Who'd ever want to ever be involved helping Grange Hill be back on TV

dream stuffingdream stuffing Posts: 2,075
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Ok, I know I rant on but ...... let's say a petition was "doing the rounds" what would you think?

How many of the Digital Spy members would REALLY REALLY would be interested and believe it should return to TV!? :confused:

DS

Ps, if your going to leave a nasty remark/comment/post, i'd appreciate it if you don't bother please as this is the most serious post i've ever ever made in my 3 year's on here :(
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Comments

  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    I thought the reason they ended Grange Hill was because, where once it was the edgy, controversial series that dealt in a frank, hard-hitting way with adolescent issues, it was now just one among many such, and so had lost its edge. That seems sound reasoning to me.
  • Steve_WhelanSteve_Whelan Posts: 1,986
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    The main reason for the demise of Grange Hill was the BBC deciding that the core viewers of the show 11-16 year olds did not exist, and that all CBBC shows were to be aimed at 4-10 year olds, they tried to make it younger but it just did not work, the relocation to liverpool did not help either. This was allso the reason for the axing of Byker Grove.
  • GulftasticGulftastic Posts: 127,194
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    Stuff bringing it back, just start repeating it again from the start.
  • terryranosaurusterryranosaurus Posts: 778
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    I have all 31 years on dvd (having taped most of them myself first) and the show really ended with the fire in series 25.

    Series 26-30 just about kept the flame burning but the enforced changes means series 31 is unwatchable junk.

    Kids tv has changed and the kind of social issues that were the backbone of the show cannot be realistically portrayed during kids tv time which is why some other shows in later slots kind of took over from GH.

    No need to make it again but repeats from day one are long overdue
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 69
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    I watched an episode from the last series and it was pretty awful. They all had northern accents, which just didn't make sense to me, and it was just too fluffy. The days of Zammo, Ronnie, and Gonch were the best :-D
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    I last watched it in 1991, when Trevor Cleaver and Mr Bronson were still it. Never saw a single episode after my degree finals that summer.
  • djonshoredjonshore Posts: 4,758
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    I have all 31 years on dvd (having taped most of them myself first) and the show really ended with the fire in series 25.

    Series 26-30 just about kept the flame burning but the enforced changes means series 31 is unwatchable junk.

    Kids tv has changed and the kind of social issues that were the backbone of the show cannot be realistically portrayed during kids tv time which is why some other shows in later slots kind of took over from GH.

    No need to make it again but repeats from day one are long overdue

    I totally agree that it ended when the school blew up! I was amazed when it returned after that and the majority were scousers. What the hell was all that about?

    Grange Hill would have survived today if BBC Switch was around from when Series 25 was coming to an end. It could have moved to there at say a 6pm slot on BBC TWO. Looking at it if BBC Switch was on 6-7pm on BBC TWO weekdays, it would have worked.
  • soulboy77soulboy77 Posts: 24,396
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    Petition?

    Just say no, just say no..oh, oh.....:p
  • Loz_FraggleLoz_Fraggle Posts: 5,757
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    I agree, the fire was the death knell for Grange Hill, I hated the move as it meant many of the decent characters disappeared/left, it was terrible for the programme.
  • Glenn AGlenn A Posts: 23,794
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    Its glory days were from 1978 to 1989.
  • KapellmeisterKapellmeister Posts: 41,322
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    Glenn A wrote: »
    Its glory days were from 1978 to 1989.

    I agree! It was unmissable, jaw-dropping viewing for me when I was a kid. Bronson terrified me at the time. And when Zammo was discovered in the bogs...:eek:
  • dream stuffingdream stuffing Posts: 2,075
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    I last watched it in 1991, when Trevor Cleaver and Mr Bronson were still it. Never saw a single episode after my degree finals that summer.

    You are slightly wrong about Mr Bronson still being in Grange Hill 1991! He left in 1989!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 880
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    R.I.P.

    It was almost the best thing on TV when I was young but It will never be done again. I fear political correctness and the soapy nature of programs would get in the way in an updated version.

    Like others here I have fond but fearfull memories of Mr Bronson. There are also memories of fat and bullied Roland, smelly unwashed tearaway Tegs Ratcliffe and super sexy Justine Dean.

    The only kids program which was better was Maid Marrion and Her Merry Men. Which in some ways is similar to the brilliant The Legend of Dick and Dom.
  • surfiesurfie Posts: 5,754
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    Sadly the BBC did there best to kill Grange Hill off in the end, even messing it about in the scheduals. The biggest crime was they never celebrated its 30th anniversay before killing it off.

