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Grange Hill

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television

                               Grange Hill
   image:GHTITLES78-87.jpg
         Genre       Children's television series
      Created by     Phil Redmond
       Starring      See cast below
   Country of origin Flag of United Kingdom  United Kingdom
    No. of episodes  579 and 2 Christmas specials (March 2007)
                               Production
     Camera setup    Multiple camera (1978-1998); Single camera (1999-)
     Running time    25 minutes
                                Broadcast
   Original channel  BBC
     Original run    1978 – Present
                                  Links
                            Official website
                              IMDb profile
                             TV.com summary

   Grange Hill is a British children's television drama series which is
   shown on BBC One. The latest series was first shown on the CBBC
   Channel. The show began in 1978 and is one of the longest running on
   British television. It was created by Phil Redmond, who was also
   responsible for the Channel 4 dramas Brookside and Hollyoaks; other
   notable production team members down the years have included producer
   Colin Cant and script editor Anthony Minghella.

   The drama is centred on the fictional comprehensive school of Grange
   Hill in the (equally fictitious) borough of north London called
   "Northam" (although when filming moved to Liverpool in 2003, it ceased
   to have any specific location), and follows the lives of the children
   as they progress through school. For its first 25 years it was produced
   in-house by the BBC, but the show is now made independently for the
   corporation by Lime Pictures, the production house formerly owned by
   Redmond (and formerly known as Mersey Television) which is the reason
   for the production move.

   The programme has covered many controversial storylines ranging from
   students throwing benches into the swimming pool ( 1978; as a result of
   which, following letters of complaint from teachers and parents, the
   episode was withdrawn from the repeat season), to rape ( 2001), heroin
   addiction, and attempted suicide ( 2005), prompting many complaints
   from viewers. Grange Hill broke new ground by the inclusion of a gay
   teacher, Mr Brisley, who was in the cast from 1992 to 1999.

   Grange Hill's golden period was undoubtedly the middle to late 1980s.
   This period attained the highest ratings in the shows history and one
   of the most popular storylines was of fans' favourite Zammo and his
   addiction to heroin. This storyline ran for two seasons (1986-87) and
   focused on Zammo's descent into drugs and his strained relationship
   with his girlfriend Jackie and friend Kevin.

   The show's other favourite characters during the golden period were
   Gonch and Hollo played by John Holmes and Bradley Sheppard. Gonch was
   the Bilko of Grange Hill and during his time at Grange Hill (1985-89)
   partook in many money making schemes. Most of the time these schemes
   were unsuccessful. There was a comedic element to the duo's
   relationship that worked well and contributed to the success of the
   programme.

   Some fans of Grange Hill during this period feel the 1990s marked a
   steep decline in the quality of the programme - believing producers
   failed to adequately replace established characters from the 1980s who
   had left the show. Similarly, the show was accused of pandering to
   political correctness in 1994 with the introduction of two disabled
   characters, Denny ( Lisa Hammond) who suffered from dwarfism and
   cerebral palsy sufferer Rachel Burns ( Francesca Martinez). Both
   characters were presented as "one of the gang" and hated any special
   treatment because of their circumstances.

   Interest in Grange Hill renewed in the late 1990s and the series
   celebrated its 20th anniversary with the introduction of sinister
   Scottish bully Sean Pearce ( Iain Robertson), who carried a knife and
   slashed the face of a female classmate. By 2001 the series was almost
   entirely issue-led and the decision to tackle the subject of rape upset
   some parents. But when Phil Redmond took over production of Grange Hill
   in 2003, his plan was to get the show back to its roots and the issues
   were toned down as Redmond skewed the show towards a younger audience.

   The show spawned a successful spin-off called Tucker's Luck ( 1983–
   1985), and launched the acting career of Todd Carty. Also, the 1986
   cast released "Grange Hill: The Album", with two singles: " Just Say
   No" (tying in with a character's heroin addiction) and "You Know the
   Teacher (Smash Head)". A film based on the series will be released in
   2007. The 2007 series began on the CBBC Channel on 16 January.

   In 2005, Justin Lee Collins reunited some of the cast members from the
   1980s in the documentary Bring Back Grange Hill.

