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Grange Hill's Zammo on gritty show which changed TV - and how he wants to get cast back together for reunion episode
our decades ago a gritty new drama exploded into the cosy world of kids’ telly – highlighting issues like teen pregnancies and drugs.
In an era of cartoons and “safe” programmes Grange Hill delved right into the rough and tumble of life in a secondary school.
It dealt with bullying, racism and other problems that confronted pupils every day, holding eight million viewers enthralled in its 1980s heyday.
And it was a launching pad for the careers of its cast, several of whom went on to become some of Britain’s best-loved stars.
Lee as Zammo (Image: BBC)
Erkan Mustafa as Roland Browning, Lee Sparke as Jonah Jones and Lee MacDonald as Zammo (Image: PA)
Tim Polley as Steven Banks, Melissa Wilks as Jackie Wright and Lee as Zammo (Image: PA)
Incredibly, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the first episode of the award-winning BBC show, which ran from 1978 to 2008.
And celebrating the landmark Lee MacDonald, who played tough teen Sammy “Zammo” Maguire, says it broke the mould for children’s TV.
Lee, now a 49-year-old dad who owns a locksmith business, was in the show from 1982 to 1987.
And he said: “Before Grange Hill the only kids’ programmes you could watch were cartoons.
“Then all of a sudden comes this drama that kids can relate to. It just hit home – and it was really mischievous.
“People have such fond memories of it, they say it had a huge impact on their childhood.
“The first episode I ever filmed was at Chessington Zoo. We went on a ghost train – as an 11-year old, that was unbelievable.
“Without a doubt the Grange Hill years were the best of my life.”
The cast record their single Just Say No (Image: BBC)
Lee and Erkan are still good pals (Image: Birmingham Post and Mail)
Click to play
Lee now wants to get his old classmates, including Todd Carty and Susan Tully , back on telly in a special one-off episode based around a school reunion.
He said: “It would be brilliant. There are so many times somebody’s said, ‘Why don’t we try and get something on telly?’ It’s just trying to get it all sorted.”
Lee lost contact with co-stars for 25 years. But thanks to social media they’re all back in touch now and have a Facebook group.
Lee also talks regularly to Erkan Mustafa – now a 47-year-old writer-producer – who played bullied Roland Browning.
Grange Hill, set in the fictional North London borough of Northam, was initially conceived as a nine-part series. Yesterday, ex-cast and crew met at Royal Holloway University in London to celebrate at an event organised with TV archive organisation Kaleidoscope.
Spokesperson Chris Perry said: “Kaleidoscope organised anniversary events for Blue Peter and Play School, so it seemed natural to do likewise for Grange Hill.
“It was a pivotal moment in TV drama. Without it, we would have no Tracy Beaker, Byker Grove or Hollyoaks nowadays. Forty years deserves a celebration.”
our decades ago a gritty new drama exploded into the cosy world of kids’ telly – highlighting issues like teen pregnancies and drugs.
In an era of cartoons and “safe” programmes Grange Hill delved right into the rough and tumble of life in a secondary school.
It dealt with bullying, racism and other problems that confronted pupils every day, holding eight million viewers enthralled in its 1980s heyday.
And it was a launching pad for the careers of its cast, several of whom went on to become some of Britain’s best-loved stars.
Lee as Zammo (Image: BBC)
Erkan Mustafa as Roland Browning, Lee Sparke as Jonah Jones and Lee MacDonald as Zammo (Image: PA)
Tim Polley as Steven Banks, Melissa Wilks as Jackie Wright and Lee as Zammo (Image: PA)
Incredibly, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the first episode of the award-winning BBC show, which ran from 1978 to 2008.
And celebrating the landmark Lee MacDonald, who played tough teen Sammy “Zammo” Maguire, says it broke the mould for children’s TV.
Lee, now a 49-year-old dad who owns a locksmith business, was in the show from 1982 to 1987.
And he said: “Before Grange Hill the only kids’ programmes you could watch were cartoons.
“Then all of a sudden comes this drama that kids can relate to. It just hit home – and it was really mischievous.
“People have such fond memories of it, they say it had a huge impact on their childhood.
“The first episode I ever filmed was at Chessington Zoo. We went on a ghost train – as an 11-year old, that was unbelievable.
“Without a doubt the Grange Hill years were the best of my life.”
The cast record their single Just Say No (Image: BBC)
Lee and Erkan are still good pals (Image: Birmingham Post and Mail)
Click to play
Lee now wants to get his old classmates, including Todd Carty and Susan Tully , back on telly in a special one-off episode based around a school reunion.
He said: “It would be brilliant. There are so many times somebody’s said, ‘Why don’t we try and get something on telly?’ It’s just trying to get it all sorted.”
Lee lost contact with co-stars for 25 years. But thanks to social media they’re all back in touch now and have a Facebook group.
Lee also talks regularly to Erkan Mustafa – now a 47-year-old writer-producer – who played bullied Roland Browning.
Grange Hill, set in the fictional North London borough of Northam, was initially conceived as a nine-part series. Yesterday, ex-cast and crew met at Royal Holloway University in London to celebrate at an event organised with TV archive organisation Kaleidoscope.
Spokesperson Chris Perry said: “Kaleidoscope organised anniversary events for Blue Peter and Play School, so it seemed natural to do likewise for Grange Hill.
“It was a pivotal moment in TV drama. Without it, we would have no Tracy Beaker, Byker Grove or Hollyoaks nowadays. Forty years deserves a celebration.”
