Written by Margaret Simpson.  Tx 20th February 1987

It’s a nice touch that Calley’s interest in horoscopes (first mentioned during series eight) is referenced again here.  Often, character traits are mentioned once or twice and then forgotten about (Ziggy’s love of spiders for example).  Calley is gearing up to produce radio horoscopes (although she’s more than a little reluctant to read them out herself) whilst Vince is keen as mustard to start broadcasting.

His slot – wonderfully titled Savage Sounds – doesn’t start until ten past one and since he comes bursting in at 8:45, Freddie has to gently tell him that he’s just a little early.  A little preparation is required, but possibly not four and a half hours.

Zammo and Jackie’s secret engagement doesn’t stay secret for very long since Jackie can’t resist wearing her engagement ring.  That she’s being so public infuriates Zammo, but if he didn’t want people to know, then why bother to get engaged at all?  Why not wait until they’ve left school?

Jackie’s deliciously blatant in making sure everybody clocks her ring.  She doesn’t quite wave it under their noses, but it’s close.  Meanwhile Zammo sits next to her, twisting his hands and looking less than delighted.  Oh dear.  But the best is yet to come – as their happy news is broadcast over the airwaves for everybody to hear.  Zammo’s not at all happy when this happens, and neither is Robbie (whose relationship with Zammo has changed from hero worship during series eight to simmering antagonism now).

And how well does Banksie take the news?  Well, he’s biting his leather jacket, so I think we can assume he’s not going to be the first to shake their hands.  Miss Booth later articulates what most people (both staff and pupils) are probably thinking.  “It makes me want to cry just to think about it. They’re kids, they haven’t even started to live yet”.  Unsurprisingly everybody wonders if Jackie’s pregnant, but that’s not the case – these two crazy kids just seem to love each other … or think they do.

We’ve not seen Harriet for a while (a shame I know).  She makes a brief appearance here as Robbie, still reeling from the news about his sister and Zammo, seeks solace with the donkey.

Mr Scott’s latest science lesson with N3 seems to be going a good deal more smoothly now that Imelda is no longer part of the school community.  Everybody seems to be listening to him, well everybody except Trevor who’s attempting to get Vince to reveal the location of his secret den.

Not even Mrs McClusky can object to Calley’s horoscopes (since they offer such nuggets as “make sure your homework is handed in on time”).  Unfortunately some of the later ones go a little awry as the wrong introductory music means that they end up rather jumbled (Aquarius read out as Capricorn for example).  Ziggy was the unwitting recipient of a specially composed horoscope, designed to bolster his confidence ahead of his human fly act.

But Ziggy has a plan, one which means he doesn’t have to risk his neck.  He plans to do a Harold Lloyd and only pretend to scale the building – he plans to nip round the back of the building, dash up the fire escape and emerge on the roof – to receive the tumultuous applause that he no doubts believes is no more than his due.

But his scheme seems to have gone awry after he coolly informs the waiting crowds that he’s already planted his banner.  Since they can’t see it, it’s not surprising that they have trouble believing him.  Gonch and Trevor (unlikely bedfellows) are just preparing to duff him up when Mr Bronson comes haring round the corner, banner in hand, wondering why he saw it floating down from the assembly hall roof.  Ziggy’s delighted – even Mr Bronson’s anger doesn’t deflect from the fact that the others are not only silenced but are forced to pay up.

A slight damp squib of an ending then, in an episode which – Zammo and Jackie apart – feels curiously empty.

Written by Margaret Simpson.  Tx 17th February 1987

The pupils of Grange Hill have been allowed to have their say about the burning events of the day.  Sadly, most of the recordings aren’t really primetime radio material (Mr Bronson wears a wig, school custard isn’t great, etc) but a few voices do stand out.

One of them is Fay, who’s unhappy about the inflexibility of the closed report system (no doubt she’s thinking that her dalliance with Mr King might affect her future employment prospects).  The others – Banksie, Laura, Julie, Cheryl – listening back to the recordings agree, although Banksie seems a little more interested in nuzzling Laura.  It’s been something of a whirlwind romance …

Freddie interviews Mrs McClusky.  It’s not exactly a meeting of equals, as Freddie is flustered (partly due to technical problems) whilst Mrs McClusky gives a very domineering and Thatcheresque performance.  She’s patience personified as Freddie fumbles through his questions (her sympathetic smile might be an indication that she’s hardly been tested).   His final question relates to closed reports, but she effortlessly manages to bat off his feeble points.  Reacting to his comment that the files are secret, she sweetly disagrees.  “I prefer the word confidential”.

Fay later accurately suggests that Freddie’s questions weren’t really at fault, it was more to do with the fact that Mrs McClusky – a skilled politician – is well able to avoid answering anything she doesn’t want to.  If the pupils are going to get anywhere then their methods will have to change.

Margaret Simpson’s script harks back to the early eighties, a time when Mrs McClusky ruled Grange Hill with an iron fist and ruthlessly crushed any sign of dissent quickly and effectively.  Her fury when she realises that her comments have been cut up and distorted is highly characteristic of those early days.

But did Freddie and the others really believe that they could recut her interview in a less than flattering light and she’d simply let it pass?  It seems a little naïve if so.  Wise old Mr Mackenzie tells the sixth-formers that broadcasting their message of dissent over the airwaves for all the school to hear wasn’t sensible, whereas writing a reasoned, well-argued report would be more likely to bear fruit.

Zammo and Jackie are discussing getting engaged.  Banksie is a silent – and moody – observer to their intimate chit-chat.  Since he’s now involved with Laura you may have assumed that he’s over Jackie, but given his doomy countenance I don’t think that’s the case.

The arrival of Mr Bronson in the sixth form common room – deputising for an absent Miss Partridge – doesn’t help to perk Steven Banks up.  His choice of a work experience position (a garage) differs somewhat from what he’s been offered (working in a school for handicapped children).  Julie’s going to the same school – Hazelrig Road –  a piece of news which doesn’t cheer him up, although this is nothing personal.  Banksie’s just in a typically scowly mood.

Mrs Reagan continues to pull faces whenever Laura mentions Banksie.  Is it his bad-boy image, the fact he drives a motorbike or that he’s several years older than Laura which is the main problem?  The bike appears to be the thing which upsets Mrs Reagan the most, but it may be that she’s simply using this as a convenient excuse (although motorbikes can be dangerous – especially the way that Banksie rides).

Danny makes an unexpected appearance.  He’s at home, waiting to travel up to Scotland for his first round of treatment.  Freddie and Julie ask him to record a message for the grand opening of Grange Hill’s radio station.

It seems that Cheryl’s morphed into the departed Janet.  This episode she chides Roland about his unhealthy eating habits – a bar of chocolate for breakfast – and suggests he goes on a sponsored diet.  Mind you, she finishes by saying that if he did lose a few pounds then she might fancy him, something which we never heard from Janet.  Roland pulls a speculative face at this titbit of information.

Ziggy’s plan to scale the highest building in the school and plant a banner is ongoing.  He asks Robbie to paint him a banner proclaiming that ‘Ziggy Greaves Was Here’ (not sure why, since Ziggy is a remarkably self-confident sort of chap, convinced that he can do anything himself).  Ziggy’s not too pleased with Robbie’s effort – he tells him that he’s misspelt ‘Woz’ as ‘Was’.  The fact they’re using Miss Booth’s materials without her permission spells inevitable trouble.  When they hear footsteps, they dash for the nearest cupboard but sadly forget to take the banner.  ‘Ziggy Greaves Was He’ is therefore left in full view, forcing Ziggy to attempt to extract it without Miss Booth and Mr Kennedy noticing.

Do they succeed?  Of course not.  Miss Booth sets them an appropriate punishment – they have to clear up the art room later.  Naturally they use this time to also craft a second banner (which is now painted on cloth, more sensible than the paper they initially used).  So all is well.  Well apart from the blocked sink and the inevitable comedy consequences which occur.  And at the worst possible moment Miss Booth walks in.  Oops.

Written by Barry Purchese.  Tx 13th February 1987

Again, you have to wonder exactly what Ant’s getting out of this trip. He has to spend his nights hiding on the boy’s barge (clearly breaching the girl’s one would have been a step too far) so he’s not close to Georgina.  And since she tends to spend her days with the others (and there’s usually a teacher or two around as well) there seems to be few opportunities from them to grab any time together.

At the start of this one he’s somewhat dismayed to find that he can’t sneak away first thing in the morning as the barge has floated away from its mooring.  So he has to hide in one of the toilets, which comes as a surprise to the others ….

Meanwhile, how are our intrepid foursome of Gonch, Trevor, Ziggy and Robbie faring? They made it to the tent and stuck it out through the night, although neither Gonch or Robbie slept at all (they were too frightened by the sounds they could hear outside).  Trevor and Ziggy clearly had less imagination as they slept soundly, but now the time has come to confront their fears.  And they turn out to be … sheep.

I guess you can say that these episodes are somewhat low on the excitement scale.  Also, it’s slightly unbelievable that Mr Scott, who’s been keeping an eye on them, had a tent pitched up very close by.  It might have been dark when they reached their tent the previous evening, but surely they would have spotted that they weren’t alone?  Mr Scott continues to be a transformed man – far removed from the pushover he was at school.  Does this mark the start of a new chapter, or will he regress once he’s back in the corridors of Grange Hill?

The boys are irked that the girls are getting friendly will some local boys.  This inevitably leads to several battles – one of which involves Ziggy stuck up a tree and Freddie yet again bemoaning the fact that his clothes have been ruined.

Mr Scott remains the life and soul of the party.  He digs out a guitar and leads everybody into a somewhat tuneless version of Yellow Submarine.  But while this cacophony is occurring, somehow Freddie is having a doze on his bunk.  But, oh no, the gas has been left on.  Will somebody discover him in time or will he die horribly?  I wonder.  Possibly more interesting is that the others decide to run through the Beatles songbook – next on their torture list is Help although they then decide that Buddy Holly (Oh Boy) deserves their attention as well.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Banksie and Laura seems to have developed off-screen.  Her mother is far from happy that she’s tarted herself up – presumably for his benefit.  As we’ll discover during the remainder of series ten, Mrs Reagan is not a great admirer of Steven Banks.

