The Grimleys

The Grimleys was a nostalgic comedy-drama set on a council estate in Dudley, West Midlands, England in the mid-1970s. It was first broadcast by Granada TV for ITV in 1999, following a pilot in 1997, and concluded in 2001 after three series.

It followed the ups and downs of the dysfunctional Grimley family and their struggle with everyday life. Gordon Grimley played by James Bradshaw is an intellectual but feeble schoolboy who has a crush on his teacher, Miss Geraldine Titley, played by Amanda Holden (Samantha Janus in the pilot). His younger brother Darren, Ryan Cartwright, who also narrates the storyline, although fond of Gordon and sympathetic to his unrequited love for Miss Titley, is frustrated by his brother's fey personality and nickname of 'The School Spanner'. Father Baz Grimley, played by former Young One Nigel Planer is a bone idle British Leyland car worker, who injured his back on his first day at the Longbridge plant, and went on strike on the second. He had not moved from his armchair since and spends his entire life watching television (ITV only). He is particularly infuriated by son Gordon's artistic leanings and was determined that he should do 'a man's job' rather than go to university. Hard working mum Janet Grimley was played by impressionist Jan Ravens.

Other domestic characters were older sister Lisa Grimley played by Corrieann Fletcher and Nan played by Barbara Keogh, who seemed to be obsessed with 'The Grimley Curse'. Next door neighbours were the Titley family headed by father Reg Titley played by Paul Angelis, who is a plumber, the aforementioned daughter Geraldine who worked as an English teacher at Gordon's school, and the object of his lust, and son Shane - Bay City Roller look-a-like, and self styled ladies man complete with a clapped out Vauxhall Viva car, played by Simon Lowe.

To complicate issues further, Shane was dating Lisa Grimley, and Janet Grimley and Reg Titley obviously carried a torch for one another. Reg's sensitivity and surprisingly poetic tongue gave rise to the question of Gordon Grimley's parentage, as does Shane Titley's oafish behaviour and idolisation of armchair bound slob Baz Grimley.

Many of the scenes were set in the Grimley brothers' school where we met their sadistic P.E teacher Doug "Dynamo" Digby played by comedian Brian Conley (Jack Dee in the pilot), who lives in a corner of the school gymnasium. Doug always took both pride and pleasure in bullying his pupils and in one episode we are given a clue to the development of this behaviour when his thuggish father (played by Lewis Collins from hit 1970s crime drama 'The Professionals') visits him. He is dating Geraldine Titley much to Gordon Grimley's chagrin, this leading to increasing tensions between them. Naturally Gordon was always going to come off worst and this rivalry lead to ever more vindictive (and bizarre) punishments meted out by Digby. An amazonian gym mistress called Miss Thing was played by Ruby Snape.

The show also starred former Slade singer, Noddy Holder who played music teacher, Neville Holder (Noddy's birth name), and a number of inspired cameos including 1970s glam-rock singer Alvin Stardust as a pub landlord. This lead to a series of amusing 'in jokes' such as Noddy Holder and Alvin Stardust be-moaning the lost opportunities of their youth over a pint of beer, and the character played by the one time glam-rocker lead singer of Slade being described as "not exactly Mr. Rock 'n' Roll".

Series one and two featured the regular cast and ran in a continuous time frame, whereas series three was set later in the 1970s and after the death of Brian Conley's character Doug Digby in a gymnasium accident. He was replaced in Geraldine Titley's affections by scheming, manipulative woodwork teacher Dave Trebilcock played by Craig Kelly, and, of course, as Gordon Grimley's nemesis. Gordon was by now working as a trainee teacher at the school where he was bullied and insulted by the pupils, many of whom were dressed as punks reflecting the change in the times. The third series suffered by comparison to the first two, and the show was cancelled afterwards.

Although not widely remembered, The Grimleys has a deftness of touch not often found in sitcoms in recent years, and though it often lampooned the styles on the 1970's, it was never a caricature. It's key strengths were the strongly developed characters and the genuinely funny scripts, combined with a great seventies soundtrack featuring such acts as T.Rex, Suzi Quattro, 10CC and Pilot.

The theme music of the first season was 'Bye Bye Baby' by the Bay City Rollers over the title credits and 'Cum On Feel the Noize' by Slade over the end credits. Noddy Holder performed a 'live' acoustic version of 'Cum On Feel the Noize' over the end credits of series one, episode three.

Once again the British do it right. A great series with the lead character Gordon Grimley in love with his neighbor and school teacher Geraldine Titley who herself is dating gym teacher Doug Digby. Rock legend Noddy Holder essentially plays himself as music teacher Neville Holder. Most of the first two series involved Gordon trying to win Geraldine from Doug. Then came Series Three which involved a two year time jump. Without giving anything away Gordon doesn't have to worry about rival Doug Digby anymore but a new rival in the from of wood shop teacher Dave Trebilcock takes his place. The first two series were funny and well written. You felt Gordon's pain as he pined for Geraldine who was with Doug for reasons Gordon couldn't fathom. But then came series three and the time jump which to me didn't help and kind of ruined it a bit. None of the characters were as fun as they were before. But all in all a great series.

Despite him not appearing in the cast of actors on here the science teacher, Mr Woollard, was played by William Woollard, probably best known to British TV audiences as a presenter of Tomorrow's World.

Watching the first two series of The Grimley's every Sunday night was an absolute pleasure. It featured stories from a time where I grew up and it just brought back some memories for me.

The Grimley's were a strange family. Gordon Grimley was the young schoolboy who was an intellect and had a major crush on the English teacher Geraldine Titley played by Amanda Holden. There was Darren Grimley who was the brother of Gordon and totally the opposite character to his brother. There was the mother Janet Grimley who kept the house in order. And there was Baz Grimley, a lazy scruffy workshy oaf who spent every episode with his bottom firmly embedded in his chair, not moving but doing plenty of slobbering. That was the Grimley family.

The other scenes were set in the school. Comedian Brian Conley played psychotic P.E. teacher Doug "Dynamo" Digby who was dating Geraldine Titley and who took great pleasure in bullying the pupils. There was also the Music Teacher Neville Holder played by ex-Slade singer Noddy Holder who had some great scenes.

The show didn't have one particular theme. It was all about nostalgia for those like us who had grown up in the Black Country. It was funny but nostalgic at the same time. It was just half an hour of fun each week...until the last series.

The last series was very average. Doug Digby was killed off and the show suffered after that. I'm not saying that one particular character was integral to the show's success. But every character is a cog in a big wheel and if one character leaves, the quality of the show suffers. Digby was replaced by a woodwork teacher who didn't have the same rapport with Geraldine Titley. Also, Gordon Grimley had become a teacher (the third series was set a few years after the end of the second one) and we were seeing less of Baz. To be fair though, the last episode was good. Baz finally left his chair which his bottom had been embedded in and there were other great things too.

All in all, it was good whilst it lasted and gave me plenty of pleasure.

This series is set in the mid-Seventies and is not the only British sitcom at the moment to derive "humour" from Seventies fashions.Unfortunately this is not as amusing as some in television would think.Certain parts of the dramatic content i.e. the young boys attempts to fit in at school are quite moving but the comedy is uninspired particularly as Brian Conley's sadistic teacher seems to be acting in a different series to everyone else.The pacing is quite slow which is very surprising as much of the series is grotesque caricature and farce.Amanda Holden is a beautiful but dull object for our affections and struggles with a Black Country accent.