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Grange Hill

Started by jamiefairlie, February 22, 2019, 10:33:57 PM

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jamiefairlie

Not sure if we've ever had a thread for 'ver Hill' but here goes anyway....


The first series came out in 1978 (filmed in 77) , the same year I also started Secondary school so it was of great interest to me right from the start. Tucker & co obviously dominated the first two series before being joined by a new intake in series 3. This was the Pogo Patterson year but for this year only, there was no Suzanne, Claire, Gripper, etc., instead there was a different bunch of kids who, in a Stalinesque airbrushing, were brutally excised from the official record at the end of series 3, never to be referred to again.

Series 5 and 6 were, in my opinion, the pinnacle of GH. Jonah & Zammo, Annette, Fay, Ro-land (even Flinny, with his teef)  in the new intake, the whole Gripper Stebson saga in the middle year, and Tucker & co still hanging around in cameos. Perfect.

Series 7 started with the shock of Jonah leaving and this was the start of a slow decline, still entertaining but never quite hitting those peaks again. It was all Zammo taking smack, just say no, some shit about donkeys and then loads of flashy modern cunts that didn't look like school children at all, more like "saved by the bell' than GH.


Emma Raducanu

Ant and Dec were great in it I thought.

Grange hill always makes me proper nostalgic for a time pre internet + mobile phone when teenage lads would make craft airplanes in their bedrooms.

jamiefairlie

Well they shamelessly moved the whole thing to Liverpool at some point and pretended it had always been set there so incorporating Byker Grove wouldn't have been too far a stretch.

Bazooka

My favourite character was Ofsted.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: jamiefairlie on February 22, 2019, 11:09:50 PM
Well they shamelessly moved the whole thing to Liverpool at some point and pretended it had always been set there so incorporating Byker Grove wouldn't have been too far a stretch.

Byker Grove (at least the community centre) was not in Byker but Benwell...West End not East End.

BlodwynPig

Jaimie, you might be able to tell me which episode was the one they all went to school after hours to look for a ghost and were in a box room. They got a big fright and scarpered through a window but the camera caught (at the time it seemed unintentionally) one of the boxes levitating off the ground. Scared the crap out of me.

Gulftastic

I'm so old I remember a feature on Blue Peter about the upcoming first ever episode. In it's heyday, it was fantastic. Peaked with the downfall of Gripper, IMHO, then went to utter shit when the main bullies were Mauler and his mates running round the school in American Football gear.

This scene scared the shit out of a ten year old me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNtnxSCQOn4

The peak period was obviously after when everyone thinks: it was the Gonch Gardner years, also known as the Danny Kendall era (ie when I were a lad).

BlodwynPig may be on about when Gonch and his cronies tricked dimwitted Trevor Cleaver and his even dimmer mate Vince Savage into thinking they had seen a ghost as revenge for something or other.

pigamus

Quote from: Wentworth Smith on February 24, 2019, 05:41:05 PM
The peak period was obviously after when everyone thinks: it was the Gonch Gardner years, also known as the Danny Kendall era (ie when I were a lad).

Correct, and the actual peak of this peak was when the the whole was repeated on Sunday mornings in the early 90s. Marvellous.

Gulftastic

Quote from: pigamus on February 24, 2019, 05:45:43 PM
Correct, and the actual peak of this peak was when the the whole was repeated on Sunday mornings in the early 90s. Marvellous.

God yeah. Perfect hangover telly. Eating a bowl of cereal, watching the Hill...great way to start a Sunday.

Quote

I loved those old repeats in the 90's.

That mid/late 80's cast were great, it did seem to reflect British school life quite accurately - boredom, bullying, rumbles with rivals schools, arsing about on school trips, chewing gum underneath the desk, borderline sadistic teachers, etc.

A rolled up ball of lined paper rebounding off the back of teacher's head, wasn't it?

Phil_A

Quote from: Wentworth Smith on February 24, 2019, 05:41:05 PM
The peak period was obviously after when everyone thinks: it was the Gonch Gardner years, also known as the Danny Kendall era (ie when I were a lad).

BlodwynPig may be on about when Gonch and his cronies tricked dimwitted Trevor Cleaver and his even dimmer mate Vince Savage into thinking they had seen a ghost as revenge for something or other.