Mr Scott’s impressive aura already seems to be dissipating.  He tells the others that there’s a hot disco in town – which turns out to be a hop held in the church hall.  “Once a wally, always a wally” mutters Trevor sagely.

Written by Barry Purchese.  Tx 10th February 1987

The pupils are en-route to begin their half-term canal boat adventure.  Their journey is illustrated by a brief shot of two mini-buses bombing down the motorway whilst they all enthusiastically sing The Chicken Song (although it quickly descends into la, la, la, as nobody seems to remember the words).

Freddie’s going to be a problem.  He’s commandeered one of the two toilets and turned it into a wardrobe for his incredibly diverse collection of clothes.  Since all he really needs are jeans, a sweater and a comfortable pair of boots, there’s no sensible reason for him to have brought so many expensive togs.  I fear it’s going to be a long week with him on board ….

Mr Kennedy offers a short homily about canal boat safety.  But with the likes of Ziggy, Robbie and Trevor standing by the quayside, this week seems like an accident waiting to happen.  A slight moment of dramatic tension is introduced when we observe a stranger lurking in the bushes, watching the departing boats.  Our mystery man pops up several times throughout the episode, his hand constantly pulling back the bushes – all the better to spy.

Freddie is the first to be allowed to steer the boat, something which irks Ziggy no end.  And why are all the children wearing life jackets but Mr Kennedy and Mr Scott aren’t?  Given the lectures we’ve already had on safety, this seems more than a little remiss.  Fay’s ginormous camcorder is a sign of the times (today you’d probably get better picture quality on a phone).

The relationship between Laura and Banksie was one which I didn’t see coming.  It begins here.  Freddie and Julie want to head out for an evening stroll but Mrs Reagan tells them that they need at least three in their party.  Georgina agrees to go along and Mrs Reagan then corrals an unwilling Banksie to join them. Laura (tiring of Julia’s constant sniping about Freddie) also decides to join them.

But for once, Freddie had an ulterior motive which didn’t involve canoodling with Julie.  The mystery man lurking in the bushes turns out to be Ant (so those brief moments of tension didn’t last long) meaning that Freddie’s turned cupid in order to reunite Georgina and Ant.  Quite why Ant would want to traipse all this way (he’s been seeing Georgina regularly anyway) is slightly baffling and the possibility that his attempt to stowaway will be successful seems to be rather on the low side.

Banksie places an arm around Laura’s shoulders but their interaction goes no further at the moment.  But the fact she doesn’t shrug it off or look askance at him tells its own story.

Ziggy’s a terrible cook.  This is another of those obvious moments – after his proud boast that he would be able to knock them up a tasty meal with no trouble, it would have been more of a surprise had he actually delivered something edible.  Mr Kennedy is once again cast in the role of the long-suffering onlooker – viewing the devastation wreaked in the kitchen with dismay.  Luckily Roland’s on hand to save the day with a cauliflower cheese (although Mr Kennedy did earlier on ask him to keep an eye on Ziggy, something which he rather failed to do).  I guess you can say at present that the interest levels in these various plotlines are quite low.

Mr Scott is also a member of the trip, but the kind-hearted Mr Kennedy decided to stow him far away from the third year boys.  No doubt he quickly began to regret this, since it means that Mr Kennedy has to bear the brunt of their idiotic behaviour.  Jeffrey Kissoon is excellent as the increasingly harassed teacher.

Freddie (ironically dubbed ‘Johnny Cool’ by Gonch) turns out to be an industrial strength snorer, which rather obviously dents his romantic lover image.  A trip to the farm isn’t a highlight for him either – he’s dressed in his snazziest clothes, there’s mud and water around, do I really need to go on?

Gonch and Ronnie have their first argument, although since they’ve only just become an item (on screen at least) this doesn’t carry a great deal of weight.  She’s irked that Gonch and Trevor take it in turns to steer the girl’s barge (she’d agreed that only Gonch could do so).  That Gonch still likes to lark about with the boys (Trevor has now completely shook off his briefly held bully persona) shouldn’t really have come as any surprise to her though.

Mr Kennedy, now incandescent with rage at the boys, decides that Robbie, Ziggy, Trevor and Gonch should go camping – but first they have to start from the middle of nowhere and find their tent.  And if they don’t discover it then they’re likely to have a long, cold and hungry night.  Mr Scott explains the rules to them – here he’s far removed from his earlier, hesitant school-based persona.

It’s a bit of a con of course, the teachers are monitoring them from a distance, but it’s mildly entertaining nonetheless.  A pity that they couldn’t film at night though (instead we have a night filter placed on the camera). The episode ends with one of the barges genty floating downstream at night …

Written by Margaret Simpson.  Tx 6th February 1987

Gonch is back and bearing gifts.  They’re mostly for Ronnie – earrings, a scarf and first of all a bunch of flowers.

Mr Glover pops up for the first time this year.  He’s his usual charmless self and today is baffled as to why everybody’s raising money for Danny.  As one of the more anti-social members of the school community he wonders why anyone would waste their time on him (he doesn’t quite come out and say it wouldn’t matter if he lived or died, but that seems to be his general drift).

Besides, he believes all these extra-curricular activities are getting in the way of Grange Hill providing their pupils with a decent education.  This is a not unreasonable point (in this episode Freddie seems to live in the radio room, so quite how he’s managing to do his schoolwork is a mystery) but Mr Glover doesn’t seem to comprehend that the school should also operate as a community. When it does, then it can teach important life sessons.

As a businessman he seems to embrace the Thatcherite ideal that there’s no such thing as society.  Everybody should look out for themselves and the weak are presumably left to perish.  No wonder that Julia rolls her eyes rather delightfully at this latest diatribe.

Gonch isn’t the only returnee as Laura’s back after a long absence.  Although Gonch’s absence was scripted – Laura’s presumably just been hanging around the school always just out of shot.

As a recovering addict, it’s possibly not surprising that Zammo’s become a master of manipulation.  He wants Jackie to come with him to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting during half term.  This means she would miss the canal trip – but this is all the better in Zammo’s eyes, as he doesn’t like the thought of her and Banksie being stuck together for a week on the same barge.  So is Zammo being sincere when he tells her that he needs her moral support during this difficult period or does he simply not want to risk that she might restart her relationship with Banksie?  If it’s the latter then he’s clearly not a trusting person ….

It was already hinted at last time, but Gonch’s return has something of a destabilising effect.  Hollo finds himself a little sidelined as Gonch is now spending more time with Ronnie than he is with him.  Vince is put out that Hollo shares the secret of their underground secret den (he might want to bring Ronnie – a girl! – back there) whilst even Calley exchanges a brief look with Hollo that suggests she’s not terribly happy with the current situation either.  Although to be fair to Calley she’s much more understanding than Hollo is.

Banksie attempts once more to win Jackie back, but with the same lack of success.  And his face falls even further when she tells him that she’s not going on the canal trip after all (Gonch will be taking his place) as instead she’ll be accompanying Zammo to Narcotics Anonymous.  Poor Banksie, his plaintive cry of “oh why don’t you like me?” after Jackie leaves the common room would surely melt even the hardest of hearts.

Donkey watch.  A Harriet free episode, hurrah!

And so we bid farewell to Imelda.  After her violent antics in the previous episode she leaves in a much more low-key way.  After yet another classroom disagreement she sinks to the floor and refuses to move.  So the passing Mr Mackenzie clears the room and tells her that he can wait there all day until she decides to get up by herself.  Mrs McClusky decides expulsion is the only answer and asks Mr Glover, who’s popped by to harangue her about various matters, to sanction it.  The way his eyes light up make it clear this is something he’s more than happy to do!

We meet Mrs Davis (Marcia King) for the first and last time.  Although it’s recently been revealed that Imelda meets with an educational psychologist we’ve not (unlike Roland) been privy to any of those meetings.  Therefore Imelda’s always remained an unfathomable character.

Will Mrs Davis provide any pointers as to why her daughter is the way she is?  Well Mrs Davis is a little brassy and, to begin with, unconcerned.  She knows that her daughter is (at best) naughty but presumably considers that it’s the school’s problem, not hers.  Only when Mrs McClusky tells her that Imelda will have to leave and possibly attend a special unit (for children like Imelda “who are a little disturbed and have difficulty fitting in”) does she react.  Mrs Davis curls her lip at this.  “You teachers. The labels you put on people”.

Mr Kennedy wishes Imelda all the best as she leaves, but characteristically she doesn’t respond. Therefore she remains an enigma right until the end.

Written by Margaret Simpson.  Tx 3rd February 1987

I do believe Mr Bronson is human after all.  Spying Banksie walking to school he offers him a lift in his car.  Banksie initially refuses, but Mr Bronson isn’t taking no for an answer and eventually the boy agrees.  The teacher listens sympathetically to the reason why he no longer brings his motorbike to school (left outside in the street it’s liable to get knocked about) and decides that if it was left in the carpark then it would be safer.

All this and apologising for accusing him of wrecking his car too.  I wonder what’s caused this sudden sea change, could it be Danny’s illness?  There’s certainly a much more conciliatory air about Mr Bronson at present – witness the way he organises a lunchtime meeting to consider ways they can raise funds for Danny’s family.

It’s strange though to see him stripped of his usual arrogance as it’s such a defining character trait.  Without it he’s curiously vulnerable – this is most evident when he’s standing outside the assembly hall, fretting that his meeting will be poorly attended.  The reason?  Everybody’s attending a rival meeting organised by the pupils in the radio room.

His sudden cheerleading for Danny doesn’t go down well with everyone – most notably Miss Booth, who’s in something of a stroppy mood anyway.  She’s not pleased with Mr Bronson’s sudden adoption of Danny as Grange Hill’s favourite son and she’s even less delighted when Mr Kennedy takes over editorial control of the radio station.  Her bad day continues when Ziggy tells her she’s not welcome at their meeting (although it’s plain he doesn’t speak for the others).

