Written by Alan Janes. Tx 6th February 1981

This is a classic Tucker episode.  Tommy is upset that he’s missed his chance to go with the others on the school trip to France, but Tucker has a brainwave – why doesn’t he stowaway?!

Tommy’s slightly apprehensive but Tucker is blithely confident.  When he’s asked about passports he tells Tommy that since they joined the Common Market they’ve done away with them.  It doesn’t take a mind-reader to work out that Tucker, Alan and Tommy are heading for trouble – and this is all established in the opening minutes.

Mr Baxter and Miss Lexington have the unenviable task of keeping order.  This ramps up the comedy a little more, since Michael Cronin is, as always, excellent as the deadpan authoritarian whilst Allyson Rees provides a strong counterpoint as a more relaxed and easy-going character (Grange Hill’s version of the bad cop/good cop).

The middle part of the episode takes place on the cross-channel ferry and is memorable for two reasons.  The first is Trisha and Cathy’s encounter with two French boys.  The girls don’t appear to know any French (which is odd, since you’d assume a trip to France would have been part of their French education) and the boys don’t know any English – making communication rather difficult.

However, one boy takes a shine to Trisha and attempts to demonstrate his affections in a language that’s universal.  Trisha is having none of it though.  “Here, leave off.  Bit handy int they?”  A notable thing about these scenes is that Lyndy Brill is looking very tanned.  Maybe she’d just come back from a long holiday (unless she was an early adopter of fake tanning).

Secondly, it sees Alan finally decide to kick his smoking habit, after a discussion with the coach driver Mr Ellis (Eric Mason) in the ferry lounge.  He gives the boy several reasons why smoking isn’t a good idea.  “One, it takes your money and two, it gives you lung cancer.”  Shortly afterwards we see Alan leaning over the side of the ferry, being sick.  Was this a mixture of his alcohol and cigarettes or did Mr Ellis’ words strike home?  Either way, he throws his fags overboard and declares that he’s finished with smoking.  It’s another one of Grange Hill‘s obvious moral lessons, but it was allowed to develop over a long period of time so is quite effective.

Once they reach French soil the problems start – the customs officer finds Tommy and since he’s not got a passport they won’t let him through.  This means one of the teachers has to escort him home and that forces the whole trip to be cancelled (it wouldn’t be practical for just one teacher to supervise the whole class).

Tucker is naturally sent to Coventry (or even further!) but something is salvaged when Miss Lexington wonders if the holiday firm they booked with would be able to offer them alternative accommodation in Britain.  Luckily they do, so the bus sets off for a week in Bournemouth.  Not quite France, but it’s better than nothing.

A rare non-school episode from series four, it’s rather a good one and since we didn’t venture very far into France it was probably quite cost-effective as well.

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 3rd February 1981

There’s something rather endearing about the low-level villainy of Michael Doyle.  He did issue a few racial taunts to Benny during series one but that was pretty much his worst deed.  Otherwise it’s all pretty low-key stuff – stealing Penny Lewis’ project or, as in this episode, pinching light-bulbs so he can make a small profit by selling them to Junky Meade (Harry Webster).

Doyle doesn’t just take the bulbs though – he leaves a faulty one in its place, which causes no end of confusion for Mr Thompson as he tries to work out exactly why so many light-bulbs are failing.  Timothy Bateson is once again remarkably entertaining as Mr Thompson and what’s even better is that in this episode he has an assistant to vent his frustrations to.  Norman (Leslie Hull) is young and gormless and obviously irritates the older Thompson.  Hull has a nice sense of comic timing and it’s a pity he didn’t return in the future.

There are two other highlights in the episode – the first is Cathy singing Queen Bee.  Originally recorded by Barbra Streisand in 1976, it’s certainly a good showcase for Lyndy Brill’s vocal abilities.  Had this been a few years later then it’s highly likely a tie-in record would have been released (ala the Grange Hill album or, shudder, those EastEnders singles) but there was nothing here, alas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUFX2LFCYac

Perhaps the most eye-opening moment is Mr Hopwood’s confrontation with Alan.  Alan’s smoking habit has been a running theme for a while and when Mr Hopwood catches him, his displeasure is plain to see (he gives Alan a clip on the top of the head, knocking him over).

It’s remarkable that this assault is simply accepted by both parties and not taken any further – particularly since Mr Hicks was dismissed for doing something similar in an earlier episode.  But then Mr Hopwood is positioned as a good and positive character and Alan’s smoking is “wrong” so it’s clear to understand the moral tone that the episode takes.

Even more jaw-dropping is that Alan turns up for school the next day sporting a black eye.  This was given to him by his father after Mr Hopwood told him about his son’s smoking habit.  This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a pupil physically abused by their parent (Duane was given a black eye in series three after his bike was stolen).

There’s never even a hint that Mr Humphries might have been in the wrong for hitting his child – Alan shouldn’t have been smoking and therefore has been taught a lesson he won’t forget.  It’s a fascinating look at a vanished age.

