Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 19th January 1979
Simon’s rather upset to be dropped from the school football team by Mr Baxter. He’s not able to give a reason why he missed a recent practice session – there was a notice put up, said Baxter, couldn’t he read? As Simon reacts angrily to this (plus the other hints we’ve had in earlier episodes) we can surmise this is uncomfortably close to the truth.
Tucker decides to cheer him up by initiating him into his gang, the Tremblers (this is obviously something that Tucker’s created on the spur of the moment). In order to become a member, Tucker tells him he has to climb up to the top of the school tower. Simon says he”ll do it, provided he sees the others do it first. All goes well until Mr Garfield discovers them and, not realising that Benny had already reached the top of the tower, locks him in.
Mr Garfield (Graham Ashley) was the first in Grange Hill’s long line of put-upon caretakers, and many of them followed the Garfield archetype (bad-tempered and irritable). Sadly, Ashley died in 1979 at the age of only 52 – with his final appearances as Mr Garfield airing the year after his death, in 1980. He had a very solid acting career with plenty of guest-spots in popular series (such as Porridge, Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Colditz and The Avengers) and was a regular in Dixon of Dock Green, although most of his episodes were wiped. Another notable credit was as Gold Five in the first Star Wars movie.
More excuses from Simon in Mr Sutcliffe’s English class – he says he can’t read as he feels sick. This break from lessons allows Simon to release Benny from the tower, but he pretends to Tucker that he couldn’t – ensuring that the others decide to return to the school in the evening to free him.
Simon’s practical joke (involving a skeleton and a candelabra!) backfires spectacularly when it accidentally causes a fire. The “flipping ‘ecks” are liberally sprinkled about as Tucker, Alan and Benny “leg it” but they don’t realise that Simon hasn’t followed them. He’s tripped over a cable and knocked himself out – leaving us on a decent cliff-hanger as the other three worry that he might be in some danger.
Archive Television Musings 
The BBC have always catered for Children. And I must say the BBC Children’s programmes have always been second to none. My Favourite programme has to be the Changes first shown way back in 1975. But to be honest I just love what Children’s programmes the BBC have produced down throughout the years.
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A couple of recurring character traits emerge in this episode. At the very start, we see Alan playing chess (which Tucker calls draughts) against Antoni; this won’t be the last time we’ll see Alan playing chess (on at least one occasion, as I recall, he does play against Tucker).
Secondly, we get the first mention of Tucker being good at art (although naturally, Tucker has to boast and exploit the matter), which will play a part in various future episodes.
I really like Mr. Baxter in the early scenes of this episode. Although Simon doesn’t like him – after failing to read a notice, he has been dropped from the football team – this is more due to Simon’s own challenges; Baxter is a strict but reasonable character, and not without a sense of humour. With Tucker parading around with a tea-towel and gym shorts combination over his head (no explanation, just because), before he walks off Baxter has fun pulling the attire down over Tucker’s head, swiftly exiting to leave Tucker blaming his friends for having done it. As Benny says when Simon is moaning about Baxter, “He’s alright. He’s a good laugh sometimes”. I’ve said before, but beyond the legendary Mr. Bronson, I personally consider Bullet to be the most iconic teacher from the series.
As well as further developing story of Simon’s (as yet undisclosed) problem, the episode focuses of schoolboy pranks, getting carried away and out of control. Pretty much all episodes with Tucker and friends up to (inevitably doomed) mischief are good, and this one is no exception.
Hughes (Donald Waugh) noticeably gets a lot more to say and do than normal in this one – previously he’s only had the odd line or two, the most we’ve known about his character is that he can sometimes be finickity and take a long time to make up his mind (as witnessed in the election episode in Series One). He is a character which will never be completely fleshed out … We never even get to learn his first name, Hughes presumably being his surname.
After the “well intentioned” capers of the previous episode (taking the “old sofa” that’s actually an expensive chaise longue; accidentally selling Mrs. Bennett’s coat), here Tucker is back to his more foolish schoolboy escapades, with his dares to climb to the top of the school bell-tower. The jolt from film to videotape and back again as they enter/leave the props room behind the school stage is noticeable – more noticeable than the shift to videotape when characters are in classrooms, with we’ve rather become used to by this time.
This episode also has a first of sorts… the first “big” cliffhanger, with Simon seemingly unconscious on the hall floor after tripping and smoke pouring out of the school. Although Series Two has had minor story cliffhangers (such as Benny being accused of theft), nobody was in immediate danger, and there was nothing drastic which we might not expect to be sorted out within an episode or two. But here, with it unclear how big the fire might be and if Simon will get out, it’s quite a different game. Series Two really is moving up a couple of gears.
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