Ziggy’s in a rather arrogant mood, which isn’t like him.  He declares that he’ll raise funds for Danny by scaling the highest building in the school and planting a banner (shades of Tucker J).  But before he can get started he needs money for the banner and a safety harness, meaning that his capital outlay makes it hard to imagine he’ll end up making that much money.  And whilst he claims to be doing it all for Danny, it seems to be more about Ziggy’s lust for glory.  As I said, a tad unusual.  He does manage to get some money from the others though, a point which will become important later ….

Imelda, it may not surprise you to learn, is still causing trouble.  It’s serious this time though as she gets involved in a classroom scrap which results in a bloody nose for Ronnie and general mayhem.  An unusual high shot gives us a bird’s-eye view of this short, but explosive piece of action.

Mr Scott’s not present (he’d already hightailed it out to find Mr Kennedy).  The older teacher doesn’t seem terribly pleased to be called, which no doubt only serves to fray Mr Scott’s already shattered nerves some more.  So Imelda is removed from class for the day with the warning that she’s well on the way to being suspended – something which appears to fill her with complete indifference.

Banksie and Jackie – separately  – take the opportunity to bend Fay’s ear.  Banksie’s wondering if he should go on the forthcoming canal trip as he can’t bear being close to Jackie if she’s still not speaking to him.  Jackie meanwhile is ruminating on her reactivated relationship with Zammo.  Fay, who’s been frantically studying all year, possibly isn’t too bothered about either of their tangled love lives but is too polite to say so.

It’s very odd to see Calley, Ronnie and Hollo together as they’re not a natural trio.  The reason quickly becomes clear as the girls have news – Gonch is due back soon.  But that’s not all – he and Ronnie are an item and have been for a while.  Hollo is unbelieving, surely Gonch would have shared this news with his best friend?  A surprising revelation that’s for sure and it’s a little odd that it’s not been mentioned before.

Donkey watch.  Helen is clearly very fond of Harriet (nothing else could excuse the baby talk she indulges in) whilst Imelda is much less so.  We can tell that Imelda’s a rotter by the way that she kicks the donkey, although this does have an ulterior motive.  She wants Ziggy’s money, which he’s hidden in Harriet’s stable ….

Written by Rosemary Mason.  Tx 31st January 1987

Mr Griffiths isn’t happy with the piles of bottles which are accumulating around the school.  “Mark my words they’ll be broken bottles and tears”.  This point is made seconds later after Mr Bronson reverses his car into a crate of bottles and smashes them.  Oh dear.

The radio room is taking shape.  I daresay that if this episode was repeated today then they’d probably pixilate the prominent poster of Dave Lee Travis.  The common room posters of Gary Davies and Bruno Brookes would be acceptable though.

Ant make his latest appearance, today he’s walking Georgina to school.  He’s not changed since he was a GH pupil – He’s still the same sullen, stroppy person that we grew to love (or not) last year.  It hasn’t taken him long to find his new school as tiresome as his old, although since there’s no Mr Bronson there it’s unclear what his problem now is.

Mrs McClusky stands for no nonsense as she quietens down the rowdier third-formers who are carousing through the corridors.  “I said walk, Trevor Cleaver, not stand still and smirk”.

Mr Scott continues to be a forlorn figure.  His body language as he sits in his orange Mini makes it plain that he’s continuing to fight his nerves.  The way that Mr Kennedy is suddenly revealed at his window comes as a surprise both to him and the audience.  Mr Kennedy makes the point that it’s better if he’s in the classroom before the pupils arrive (he made the same suggestion some time ago) but it seems that it doesn’t work.  Nothing seems to work, which is why he continues to flounder.  Given that Imelda is his main problem (something which is acknowledged by Mr Kennedy) is does seem a little mean that a green, young teacher has been gifted her.

Imelda might be an isolated figure – despised by all her classmates – but she still continues to rule the roost.  But there are signs that they’ve all lost their patience with her (and indeed with Mr Scott) which means that the teacher has to endure the sight of his pupils attempting to restore order, when of course it should be his job.

The question of closed profiles continues to rumble on.  The likes of Freddie and Danny aren’t particularly happy – Danny wonders what would happen if a teacher, who didn’t care for a pupil, decided to write something inaccurate or defamatory.  What checks and balances are in place?  Mr Bronson can’t really answer this and since Danny’s illness became public he’s had to tread somewhat softly with him (which is possibly the reason why he’s now singled out Banksie for special treatment.  Mr Bronson clearly always has to have someone he can needle).

Having earlier given Mr Scott a pep talk, Mr Kennedy then moves onto Mr Bronson.  The older teacher laments Danny’s illness (“young potential wasted”) which surprises Mr Kennedy, who naturally enough believed that Mr Bronson had little time for the boy.  Mr Bronson offers this in reply.  “It is often the most gifted of pupils who kick against the system. It doesn’t make the system wrong or the pupils not worth bothering about”.  A rare insight into the way Mr Bronson’s mind works o a desperate attempt to justify his previous actions?

Hollo and Vince decide that the bottle money should go to Danny Kendal’s fund whilst Ziggy and Robbie continue to attempt to crack the girl’s secret code.  This involves the pair hiding in the hay of Harriet’s stable in order to overhear their conversation.  This is such a brilliant scheme it’s hard to imagine anything going wrong.

Oh wait, this is Ziggy and Robbie we’re talking about, the pair who spent last year atempting – and failing – to gain revenge over Imelda on a weekly basis so of course their great plan is doomed.  It wasn’t too clever for Ziggy’s foot to be sticking out of the hay.

The radio is now set up for a test transmission.  Mr Bronson views the set-up with disfavour and is not backwards in coming forwards to say so.  He can’t resist flicking a few switches and impatiently ignores Miss Booth’s admonition (“I’m not a complete idiot”).  Those are fatal words as you know that the microphone will now be live and their private conversation will be broadcast around the school.  This mainly involves Mr Mackenzie jibing Mr Bronson about the scandal which exists between him and Harriet.  The mind boggles …..

Calley, Ronnie and Jane gain revenge over Imelda.  It’s noticeable how Jane this year has moved back into the centre of things having sat out a large part of the previous series.  And whist the girls are getting messy, Danny’s inspirational message continues to be broadcast around the school.  But the sting in the tale is that his message was recorded as Roland discovers when he finds an unconscious Danny on the radio room floor.

This is the cue for an unusual end credits sequence as the scene of the ambulance arriving and everybody staring anxiously plays out as the titles roll and Chicken Man plays.

Written by Rosemary Mason.  Tx 27th January 1987

You have to feel a little sorry for Banksie.  After pursuing Jackie for the last few years he finally got his wish – as they became an item – only for her to now dump him without a word.  At the end of the last episode we saw him discover the truth (he angrily wobbled away on his motorbike).

He’s back on his bike at the start of this one, as he catches up with Jackie on the way to school.  It seems that Jackie hasn’t even told him it’s over to his face (and since she’s clearly been pining for Zammo all this time, possibly she was never interested in him in the first place anyway).

This means that Banksie’s not in the best of moods so when he’s subjected to one of Mr Bronson’s “You boy!” he reacts in a typically truculent manner.  This is the first “You boy!” we’ve heard in a while – nice to have it back on the school timetable again.  Mr Bronson isn’t happy that Banksie’s brought his bike into school (motorised transport driven by pupils is strictly forbidden on school grounds) whilst Banksie’s clearly not pleased at being spoken to as if he was a small child.

But Mr Bronson’s main interests are elsewhere.  He’s very irked (to put it mildly) that Danny threw his diary into the fishpond (Danny’s response is that he won’t need it anymore).  This scene is shot behind Mr Bronson – we see Danny through the crook of Mr Bronson’s arm – which is an usual framing device (normally GH tends to be rather plainly directed with few interesting flourishes).  The meaning behind Danny’s statement isn’t spelled out, so for now we remain in the dark.

We meet Mr Kendall (Chris Saunders) who’s come to the school ostensibly to talk about the radio scheme but he – like Mrs McClusky – also wants to discuss Danny.  Rather embarrassingly they’re at complete cross-purposes.  She believes that he’s going to confirm that Danny’s on drugs – well he is, but only because he’s very ill.  It seems more than a little foolhardy to suggest to a parent that their son is a drug addict without any firm proof.

Roland, Danny’s instant best new friend, happens to be eavesdropping outside the office and hears everything.  Treatment is available – via a special unit in Aberdeen – but it will incur costs, so Roland immediately heads off to do a spot of fundraising.  So in an instant Danny has changed from being an enigma to some and an irritation to others.  From this point on he’s the recipient of sympathy from all.  Even Mr Bronson.

Mr Scott’s registration period remains a battleground.  Today Imelda mercilessly teases Ronnie about her unrequited passion for the teacher.  This is illusionary of course (we’re not heading down the Fay/Mr King road anytime soon) but it helps to keep the pressure stoked up.  A non-verbal signifier of Mr Scott’s continuing discipline problems can be seen on the blackboard, which is covered with scrawled messages (remarkably none of them are rude).

Banksie continues to carry his black mood into Miss Partidge’s lesson.  A spot of role-play allows him to articulate his anger at being cast aside by Jackie (a bad move that Miss Partridge elected to pair the two of them together in an exercise which cast him as a surly waiter and her as a customer).  And if this doesn’t entertain then you can always just sit back and admire the jumpers worn by the extras.

Roland’s transformation from an outsider and misfit (seen during 1982 to 1984) to a rounded member of the school community (from 1985 onwards) continues here.  He’s passionate about the radio station – partly because he thinks it’s a good idea but mostly because he wants to fulfil Danny’s wish – and his gift of the gab means he’s able to blag some free cable from a local electrical shop.

He marshals some of the others – such as Robbie and Ziggy – into helping, although things don’t quite go the way they should have done.  Some runaway cable provides a limp comedy moment which comes complete with a prat-falling milkman.  And then it turns out that they took the wrong cable, although it’s hard to blame them for this mistake as surely one lot of cable would look pretty much like another.