Ah yes, the Kendall vs Bronson era was magic. The sheer theatrical malevolence Michael Sheard infused Bronson with was a thing to behold.

"It is time that young man...was bought...into liiiiiine!"

I still can't believe this what they went with for the title sequence in the latter years. Desperate, feeble attempt at relevance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6yRhPP1gCk

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Wentworth Smith on February 24, 2019, 05:41:05 PM
The peak period was obviously after when everyone thinks: it was the Gonch Gardner years, also known as the Danny Kendall era (ie when I were a lad).

BlodwynPig may be on about when Gonch and his cronies tricked dimwitted Trevor Cleaver and his even dimmer mate Vince Savage into thinking they had seen a ghost as revenge for something or other.

QuoteAnt tries to apologise to Ziggy for causing his injury during the football match. Harriet appears to be suffering food poisoning due to eating unsuitable plants. Mr Scott's class cause havoc, defying his attempts to put all latecomers in detention. Gonch convinces Cleaver that the den is haunted by a ghost. A meeting between students and teachers to discuss reports cards only leads to deeper resentment.

No mention of a midnight break-in and terrified escape... it could be an earlier era?

QuoteThe Sixth Formers get their exam results. Mr Scott tries to allow his class some responsibility in registration, but Cleaver abuses the opportunity, causing Mr Scott to lose his temper. Ant continues to feel on the outside of things as Grange Hill pupils continue to ignore him for injuring Ziggy. Gonch, Hollo and Savage continue to scare Cleaver with their "ghost". Harriet is still unwell. Freddie reads directly from the staff handbook, causing Mr Bronson much annoyance. At another football match, Ant Jones' team from St. Jo's accuse him of playing for the advantage of his former Grange Hill friends.

QuoteRoland has agreed to lose weight for the Danny Kendall Fund. Goncho is taking bets, offering 100-1 if Roland loses more than 5 stone, which Cleaver places 20p on. Julia is made to spy on what goes on at the school by her father. Pupils begin to misinterpret the staff handbook by following directives literally. Gonch, Hollo and Robbie dress in skirts for cricket because it says to do so in the handbook, but Mr Bronson forces them to play outside in their chosen attire. Roland's diet is sabotaged when Gonch and Hollo discover he is losing weight with more success than they expected. In biology class, Mr Scott dissects a pig's heart, causing Cleaver to be sick. Steven Banks is determined to help out more at Hazelrigg. Mrs McCluskey decides that Harriet can no longer remain on the school premises and must go to a sanctuary.

That escalated fast.

QuoteMiss Booth and Fay set up their stall at the Craft Fair, whilst Jackie goes shopping with Julie for wedding dress material. Banksie takes Lucy to the fair where they run into Laura who had refused to come with them earlier. Zammo goes shopping with his mother for his wedding suit. Cheryl warns Goncho that she is onto him for sabotaging Roland's diet. Mr King comes to the fair and when Fay finds out he has a new girlfriend she runs away upset. Harriet is taken to a donkey sanctuary in Essex by Mr Griffiths.

hmmm

QuoteHelen and Ziggy then overhear Mr Griffiths talking to Mrs McClusky and Mr Bronson about Harriet the donkey.

oh!

I loved the original theme tune, that mixture of bass electric keyboard, brass wind instrument, and what sounded like knives or scissors being sharpened.

ToneLa

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on February 24, 2019, 08:46:52 PM
I loved the original theme tune, that mixture of bass electric keyboard, brass wind instrument, and what sounded like knives or scissors being sharpened.

Ootside the theme tune and the accompanying gash sausage-related animation and some character names WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

Shouting, if anything, more at my own unconscious mind than you tbh

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on February 24, 2019, 08:46:52 PM
I loved the original theme tune, that mixture of bass electric keyboard, brass wind instrument, and what sounded like knives or scissors being sharpened.

Alan Hawkshaw's - Chicken Man from 1974, I believe

He should have soundtracked Neighbours with this track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwCmDEmyae8&frags=pl%2Cwn

Mrs. Mangle strutting along the Gold Coast in her finery.


in the comments (from the man himself)

Quote
William A. Hawkshaw
2 years ago
Not and never intended to be a porno theme.
AH

ToneLa

Mrs Mangle - a stark warning against labiaplasty

Quote from: ToneLa on February 24, 2019, 08:49:33 PM
Ootside the theme tune and the accompanying gash sausage-related animation and some character names WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?