Trivia

     * The series caused controversy from the start, showing a more
       gritty, true-to-life portayal of school life than the rather cosy
       school dramas that had gone before it. Even so, creator Phil
       Redmond has said that it wasn't until series 3 or 4 that he was
       really able to start pushing the boundaries and doing things that
       he wanted to.
     * Script Editor Anthony Minghella, who worked on the series for
       several years during the 1980s, later won an Academy Award for Best
       Director for the film The English Patient in 1996.
     * Former cast member Laura Sadler died after falling off a building
       in June 2003; four years prior her Grange Hill character was killed
       after slipping and falling out of the window of a burning storeroom
       in the school.
     * The theme used for the first 12 years of Grange Hill — "Chicken
       Man" by Alan Hawkshaw — was a library piece composed one hour
       before it was recorded during a session in Munich, Germany. Grange
       Hill was the first programme to use it as a theme followed by the
       popular quiz show Give Us a Clue, whose makers wanted it despite it
       already being played on Grange Hill. The version used by Give Us A
       Clue was a special arrangement that was significantly different to
       that used by Grange Hill.
     * The current theme, introduced in 1990, was specially written by
       Peter Moss.
     * There have been many head teachers of Grange Hill over the years:
       Mr Starling (1978), Mr Llewelyn (1979–1980), Mrs McClusky (1981–84
       and 1986–91), Mr Humphries (1985), Mrs Keele (1992–1994), Mr McNab
       (1995–1997, never seen), Mr Robson (1998–2003) and Mrs Bassinger
       (2003–present; unseen during 2007).
     * The show is currently partly filmed in St Hilda's C of E High
       School in Liverpool. The 'front' of the school is actually part of
       the Mersey TV studios in Childwall. On the other side of the
       building was used to the The Parade in Brookside. This has now been
       turned into the exterior of the Student Union bar in Hollyoaks
     * In 2005, the character Holly Parsons was wrongly heralded as Grange
       Hill's first deaf character. While it is true that the actress who
       plays her, Rebecca-Anne Withey, is the series' first deaf cast
       member, Grange Hill first featured a deaf character, Eric Wallace,
       in 1985.

Cast

Pupils

   Character Actor/Actress Duration
   Peter "Tucker" Jenkins Todd Carty 1978-1982, 2003
   Trisha Yates Michelle Herbert 1978-1982
   Alan Humphries George Armstrong 1978-1982
   Benny Green Terry Sue Patt 1978-1982
   Justin Bennett Robert Craig-Morgan 1978-1982
   Cathy Hargreaves Lindy Brill 1979-1982
   Douglas "Pogo" Patterson Peter Moran 1980-1984
   Duane Orpington Mark Baxter 1980-1984
   Pamela Cartwright Rene Alperstein 1981-1982
   Suzanne Ross Susan Tully 1981-1984
   Christopher "Stewpot" Stewart Mark Burdis 1981-1985 (Christmas Special)
   Norman "Gripper" Stebson Mark Savage 1981-1985 (Christmas Special)
   Claire Scott Paula Ann Bland 1981-1985 (Christmas Special)
   Samuel "Zammo" Maguire Lee MacDonald 1982-1987
   Gordon "Jonah" Jones Lee Sparke 1982-1983
   Roland Browning Erkan Mustafa 1982-1987
   Fay Lucas Alison Bettles 1982-1987
   Jackie Wright Melissa Wilks 1984-1987
   Luke "Gonch" Gardener John Holmes (sometimes credited as John McMahon)
   1985-1989
   Paul "Hollo" Holloway Bradley Sheppard 1985-1987
   Robert "Robbie" Wright John Alford 1985-1990
   Trevor Cleaver John Drummond 1985-1991
   Veronica "Ronnie" Birtles Tina Mahon 1985-1991
   Caroline "Calley" Donnington Simone Hyams 1985-1991
   Eric "Ziggy" Greaves George Christopher 1986-1989
   Georgina Hayes Samantha Lewis 1986-1991
   Laura Reagan Fiona Lee-Fraser (also credited as Fiona Mogridge)
   1986-1988
   Terence "Tegs" Ratcliffe Sean Maguire 1988-1991
   Matthew Pearson Paul Adams (later credited as Paul Parris) 1988-1992
   Justine Dean Rachel Victoria Roberts 1988-1994
   Christine "Chrissy" Mainwaring Sonya Kearns 1988-1992
   Natalie Stevens Julie Buckfield 1990-1993
   Richard Desmond Askew 1991-1994
   Nick Gareth Phillips 1991-1993
   Ray Haynes Kelly George 1991-1993, 1997-2002
   Mick Daniels Joseph Kpobie 1992-1993
   Natasha Stevens Clare Buckfield 1992-1993
   James "Arnie" Arnold Aidan J. David 1994-2001
   Colin Brown Colin Ridgewell 1994-2001
   Wayne Sutcliffe Peter Morton 1995-2001
   Kelly Bradshaw Kate Bell 1995-2001
   Alec Jones Thomas Carey 1996-2000
   Chris Longworth Ben Freeman 1996-1998
   Joanna Day Fiona Wade 1996-1998
   Judi Jeffreys Laura Sadler 1997-1999
   Sean Pearce Iain Robertson 1998
   (Ian) Hudson John Hudson (later known as John Joseph) 1998-2004
   Spencer Hargreaves Colin White 1999-2005
   Darren Clarke Adam Sopp 1999-2002
   Becky Radcliffe Emma Pierson 1999
   Martin Miller Matthew Buckley 2001-2007
   Kathy McIlroy Sammy O'Grady 2001-2007
   Maddie Gilks Kacey Barnfield 2001-2006
   Leah Stewart Jessica Staveley-Taylor 2001-2003
   Patrick "Togger" Johnson Chris Perry-Metcalf 2003-
   Tanya Young Kirsten Cassidy 2003-
   Annie Wainwright Lauren Bunney 2003-2005
   Barry "Baz" Wainwright Thomas Hudson 2003-2007
   Nick Edwards Tom Graham 2003-2004
   Timothy "Tigger" Johnson Jack McMullen 2004 (final episode)-
   Taylor Mitchell Reece Noi 2004-2006
   Ed Booth Alex Sheldon 2005-
   Alex Pickering Josh Brown 2005-
   Chloe Moore Mia Smith 2005-
   Sammy Lee Holly Mai (also known as Holly Mann) 2005-
   Alison Simmons Georgia May Foote 2005-
   Dawn O'Malley Hollie-Jay Bowes 2005-2006
   Bryn Williams Joseph Slack 2007-
   Lucy Johnson Daisy McCormick 2007-