Grange Hill are collecting bottles, so Vince and Hollo decide to pick up as many as they can.  Remember what I said about their largely excitement free plotlines?  I miss Gonch.

Donkey watch.  This was shaping up to be a Harriet-free episode, but no she makes a brief appearance at the end as a stroppy Imelda lets her roam free.  It looks as if Harriet was responsible for damaging Mr Bronson’s car but he decides (with no evidence) that Banksie was responsible.  We’ve been here before with Mr Bronson jumping to conclusions ….

Mr Bronson enters the sixth form common room just as Banksie demonstrates his unique way of dealing with dirty coffee mugs – he throws it against the wall, smashing it to pieces (“now no-one will have to wash it up, will they?”)  Mr Bronson doesn’t like that. “You, vandal! My car and now this!”  The truth later comes to light as he spies a large pile of donkey droppings by his car (weren’t they there before?).  “She will have to go” he mutters.  Yes please.

Written by David Angus.  Tx 23rd January 1987

Vince and Hollo continue their partnership, although it’s somewhat low on excitement.  Last time Vince, still smarting that Ziggy hadn’t paid back a pound he owed him, decided to steal his bag in retaliation.  Hollo, the peacemaker, returns Ziggy’s bag and gives Vince a pound (claiming it came from Ziggy, when in fact it was Hollo’s).  What the absent Gonch would have made of this cavalier attitude to money is easy to guess ….

Imelda continues to needle Mr Scott.  During registration she delights in playing her radio at full blast. Now that all her Terrahawks have deserted her, Imelda has Natasha (Patsy Palmer) for company. No doubt due to her later career (like many other Grange Hill students she ended up in Albert Square) Palmer is one of the most distinctive extras of this era.  Often seen lingering in the background and very occasionally granted the privilege of a line or two.

Relations between Imelda and Mr Scott then sink to a new low after she smashes a flask during his chemistry class.  This sort of destructive disruption isn’t something we’ve seen too often before (although the S1 Tucker Jenkins could be something of a handful during lessons) since the likes of Gripper seemed to play truant more often than they attended classes.

The fact that Imelda seems to have a decent attendance record is therefore a little noteworthy.  She clearly prefers to be in school causing trouble rather than pounding the streets with nothing to do.  The question is, how long can her behaviour be tolerated?

Ronnie asks Mr Kennedy if she can be moved to another class, but he’s somewhat noncommittal.  It would certainly solve the immediate problem for this class, but it would simply mean that the problem was elsewhere.  This may be why he’s not keen, but it’s also obvious that Imelda’s only really a problem in Mr Scott’s class. It’s not stated out loud, but both know that he’s the weak link.

After spending a few episodes as an unpleasant bully, Trevor seems to be regressing back to his usual buffoonish persona. He crows to Ziggy and Robbie that he picked more score draws than they did on the last pools coupon (Trevor’s gang of unsmiling hangers-on also appear to have disappeared).

Mr Kennedy’s convinced that Danny’s recent strange behaviour could be drugs related. Eh? He says that the parallels between Danny this year and Zammo last year are obvious, but I’m not seeing them. Mr Bronson rules out drugs – to him, Danny’s the same as he’s always been. “Moody, willful, insolent”. He’s not a fan then.

Julia’s not happy that Freddie’s ignoring her in favour of Julie.  And Julia being Julia, she tends to express this in a slightly whiny way.  Clearly she hasn’t yet realised that she’s well shot of him (there’s only one person who Freddie loves – and that’s Freddie himself).

Speaking of Natasha and her occassional allocation of lines, as we were earlier, she gets one in this episode. Slightly oddly she’s talking to Julia (generally third and second years wouldn’t mix – we’ve never seen them together before that’s for sure) and she offers Julia this sage advice, re Freddie. “I don’t think he’s worth it, you should forget about him”. Classic stuff, as is the way that Natasha looks longingly at Freddie even after she’s just slagged him off!

Radio Grange Hill hits a small snag when it becomes apparent that several hundred pounds will be needed in order to install the free equipment in order to get it up and running. But Roland, who’s struck up an instant friendship with Danny, has some ideas.

Zammo continues to teeter on the edge. Last time his meeting with his old druggy friends was innocent – this time it’s not. He’s able to fluently lie about it to Jackie though (deception is something he’s become very good at). He sits in the toilet, a packet of some unhealthy substance in his hand. Does he succumb? It’s not obvious, but Jackie – alone in the common room – is instantly aware that something’s up with him. This moment – slightly oddly – serves as the moment of their reconciliation.

Donkey watch.  Having clearly tired of annoying Mr Scott, Imelda now sets her sights on the unfortunate Harriet.  Imelda threatens to expose Mr Griffith’s donkey secret to Mrs McClusky which results in a frantic chase as Ziggy and Robbie desperately attempt to stop her.  I wonder if the audience were cheering her on though?!

Earlier Harriet was continuing to make loud donkey noises (which Mr Griffiths attempted to cover up by coughing loudly or blaming the heating). Hmm, much as I love George A. Cooper this is a storyline which tries the patience.

Eventually Mrs McClusky does discover Harriet in all her glory but decides that she can stay.  Maybe Mr Griffiths should have been upfront to begin with (it certainly would have saved us a few episodes worth of running about).  No matter, we got there in the end.

Written by David Angus. Tx 20th January 1987

We saw several times last year that Zammo appeared to have kicked his drugs habit, only for his (fairly transparent) lies to be quickly found out.  So when Jackie sees him handing over money to Howard and Doug she naturally thinks the worst.

Zammo – for once – is blameless, but convincing Jackie isn’t easy.  Although given that she and Zammo are no longer an item, neither should be that bothered about what the other thinks.  Except it seems inevitable they’ll get back together (had they not, it would have been something of a surprise) so this scene serves as evidence that Jackie – despite her previous polite indifference – still cares deeply for Zammo.

He’s more blatant, telling her that he can’t cope without her. But such obvious emotional blackmail doesn’t cut any ice with her. Not yet anyway …

Danny’s continuing to have regular swooning fits.  And still everybody is slow to react.  To be fair, the staff – with the notable exception of Mr Bronson – are beginning to wonder if something is wrong (although somebody really should have done something by now).  Unsurprisingly Mr Bronson simply believes the boy is displaying his usual inattentiveness and contempt for authority and places him on report.

Mr Scott’s hanging around the staffroom, five minutes after the bell has gone, clearly wishing he could be anywhere other than Grange Hill. You can’t blame him – since Imelda, sporting a portable(ish) radio is intent on causing trouble. And Mr Scott’s plaintive “not in here Imelda” isn’t going to cut any ice with her.

Mrs McClusky shows her human side by offering Zammo and Fay, revising for their resists in the library, some moral support. They’re both feeling a little low – as they’ve effectively dropped down a year they now feel isolated from the rest of the sixth-formers. Or maybe it’s just that both are still pining for their lost loves – Jackie and Mr King respectively.

Donkey Watch. Harriet isn’t the quietest of beasts (which the milkman – making his early round delivery – notices). Ziggy dreams of being a manure king – but unlike Gonch (who would have been concerned only making a profit) Ziggy plans to sell it in order to buy more food for Harriet. It’s the perfect circular solution.

Exercise is going to be something of a problem though, so Ziggy and Helen knock up a disguise.  What they come up with is very silly – never mind, just another fifteen episodes and we’ll be able to bid Harriet a fond farewell.  Mrs McClusky is somewhat surprised to discover a pile of dung on the path. I love the way that Mr Griffiths, walking beside her, casually looks up into the sky. Was anybody convinced by his suggestion that a very large bird was responsible? I don’t know, but it’s a nice comic moment.

Meanwhile Roland has suddenly turned into a remorseless hardman, casually blackmailing Mr Griffiths as if he’d had years of practice.  Having found out about Harriet, Roland uses his knowledge to force Mr Griffiths into finding them a larger common room.  Cue indignant spluttering from George A. Cooper as Mr Griffiths eventually realises he’s been outmanoeuvred and is therefore forced to accede to Roland’s request. But first he has to vent his feelings to Harriet. “Terrible thing blackmail. Once you give into it, they’ve got you”.

Now that Harriet is becoming more and more ubiquitous, surely it can’t be long before she’s discovered?  Well yes, but that’s not the end of the story …..

Written by David Angus.  Tx 16th January 1987

It’s been a while since we’ve observed Mr Bronson at work.  Unsurprisingly he still continues to rule his classes by fear – and today it’s the unfortunate Julia who has to shamefacedly admit that she’s made an error.  Mr Bronson stands close-by, twiddling a pencil whilst haranguing Julia about her general level of carelessness.

Danny’s had enough of this oppressive atmosphere and decides to make a break for it.  This is plainly connected to his – as yet – undiagnosed illness rather than just another example of his normal lack of disconnectedness.

I wonder what happened to Zammo and Jackie during the holidays?  Since they don’t seem to have seen each other, not a great deal, which is a slight oddity given the way we left them at the end of S9.  In the penultimate episode we saw that Jackie still cared deeply for him, she just couldn’t bring herself to attempt a visit.  Her position had softened considerably by the final episode but after that it appears that Steven Banks, for all his character faults, appealed to her as the steadier prospect.

So Jackie and Banksie are currently an item, although he – with his usual lack of self-esteem – complains that he never feels welcome whenever he goes to visit her family (although since they probably still remember the stock-car crash from 1985 that’s not too surprising).  There’s still a spark between Jackie and Zammo though, so everything seems set for a slow reconciliation between them.

Mr Kennedy, once again sharing his lunch with the pupils, is mildly intrigued by the prospect of Danny’s radio station.  He’s also able to lend a sympathetic ear to Louise’s concerns that she won’t be able to talk on a chosen subject for ten minutes.  Rather neatly, Louise decides to talk about her new family life.  This is a clever way of confirming that she’s now getting along fine with her aunt and uncle, but since it’s done during the course of a lesson it doesn’t feel like a forced question from one of her friends.

