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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Julie McCaffrey & Damon Wilkinson

Grange Hill's most dramatic storylines and what happened to the actors who starred in them

Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond has announced the hard-hitting school drama is to be made into a film.

And as fans look forward to the show's big screen debut later this year we take a look back at some of the storylines that made it such essential viewing for kids in the 80s and 90s and at some of the most memorable members of the cast and ask, where are they now?.

Grange Hill ended in 2008 after 30 years in which it made headlines with storylines about heroin addiction, teenage motherhood, poverty, suicide and homosexuality.

Set in the fictional north London suburb of Northam, the show followed the lives of the students and teachers who attended Grange Hill comprehensive.

READ MORE: Incredible pictures capture council estate life - before it changed forever

It was groundbreaking for several reasons - and in 2015, BBC scriptwriter Emma Reeves admitted that many of the scenes would never be aired today because of strict editorial guidelines imposed on children's television.

And Redmond has promised the new film will continue in the same vein, tackling issues such as grief, left-behind communities and the purpose of education itself.

In an interview the Guardian he said: "We’ve been through four school-rebuilding programmes in my lifetime, but it’s not about bricks and mortar, it’s about getting the best out of every pupil.

"How will ripping schools out of communities solve anything? Or making catchment areas so big that kids have to travel miles to be with their friends?

"That’s the thesis of the movie: it’s decided the school is costing too much to maintain so it should be knocked down, the land sold and proceeds used to build a new one and replenish local coffers."

Here are just some of the topics and characters that made Grange Hill so gripping.

Drugs

One of the most hard-hitting storylines on the show portrayed the downward spiral of Zammo McGuire, played by Lee MacDonald, as he succumbed to his heroin addiction.

Heart-wrenching scenes showed Zammo letting his dealer Doug riffle through his mum's belongings and pick out stuff to sell in exchange for drugs.

Viewers saw the schoolboy cheat his friends of cash and be confronted by police for flogging off possessions that weren't his, as well as slumping with glazed eyes while high as a kite.

Zammo McGuire became addicted to heroin (BBC)

The heroin plot turned into one of the show's most popular storylines, and even influenced wider society - although there were concerns before it even aired that Lee's behaviour would inspire copycats.

In a bizarre turn of events, some of the Grange Hill cast were invited to the White House to meet First Lady Nancy Reagan, whose anti-drugs campaign Just Say No was gathering apace.

The cast even recorded a single called Just Say No imploring young fans of the show not to give in to peer pressure and to stay away from drugs.

Crime and death

The show took a dark turn in the late 1990s when, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, new character Sean Pearce was brought in.

The violent bully, played by Iain Robertson, would carry a knife and slashed Judi Jeffries' face, leaving her scarred for the rest of her short life.

His psychopathic tendencies then escalated to the point of Judi's death, when she fell from the school fire escape while trying to escape from the blaze Sean had started deliberately.

The shocking death marked the show's 20th anniversary (BBC)

Disability

Grange Hill was one of the first children's TV shows to introduce characters with disabilities.

Denny Roberts, played by Lisa Hammond, was the first person on the show with dwarfism, while Rachel Burns (Francesca Martinez) had cerebral palsy.

Both refused to be treated differently to their peers.

Rachel Burns (Francesca Martinez) was one of the first characters with a disability (BBC)

Racism

Grange Hill reflected the rise of the Far Right in early 80s Britain with a storyline which showed school bully Gripper Stebson, played by Mark Savage, descending into racism and mixing with skinheads

Over the course of the term Gripper's bullying got out of control when he started using racial abuse against black students and took a dislike towards a new classmate who was a Sikh.

He formed his own gang to fight against the black students and things took an even darker turn when he cornered two young black students in the changing rooms and soaked them in the shower, referring to them as 'scum'.

Gripper was eventually given a suspension, but upon returning to the school continued to cause trouble, before being expelled.

Roland 'Roly' Browning

Erkan Mustafa played Roly, the sweet, brainy but badly bullied character who loved Golden Wonder crisps, between 1982 and 1987.

He later starred in Lenny Henry’s 90s sitcom Chef!, made appearances on Soccer AM and Celebrity Juice, had a spell as a caterer and is now a writer and director.

Roly Browning (BBC)
Erkan Mustafa is a writer and director (FilmMagic)

Zammo McGuire

Lee MacDonald’s portrayal of Zammo, the cheeky chap who developed a heroin addiction, is Grange Hill’s most memorable storyline. It sparked a “Just Say No” anti-drugs campaign and saw some of the cast meeting Nancy Reagan at the White House.

