Does axing Grange Hill mean down hill for viewers?

Generations of children grew up with the television series Grange Hill as part of their lives. After thirty years of airing this show is to be axed. Recently there has been a great deal of speculation regarding the show that was launched in 1978. Anne Gilchrist, the BBC controller, pointed out that Grange Hill ‘is the longest running children’s drama series anywhere in the world’. The many fans of the show can still visit online. 

Grange Hill is undoubtedly the most well known school on television. The many followers of the show have been given opportunities to voice their own opinions. The vast majority are saddened by the demise of the show. Many grew up enjoying the ‘gritty’ story lines that were used in the eighties and nineties. There are those who believe it took a turn for the worst when it became more light-hearted and humorous in recent years. 

Tony Wood is the Creative Director of the show. He is disappointed at the outcome. The producer of the show is Lime Pictures formerly Mersey Television. Wood noted that they had been informed just prior to the media being told. He believes that the decision to axe Grange Hill was due to budget cuts and making slots available. 

The BBC was unhappy with the last series and wanted changes. This had to be discussed with Phil Redmond, the creator of the show. He was critical of the re-orientation that was suggested. It took a great deal of persuasion to get the show’s creator on board. However, he did eventually agree and they were able to initiate the changes. 

Grange Hill was at its most prominent in the eighties. The storylines revolved around the abuse of drugs among the students. One of the main characters Zammo Maguire started to use drugs. This issue was brought out into the spotlight and the now famous ‘Just Say No’ campaign against drugs was born. This in turn led to even more publicity by the success of a chart-topping record. 

During the summer of 2008 the final series of Grange Hill will be aired. This is more in keeping with what the BBC want. The last series will be aimed at younger children around the age of six years. Anne Gilchrist made it clear that nostalgia did not necessarily represent the needs of children today. 

Grange Hill has always been regarded as a starting point for talented young actors. Some of its notable stars are:

John Alford

Susan Tully

Todd Carty

The BBC has promised to use all the experience gained from the Grange Hill show to come up with new and exciting ideas that are in keeping with the youth of today. There are a number of other shows that will fill the slot left by Grange Hill: • Half Moon Investigations (wrongdoing in the playground) • Paradise Café (beach mystery) • We Are Family (about a house band) • Roy (cartoon boy in the real world) Life really does go on, even on the small screen. Whether it goes up or down from here remains to be seen by the viewers.