Although Mr Kennedy’s clearly a caring teacher, he doesn’t notice that Danny’s far from well during this lesson.  It’s hard to miss – his general wooziness and rapid blinking – so quite how this doesn’t get commented on is a slight mystery.  Freddie’s in the background wearing a concerned expression, but I’ve already got the feeling that this plotline has been stretched about as far as it can go.  Surely by now somebody would have spotted the signs?

Let’s check in with Operation Harriet.  After Mr Griffiths loads the donkey aboard his van, there’s no room for Robbie and Ziggy who are forced to run back to school.  At one point the boys hear a loud braying from the van (“well it’s not Griffiths is it?”) and dash over to investigate.  They pass a couple of bemused bystanders who I think were genuine passers-by rather than extras.  Some of the other baffled old-dears they pass might have been extras though, given the amount of head-shaking they do.

So none of them considered the possibility that a donkey might want to make donkey-like noises?  Okay.  Bear in mind that we’re only at episode five and Harriet doesn’t take her final bow until episode twenty, so we’ve got a long, long, way to go ….

Ant’s back.  He’s only visiting, although his visit takes him and Danny straight to Harriet’s stable.  Why did he decide to poke about in that particular shed?  Some sort of sixth sense?  I’m trying to be generous but the saga of Harriet is already beginning to wear a little thin.

Still, the sight of Mr Griffiths attempting to manoeuvre his van containing the donkey past Mrs Reagan’s netball team is a mildly amusing one.  That Harriet obligingly moves into the frame as Mr Griffiths is circling the playground was either a stroke of luck or a nicely directed moment.

For the second episode in a row we close on the four musketeers – Mr Griffiths, Robbie, Ziggy and Helen – although this time they’re toasting their success.  It’s as oddly directed as the previous episode closer though.  This time, Mr Griffiths and the others burble on for a few seconds about nothing (a brief spot of improvised chatter maybe?)

Written by David Angus.  Tx 13th January 1987

Trevor continues his hard man campaign.  He’s now attracted a posse of silent henchman who stand menacingly behind him as he carries out his low-level reign of terror.  The first example of this is when he attempts to rip Ziggy’s pools coupon.  Well I said it was low-level …..

Good old Mr Griffiths is on hand to stop things escalating, but he has an ulterior motive – he needs to inform Ziggy about the latest steps concerning Operation Harriet.  Ziggy needs his right-hand man – Robbie – involved and after some persuading the reluctant Mr Griffiths agrees.  Ziggy paints an attractive picture of Harriet to the uncomprehending Robbie.  “You’ll love her. Big ears, big teeth, hairy legs”.

Quite how Mr Griffiths has been able to sneak in several bales of hay with nobody noticing is a slight mystery and there’s a close shave when Mrs McClusky comes wandering past.  Cue comic innocence and spluttering from George A. Cooper.

Mr Scott’s attempt to take the register is once again scuppered by Imelda, although the rest of the class (apart from Ronnie of course) don’t help. This is followed by a brief scene of Robbie and Ziggy boisterously battering an unfortunate extra as they all rush down the stairs.  There’s something very early-Tucker like about this moment whilst it’s also noteworthy that the boys are characterised here in a non-verbal way (aggression) whilst the girls following them – Ronnie, Calley, Jane – proceed at a much slower pace and are articulate as they debate Imelda and the negative impact she has on their lessons.

The school magazine plotline from last year didn’t really develop, so it seems to have been quietly shelved in favour of a radio station.  In this episode it’s simply an embryonic idea suggested by Danny but since it clearly has the potential (like the magazine) to disseminate information that the staff would sooner not be made public, we’ll later see how it’s able to cover similar ground.

Quite why Danny – who loathes Grange Hill – would be keen to launch a radio station is a slight mystery.  But it’s easy to see why he wants to get his hands on the new GH staff handbook (he’s made it plain in the past that he regards the school as an organisation designed to crush and normalise the pupils).  But since it’s for staff only he’s going to be disappointed – unless somebody can somehow lay their hands on a copy …

Given that Mr Bronson would clearly be upset if they fell into the wrong hands, why did he entrust them to Vince and Hollo?  They’re reliable enough, but with tedious inevitability they run into Imelda who scatters them far and wide.  And wide enough so that Freddie can scoop one up.

The handbook – a synthesis of the differing approaches of Mr Bronson and Miss Partridge – doesn’t fill the rest of the staff with joy.  One of its purposes (no doubt this came from Mr Bronson) seems to be to increase the amount of paperwork.  As Mrs Reagan puts it.  “Who needs lessons when we can all enjoy ourselves filling in forms?”

Possibly Mr Bronson’s most contentious decision is to introduce pupil profiles (which naturally they won’t be able to see).  Both sides of the argument are then expressed.  Mr Bronson is adamant that the staff shouldn’t feel inhibited about what they decide to write about an individual pupil but the counter-argument is obvious – if the comments are fair then the teacher in question should have nothing to worry about by having the files read by pupils and parents.

It’s almost as if this has been designed deliberately to inflame relations between the staff and pupils.  Although it seems to be mainly Mr Bronson’s handiwork it clearly has the approval of Mrs McClusky.  This maybe shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise as whilst her authoritarian streak has been less pronounced in recent years, she’s never been hesitant in drawing a clear line between staff and pupils.

The episode ends with Mr Griffiths pointing at a map he’s painstakingly made, which shows the journey Harriet will have to take from the stables to the safety of the school.  No, I don’t know why he’s drawn a map either. Can he, Ziggy, Robbie and Helen pull this daring rescue operation off?  They all hurrah in a somewhat unconvincing way (not the most compelling end of episode moment ever) but we’ll have to wait and see.

Written by Barry Purchese.  Tx 9th January 1987

The cramped sixth form common room means that everybody seems to be getting on everybody else’s nerves, although Banksie is the one who’s picking up most of the flack.  No tea, dirty cups, a spoon left in the bag of sugar and used tea bags not put in the bin are the main bugbears.  He can’t be guilty of all of these crimes but he’s the quickest to react and angrily storms off.

So far so typical then.  But later, when Banksie’s alone in the room he admits to the recently arrived Miss Partridge that he was in the wrong – he just couldn’t bring himself to admit this in front of Zammo.  The simmering rivalry between them isn’t really developing at present though, mainly because Zammo’s not interested in fighting – he’s more concerned with knuckling down and passing his resits.

Banksie’s taking a CPVE course (completely pointless vocational education as he dubs it).  Although it’s teased out that this is something he feels faintly ashamed about (some might not see it as a “real” qualification) Miss Partridge is able to explain that it offers practical, real-world experience which he may find has a positive impact.  This ties back to her comments in the previous episode, where we saw her as an advocate of this type of teaching.  Fay and Zammo, by resitting their O Levels, are placed more in Mr Bronson’s camp – where ultimate success or failure is determined by your ability to deal with the pressure of exams.

Meanwhile Mr Scott is continuing to find class control a problem.  He only has a couple of rotten apples – Imelda and Trevor – but they’re enough to cause chaos and confusion.  A male/female bully partnership isn’t something we’ve seen in GH before, which makes it a little noteworthy.  It’s obvious that Imelda wears the trousers though, leaving Trevor content to trail in her wake.

The battle between Imelda and Mr Scott is something which develops during the first half of series ten.  Here, Imelda’s very much got the upper hand – totally unwilling to acknowledge Mr Scott’s authority – and had Mr Kennedy not entered the room (keen to speak to Imelda about another of her misdemeanours) then goodness knows how the situation would have escalated.  With Imelda temporarily removed, a semblance of peace is restored but it can’t be seen as any sort of victory for Mr Scott.  He shouldn’t feel too bad though, since Mr Kennedy isn’t able to make any headway with her either.

A later staff-room conflab between the two teachers sees Mr Kennedy attempt to raise Mr Scott’s spirits.  What the younger man is going through is something that they’ve all had to deal with – it’s just a case of getting through this first, difficult period.  Many of them, he’s told, felt utter failures during their first term, but they survived and prospered.

Chicken Man gets a rare mid-episode outing as Mr Griffiths eyes up a vacant shed on the school lot.  I wonder what he’s planning?  Hmm, do you think the booklet he’s reading (How To Look After and Care For Your Donkey) has anything to do with it?  Be warned, Harriet is coming ….

With Trevor and Vince no longer speaking, the forlorn Vince teams up with an equally bereft Hollo (who’s still waiting for Gonch’s return).  There’s another changing of the guard as the previously inseparable Robbie and Ziggy are briefly split up as Ziggy, Helen and Mr Griffiths get further involved in Operation Harriet.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen computers in the school (at one point they only seemed to own a single one!).  It’s not surprising that by the mid eighties they’ve become more widespread (colour monitors as well) but the computer class is partly just an excuse for Imelda to cause yet more trouble (“she’s completely crashed the memory”).

Ziggy also uses the class as an opportunity to destroy Imelda’s hitlist by feeding it into a dot matrix printer.  No, I don’t understand this either – the printer’s not a paper shredder – but since many people would still have been fairly computer illiterate at the time I think we can forgive them this slight touch of dramatic licence.

Today’s computer class is quite a productive one as Calley then accidentally hits on a new language – by substituting ‘Andrew’ and ‘Barry’ for any time ‘A’ or ‘B’ is included in a word, what appears to be gibberish can easily be decoded (provided you know the trick).

Miss Booth attempts to convince Danny that a mural on the wall of the local community centre would be a decent project to get involved in.  She dangles the carrot that they’d both be in charge, although he’s somewhat disbelieving on this score.  For a moment it seems as if he’s mellowed, but he’s still the same spiky individual underneath, unable to respond positively to anybody (at least not to begin with).  Why Miss Booth continues to indulge him (is he the only talented artist in the school?) is a curious point – possibly she sees art as the best opportunity he has to lead a fulfilling life (academically gifted he’s not).