Written by Margaret Simpson. Tx 30th January 1981

What’s notable about this era of Grange Hill is that the pupils always seem to be campaigning about something.  School uniform was an ongoing issue during series two, the outdoor centre was key to series three and already in series four we’ve had campaigns for common rooms, saving the school magazine and also protests about the cost of the new sports kit.

I wonder if this simply was a sign of the times (late seventies and early eighties Britain certainly had a militant atmosphere – there always seemed to be plenty of strikes and industrial disputes) or whether it’s due to the influence of series creator Phil Redmond.  As the eighties wore on and Redmond’s influence lessened it’s notable that pupil militancy does seem to reduce – so maybe its safe to assume he was the driving force behind these plotlines.

Either way, this is yet another episode which is dominated by unhappy pupils – in this one its school dinners that they find it hard to stomach (as it were).  No doubt this would have struck some chords with the viewers at home since school dinners of this era could be a grim affair.

There’s something of a feel of deja vu as Trisha again teams up with Susi and Pamela (both viewed as the enemy by Cathy) to try and harness support for their proposals.  But an increasingly irritated Cathy decides to restart the banned SAG (student’s action group) in order to achieve change by force rather than reason.

Although the series was often criticised for having an anti-establishment atmosphere, there’s a very clear sense that order will prevail here.  Cathy’s abortive attempt to harness support with SAG is quickly snuffed out (indeed, it would have been interesting to develop this thread over a couple of episodes) whilst the efforts of Trisha, Susi and Pamela are given tacit approval by Mrs McClusky.

Although she characteristically isn’t terribly pleased that they went ahead and distributed a questionnaire to staff and pupils without asking her permission!

Written by Margaret Simpson. Tx 27th January 1981

The rumour that school uniform might be brought back is naturally not viewed with much enthusiasm by the pupils.  Trisha, as one of the prime-movers in ensuring it was made optional is particularly perturbed.  Amongst the first-years it’s also discussed, but here it’s used more as an excuse for Pogo to bait Richard Marks.

Marks, like Benny Green before him, comes from an impoverished background and would therefore struggle to afford to buy a school uniform.  There’s something rather disquieting about watching Pogo bait Richard, partly due to Pogo’s unflattering nickname for him (“Pongo”) but also for the reactions of the other members of the class – who are all happy to laugh along with Pogo at the unfortunate Richard.

But this is a scene where Miss Mooney shows a little steel.  Up until now she’s been portrayed as rather a scatter-brained and ineffectual teacher, but after Richard leaves the room (she asks him to take the register to Mr Keating) she rounds on the remainder of the class.  “Well I must say I’m appalled at what I’ve just heard.  I can think of nothing more small-minded than getting on to a boy or a girl because they come from a poor home.”  And she reserves most of her ire for Pogo.  “What a spoilt, smug little boy you are Douglas Patterson.  Have you ever stopped to think for a moment what it must be like to come from a home less privileged than your own?”

Cathy’s continual lateness and lack of attentiveness has become something of a talking point among both her friends and the staff.  Lyndy Brill is rather good in these scenes – she manages to give Cathy just the right amount of insolent disdain, even when she’s talking to her favourite teacher Mr Sutcliffe.

But whilst Cathy exhibits little interest in any school affairs, her best friend Trisha is the complete opposite.  She becomes the third year school council rep and persuades Justin to take the vacant boys position (which has remained empty since Michael Doyle’s dismissal at the end of series three).  And as the next school council meeting has a motion tabled by Mrs McClusky to reintroduce school uniform it’s possibly just as well that Trisha was present.  Mrs McClusky’s irritation at not being able to immediately have her own way is quite evident and she’s then further dismayed when everybody votes to use several empty classrooms as common rooms.

The mystery of Cathy’s lateness is explained – along with Gerry, Ruth and a couple of boys they’ve restarted their group and so spend all their available spare time rehearsing.  Miss Peterson offers to see if she can find somewhere for them to rehearse during the lunchtime – and that way Cathy might be able to concentrate on her lessons.

Written by Alan Janes.  Tx 27th January 1981

Danny Taylor (Peter Hopwood) is a Grange Hill archetype – the money-making entrepreneur.  He doesn’t reappear after this episode though, which makes me wonder if he was drafted in as a late replacement for Pogo – who’s already shown an interest in get-rich schemes (which fail dismally, of course).

Danny’s wheeze is to organise a lottery, but he falls foul of Gripper who has his eyes on the main prize.  The most interesting part of this section of the episode are the opening moments – Stewpot calls round for Danny and is waved into the house by Danny’s father (who is obviously something of a wheeler-dealer himself).  Danny has inherited his father’s drive to make money and this is viewed with irritation by Stewpot.  He reckons that within a few years Danny will be sitting behind a desk and making money from other people’s efforts.  Stewpot tells him that come the revolution things will be very different!

