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BBC to shut gates on Grange Hill
The BBC is axing children's TV school drama Grange Hill after 30 years. CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to them to reflect this."
The series began on 8 February 1978 and featured some tough storylines about social issues including drugs and teenage pregnancy over the years. There will be one more series this year, in which producers want to focus on the younger children of Year Six. The show's creator Phil Redmond was reportedly unhappy with the strategy and felt the programme was losing its gritty purpose.
"I don't like keeping things going when the point has been lost," he told the Observer recently. "I do now think the point of Grange Hill has been lost, and 30 years is a nice time for it to hang up its mortar board."
The show's most controversial story was in 1986 when Zammo Maguire began taking drugs. It led to the Just Say No campaign and a top 10 single. The series has continued to tackle hard-hitting subjects in recent series
Jon East, head of CBBC Drama, said: "For 30 years, Grange Hill has become a byword for realistic and contemporary children's drama.
"It's now time to apply what we've learned over the years to some of the new ideas we're exploring."
It was also a nurturing ground for young talent. Among its stars were Todd Carty, Susan Tully and John Alford. Ms Gilchrist added: "Part of CBBC's reputation for reflecting contemporary Britain back to UK children has been built upon Phil Redmond's brilliantly realised idea. Of course it's sad to say goodbye to such a much loved institution."
The BBC has announced a series of new shows to fill the gap. They include Half Moon Investigations, about wrongdoing in the school playground, and Paradise Cafe, described as a beachside mystery with a supernatural twist. There will also be We Are Family, following a family who are the house band on a talk show, and Roy, about a cartoon boy marooned in the real world.
BBC to shut gates on Grange Hill
The BBC is axing children's TV school drama Grange Hill after 30 years. CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to them to reflect this."
The series began on 8 February 1978 and featured some tough storylines about social issues including drugs and teenage pregnancy over the years. There will be one more series this year, in which producers want to focus on the younger children of Year Six. The show's creator Phil Redmond was reportedly unhappy with the strategy and felt the programme was losing its gritty purpose.
"I don't like keeping things going when the point has been lost," he told the Observer recently. "I do now think the point of Grange Hill has been lost, and 30 years is a nice time for it to hang up its mortar board."
The show's most controversial story was in 1986 when Zammo Maguire began taking drugs. It led to the Just Say No campaign and a top 10 single. The series has continued to tackle hard-hitting subjects in recent series
Jon East, head of CBBC Drama, said: "For 30 years, Grange Hill has become a byword for realistic and contemporary children's drama.
"It's now time to apply what we've learned over the years to some of the new ideas we're exploring."
It was also a nurturing ground for young talent. Among its stars were Todd Carty, Susan Tully and John Alford. Ms Gilchrist added: "Part of CBBC's reputation for reflecting contemporary Britain back to UK children has been built upon Phil Redmond's brilliantly realised idea. Of course it's sad to say goodbye to such a much loved institution."
The BBC has announced a series of new shows to fill the gap. They include Half Moon Investigations, about wrongdoing in the school playground, and Paradise Cafe, described as a beachside mystery with a supernatural twist. There will also be We Are Family, following a family who are the house band on a talk show, and Roy, about a cartoon boy marooned in the real world.