Although as we’ll see, Danny’s story will develop in various unexpected ways during the next few years.  A little groundwork is done here as he tells Miss Booth that he’s a twin (or was) as his brother died when he was born.  All his life he’s carried a burden of guilt – he lived, his brother died – and this trauma has convinced him that he’ll always be a loner.

Written by Barry Purchese.  Tx 6th January 1987

As is usual with an opening episode, there are various arrivals and departures to be dealt with.  Freddie Mainwaring (Simon Vaughan) is an on-screen newcomer who quickly makes an impression.  He’s a supremely confident forth-former who thinks nothing of chatting up the sixth form girls.  He has his eye on Jackie but she seems less than impressed.  Julie is casting an interested glance his way though ….

As we’ve seen with other characters before, Freddie’s someone who’s been at Grange Hill for a while, he’s just never made it onto the screen.  So Freddie fancies Jackie who doesn’t seem interested in Zammo at present.  Jackie doesn’t fancy Freddie but Julie does (although Freddie is unaware of this) although he’s currently going out with Julia.  Meanwhile Banksie continues to fancy Jackie and, surprisingly, they’re together at present.  Got that?  Good.

Mr Baxter’s departure is explained to the audience in a slightly clumsy way.  Ziggy seems unaware that he’s left, leaving Robbie with the task of explaining that during the last assembly of term it was announced he would be departing Grange Hill to run a sports centre.  Since Ziggy was present, how has he forgotten this?  Was he asleep?  Possibly it would have been better if we’d been told that Ziggy wasn’t present when the original announcement was made, that way it wouldn’t have seemed such a gratuitous info-dump.

There’s a mixture of uniforms – both old and new – on show.  This is a realistic touch as it wouldn’t be credible, money-wise, if every parent had instantly shelled out for the new kit.  We’re told that everyone has until half-term to buy the new uniforms.

With Mr Baxter gone, Mr Bronson is the logical choice to fill the vacant position of deputy head.  Although with Miss Partridge as Head of Studies it’s plain right from the start that they approach the concept of teaching from very different positions.  For Mr Bronson it’s all about rigidity and discipline whilst Miss Partridge is more concerned about creating an atmosphere where the students can develop as individuals.  No doubt sparks will fly!

Mr Bronson is a three R’s man, ridiculing the laissez-faire attitudes of the past, where, he contends, basic concepts such as reading and writing were ignored.  Miss Partridge has a less rosy view of old-school (sorry) teaching methods.  Some things, like canes, are best consigned to history along with “learning pointless facts for useless tests which bear absolutely no relation to the world outside”.

The new sixth-form premises, a converted junior school, doesn’t meet with much approval – especially since most of the facilities are still pint-sized.  Banksie delights in wondering how Roland will manage on the very small toilets ….

We don’t see Zammo until we’ve become reacquainted with the other sixth-formers.  Given the fact that they don’t mention him it’s possible to surmise that he’s still going to be absent from school.  Therefore his sudden appearance in the common room comes as a jolt (which no doubt was intended).  The needle between him and Banksie (a running theme of S8 but virtually absent from S9) is restated here, but the new, clean, mellow Zammo isn’t interested in rising to his bait.

Gonch’s temporary absence (we’re told he’ll be away for a couple of months) has created a temporary power void which Trevor and Imelda are both keen to fill.  Had Gonch been a bully this would have been a little easier to understand (it’s hard to imagine either Trevor or Imelda indulging in any of Gonch’s money-making schemes).  Imelda has a score to settle with virtually everyone (she has a hitlist, with Ziggy’s name on top).

So whilst Imelda’s unchanged from last year (possibly a little worse) it seems that Trevor’s undergone something of a transformation. Up until now he’s been a fairly half-hearted bully at best (and virtually human at other times) but in this episode he’s rather unpleasant.  This is only a temporary blip though as he’ll revert back to his more unthreatening persona over time.  But for now he’s in bully-mode – and calls a truce with Imelda (this is confirmed by the way he leaves his former friend Vince in her delicate clutches)

Mr Scott (Aran Bell) has a baptism of fire as E3’s new form tutor.  We’ve seen teachers struggle before (Mr McGuffy, Mr Knowles) but usually it’s only been a temporary blip – within an episode or two they’ve managed to gain the respect of their pupils.  Mr Scott will have no such luck, as his struggle to maintain order plays out across the majority of series ten.  From his first appearance you can tell that he’s going to have a major job on his hands and Bell is good at showing Mr Scott’s anxiety (the way he clutches the timetable as well as his hesitancy and slight air of helplessness).  The wolfish grin that Imelda casts in his direction makes it plain that she’s going to delight in making his life a misery ….

Imelda still has the loyal Sharon to rely on (although not for much longer, as this rather undeveloped character will exit after the next episode) but where is Helen?  Georgina was the first of Imelda’s gang to leave and Helen is now the next.  At times last year it seemed that she wanted to break free but lacked the courage to do so.  Now she’s finally decided to do so.

It’s time for Harriet the donkey to rear her head again.  Mr Griffiths decides to hide the donkey on site as he can’t bear the thought that otherwise she might have to pay a visit to the glue factory.  Ziggy and Helen quickly become his loyal helpers (clearly Mr Griffiths has forgotten that he spent most of last year pursuing Ziggy for various misdemeanours – both real and imaginary).

Ziggy and Helen have a slightly rocky road before they see eye to eye – but eventually they bond over their mutual love of Liverpool FC.  Ziggy’s passion for his hometown team makes sense, but why is Londoner Helen a supporter?  Today, of course, nobody would bat an eyelid at this, but once upon a time it was considered bad form not to support your local team.  Although Ziggy seems more concerned that, being a girl, Helen obviously can’t know the first thing about the beautiful game.

Written by David Angus. Tx 1st April 1986

It’s been a while since Gonch has indulged in a money-making scheme, so it’s only right and proper that the Fun Run should offer him a chance to turn a tidy profit.  The series has been here before of course – back in 1984 – but this time Gonch is more interested in who won’t finish the race, rather than who’s going to win it (which seems to be a toss-up between those two titans of the track, Mr Kennedy and Banksie).

However, from early on we’re left with the feeling that Gonch and Hollo aren’t going to finish on top.  To begin with, Ziggy’s delighted to show them a letter he’s received from the Duke of Edinburgh (a real letter this time) inviting him to a gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall (presumably pop, since it’s hard to imagine Ziggy being enthused about an evening of classical music).  Quite why the Duke should wish to favour Ziggy is a slight mystery, but nobody said GH ever had to be true to life.

The Fun Run is an opportunity for some interesting fancy dress – most notably Mr Baxter as Wonder Woman.  That’s a combination I’d never thought I’d see.  This will turn out to be Mr Baxter’s last hurrah as during the first episode of series ten we’re told that he’d left to run a sports centre.  A slight pity that Michael Cronin’s eight years on the show wasn’t marked in some way, but possibly his departure was an unexpected one.

You may – or more possibly may not – be interested to learn that it seems Julia will be able to keep her ears pierced.  Hurrah!  It’s slightly odd though that another of her plotlines (sneaking off to buy tickets for a Phil Collins gig) never came to anything.

Ant’s set to move from Grange Hill to a private school.  But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of him, alas ….

Following on from the uncomfortable aura surrounding Zammo last time, there’s better news in this episode.  He’s not seen in person, but Jackie has visited him and seems encouraged by his progress.  Presumably it was felt that there should be some sort of happy ending between this series and the next, but it does mean that the drama of the previous instalment ends up being rather negated.

The Fun Run is low on tension or incident.  Banksie falls off his bike and grazes his knee.  Ouch!  Gonch twists his ankle and faces having to pay out a fortune to Ronnie if he doesn’t complete the course.  Imelda and her cronies sabotage Mr Glover’s bike in error (believing it to be Ziggy’s).

The brief and awkward meeting between Mr Bronson and Ant is nice though, offering us a quiet moment between the frenetic on-track action.  Michael Sheard, as ever, is excellent – for once Mr Bronson is conciliatory (telling Ant that he’s sorry to lose him) and it’s almost possible to believe that he means it.  But if that’s the case and he truly valued Ant’s ability as a student, why did he persecute him all year?

I like the way that Mr Griffiths’ concession to fancy dress is to sport a plastic hat whilst still wearing his brown overalls!  And glory be, at long last Ziggy and Robbie gain their revenge on Imelda.

Written by David Angus.  Tx 25th March 1986

Zammo is a hot topic of discussion for the others but luckily Trevor’s on hand to correct Vince’s wild flights of fancy.  It’s a notable touch that, not for the first time, Trevor belies his generally negative image (hectoring and aggressive) in order to pour cold water on Vince’s heated imaginings.  Zammo, Trevor tells him, isn’t in prison – instead he’s in hospital, receiving treatment for his problem.

We might not see him until later on, but Zammo remains on many people’s minds – most notably Jackie of course.  Having refused Miss Booth’s offer to accompany her when she visits him, Kevin and Roland later find her sobbing bitterly in the cloakrooms.  Having sent Roland on, Kevin then does his best to comfort her.

This is a scene that’s open to interpretation.  Jackie makes her feelings for Zammo plain (she can’t forget him, but neither can she face him at present) so is Kevin being a loyal friend to them both or does he have his eye on Jackie?  His suggestion that they could both go and visit Zammo together makes sense (as Jackie says, there’s less chance that the conversation would dry up with three people present) but it’s the way that he hesitatingly suggests that afterwards they grab a hamburger which may indicate that he’s keen to supplant his best friend.

When they exit the cloakroom he places a friendly hand around her shoulders. This could be seen as either a supportive gesture or a territorial move.  Banksie just happens to be passing and unsurprisingly favours the latter.  Having sat out most of this series it’s nice to have Steven Banks back.  Not only does he clash with Kevin (taunting him about Jackie) but he’s also keen to prove his superiority over Mr Kennedy.