When Gripper’s not attempting to rig the lottery (although it’s interesting that his plan is somewhat elaborate – in years to come he’d just have taken the money) he’s running foul of Mr Baxter on the football pitch.  After Gripper harshly tackles Matthew Cartwright, Mr Baxter makes it plain that he won’t tolerate any repetition.  And if it did happen again, Gripper would be the one on the ground and Mr Baxter would be standing above him, putting the boot in.  Nowadays any threat of violence from a teacher to a pupil would be viewed as an empty one – but 1981 was a different era and Gripper takes Mr Baxter’s words seriously.

Karen Stanton (Carey Born) makes her only series four appearance.  She cuts a very woebegone figure as she confides to Claire that all is not well at home – thus sowing the seeds for a later episode featuring Karen’s brother, Andrew.

Miss Lexington continues to be an object of fascination for many of Grange Hill’s pupils.  Duane’s puppy love is quite evident (he’s always popping up and asking to carry her bags) but there’s other examples as well.  Two older pupils use their time in Miss Lexington’s computer club to program a rough approximation of the female form with the words “Sexy Lexi” next to it.  But when Miss Lexington sees it she simply gives them an indulgent smile and moves on.  Is she something of a tease or simply unaware of the effect she has on certain people?  However you want to interpret her character there’s no doubt that Allyson Rees’ wide-eyed performance is terribly appealing.

Miss Lexington’s later run-in with Mrs McClusky is a highlight of the episode.  What makes their clash so intriguing is the fact that they’re such different character types – Miss Lexington is relaxed and carefree whilst Mrs McClusky is strict and unyielding.  The headmistress views the scruffy appearance of Miss Lexington’s class with extreme disfavour and she tells the younger teacher that their planned trip to the Silicon Chip factory is cancelled.  Mrs McClusky is simply not prepared to let such an untidily dressed bunch of pupils represent the school.

This is the first step in Mrs McClusky’s desire to bring back school uniform.  That obviously wouldn’t go down well with the pupils, but on the evidence of these early series four episodes it’s plain that Mrs Clusky is someone who is always determined to get her own way …..

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 20th January 1981

The themes of this episode fit neatly into the topic of staff/pupil consultation which has been bubbling away for a few episodes.

The pupils are appaled to be told they have to buy new sports kit from Hayes Green Sports. It’s quickly established that they aren’t the cheapest of shops and since they’re the only ones supplying the new kit it does seem obvious that they’re making a profit at the pupil’s expense. Susi quickly writes an article about this for the school magazine, only to be told shortly afterwards by Mrs McClusky that the magazine will have to close due to lack of funds.

Is there a connection? It could be, or possibly it’s because Mrs McClusky simply doesn’t like the thought of the pupils having any voice at all. In this respect, she’s a far cry from the open Mr Llewellyn as she seems very keen to stifle any debate – her word seems to be law.

But it only has the opposite effect and the usual suspects now have another couple of causes to fight for. Not only common rooms, but saving the school magazine and also investigating whether the new sports kit is being offered at a rip-off price.

Susi and the magazine’s editor Rosie (Nicola Wright) ask Mrs McClusky is they can continue the magazine if they could find a way to make it self financing. She can’t do anything but agree – so if her plan was to shut down the magazine in order to stifle dissent then she’s been circumvented. We don’t know for sure, since Mrs McClusky doesn’t have anybody here that she confides her thoughts and feelings to, so it’s up to the viewer to make their own mind up.

Although there is a scene where she asks Mr Sutcliffe if he wouldn’t mind attending the save the magazine meeting – and he rather brusquely refuses, telling Miss Mooney that he’s not prepared to do Mrs McClusky’s spying for her.

Alan and Susi rope in Mr Humphries to find out what the wholesale prices for the sports kit are. He learns that Hayes Green Sports are making over 100% profit – and he tells them that he’ll bring this up at the next PTA meeting. His obvious anger (and mutterings of rank exploitation) leave us in no doubt that more affordable sports kits will soon be available.

It’s not something that shows the Headmistress in a very good light, but it’s hard to credit that she would have colluded with Hayes Green Sports to artificially raise the price just so they could make a healthy profit. But the notion that she simply didn’t care about the cost of the kit doesn’t ring true either.

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 16th January 1981

Another wave of vandalism causes the school dance to be cancelled. Tucker knows who was responsible – Booga Benson and Gilbo – but also knows what will happen to him if he speaks out. He tells Mr Sutcliffe that he’ll get his legs busted.

Another all-film episode, it’s a memorable installment – not least for the Tucker/Booga confrontation. Up until now Booga’s been little more than a menacing background character – who seems to mainly have existed to provide a reason to lock the younger pupils out of the school during break and lunchtimes.

He now moves into the centre of the action and starts by destroying Tucker’s magazine cover entry. Given all the hard work he put into it this is a bitter blow – although he’s able to produce another, almost identical version, very quickly – even if he has to bunk off school to do it. Of course he does win the first prize (ten pounds) and impresses Mrs McClusky by telling her that he’s going to buy some premium bonds with it.