Lee, 53, who recently became engaged, spent spells between acting jobs working as a locksmith and recently appeared in EastEnders as Terry until his run ended last year.

Zammo had one of the show's most memorable storylines (BBC)
Lee MacDonald recently appeared as Terry in EastEnders (BBC)

Robbie Wright

John Alford’s angel-faced character Robbie enrolled at Grange Hill from 1985 to 1990.

He had a solid acting career in London’s Burning after Grange Hill and a stint as a pop star.

In 2014 John, now 50, was caught in a drugs sting and 2019 he was given a community order after resisting arrest in a bin lorry incident.

Benny Green

Terry Sue-Patt’s character Benny Green was the first child through Grange Hill’s gates in February 1978. Benny had immense football talent but his family could barely cover the cost of his uniform.

Terry had said of his time in the school drama: “I basically played myself in Grange Hill. I had a great time, getting time off school to play football. It was a bit of a dream come true, really.”

Popular cast member Terry was found dead in his Walthamstow flat in 2015 at the age of 50. Police believed his body had been there for over a month.

Luke 'Gonch' Gardner

John Holmes, 51, played a playground hustler who made a fortune at lunchtime any way he could - even selling toast and launching a PE lending scheme. He left acting after Grange Hill, studied at the University of East Anglia where he was head of the student union, and went on to manage a casino.

Mrs McClusky

The purse-lipped headteacher was played by Gwyneth Powell, 75, between 1981 to 1991. She went on to appear in Heartbeat, A Touch Of Frost, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City. From 2013-2018 Gwyneth starred as Mum in Channel 4 sitcom Man Down.

Norman 'Gripper' Stebson

The scariest thug ever enrolled at Grange Hill, Gripper was played by Mark Savage from 1981 to 1983 when he was expelled for picking on a Sikh student and bullying black pupils. Former Prime Minister David Cameron said Gripper was his favourite character.

In 1998 Mark told the Mirror that people mistaking him for Gripper made his life after Grange Hill hell.

He said: "It was a nightmare. I was attacked so many times - on the bus, in the street - I lost count. It was open season on Gripper."

Mark, 56, came close to homelessness after spending a fortune looking after his poorly mum in 1998, but has since had a solid acting career mainly in the theatre and appeared in Morrissey music video..

Grange Hill cast - (L-R) Lee Macdonald, Gwyneth Powell, Erkan Mustapha, Karen Ford and Terry Sue Patt (BPM)

Christopher 'Stewpot' Stewart

Remember the 'Bev? Kev?' adverts for the AA featuring Olivia Colman? Kev was played by Mark Bidiss who also starred as Stewpot from 1981 to 1985. Mark also had roles in The Bill, EastEnders and Only Fools and Horses. Still acting, Mark also works as a boxing ring announcer.

Suzanne Ross

Susan Tully landed her Grange Hill role in 1981, aged 13. Playing the popular rebel won her the part of Michelle Fowler in EastEnders which she played for a decade.

Susan, 54, is extremely private about her personal life and is now one of the most respected directors in television. Her credits include Line of Duty, Lark Rise to Candleford and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Mr Bronson

Michael Sheard played terrifyingly strict, foghorn voiced deputy headteacher Maurice Bronson between 1985 and 1989. His wig was a source of mirth for the kids. But his temper reduced even the wildest pupils to jelly.

RADA-trained Michael died of cancer on 31 August 2005, aged 67, at his home on the Isle of Wight.

Mr 'Bullet' Baxter

Mr Baxter ruled the PE department with an iron fist, rising to deputy head before leaving in 1987 to run a leisure centre. Actor Michael Cronin, 80, reprised the role as Mr Baxter for the ITV sit-com The Grimleys in the late 1990s.

Michael appeared in Fawlty Towers, ITVs Vera, has written film scripts and published three successful children’s novels.

Peter 'Tucker' Jenkins

Todd Carty’s character was so popular he landed a spin off series, Tucker’s Luck, once he left Grange Hill after four years as a pupil in 1982.

He joined castmate Suzanne Tully in EastEnders as Mark Fowler, a role he held for 13 years.

Married to his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin and with two sons, Todd, 58, accidentally performed the funniest mistake ever seen on Dancing on Ice in 2009. Todd still acts and also directs.

Todd played Tucker Jenkins (PA)
Todd pictured with Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond (Colin Lane)
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