This is the cue for a decent comedy scene as Mr Kennedy runs rings around him on the basketball court.  Margie Barbour employs a few unusual directorial flourishes here – incidental music (very rare for this era of the programme) and a freeze-frame after Mr Kennedy lands the killer blow.  So round one to Mr Kennedy, but Banksie is convinced that he’ll beat the teacher during the Fun Run (yes I know, a Fun Run isn’t a race, but try telling Banksie that …)

Ant’s plotline (he’s run away from home) can’t really be judged as one of GH’s successes.  For one thing, it’s far too short (it gets wrapped up here) and for another, the level of jeopardy is very low.  Since he’s still dressed in his school uniform he clearly didn’t think things through very deeply (something of a trait with him) and his time seems to have spent dossing down in an abandoned house.  The use of a real location does help a little though and there’s another well-crafted directorial moment when Ant later returns to the house.  A tramp has taken up residence, but the light levels are low enough to mask this fact until he starts to move and leer at the unfortunate boy.

Apart from that, the other highlight is that Ant attempts to steal an apple from a market barrow and fails.  As I said, not the most gripping of storylines so it’s a relief that the episode closes with Ant returning home.  Back at Grange Hill he, like Zammo, remains a hot topic of discussion.  We only see Mr Bronson very briefly in this one but it’s a telling moment – Mr Baxter taunts him about his treatment of Ant which leaves Mr Bronson, for once, somewhat discomforted.

Louise and Cheryl’s story is brought to a (fairly) happy ending, thanks to the arrival of their aunt, Harriet Dean (played by Carmen Munroe).  She and her husband are happy to move to London and take care of the family, but Cheryl (a devote of healthy eating) is somewhat appalled by her aunt’s fondness for fry-ups.  We never see Harriet again, so presumably we can interpret this scene as a comic one and not a suggestion that the forceful Harriet will make all their lives a misery.

Danny’s not best pleased that his design for a school logo – suitably adjusted – will soon be pressed into service.  Mrs McClusky’s sweetly delivered comment that it will happen whether he likes it or not is a typically delightful moment from Gwyneth Powell.  When Mrs McClusky is at her sweetest then you should be very afraid ….

There’s yet another slightly unusual touch as we see Miss Booth on her way to visit Zammo.  Whilst she’s driving her car en-route, the soundtrack jumps ahead to her discussion with Grace (Heather Emmanuel) a worker at the rehabilitation centre.   With the aid of some mugs, Grace is able to give a visual explanation of Zammo’s former addiction but the question remains, will he be able to stay off drugs?

He enters the frame, lingering in the background unseen by both of them, which sets up a moment of tension.  This quickly dissipates as he seems much more like his old self, but it’s clear that the road to recovery is going to be a long one.  Several times during series nine we’ve had false dawns – Zammo appeared to be recovered but wasn’t – so it seems right that we’re left with a strong sense that his future is far from certain.

As his cheerful façade slowly begins to crumble (changing the shot to a view of Zammo through a rainy window was presumably an on-the-day choice, but since it helps to hide his tears it’s a good one) Zammo’s isolation seems absolute.  The way that Miss Booth clearly wants to comfort him but doesn’t is yet another subtle moment from a quality episode.

Written by Barry Purchese. Tx 21st March 1986

Ant’s run away from home.  This was apparently on his mind after Mr Bronson vetoed his options, but as so often this year it’s a piece of information we learn after the event.  Mr Jones is naturally distraught and therefore gives Mr Bronson short shrift when he expresses his sympathy.

One interesting point.  Outside Mrs McClusky’s office is a poster which reads “Education – Cuts Don’t Heal”.  It can be seen several times during the year, although it’s never commented upon.

The school magazine has been quiet for a while, but now it cranks back into action with a campaign to save Miss Partridge.  It’s all been done without the consent of the staff obviously, and so it seems reasonable that it’s going to create a little strife.  But Mrs McClusky doesn’t mind – to the contrary it underlines just how much Miss Partridge is valued – it’s Miss Partridge herself who is somewhat irked to find her personal life a matter of public debate ….

Mr Glover and Mr Baxter have an entertaining confrontation.  Mr Glover is upset that Julia, against his wishes, has had her ears pierced.  Mr Baxter’s somewhat perplexed as to exactly what he was supposed to have done about it (especially since it happened during the lunchtime).

Mrs McClusky stands in for the departed Mr King and, against everybody’s expectations, apparently turns out to be a more than decent maths teacher (making the lesson come alive for N2).

But this episode mainly revolves around Zammo.  Once again he appears to be clean – telling Jackie that’s he’s finally kicked the habit.  He also opens up and explains why he started in the first place.  “It’s like, you hang around with a certain crowd, they’re all doing something, making a big deal out of it. One comes up to you and says ‘I dare ya’ but in a way they’re daring you not to, so you have a go and you hate it. But you keep on because you show them you can do it. But when you can do it, well that thing don’t matter anymore, all that matters is the next smoke”.

During this monologue the camera slowly closes on Zammo’s face and by the end he seems to have convinced Jackie, especially when he produces what appears to be his last wrap of heroin and flushes it down the sink.  It’s easily Lee Macdonald’s best scene this year (especially when you learn later than once again Zammo is lying).  Jackie’s tears of joy help to make it a touching moment, but the attentive viewer should by now be primed to expect a later reversal.

Zammo’s speech does leave a few unanswered questions (if, of course, it was anywhere near the truth).  The most obvious is why he fell in with this particular crowd in the first place.  A bunch of drug addicts would hardly seem to be the ideal friends for him – so what pushed him in their direction?

His apparently honest outpouring convinces Jackie to leave him alone, but we later learn that he’s stolen his mother’s cashcard (which had been well hidden) and is out somewhere on the streets.  The action then switches to a typically rundown block of flats (babies crying in the distance) where he views the devastation wrought on Howard’s front door with alarm.  With Howard picked up by the police, Zammo needs a new supplier (although it was never clear before that Howard performed this function) and luckily the fairly well-dressed Shane (David Fenwick) looks set to fill the void.  It’s reasonable to assume that Shane is happy to sell the drugs but not stupid enough to take them.

The last few minutes have to be amongst the series’ most iconic moments – certainly it has to be GH’s most repeated scene.  For the final time Zammo’s lies find him out as Jackie discovers a stash of heroin hidden in his calculator.  As he and Kevin clash, Jackie tears the bag and scatters the powder on the floor.  As Zammo, by this stage functioning on instinct alone, desperately tries to scoop it up, the police arrive to take him away.

With a sobbing Jackie in the background and the non-diegetic sound of police sirens on the soundtrack, it closes the episode in a highly dramatic fashion as we freeze-frame on Zammo’s face.

Written by Barry Purchese. Tx 18th March 1986

Zammo’s back in school, having seemingly kicked his heroin habit.  If this seems a little too good to be true then you may not be surprised to learn that it is.  Despite Jackie and Kevin constantly acting as his guard dogs, he’s somehow been able to buy some drugs and he stashes them in the toilet for later.  How he was able to get the drugs and where he got the money from is a mystery (since he’s been constantly watched for weeks).

It’s a missed opportunity that the truth is so quickly discovered.  Having an episode or two where he appeared to be back to his old self would have worked well, but given that we’re marching ever onwards towards the end of series nine, it wasn’t to be.

When he later discovers that his stash has been ruined he hot-foots it out of school, on the hunt for more.  That action makes it plain that his story is on-going but Fay and Mr King is a storyline that’s concluded here.  After blithely maintaining last episode that there was nothing wrong with their relationship, here Fay is in a state of total collapse.  It’s not clear what has forced this turnabout (an intervention from her parents or the fact it’s becoming public knowledge maybe?).

Fay doesn’t speak at all in this episode but thanks to her dramatic collapse in the gym, prior to an exam, still manages to catch the eye.  Mr King only has a handful of lines before he departs – handing in his resignation to Mrs McClusky and then clearing his desk in the time-honoured fashion.

He might be gone but Miss Partridge is still present and still worried about her job.  That she’s an unmarried mother isn’t the main issue (or so some of the governors claim).  It’s more to do with the fact that she knowingly falsified information on her application form.  Countless times in the past we’ve heard pupils bitterly mention that there’s no point in working hard (‘cos there’s no job out there) but it’s a little jolting to hear a teacher also admit that jobs are scarce.

Had she not lied, Miss Partridge maintains, then her chances of gaining a job would have been practically zero.  Mrs McClusky knows that she’ll have a fight on her hands to save her, but she’s going to fight all the same.  There’s a nice moment just before she enters the cauldron of the governors meeting – we see her applying a touch of make-up (putting her warpaint on, maybe?)

With the loyal Mr Baxter by her side, the pair have to face the terrible duo down the other end of the table – namely Mr Bronson and Mr Glover.  It’s Mr Glover who does all of the talking for them (for once Mr Bronson has nothing to say).  Mr Baxter does pipe up occasionally, but more often that not it’s to angrily retort to an insinuation made by Mr Glover.

So it’s mainly a battle of wills between Mrs McClusky and Mr Glover.  I thought the question of the headship had been decided some time back, but here it still seems to be in the balance.  Mr Glover taunts Mrs McClusky that for fear of making waves it would be best if she let Miss Partridge go quietly.  But Mrs McClusky is built of sterner stuff and in a glorious scene, which shows her at her best, she retorts that if required “she’ll sink the blessed ship!”

Ziggy and Robbie (good lads at heart) attempt to raise some money for the school by selling books – one of which contains a superstar autograph (the others also have autographs, but who really wants one signed by Humpty Dumpty?!).  The star autograph is Bono’s from U2, although nobody can pronounce his name correctly (everyone calls him Bow-no).  Or perhaps that’s how they did it back then?

Ant continues to glower away and jump to the wrong conclusions.  For once Mr Bronson is in a conciliatory mood, telling Ant gently (or as gently as he can manage) that his options aren’t valid.  It’s just unfortunate that Julia, who has selected the same options, is told later by Mr Bronson that there shouldn’t be any problem with hers.  But to be fair to Mr Bronson he didn’t have time to read them (he had to rush off to arrange the kangaroo court with Mr Glover) and he made this plain to the girl.  But the fact that he hadn’t seen them was one important sliver of information that Julia didn’t pass onto Ant.