Afterwards, he goes back to helping Mr Sutcliffe set up the hall for the dance, but it all seems to be in vain once everything is cancelled. We then see him struggle with his conscience as he makes his way along to Mrs McClusky’s office – he just has to give her a name and the dance will be back on. But the consequences to him could be fatal.

He does the right thing and the evening is a great success – not least for the impressive vocal stylings of Mr Sutcliffe, Cathy, Gerry and Ruth. Everything seems to be fine as Tucker, Alan, Benny, Tommy, Susi and Pamela leave the hall at the end of the night.

But the sudden and unexpected appearance of Booga wipes the smile from everybody’s faces. There then follows a frantic chase through the school, culminating in both Booga and Gilbo giving the unfortunate Tucker a good kicking.

Another notable aspect of the episode is that it marks a rare series four appearance by Terry Sue Patt as Benny.  I don’t know whether his sporadic involvement was his own choice or it happened because he was now judged to be surplus to requirements. Either way it’s a shame that someone who was a focal character for the original run just seems to fade away quite abruptly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNtnxSCQOn4

Written by Sandy Welch. Tx 13th January 1981

Trisha and Cathy are still irritated at not being allowed into the school until the fifth and sixth-formers let them in. One obnoxious older pupil (played by Peter McNamara) is especially officious, although Trisha takes her revenge by aiming a swift kick at his shins as she walks past him!

The plan of action, headed by Trisha and Susi, continues to rumble on – as they attempt to organise a fact-finding mission to establish whether everybody is in favour of common rooms. It’s not easy going though and Susi begins to have doubts about the effectiveness of what they’re doing.

This then leads into a very interesting two-handed scene between Tucker and Susi. Since they’re diametrically opposed characters it’s rare that they’ve ever shared any scenes together. What’s even more noteworthy is that Tucker is supportive towards her. He tells her he has no doubts about his abilities (he’s in the library working on his design for the cover of the school magazine) and urges her to have more confidence as well. Had any of the other pupils been present it’s unlikely he would have been so forthcoming, so this offers a nice insight into the more thoughtful side of Peter Jenkins.

Of course, when the others are around Tucker can’t help himself by bragging that his design is bound to win the competition. Such obvious boasting naturally irritates Doyle and together with his two new henchmen – Robo (Neil Rogers) and Macker (Alan Gibson) – he plans to do something unpleasant to Tucker’s design. This is signposted so clearly that it’s a little surprising when it doesn’t happen – and a further wrong-footing move happens in the next episode (somebody does destroy it, but it’s not Doyle).

There’s a small, but significant, character moment when Doyle senses that the others are reluctant to help – he reminds them that he’s paying them so he expects their full co-operation. Is Doyle such an awful person that he can’t even find a single friend without a monetary inducement? It’s just a throwaway touch, but it’s quite illuminating.

We also get a taste of the song that Cathy, Ruth (Paula Harris) and Gerry (Karen Saunders) will be performing in the next episode.

Re-watching this episode, something which stands out is that both Miss Mooney and Susi McMahon are present but neither utter a single word. It does seem strange to have two regulars in the studio but for them both to remain mute – so maybe scenes for several episodes were shot on the same studio day? That would make some sort of sense.

In many ways this episode is merely setting the ground for the next one – which will conclude a number of plotlines (notably it’ll see the final confrontation between Booga and Tucker).

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 9th January 1981

This is a memorable episode for several reasons. Firstly, it introduces us to Gripper Stebson (Mark Savage). His character is made plain from his very first appearance – we see him indulging in a spot of shoplifting from the local newsagents whilst Pogo, Duane and Stewpot (Mark Burdis) look on. He later confronts the three of them and tells them in no uncertain terms to keep quiet – all of Gripper’s trademark menace is already well displayed.

But it won’t be until series five (when Gripper and the others move into the third year) that he’ll really develop into the monster who’ll dominate the series for a couple of years. Like all bullies he’s at his most effective when picking on those younger than him, so he’s somewhat impotent during series four (since he’s only a first-year and the other first-years outnumber him).

The computer teacher Miss Lexington (Allyson Rees) makes the first of her six appearances (four during the fourth series and one apiece in both series five and six). It’s easy to see why she quickly acquired the nickname of “Sexy Lexi”.

But the heart of the episode revolves around the sadistic games master Mr Hicks (Paul Jerricho). After a swimming lesson in which Stewpot, Duane and Pogo lark about, Mr Hicks confronts Stewpot and the boy cuts his head after Mr Hicks shoves him.

This scene, like the rest of the episode, is shot on film and there’s no doubt that the all-film nature is very much to the benefit of the drama (it allows for better timing on close-ups and reactions shots than would be possible in a multi-camera studio TV setup). There’s a lovely sense of tension after the incident – the pupils are appalled and Mr Hicks clearly realises he’s gone too far, but his authority and intimidating presence mean that they can’t directly challenge him.