Staff

   Character                           Actor/Actress        Duration
   Mr Tony Mitchell                    Michael Percival     1978-1979
   Mr Geoff "Bullet" Baxter            Michael Cronin       1979-1986
   Mr Llewelyn                         Sean Arnold          1979
   Mr Graham "Sooty" Sutcliffe         James Wynn           1979-1982
   Mr Stuart "Hoppy" Hopwood           Brian Capron         1980-1983
   Mrs Bridget McClusky (headmistress) Gwyneth Powell       1981-1991
   Mr Maurice Bronson                  Michael Sheard       1985-1989
   Mr Eric Griffiths (caretaker)       George A. Cooper     1985 (Christmas
                                                            Special)-1992
   Mr Peter Robson                     Stuart Organ         1988-2003
   Mr Geoff (Jeff?) Hankin             Lee Cornes           1990-2002
   Mrs Kate Monroe                     Anna Quayle          1990-1994
   Mr Tom Brisley                      Adam Ray             1992-1999
   Miss Jayne Carver                   Sally Geoghegan      1995-2002
   Mrs Margaret Holmes                 Rachel Bell          1997-2002
   Mrs Bassinger (headmistress)        Jacqueline Boatswain 2003-2006
   Mr Chris Malachay                   Edward Baker-Duly    2003-2006
   Mr Wally Scott (caretaker)          Simon O'Brien        2003-2006
   Miss Gayle                          Cathy Tyson          2007
     * Since 2003, there has been a reluctance to give teachers first
       names or to expand their roles in the show beyond actually teaching
       or keeping pupils in line.

   See also: List of Grange Hill cast members

Spin-offs

     * Tucker's Luck

Books

   During the 1980s, when Grange Hill merchandising was at its height and
   the series arguably at its most popular, a number of annuals and novels
   were published.

   Eight annuals were published from 1981 to 1988.

   Comic strip adventures appeared in the short-lived BEEB magazine, which
   portrayed new stories, and the longer running Fast Forward, magazine
   which loosely followed the early 90's series. Additional comic strips
   occurred in School Fun and in the Radio Times. Grange Hill had its own
   dedicated magazine, but this only lasted two issues, although there was
   a holiday special too.

   There were 14 short story books and novels, some of which were written
   or co-written by series creator Phil Redmond, but which also involved
   authors such as Robert Leeson and Jan Needle. Below is a full list of
   Grange Hill short story books and novels:

   1. Grange Hill Stories, by Phil Redmond. First published by the BBC in
   1979. Short stories.

   2. Grange Hill Rules O.K.?, by Robert Leeson. Published by Fontana
   Lions in 1980. The first Grange Hill novel.

   3. Grange Hill Goes Wild, by Robert Leeson. Published by Fontana Lions
   in 1980. Novel

   4. Grange Hill for Sale by Robert Leeson. Published by Fontana Lions in
   1981. Novel

   5. Tucker and Co., by Phil Redmond. Published by Fontana Lions in 1982.
   Novel

   6. Grange Hill Home and Away by Robert Leeson. Published by Fontana
   Lions in 1982. Novel

   7. Great Days at Grange Hill, by Jan Needle. Published by Fontana Lions
   in 1984. Short stories that form a sort of prequel to Grange Hill
   Stories.

   8. Grange Hill After Hours, by Phil Redmond. Published by Magnet in
   1986. Novel

   9. Grange Hill Graffiti, by Phil Redmond. Published by Magnet in 1986.
   Novel

   10. Grange Hill On the Run, by Phil Redmond. Published by Magnet in
   1986. Novel

   11. Grange Hill Heroes, by Phil Redmond and David Angus. Published by
   Magnet in 1987. Novel

   12. Grange Hill Rebels, by Phil Redmond and David Angus. Published by
   Magnet in 1987. Novel

   13. Grange Hill Partners, by Phil Redmond and David Angus. Published by
   Magnet in 1988. Novel

   14. Ziggy’s Working Holiday, by Phil Redmond and Margaret Simpson.
   Published by Magnet in 1988. Novel

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Hill"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
