BBC to shut gates on Grange Hill

[Milky Tears]

Thought at first they were trying to sneak this out like the final series of Byker Grove just before Christmas on the CBBC Channel.

No trailers or pre-publicity. "Drama series set in a comprehensive school" is all that appears on EPGs and Radio Times.

Suddenly, it's being mentioned all over CBBC1 today, Togger (Chris Perry-Metcalf) is on Blue Peter and Anne Foy is introducing character bios before Newsround. Do you think folk complained about the lack of new series publicity?

Cathy Tyson joins in this series as Miss Gayle and the new Year 7 also includes Togger and Tanya's younger sisters. Terri Dwyer's gone (probably due to her work on ITV1's 60 Minute Makeover), but it's still worth watching for the lovely Miss Bassinger (Jacqueline Boatswain) and Mrs Rawlinson (Kim Hartman from 'Allo 'Allo).

Today's episode was written by Phil Redmond.

Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:30pm on the CBBC Channel

http://www.grangehill.com


No sign of a repeat on CBBC1 and some interesting posts on the Grange Hill Online forum:

http://www.grangehillfans.co.uk/foru...6960f6706f97ae


Will next year's 30th Anniversary (Series 31) be Grange Hill's final year? Will Blue Peter make it past 50?

[Dave Tudor]

I caught a bit of it earlier, for the first time in years, and was appalled that it was full of scousers, and that it no longer featured any characters I recognised - not even Mr. Robson. I was so shocked at the sight of Tanya's (Kirsten Cassidy)* legs on full view, (this, at tea time!) that I turned off. I won't be watching again.

Phil Redmond has raped all of our childhoods.


* I had to look up her name, for research purposes, to back up my rant.

[Andrew Curnow]

Aw, I haven't watched Grange Hill in a while - out of interest, I did keep with it for the first season after Phil Redmond got back in charge, and it was OK, but did move clearly back to its roots, focussing primarily on the kids. Which isn't a criticism, I hasten to add, but up till then it had been increasingly interested in the staff as much as the pupils, which I liked. But I have to say, the notion of it having reached 30 years without a break almost makes me want to start watching it again - not even Doctor Who managed that, and there can't be many other shows that have.

[Dave Tudor]

But I have to say, the notion of it having reached 30 years without a break almost makes me want to start watching it again - not even Doctor Who managed that, and there can't be many other shows that have.

'Grange Hill' is the 'Last Of The Summer Wine' of Children's BBC!

Seriously, I always thought it was a bit odd when Phil Redmond suddenly switched the action to Liverpool a few years back, claiming that the original series was never really set in any specific place. This is ridiculous - there was never any doubt whatsoever that 'Grange Hill' was always set in London!

[Jonno]

That's interesting - next time I watch my old recordings (most episodes from the very beginning up to the first half of the 1987 season) I shall make a point of looking out for clear references to London. But it always seemed very obvious to me.

Anyway, never mind S30 - I want the first dozen or so series released in season box sets on DVD. I'm sure it would do fairly well.

[Carol Baynes]

There is a place called Grange Hill in North London isn't there? Has it's own tube station too!

I haven't watched GH for years either....

[Andrew Curnow]

Have they actually SAID it's in Liverpool? I thought when the big switch came with season 26, that it just went back to being 'an inner-city comprehensive' without any specific location. True, there's suddenly an infusion of Liverpudlian accents, but I don't think it's actually stated.

I don't know how many explicitly-London references there were in the old days, but I do seem to recall Ziggy going on a boat on the Thames in one episode (or something like that) so I don't think there was ever any doubt that it was London. Plus, didn't the school sign use to say 'London Borough of Northam' or something?

Tt, and we thought UNIT dating was a tough one!

[Carol Baynes]

Yep, Northam...apparently

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Hill

[Andrew Curnow]

That's an interesting link, Carol - particularly when near the bottom it says, "A film based on the series will be released in 2007"!

Grange Hill - The Movie? Starring Tom Cruise as Tucker Jenkins?

[Carol Baynes]

...a film sounds unlikely doesn't it? It is Wikipedia though, so there could be some rubbish in there.

[Simon R]

The film was mentioned on Teletext ages ago. Todd Carty seemed to be keen on it. What a bizzare idea for a film though.

When it went from "London" to "Liverpool" did any of the characters remain or was it literally out with the old and in with the new? Did Mr Robson ever get a leaving scene?

[Dave Tudor]

I think Mr. Robson made the move, and remained for a couple series, but whether Stuart Organ got his big farewell scene, I know not!

Have they actually SAID it's in Liverpool? I thought when the big switch came with season 26, that it just went back to being 'an inner-city comprehensive' without any specific location. True, there's suddenly an infusion of Liverpudlian accents, but I don't think it's actually stated.

I'm not by any means sure, but I have a feeling that it was stated in the first episode at least, when Tucker returned briefly to take his young nephew (or somesuch) to school. I think he said it was Liverpool, but perhaps I'm getting confused because all the publicity made a big thing of production moving there.