But the full story comes out when Stewpot talks to his mother (played by Helen Cotterill) and she goes to the school to demand answers. This is an intriguing scene – Mr Hicks is confronted by Mrs Stewart, Stewpot and Duane but he’s easily able to browbeat both Stewpot and Duane into changing their story. Mrs McClusky and Mr Baxter are also present and seem quite happy to accept both the boy’s retraction and Mr Hicks’ comment that Stewpot “slipped on the wet floor” at face value.

But since Mr Hicks’ treatment of Stewpot isn’t an isolated case – we later see him (off-screen) slipper a pupil and there’s plenty of other anecdotal evidence of his misdemeanours – it’s a worrying thought that his reign of terror has been ongoing for some time with nobody picking it up.

Eventually, both the protestations of Miss Lexington and comments from some of the other pupils are enough to make Mr Baxter keep a close eye on Mr Hicks. And when he sees him push another boy, Mr Baxter springs into action. He calls Mr Hicks from the gym and punches him to the ground, with the ironic comment of “slipped on the wet floor, did you?”

Hicks is dismissed, whilst both Mrs McClusky and Mr Baxter offer Mrs Stewart their sincere apologies. She’s happy to consider the matter closed – but it’s plain from Mr Baxter’s final words (“skin of our teeth”) and Mrs McClusky’s expression that they both realise the fall-out that they and the school would have suffered had Mrs Stewart decided to take the matter further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTK_SGgz7v0

Written by Sandy Welch.  Tx 6th January 1981

Episode three gives us our first chance this series to catch up with the first years. As has happened before, and will happen again and again in the future, various characters have dropped out and new ones have been drafted in to replace them with no explanations about these various departures and arrivals.

Tracy Edwards and Karen Stanton have vanished (although Karen must presumably still be somewhere in the school since she pops up briefly in a later episode). They’ve been replaced by the somewhat identikit characters of Claire Scott (Paula Ann Bland) and Suzanne Ross (Susan Tully).

Claire, like Tracy, is an old friend of Duane (it’s easy to believe her scripts were originally written for Tracy) whilst Suzanne at present exists mainly to line-feed Claire and join in the general banter, mainly about how fat Pogo is!  It’s difficult to imagine that Suzanne would later become a key figure in the series (during series five to seven) as she’s a very minor character during series four’s run.

But there are some new arrivals in Miss Mooney’s class who are commented on. Julia Farley (Sarah Attwood) is a second year pupil who has been forced to drop down a year due to her poor results. She’s a potentially intriguing character, but sadly only has a major speaking role in this one episode.  Her Grange Hill appearances were Sarah Attwood’s only television or film credits.

Another fairly short-lived pupil is Richard Marks (David Doyle). He’s a pupil who was created to serve a single function – he comes from a poor background and is teased by the others because of this – and once that storyline has concluded there’s nothing else left for him to do.

Most of the episode revolves around a forthcoming school medical and the concerns of some of the pupils. Alan’s worried it’ll reveal his smoking habit whilst the younger girls have other issues. It’s interesting to see how the topic of period pains is delicately handled – the reason for their pains are never spelled out, but it’s still covered quite well.  Claire becomes the audience identification figure – she’s concerned about what’s happening but doesn’t feel she can talk to anyone about it. Eventually she speaks to Susi who’s able to answer her questions and calm her fears.

Pogo manages to lighten the mood after he overhears a girl telling Miss Peterson she’s unable to do games because of the time of the month. He decides that this is a wonderful excuse and tries it with Mr Sutcliffe, with notably less success!

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 2nd January 1981

The continuing vandalism has meant that more and more restrictions are being placed on the pupils. This doesn’t please Trisha, who teams up with Pamela, Susi and Justin to work out a way to change things – much to Cathy’s disgust.

Since Andrew Stanton is absent for some reason, the character of Christopher (Paul Ellison) seems to have been created to perform exactly the same function – to be Justin’s friend and feed some lines to him. After appearing in three of the early episodes he returns later on for the French trip episode (although he has little to do in that one).  It’s another example of someone who just appears out of nowhere but has apparently always been there.

Booga and Tucker continue to clash, whilst Trisha and Cathy’s friendship is put under more strain due to their differing interests (a storyline that will develop for a while).

There’s a nice run-in between Thomson and Tucker, which occurs when Thomson incorrectly believes that Tucker’s been writing on the wall. Bateson continues to wring every comic drop out of the character that he can (such as calling Tucker “Jasper” for no particular reason!)

Their confrontation becomes slightly physical when they both get involved in a shoving match, although Tucker claims that Thomson hit him first. But it’s no surprise that authority wins out and Tucker is forced to scrub down the wall. This whole incident makes Tucker more than keen to join the campaign of school rights (whereas he’d previously been less than keen on the idea).