Since he believes, incorrectly, that Julia’s been favoured over him, he tells Mr Bronson to “stick it”! and storms off.  That boy will never learn.

Written by Barry Purchese.  Tx 14th March 1986

During these posts, I’ve discussed on a few occasions how various matters during series nine tend to develop off-screen.  There’s another example of this here – with Ant – although in this case it works to the benefit of the drama.

Ant’s still seething about the way he’s being treated – convinced that the school and his parents believe everything they’ve been told by Mr Bronson.  He therefore decides to withdraw his labour from the swimming team, something which obviously upsets Mr Baxter.  But is Ant correct in his assumption? Mr Baxter makes a very interesting comment – other pupils, accused of the things Ant has, would be expelled by now.  The fact that Ant hasn’t even received a detention should suggest to him that Mr Bronson’s accusations don’t hold water.

If this is so, then possibly we’ve missed a trick by not seeing Mr Bronson discomforted, but it’s also possible that Mr Baxter is attempting to spin a rosy picture in order to get Ant back on board.  But when Ant dismisses the team as “second rate” Mr Baxter’s attitude changes to frosty and there’s a very real sense that a bridge has been burned.  Ant needs all the allies he can get, so alienating Mr Baxter wasn’t the wisest move.

Ant may have reasons for feeling a little hard done by, but he’s rather an unlikeable character – which means that it’s hard to be on his side.  Later, Laura asks him if he’ll speak to his father – who’s a solicitor – to see if he would be able to track down Louise and Cheryl’s mother.  He refuses, due to his poor current relationship with his father, but considering that Louise and Cheryl’s father has just died this seems a more than petty reason.  Miss Partridge is eventually able to win him round though.

And Mr Jones’ meeting with Louise, Cheryl and Laura also has another benefit.  He’s able to discretely question them about Ant and Mr Bronson (naturally this happens off-screen) and concludes that Ant’s version of events is the one most closest to the truth.  Does this please Ant?  Of course not, as he seems to believe that his version of events should have been unconditionally accepted.

It’s a neat move that Mr Jones is a solicitor.  This makes him a precise and methodical man who first needs to weigh up all the evidence before pronouncing judgement. He’s shown to be fair, although there’s a clearly strained atmosphere between father and son (most of the antagonism does seem to be on Ant’s side though).  He may snap angrily at his son but seconds later he regrets it (unlike, say, Mr Glover).

Danny seems to exert a strange power over the younger children.  Despite his diminutive size he’s easily able to persuade Trevor and Vince to help him with the speaking wall.  Gonch and Hollo – hiding around the corner – are frantic.  How will they be able to make it to the safety of the bus without being spotted?  All seems well when Ziggy and Robbie – a ready made pair of sacrificial lambs – saunter past, but they seem immune to Danny and keep on walking.  If Ziggy and Robbie could do so, why can’t Gonch and Hollo?  It’s just a gag moment, but it doesn’t quite ring true.

Miss Booth later waxes lyrical over the strange power Danny has, likening him to Michelangelo with his apprentices.  Rather wonderfully, her audience is Mr Griffiths – not exactly Danny’s greatest fan.  George A. Cooper doesn’t have any lines, but it’s plain from his expression exactly what Mr Griffiths thinks!

The saga of Georgina and Imelda is still rumbling on.  Despite not being touched upon for some time, Imelda’s still glowering in the corner – promising vengeance – whilst Georgina wilts and looks around for Ant to protect her.  An equally long-running – and by now more than a little annoying – saga is that of Ziggy and Robbie, still out for revenge against Imelda.  This week they have bags of flour.  I wonder what will happen next ….

Mrs McClusky pays a visit to Mrs McGuire and Zammo.  Mrs McGuire’s weary story indicates that time has moved on since the previous episode.  Zammo’s still suffering withdrawal symptoms, but his mother is convinced that he’s nearly through it (although part of her knows this may be a false hope).  This has to be the first time that Mrs McClusky has referred to Zammo as Sammy rather than McGuire – although he’s unable to respond to her.

Zammo’s heroin problem soon becomes public knowledge via the speaking wall.  Mrs McClusky demands to know who – out of Danny, Gonch, Hollo, Trevor or Vince – was responsible.  But since none of them knew about Zammo, her well-meaning attempt to keep a lid on things has only backfired.  But who the secret scribber was remains a mystery.

Mrs McClusky orders the speaking wall to be whitewashed, but later relents and agrees that Danny’s mural can stay.  But it’s too late as Mr Griffiths has already gleefully painted over it.  Danny’s not at all pleased and storms off, leaving Miss Booth in his wake.  Never mind the power Danny has with his fellow pupils, the hold he exerts over Miss Booth is also a talking point.

The sight of Fay, lounging by Mr King’s car (“going my way?”) doesn’t fill him with instant pleasure as it did before.  But it isn’t long before he’s gently stroking her hand and moving closer to her.  That they’re doing this in the school car park, in full view of everybody, isn’t the wisest move.  As so often it’s Miss Partridge who we see hovering disapprovingly in the distance.

Written by Barry Purchese. Tx 11th March 1986

Zammo’s on the scrounge again and once more Roland is his hapless victim.  Given that Roland seems to be the only person in Grange Hill aware that Zammo’s got a drugs problem, it’s slightly odd that Zammo decides to target him yet again.  This is either another case of slightly wonky plotting (given the length of time this storyline has been running I’d have expected others – especially Jackie and Kevin – to have twigged that something’s wrong with Zammo by now) or it’s an intentional move – confirming that junkies aren’t the most forward thinking of people.

It’s late at night and Roland is home alone, frantically swotting for the next day’s French oral exam.  Zammo spins him a highly suspect story about a mysterious man down the arcade who owes him a tenner.  Naturally, this involves Roland giving Zammo another ten pound note so he can change the mystery man’s twenty.  Given all Roland knows, he’s either incredibly stupid or incredibly trusting (I’d favour the latter over the former).

There’s a nice touch of continuity as we see a polaroid picture of Fabienne on Roland’s bedside cabinet (a reminder why this French exam is so important to him).  That’s what makes Zammo’s next move so shocking – when Roland goes out of the room to get the ten pound note, Zammo pockets Roland’s bedside clock.  It may not be worth much, but it’ll fetch him a few more pounds.

Remember what I said about Roland’s level of intelligence?  Hmm, I take it back.  Surely he would have realised that his bedside clock was missing?  Most people would surely use it regularly to check the time.  So this part of the plot doesn’t quite hold water – unless you believe that Roland, exhausted from his revision, fell into a deep sleep shortly after Zammo left.  That might just work ….

The upshot is that the next day Roland is late for his exam and if he misses it then all his hopes will be dashed.  This is where we see, for once, the caring side of Mr Bronson.  Pacing up and down whilst checking his pocket watch (a nice little detail – Mr Bronson would be exactly the sort of character to have such an old-fashioned timepiece) he’s clearly upset that his star pupil hasn’t shown up.  Compare and contrast to the way he’s abused Ant (sometimes unfairly) this year and it shows that deep down he does have a heart.  He’s obviously a teacher who has favourites though (a good teacher would treat everybody the same).

It’s obviously intentional that in the same episode where we see Mr Bronson give Roland a helping hand, we also see his more unrelenting side.  Mrs McClusky, Mr Baxter, together with Ant and his parents, are having a friendly chat – at least until Mr Bronson turns up and then the atmosphere changes in an instant.

Given that Mrs McClusky and Mr Baxter have both gently suggested previously to Mr Bronson that he’s waged something of a vendetta against Ant, it’s notable that they don’t mention this to Ant’s parents. A case of them closing ranks with Mr Bronson, even if they don’t entirely agree with him?

It’s a surprise that Zammo turns up for his exam.  It’s not a surprise that he’s totally mute throughout though.  Maybe he just made it to school that day in order to steal the video recorder?  How he managed to waltz out of school with nobody noticing he had it tucked under his arm is a mystery though.  And it’s odd that we don’t actually see Zammo steal it – possibly there was a general feeling this year that they had to be extra careful when depicting Zammo’s criminal activities, but on more than one occasion we’re told and not shown (which never feels entirely satisfactory).

This episode provides us with a rare opportunity to see the fifth formers together.  The likes of Banksie, Kevin and Julie – all rather sidelined this year – are given a few scenes.  Earlier in the year we learnt that Julie fancied Kevin, is that the reason why they’re revising together?  Later, Banskie continues his rehabilitation by lending Roland some money (after learning that Zammo’s left him penniless).

We finally learn why Miss Partridge has to leave early every day.  She has a young son ensconced in a nursery and, as a single parent, has to pick him up on the dot each afternoon.  Today there wouldn’t be anything remarkable in this, but some thirty years ago things weren’t quite so clear cut.

The police bring the video recorder back.  They’re looking for Kevin (since Zammo used his name when selling the recorder).  But once they track him down they know that he’s not the one – since the suspect was Caucasian.  It hardly seems credible that Mr Kennedy wouldn’t know what Caucasian meant, so why not just say white in the first place?

Roland’s also on hand and he’s the one who spills the beans about Zammo.  Of course, we don’t actually know at this point that Zammo stole the video (although it seems more than likely) but the incident serves as the trigger for him to finally reveal what he knows.  And once again we cut away at the point just before Roland tells Kevin and Mr Kennedy that Zammo’s a junkie.  That the series is continually dodging dramatic moments like this is more than a little puzzling.

Jackie visits Zammo’s flat (today it’s a standard studio set, rather than the real location used earlier on) and finds Mrs McGuire at the end of her tether.  She knows that something’s wrong but has either not considered the possibility that drugs are involved or is in a state of denial.  When the police call, Jackie meekly leaves (this seems a little unlikely, surely she’d have hung around in the passage and attempted to listen in).

But if we’re denied another dramatic story beat – Jackie learning that Zammo’s an addict – at least we’re present when Mrs McGuire is told.  This gives us another strong episode closer as she cups her hands around Zammo’s face and pleads with him to tell her it’s not true ….