just suspended Rossy, they should have fired him, if the BBC had fired him the only job he would have got after his lewd comments would have been doing stand-up in front of a private audience as no other company would take the risk to re-employ him.

The BBC need to stop and look at the mess they are making and to bring back shows such as Grange Hill which helped school children understand various things in school life. I only wish that they had covered Asperger's on Grange Hill a little earlier as I went through school with Asperger's and ADHD and most of the kids around me didn't understand me at all. Where as now thanks to Grange Hill covering this it seems that quite a lot of young people are fully aware of Asperger's and show some understanding towards the problems faced.

I remember watching the very first episode of Grange Hill, when Tucker Jenkins the-soon-to-be star of the series, went to meet his friend Benny Green before their first day at school. That was in 1978. I soon became hooked on the series, like most of my age group back then, and was grateful that it was shown twice a week, which was-and still is-unusual for TV drama. Through subsequant episodes, we followed the exploits of the many characters who passed through the school's gates. And, we also could relate to the many problems that the characters experienced, as most of us at some time or other, had been subjected to bullying, peer pressure, the problems of divorce, and even drug abuse.

The BBC had to endure the scourge of many complaints from parents and various groups. And they also had the likes of people such as Mary Whitehouse, critisising them for corrupting Britain's youth. I remember that the BBC once screened a special debate programme called Speaking Out, in which actors from the series, and real pupils and teachers from schools discussed the issues sometimes covered in Grange Hill. At the time, there was a major fuss because a female character in the series, played by Paula Ann Bland, wanted to go on the pill. Shock Horror!!

Well, it was a primative time 1982 y'know.

I regard the classic period of Grange Hill to be somewhere between 1979 to 1989, and since then, I have stopped watching.

Have been rewatching this recently out of nostalgia. About 10 years ago I got hold of the first 6 series that went from Tucker, Alan, Benny, Tommy and co. To Stewpot, Claire Scott, Pogo, and Gripper, etc. And at that point excitedly relived my youth! I first started watching it in late 1979, series 2 and was like many a kid was hooked throughout the 1980s. I was still watching it in 1988/89 when Michelle Gayle was in it!

Anyway, as a Phil Redmond creation, it (nowadays on refelection) seems like a precursor to Brookside. With real life characterisations, real life settings, indellible characters, clever nicknames, and hard hitting stories. It is noticeable that a few Redmond traits are in this, partcularly the name 'Brookdale' as a school and another one, where some the cast's surnames would be given to some of the characters. If anyone does not get that point think, John McArdle actor, Tommy McArdle character (Brookside) as a case in point. Brookside did that kind of thing a lot and it was something that was done first in Grange Hill. Both shows also had a mememorable to this day story. Zammo's addiction, and the infamous body under the patio.

Back to the main review. Most kids of the 80s have a favourite year that identified with their own age group. For me I thought Tucker was a cool role model but I was a bit young but by series 6 with aforementioned Stewpot, Gripper and the rest it became my and my school friends' favourite. I was, like many a big fan of Jonah Jones and Ziggy Greaves but still think the Gripper era was the best. Grange Hill never had a better villain than him.

Watching it again recently, the third series is excellent, with some highly amusing scenes. It gets better still in series 4 when Tucker and co. Are in their final year at school. The Christmas special that came along later that year is very good with the school's initial villain 'Booger' Benson duffing up Tucker. The silent end credits to that as Tucker lays unconscious is also very Phil Redmond style and I think the method was repeated once in Brookside.

So, for me series 3,4,5 and 6 are my particular era and it is fascinating to watch again knowing the storylines in advance. I always think that when I was a kid I acted like a Grange Hill kid and many years later when I became a high school teacher I acted like a Grange Hill teacher! Mr. Keating's "silence!", is one such line I have often used!

The school that was used for the Gripper era (and probably the most rembered by 80s kids) is on Greyhound Road in Hammersmith, West London. When I was in the area last, I just had to get a photo by the main gates!

I have been watching Grange Hill since the early 1980's and still watch it to this day, even though I have long left school.

This drama is better than some of the rubbish which is on TV in the evenings at prime time. A lot of the time all there is on are repeats of detective shows or cheap to make 'fly on the wall' documentaries.

The young actors and actresses take good parts and a lot have moved on to become well known and star in soaps like EastEnders. Some quite well known faces have played the teachers too such as Anna Quayle (Mrs Munroe) who was in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Personally i think that kids programmes featuring schools and ridiculous. They are NOTHING like the real thing, i left school last year and this programme is just one huge laugh.

Its only a couple of years ago that Grange Hill was home to 'The Double Dare gang', i mean come on! How many teenagers that you know would join the 'Double Dare Gang'

All of the teachers have changed, and some of the almost real characters have left, while the writers keep coming up with excuses to keep older pupils within the school.

Finish this show and make something realistic!

Rick