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 30th December 1980

There’s a bleak feel to this opening episode. A wave of vandalism over the holidays has meant the school is looking even more dilapidated than usual. The money isn’t available to make all the repairs straightaway, so some windows remain boarded up – creating an oppressive atmosphere.

This is one of the immediate problems to be faced by the new head, Mrs McClusky (Gwyneth Powell) and the new caretaker, Mr Thomson (Timothy Bateson).

The McClusky years start here. Due to her longevity, Gwyneth Powell would become by far Grange Hill’s most recognisable head-teacher. Is it too fanciful to say there’s more than a touch of Mrs Thatcher about her? Certainly both women would remain dominant in their respective empires during the remainder of the 1980’s ….

Mr Thomson didn’t last as long, but I think he’s probably my favourite caretaker. Pompous and pernickety, he’s played to absolute comic perfection by Timothy Bateson who is always such a joy to watch.

It eventually becomes clear that the vandalism is being carried out by Booga Benson (David Lynch), an unstable fifth-former. The fact that he’s older than Tucker and co means that our heroes can’t tackle him direct – which is an interesting development. Previously Tucker has tangled with the likes of Doyle, but as they were of a similar age it was an equal clash. Booga is another matter altogether and every time he runs into Tucker he gains the upper hand.

It’s remarkable that Booga only appears in a few episodes, since he casts a long shadow over the series (maybe featuring in spin-off novels such as Grange Hill For Sale by Robert Leeson helped to create the impression he was a more regular character) .

But he certainly makes the most of his handful of episodes and is by far the nastiest person we’ve seen in the series to date – anytime he’s on screen there’s an uncomfortable sense that he’s barely managing to keep his instability in check . Although he’ll be eclipsed later on by Gripper (who makes his début in series four, although only as a background character with little to do) it’s an excellent performance by Lynch

Elsewhere, Cathy and Trisha (along with Gerry and Ruth) form a group, with the aim of performing with Mr Sutcliffe at the forthcoming school dance. But as we’ll see, Trisha’s heart isn’t in it.

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 29th February 1980

The series-long plotline of Penny verses Doyle is concluded here. After being berated by Miss Peterson for his poor performances as the third year rep, Doyle vows to get even with Penny (who he assumes has once more been telling tales about him).

He steals her project (which she has spent a considerable time on) and throws it away with the rubbish collected by the cleaners. But eventually his sins find him out, he loses his position as rep and he, and his friends, are forced to sort through the piles of rubbish to retrieve as much of Penny’s project as they can find.

Apart from an unexpected one-off appearance in series five, this would be Ruth Davis’ last episode as Penny Lewis. It’s something that happens time and again in Grange Hill, as pupils vanish for extended periods or sometimes forever (usually because real-life pressures, such as exams, intervene). Penny is replaced in series four by Pamela Cartwright, an almost identical character (bossy, a frequent contributor to the school magazine, etc). It’s tempting to think that the scripts for series four were originally written for Penny and they simply crossed her name out and wrote Pamela’s instead.

The final scene of Doyle and co leafing through the rubbish is an amusing, if low-key, ending to the series. Clearly the thought of concluding a series with a hook to lead into the next run of episodes wasn’t something that was considered at this time.

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 26th February 1980

I don’t know what the mortality rate of Grange Hill is, compared to other schools in the UK, but I’d guess it’s a great deal higher. Deaths, of course, are a staple in any soap opera – they help to create interest, ratings and spark debate.

The deaths in Grange Hill are sometimes, but not always, designed with a specific point in mind – they can be morality tales with a clear message. In this case we’re told that dares can be dangerous and potentially fatal.

A craze of dares is sweeping the school and at the same time there are running fights between Grange Hill and Brookdale pupils. Since these often take place at the local shopping centre, it’s placed out of bounds (and teachers are sent on patrol there).

Naturally, many of the kids, including Tucker and Alan, happily ignore this order and they’re lucky not to be caught by Mr Baxter. But tragedy strikes when Antoni Karamanopolis (Vivian Mann) is dared by Billy Phillips (Tony London) to walk along the rooftop of the shopping precinct – he falls and is killed instantly.

Antoni was a typical supporting Grange Hill character. He appeared in a handful of episodes during series two and three, sometimes just in the background but occasionally with a few (usually not vital) lines. He was clearly the ideal person to be sacrificed – someone who would be familiar to the audience, but not one of the central characters.

Of course, this does lessen the impact of his death (imagine if it had been, say, Benny) and apart from one casual mention in a later episode he doesn’t appear to be greatly missed – there’s certainly no attempt to plant a tree in his memory, ala Danny Kendall.

Mr Baxter’s pursuit of the children through the shopping centre does provide us with an awkward moment as he follows them into the toilets and proceeds to try and look under the toilet doors. He becomes aware that he’s being observed (by a traffic warden) and tries to shrug it off by telling him that he’s looking for some boys. It’s played as a comedy moment, but it’s hard to imagine something similar being done today!