All sorts:
Two sit-ins: one late-70s; one late-80s
Gripper's organised white supremacist movement
Tucker's nemesis, Doyle, getting his trousers stolen in PE
Benny not being able to afford school uniform, and running off, because he was ashamed, running away for the day with Trisha Yates, who hated wearing school uniform.
Cathy Hargreaves afraid she was being followed by a man in the local news for approaching girls menacingly, only to find he was her long-lost father
The school doing a Christmas production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, with a girl trying to sabotage it by painting graffiti on the set
Pogo Patterson being the school spiv and rabble-rouser
Mr McGuffy getting played up by pupils humming en-masse in his class
Ro-land, Ro-land, I only want to help you Ro-land (Roland, meanwhile, is ringing the National Front, or asking bullies to drive her off in return for his lunch money and a chance to duff him up)

ToneLa

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on February 24, 2019, 08:57:01 PM
All sorts:
Two sit-ins: one late-70s; one late-80s
Gripper's organised white supremacist movement
Tucker's nemesis, Doyle, getting his trousers stolen in PE
Benny not being able to afford school uniform, and running off, because he was ashamed, running away for the day with Trisha Yates, who hated wearing school uniform.
Cathy Hargreaves afraid she was being followed by a man in the local news for approaching girls menacingly, only to find he was her long-lost father
The school doing a Christmas production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, with a girl trying to sabotage it by painting graffiti on the set
Pogo Patterson being the school spiv and rabble-rouser
Mr McGuffy getting played up by pupils humming en-masse in his class
Ro-land, Ro-land, I only want to help you Ro-land (Roland, meanwhile, is ringing the National Front, or asking bullies to drive her off in return for his lunch money and a chance to duff him up)


Some good points well put.

Surprised at the lack of drug storylines... I half-remember a few, but then I was on smack back when I was the producer of it

BlodwynPig

You've got a good memory Phoenix. I only remember vague patterns of events.

Anyway, this track by Alan was mooted to soundtrack Zammo's descent into Horse fixing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r3cWC9yY30

It was pulled for being too upbeat and, anyway, the new kids want DRUM MACHINES and sparkles.

BlodwynPig

Didn't stop them using this Hawkshaw track on the later VHS release though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZBWmylHL4


gib

Quote from: ToneLa on February 24, 2019, 08:49:33 PM
Ootside the theme tune and the accompanying gash sausage-related animation and some character names WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

Shouting, if anything, more at my own unconscious mind than you tbh

Who do we want? WE WANT SCRUFFY! When do we want him? NOW!

something like that

ToneLa

Quote from: gib on February 24, 2019, 09:40:13 PM
Who do we want? WE WANT SCRUFFY! When do we want him? NOW!

something like that

*bangs on desk to the tune of "I.. feel... surreal"*

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Wentworth Smith on February 24, 2019, 09:22:02 PM
Right on! Grange Hill tackling homophobia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k8NsLSMfsg

"Oiiii, he may be a POOF, but he's our POOF" Great Britain, 2012

studpuppet

Best thing about Grange Hill was when when some of them resurfaced in Touching Cloth 2.

https://youtu.be/yKY1pgnP8c8?t=59


Glebe

I always remember Ro-land bunking off school, and watching Bagpuss or summit eating bananas and crisps.

Quote from: Glebe on February 25, 2019, 03:47:26 PM
watching Bagpuss or summit eating bananas and crisps.

Not mice, birds, or Whiskas Supermeat?

a duncandisorderly

I worked for reddo in the 80s, as I've mentioned elsewhere. we were on a production recce, looking at locations for 'waterfront beat' in mid-'89, & he stopped us in the middle of the road... about a dozen of us, camera, sound, design & so on... near liverpool city centre & not far from a job centre.

"I was on me way in dere" he says, "when I thought of 'grange hill' "  while cars & buses swerve around us on both sides, beeping.

he wasn't much of a writer, but he did have the odd good idea, my first boss.