Grange hill

[80sChav]

Re: Grange hill

Speaking of the name Rodney Bennett, did you know that the name of the rival boys' school was named after a BBC TV and radio director of the same name? It seems too much of a coincidence for a fictional school to have that name, methinks...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Bennett

And I suppose that Brookdale seems rather similar to Brookside thanks to Phil Redmond...

May-be Richard bnecause iam sure R Smedley was used (in all porobabilty) as the name of St Joes Caretaker and Ronald Smedley was a producer on GH - so it could be true, though i don't find it a conicidennce - just a play on words as so often is dune

I was just recalling the ultimate of funny incidents a few minutes back after knocking a Toilet Brush over and remembering Ziggy and Robbie in Series 10 designing Ziggy's banner for his Climb to raise money for Danny and Ziggy over-flowed the Sink in Miss Booth's Art Room with bits of play and Robbie gives him a plunger to try and clear the Sink of it and Ziggy try's to use it on the wall and promptly falls over on the allready soaking wet floor, just as Miss Booth enters ..... what a classic!

I just so wish I had had friends like Ziggy and Robbie (the ultimate kind of mates at school) and their adventures - even when Trev was moving in on the Sweepstake after Danny stole Bronson's Car - you could see them looking out for the younger years as true, true lads and mates of decent kid their characters was portrayed as

Talking of coincedences - if you watch the Penultimate ever Episode - how Tigger had that horrid dream sequence involving a bah on the Head and living in a temporary parell Universe - Tigger had his tie thin side out as was the 80s School Trend - which I found an 80s tribute to o it's heyday that will never be questioned either way now I feel, That awful Dream Sequence and Miss Rawlinson (of Hello, Hello fame) a nd aiding Tigger's recovery and herad-hock appearances as a Senior-ish teacher and her flamboyant 2 piece dresses sure made her easily one of the last most memorable characters and a decent replacement for Mr Hankin (though we never know what became of him0, but on the other side of the coin a School has big as Grange Hill can't just have only ONE Science Teacher - even if General science was the only Science taught and if dear old Geoff did survive the Fire or even returned once or twice to visit GH I can see them both getting on amazingly and having agreat cammarorie! Now imagine Geoff fancying her (though I don't know how much you knew/know her character0, but that'd be only Woman to really let Talcom Powder get up his Aunt Camiilla's Nose!

80sChav

[Richard1978]

Re: Grange hill

Speaking of the name Rodney Bennett, did you know that the name of the rival boys' school was named after a BBC TV and radio director of the same name? It seems too much of a coincidence for a fictional school to have that name, methinks...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Bennett

And I suppose that Brookdale seems rather similar to Brookside thanks to Phil Redmond...

I did wonder if the name was intentional.

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

Speaking of the name Rodney Bennett, did you know that the name of the rival boys' school was named after a BBC TV and radio director of the same name? It seems too much of a coincidence for a fictional school to have that name, methinks...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Bennett

And I suppose that Brookdale seems rather similar to Brookside thanks to Phil Redmond...

[Moonraker]

Re: Grange hill

Use love watching the show. It began a year after I started at secondary school. I stopped watch the show when Zammo departed.
I also enjoyed Tucker's Luck, which was a series following the lives of Tucker Jenkins and friends after leaving school.

[80sChav]

Re: Grange hill

Hankin always reminded me of Charles Hawtrey when he started stopped wearing National Health glasses in the mid 1990s - he looked so much like him!

Interesting how many 1990s characters were in the series a lot longer than their 1980s counterparts - during the Tucker era there were so many changes of teaching staff on screen.

Also, compare 1978 with 1990: 1978 = Rankin vs 1990 = Hankin. Also, 1978 = Munro vs 1990 = Monroe. History repeating itself, methinks.

These are intersting points you raise here about Hankin/Rankin and Munroe/Monro, George

I always liked Mr Knowles to be fair/honest - he was more of a upil'ss friend than Sruffy I think in many way's - though as much as I love all GH - my era only realled began in 1984 onwards and a lot bored me prior to that - even Zammo's early years and i was never big on why people rated tucker, though saying that what Zammo and Jonah? (I think) did going to Rodney Bennett that afternoon was amazing Boy's own stuff I'd love to have done - messing about in lessons and getting a etention but avoiding it cos you never actualy went/go to that School!! Amazing!

80sChav

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

Hankin always reminded me of Charles Hawtrey when he started stopped wearing National Health glasses in the mid 1990s - he looked so much like him!

Interesting how many 1990s characters were in the series a lot longer than their 1980s counterparts - during the Tucker era there were so many changes of teaching staff on screen.

Also, compare 1978 with 1990: 1978 = Rankin vs 1990 = Hankin. Also, 1978 = Munro vs 1990 = Monroe. History repeating itself, methinks.

[80sChav]

Re: Grange hill

I think that she did - she did the sub-Jan Leeming / Moira Stewart newsreader stuff on BBC 2 I believe before she was poached by the other side, although I always think of Diamond as being an ITV presenter - she and Nick Owen (who just like lots of people back then, thought they were a married couple a la Richard and Judy) was to become the East Midlands presenters of Central News when the station was launched in 1982. But the East Midlands technicians went on strike, Bob Warman was seen again in that part of the region, and the East Midlands service launched the following year, around 18 months later. A huge Change (UK) of presenters if you excuse, the pun!