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 22nd February 1980

The third years take a trip to work on the Outdoor Centre. Tucker inadvertently puts the girls’ tents up over an ants nest, Alan and Susi continue to work on their Judo, whilst Cathy puts her foot through a rotten floorboard in the upstairs part of the building and has to be taken to hospital.

The realisation that the floorboards are rotten causes concern. How much will it cost to repair them? As might be expected, money is tight and it looks as if the plans for the Outdoor Centre will have to be abandoned. Eventually a rescue plan is worked out later in the series (they decide to share Brookdale’s Outdoor Centre instead) but since it’s never seen again it’s a plotline that doesn’t go anywhere. A pity, since the odd trip to the Outdoor Centre could have been used to break up the (naturally) school-dominated run of episodes.

This is Alex Kingston’s final appearance as school-bully Jill Harcourt. Once Susi uses some of the Judo moves on her that Alan taught her, she’s no longer a threat and limps away.

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 19th February 1980

Duane, Michael and Tracy have to brave an interrogation by Mr Keating.  His first appearance in this episode is a memorable one – we hear him clear his throat in a very ominous way – making it clear that he’s not in a very good mood!  All three children give him a different reason for their presence in school at half term (Tracy’s is the correct one) but it’s obvious he’s unsure which of them to believe, so he tells them he’ll see them all later.

Having learnt that Mr Humphries might have some materials to donate to the Outdoor Centre, Mr Hopwood pays him a visit.  He spies a very serviceable van, which Mr Humphries was considering selling, and manages to grab it at a very decent price.  It’s instructive to watch the artful way Mr Hopwood is able to strike a bargain by playing on Mr Humphries’ good nature (but since it’s all in a good cause that’s fair enough).  It’s also amusing to hear Mr Humphries ask for cash, rather than a cheque, since a cheque would have to go through the books (thereby adhering to the cliche that all small businesses like to fiddle their tax!)

Susi finds herself persecuted by Jill Harcourt (Alex Kingston) who pressurises her to complete her homework.  Jill’s not the first school bully we’ve seen in the series, but it’s not until Gripper’s reign of terror in series five and six that we actually see a bully who carries out a concerted series of attacks over a sustained period.  Like Jackie Heron in series one, Jill Harcourt’s villainy is rather negated by the fact it’s so brief (she’s vanquished in the very next episode).

As for Duane, Michael and Tracy, Mr Keating eventually discovered that Tracy was the one telling the truth – but although they submitted multiple competition entries (and all the answers were correct) they didn’t win the minibus since their entries reached the paper the day after the competition closed.  But the paper was interested enough to interview them, although the resulting article is a great disappointment since it didn’t even mention their names.

Susi continues to feel the pressure from Jill, but she doesn’t have to suffer for very long as Alan’s spotted what’s been happening and is prepared to give her extra Judo lessons so she can defend herself against Jill’s bullying.

Written by Alan Janes. Tx 15th February 1980

It’s half term and Tucker, Alan and Benny have gone to work for Alan’s father at his builders yard.  Whether this is work experience or simply a way for the three of them to earn a little extra pocket money isn’t clear, but it’ll probably not come as a great surprise to learn that things don’t quite go to plan.

The day doesn’t get off to a good start when one of the workmen trick the trio into removing a large selection of timber that had already been correctly racked up.  As the irritated Mr Humphries later tells them, they should have been putting the loose timber into order – not removing what had already been sorted.  It’s very clear that Mr Humphries is an intimidating character – even the normally ebullient Tucker is rather subdued in his presence.  When he later asks Alan how he copes with a father like that, Alan airily tells him that his mother is worse!

Another misadventure sees them larking by a van with a fire extinguisher.  When they spy Mr Humprhies approaching they find the only cover available – the back of the van.  Unfortunately for them, the van is on the way to the tip – which is miles away from the yard.  Quite why they didn’t wait until the van slowed down before jumping off is a bit of a mystery (surely three rough-and-tumble characters like Tucker, Alan and Benny could have braved a few bruises?!).

Alas, they have to walk all the way back to the yard, but the ever eloquent Tucker is able to spin an elaborate tale about how his mother was rushed into hospital with “acute something or other” but is thankfully feeling much better now.

Elsewhere, Duane along with Benny’s younger brother Michael (Mark Bishop) pops round to see Tracy.  There’s a competition in the local paper to win a minibus – if they win, says Duane, it could be donated to the school, since they need one for the proposed Outdoor Centre.  The only problem is that there’s ten tough questions to be answered, so they need to use Tracy’s encyclopedias.  Ah, those far-off pre-internet days, when answers weren’t simply available at a click of a button!