There were so many London icons in the original series, such as red buses and the like, that Phil Redmond must have been taking the proverbial if he expected us to believe that 'Grange Hill' was not actually set in the capital. It'll be interesting to see what you can find, Jonno.

Oh, one other thing - my brother made an interesting point earlier, that the current theme tune, which debuted in the late-80s/early-90s has been used far longer than the original, better-known music.

[Simon R]

I can't believe they're still using that theme tune! It's dated surely? I wonder why they never just did a new version of the original tune ala Doctor Who if you see what I mean?

[Pip Madeley]

http://www.grangehill.com

No sign of a repeat on CBBC1

That website says: "The series will be shown again on BBC1 later this year."



She's looking a bit like Esther Rantzen these days.

[Larry]

unbelievable that Grange Hill, is still going after 30 years,I used to regularly watch it as a kid up untill the late 80's and can still remember watching it when Tucker Jenkins was in it..

[Simon R]

I watched it from 1986ish up until about 1999. Can't say I remember much about it from towards the end. Rachel "Happiness Patrol" Bell was in it at that point though. I watched the early years repeats on sundays as well in the 90s as well. It's very surprising that there aren't any DVDs. If The Bill and Casualty can come out then surely this can? Maybe there's rights issues? Phil Redmond is the sort.

[Jonno]

That's interesting - next time I watch my old recordings (most episodes from the very beginning up to the first half of the 1987 season) I shall make a point of looking out for clear references to London. But it always seemed very obvious to me.

I've embarked on a further viewing from the beginning tonight - when I recorded these off air in 1993, the 1st series was 15 years old, and it seemed like really vintage TV and so long ago. Now, that recording is almost as long ago again at 14 years - scary!

Anyway, there is a Routemaster on view in the very first episode which is marked as heading for Paddington. There may well be a Paddington elsewhere in the UK (anyone?) but I'm fairly sure the Routemaster was indiginous to London.

What's equally fascinating is working out Tucker's mate Alan's surname! When being assigned to their new forms, his name is given as Alan Turner. In the credits, it's Alan Hargreaves. But I always knew him as Alan Humphries! A quick look at IMDB reveals that it looks like he became Humphries from S2 onwards - presumably to differentiate from Cathy Hargreves (and her older brother Gary), who was introduced in S2.

[Andrew Curnow]

Interesting! I remember those 1993 onward repeats (Sunday mornings) and taped a lot of the early ones (although goodness knows where the tapes are now). I was particularly interested to see where my memory cheated and where it didn't - I always thought that Cathy Hargreaves had been in season 1, alongside Trisha Yates, but of course she didn't appear until season 2. Great stuff though - although in its day it was really very controversial for a kids show, we always used to watch it, and in fact during the "Ro-land" years, Mum and Dad used to watch it with us too.

[Pip Madeley]

It's been axed:

BBC to shut gates on Grange Hill

The BBC is axing children's TV school drama Grange Hill after 30 years. CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to them to reflect this."

The series began on 8 February 1978 and featured some tough storylines about social issues including drugs and teenage pregnancy over the years. There will be one more series this year, in which producers want to focus on the younger children of Year Six. The show's creator Phil Redmond was reportedly unhappy with the strategy and felt the programme was losing its gritty purpose.

"I don't like keeping things going when the point has been lost," he told the Observer recently. "I do now think the point of Grange Hill has been lost, and 30 years is a nice time for it to hang up its mortar board. For 30 years, Grange Hill has become a byword for realistic and contemporary children's drama. It's now time to apply what we've learned over the years to some of the new ideas we're exploring."

[SiHart]

It was a staple part of my childhood watching. It's a shame, but 30 years is bloody good for a Childrens drama.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Cue the close of the classic Grange Hill theme...
#Dynah-nyah nyah nyow!

All kids do these days is knife each other and listen to I-Pods. Doesn't make for good telly-welly.

[Si Hunt]

It'll be back. First they'll mourn it, then there'll be fan petitions. Then a 3D charity version where everyone is old and the script doesn't make sense. Then America will make a huge money version without a plot, before the audio rights are snapped up and there are 10 years of cheap rubbish plays about it. Then the BBC will realise how good it is, mould everyone in CGI, and bring it back to the applause of a new generation of children and fifty billion viewers! HURRAH!

Si.

[Antony Cox]

It'll be back. First they'll mourn it, then there'll be fan petitions. Then a 3D charity version where everyone is old and the script doesn't make sense. Then America will make a huge money version without a plot, before the audio rights are snapped up and there are 10 years of cheap rubbish plays about it. Then the BBC will realise how good it is, mould everyone in CGI, and bring it back to the applause of a new generation of children and fifty billion viewers! HURRAH!

Si.

But will it have a gay agenda?

[Larry]

It was a staple part of my childhood watching.
Si xx

same with me I was pretty much a regular watcher of Grange Hill, from 1979 to around 1986, and at a time when the wonderfull Michael Sheard, was the horrible Mr Bronson

[SiHart]

I liked the Gonch Gardener years best.

Si xx