    As for the scousification of Grange Hill then that was down to Phil Redmond taking it to Liverpool. He already had a school like building as the then Mersey TV studios were in a former college. A bit of redesigning and you have buildings looking like a school.

    Had Phil Redmond not taken up the option though to make Grange Hill for the BBC then it's possible the axe would have fell after the fire
  • vampirekvampirek Posts: 4,022
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    To be fair, Grange Hill was always going to be doomed at some point. You just can't have risky, deep storylines aimed at children anymore. It's just the protective society we live in and moving the stories to a younger age group reflected the change in society.

    However Waterloo Road has in many ways filled the gap and allows for tackling storylines (and dull ones too) and mixing students and teachers alike. In order for any Grange Hill to return and have such storylines it would have to be aired later than children shows anyways (was always the case anyways, seeing it always the last show of the children schedule during its prime). Due to having Waterloo Road, there is no need having Grange Hill apart from its history and thats where it should be kept now.
  • tabithakittentabithakitten Posts: 13,860
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    This is a difficult issue.

    Either the programme has moved beyond the reality so reflects a society that's too graphic and beyond reality or the programme is describing a reality that is more graphic than society.

    Either way, things are tricky. You can't take the young people in the programme back; the viewers just roll their eyes and say this aint realistic. Likewise, you can't pretend what's happening might not happen because [art of the point of drama is to take the audience futher than current reality.

    Either way lies problems with censorship and ratings.

    I'm not sure what the answer is.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,563
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    It went rubbish after that big explosion in 2002/3 for me, I stopped watching after that.
  • Madridista23Madridista23 Posts: 9,422
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    Ok, I know I rant on but ...... let's say a petition was "doing the rounds" what would you think?

    How many of the Digital Spy members would REALLY REALLY would be interested and believe it should return to TV!? :confused:

    DS

    Ps, if your going to leave a nasty remark/comment/post, i'd appreciate it if you don't bother please as this is the most serious post i've ever ever made in my 3 year's on here :(
    Grange Hill. Serious? Yeah. Right. :cool:
  • FroodFrood Posts: 13,180
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    Actually it was a very 'serious' programme and dealt with some weighty in a very good way.

    I don't subscribe to the argument that "you couldn't do those sorts of stories today" (there was often shock - amongst those easily shocked - that the story was done then, but they were. And I'm sure most are more open minded now).

    It was just a programme which had come to the end of its natural life (in fact, it had gone past it).

    I wish people would accept that happens.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    This is a difficult issue.

    Either the programme has moved beyond the reality so reflects a society that's too graphic and beyond reality or the programme is describing a reality that is more graphic than society.

    Either way, things are tricky. You can't take the young people in the programme back; the viewers just roll their eyes and say this aint realistic. Likewise, you can't pretend what's happening might not happen because [art of the point of drama is to take the audience futher than current reality.

    Either way lies problems with censorship and ratings.

    I'm not sure what the answer is.

    I'm not sure what you're saying in this post!
  • dream stuffingdream stuffing Posts: 2,075
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    Frood wrote: »
    Actually it was a very 'serious' programme and dealt with some weighty in a very good way.

    I don't subscribe to the argument that "you couldn't do those sorts of stories today" (there was often shock - amongst those easily shocked - that the story was done then, but they were. And I'm sure most are more open minded now).

    It was just a programme which had come to the end of its natural life (in fact, it had gone past it).

    I wish people would accept that happens.

    Yeah I agree with you here Frood. I don't subscribe to the argument either!

    After all (to me) when all is said and done "Waterloo Road will always be Waterloo Raod, same as Grange Hill will always be Grange Hill"

    Plus too Waterloo Road is in effect about "dramartisation" I think and more so creating "shock stoerylines" :D Grange Hill did'nt always do this - often yeah but not always.

    This is how they differ in my opinion and can't be compared :cry:
  • SiGaSiGa Posts: 2,283
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    I liked Grange Hill. I do not think it should have been axed and I would like to return, if they could return to its old form.

    However I personally do not think petitions work.
  • billlythekidbilllythekid Posts: 5,080
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    Gulftastic wrote: »
    Stuff bringing it back, just start repeating it again from the start.

    Agree
  • dream stuffingdream stuffing Posts: 2,075
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    Agree

    Do we know each other Bilythekid? Hope we do anywayz! :confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 576
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    Just say no
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