Sadly their fact-finding is brought to an abrupt end when Tracy’s mother returns home.  She’s clearly not happy to find Michael in the house and tells her daughter that he has to leave.  The conversation occurs outside the living room, but it’s loud enough for Michael to hear – and we see the camera slowly close in on his hurt face.  It presumably wouldn’t have been the first time in his young life that he’d suffered discrimination due to the colour of his skin, but this scene (understated though it is) does have something of an impact.

Although Tracy lives in a nice house and her mother appears to be a pleasant-enough person, her casual, inflexible racism would have been very common in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and it still packs quite a punch to hear such views expressed in a children’s tea-time series.

With Tracy’s encyclopaedias out-of-bounds, the trio decide to break into school and find the information they need there.  For some reason, Mr Keating is about and catches them – since they’re not prepared so say why they’re on school premises he tells them to report to him on Tuesday morning.

If Tucker, Alan and Benny’s morning didn’t quite go as planned, they do knuckle down to some work in the afternoon.  This impresses Mr Humphries and when the trio discover that one of his staff is pinching materials he’s even more impressed.  He gives them twenty five pounds as a reward (watch their faces fall though when he says, after a beat, that it’ll be donated to the Outdoor Centre!)

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 12th February 1980

Fund-raising for the Outdoor Centre continues and culminates in a tug-of-war between the pupils and the staff.

But the most interesting part of the episode is the confrontation between Pogo and Karen. Pogo’s at his most obnoxious here – breaking the toast-rack that Karen made in woodwork for no other reason than he felt like it. For a character who’s later usually positioned as a positive one, it seems an incredibly mean and spiteful thing to do.

Karen gets her revenge though as she enlists the help of some older girls to steal Pogo’s trousers! No, it’s not a particularly sophisticated storyline, but it’s amusing nonetheless. Thanks to Miss Mooney’s prompting he does get them back though.

Elsewhere, Mr Baxter continues to victimise Benny because he chose to play for the district, rather than the school team. Michael Cronin’s always good value as the belligerent sports master, especially during the cross-country run which sees Tucker, Alan and Benny decide to take the bus, rather than complete the course in the usual way. You would have thought that by catching the bus they would have been amongst the first to finish, but they end up being the last, which is rather odd.  But for once they manage to outfox Bullet, which is a rare victory for them.

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 8th February 1980

There’s quite a lot going on in this episode. Penny is unhappy that she can’t contribute to the school magazine (following her article on Doyle) but perks up when she realises that Susi can contribute material they can write together.

Andrew Stanton’s parents continue to have marital problems – it’s a piece of incidental story colour that doesn’t seem to be developed at this time, but will eventually pay off in series four when it’s revealed that Andrew’s father has left (taking Karen with him).

There’s also more discussion about the proposed Outdoor Centre, but most of the running time revolves around Benny’s participation in the trials for the district football team. His hopes for selection aren’t helped by the fact that they’re being run by Mr Wainwright (Bernard Kay) who is clearly favouring his own pupils from Brookdale.

It’s always a pleasure to see Bernard Kay of course and the football sequences also paint an interesting picture of late seventies inner-city London life. Location-wise, Grange Hill would change over the years as production moved to different areas (most dramatically, of course, when it moved to Liverpool for the last few series). The match also takes up a fair few minutes and the only dialogue we have to guide us are Gary Hargreaves’ off-camera comments and criticisms.

Benny gets picked but he then has face a dilemma from Mr Baxter – does he choose to play for the district or the school?

The recent (far too early) death of Terry Sue Patt gives this episode an extra poignancy. Benny would tend to fade into the background (or not even appear at all) during series four, so this is one of the last Benny-centric episodes we’ll see.

Written by Phil Redmond. Tx 5th February 1980

The episode opens with Mr Sutcliffe and Miss Mooney having a rather public argument (which amuses Cathy and Trisha no end!).  Later, we see Mr Hopwood rather dismayed at the lack of interest shown by the pupils in discussing plans to set up the Outdoor Centre – only six people turn up.

But the bulk of the episode concerns itself with Penny Lewis’ crusade to expose Michael Doyle’s corruption and disinterest as a school rep.  She learns from Andrew and Justin that Doyle asked for fifty pence before raising the topic of the Outdoor Centre at the next school council meeting.  With Susi by her side she pens an incendiary article for the school magazine. Naturally, she doesn’t clear it with the teachers first, so both she and the editor have to face the music.

Doyle isn’t best pleased of course and confronts Penny and Susi – but luckily Alan and Tucker are around to see them off. Alan’s chivalrous action is another hint that he’s interested in Susi – a slow burn plot-line that will develop well into the fourth series.

It’s been stated before, and is again here, that as Doyle’s father is a local councillor (and also on the board of Governors at Grange Hill) his opinions tend to carry more weight than an ordinary parent. This is obviously unfair, but it’s something that Michael Doyle manages to use to his advantage and the teachers seem unable or unwilling to challenge this state of affairs.

The episode ends with a rather nice shot of a tearful Penny vowing to get even with Doyle. This is another plot-line that’s clearly not over yet.