I saw Aran Bell in some 1991 episodes of The Bill (seen on YouTube), and you can see that even as a plainclothes police officer, he does look rather vulnerable to say the least. He appeared in a handful of episodes. I wish that he would have made it to a second series - after all, Scruffy McGuffy and the student teacher Knowles did, and that was a surprise in itself as I thought that he had "one series character" written all over him.

Some teachers' stints in the series are shorter than Calley Donnington's skirts! (circa 1988-1989).

Agreed George yeah - I would never of thought Mr Hankin would have made it past 1 Series and out of himself, Monroe and Mad Max hargreaves he beat off his nearest challenger in Monroe by 8 Series and finished up in 2nd place as the longest surving character super-seeded only by Mr Robson and his 16 years (though he was not on screen in Series 27) he was still "doing the rounds" as it was. Hankin even beat Mrs McClusky into 2nd place - by a Series or 2 (I allways forget if it was 11 or 12 Series she totted up) but Mr Hankin was in it for 12 years and to superseed Mrs M was an amazing achievement character-wise in my book

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

I think that she did - she did the sub-Jan Leeming / Moira Stewart newsreader stuff on BBC 2 I believe before she was poached by the other side, although I always think of Diamond as being an ITV presenter - she and Nick Owen (who just like lots of people back then, thought they were a married couple a la Richard and Judy) was to become the East Midlands presenters of Central News when the station was launched in 1982. But the East Midlands technicians went on strike, Bob Warman was seen again in that part of the region, and the East Midlands service launched the following year, around 18 months later. A huge Change (UK) of presenters if you excuse, the pun!

I saw Aran Bell in some 1991 episodes of The Bill (seen on YouTube), and you can see that even as a plainclothes police officer, he does look rather vulnerable to say the least. He appeared in a handful of episodes. I wish that he would have made it to a second series - after all, Scruffy McGuffy and the student teacher Knowles did, and that was a surprise in itself as I thought that he had "one series character" written all over him.

Some teachers' stints in the series are shorter than Calley Donnington's skirts! (circa 1988-1989).

[80sChav]

Re: Grange hill

Yes, but his name wasn't Selina, was it? It was a nickname of obvious reasons - a homage to Selina Scott who presented Breakfast Time (or did it become Breakfast News by then?).

At the start of the 1989 series, one of the characters said as she was flicking through the TV channels while getting ready for school "I hate Anne Diamond" - probably a way of the BBC slagging off one of their rivals TV-am.

Did'nt anne Diamond begin though on BBC Breakfast I thought then swapped sides George!?

If you thought Mr "Selina Scott" was inept though - try and watch Mixchael Barton from Series 24 and 25 - though particulary in 25 (Mrs Holmes' long lost son), he makes scott look like he is in control!!

80sChav

[80sChav]

Re: Grange hill

And don't forget GCE - Gripper's Cash Enterprise.

An another play on words - GHS (Gonch's Homework Service) too George!

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

And don't forget GCE - Gripper's Cash Enterprise.

[Clare]

Re: Grange hill

I remember Helen calling the new GCSEs, "General Collapse of Secondary Education".

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

They called him Selina!

Yes, but his name wasn't Selina, was it? It was a nickname of obvious reasons - a homage to Selina Scott who presented Breakfast Time (or did it become Breakfast News by then?).

At the start of the 1989 series, one of the characters said as she was flicking through the TV channels while getting ready for school "I hate Anne Diamond" - probably a way of the BBC slagging off one of their rivals TV-am.

[Clare]

Re: Grange hill

... referred to here as Leslie Scott in order to avoid confusion with Mr Phil Scott who was the 1987 science teacher who couldn't keep his class under control..

They called him Selina!

[George 1978]

Re: Grange hill

Yes, Clare/Claire Scott fancied Mr Hopwood, and her mum found her diary, and her dad went ballistic!

Now that would have made an excellent Adrian Mole storyline!

Great episode where Leslie Scott (Claire's father - referred to here as Leslie Scott in order to avoid confusion with Mr Phil Scott who was the 1987 science teacher who couldn't keep his class under control - ironically, the "humming" thing whoch was started by Gripper in the 1982 series was repeated in his class five years later by Trevor Cleaver in Phil Scott's class). Anyway, Leslie Scott shouted "Hopwood" at the aforementioned woodwork teacher and shouted at him "what the hell are you doing with my daughter?" or words to that affect. Hopwood truthfully says that he doesn't know what Claire's father is going on about - Pogo and Dwayne fetches Baxter for support, asks if Hopwood is alright. Scott senior apologies to Hopwood later. Pre-1985 merger, it certainly took its own punches in storylines.

Of course, the Dwayne Orpington and Lexington thing was nothing like that of course - Lexington was in the previous series and the succeeding one, but not in series 5 in 1982 - ironic considering the sponsored spell / raise £1,200 for a new computer storyline as she would have been useful in those episodes - he was replaced by a Mr Price (who is not to be confused with the Welsh farmer that we get to meet in the following series as a result of Roland "skiving off" on his Wales trip because of his bad ankle.