Can You Help?

Praise for CONTACT page 26/5/02

Hello again to Matt Mills: "I think personally that it's a great idea having the CONTACT page, it will be good especially for fans who would like to write to ex-cast members. Seeing Mr Bronson on Top Ten TV has brought memories back." Thanks Matt - we hope others will find the new facility useful when it launches next Saturday. Yes it was great seeing Mr Bronson on C4 the other week too!

GH memories from Canada 26/5/02

Shawn Cromwell grew up with Grange Hill: "Hi! I just wanted to drop a line to say how suprised I was to see that Grange Hill is still in production! I can remember watching it after school in the early 80's here in Canada on CBC-TV. Tucker Jenkins was my favourite character (I wanted to be cool like him!), and I'm glad to see the actor who played him is still acting. It's just too bad it's no longer seen here, maybe BBC Kids or BBC Canada will start broadcasting it. Anyway, the best of luck to you!"

Hi Shawn! Funny you should mention Tucker Jenkins - when actor Todd Carty appeared on "This Is Your Life" last year he too was amazed the show is still running. But as you may have read, major changes are happening to the show next year. Sorry to hear Canadian TV isn't showing GH any more - why not write to them and ask why? Anyhow, keep it here for more Grange Hill news.

Bronson's busman's holiday 26/5/02

Nigel Cole writes from Suffolk: "The actor who played Mr Bronson - Michael Sheard, also appeared as the depot manager in On The Buses (am I correct)?" Yes Nigel. Michael did play the bus depot manager in ITV sitcom "On The Buses" in the early 1970s. He also appeared in the spin-off films which followed the TV series.

Letter from Sally 24/5/02

Kerr Avon has got in touch with his fave actress: "A couple of weeks ago a surprise came through my letter box; a signed photo of Sally Morton!! She seems so nice and down to earth and even commented she hated the photo, but for me it really captures her beauty. Sally also did a small stint on ITV soap Night And Day after GH, she is also studying creative drama at college just now, Plus she's also involved in some other hush hush projects. I also put her agent in touch with Big Finish Productions who specialise in sci-fi as this is some thing Sally would love to do. Seems I have made a bit of an impression on Sally!!

"Now onto something else - cult SF mag TV Zone has just published a TV Heroes special in which writers and various celebs pick there fave shows. One writer named John Binns picked Grange Hill as his and it's not even the Tucker or Zammo era - it's the current Double Dare Gang one!!! He even compares it to ER in the way its shot. It's a page long article with a photo of maddie and josh looking quite pally, so it's great to see some critics champion the current run of GH as it deserves it. The mag is priced £4.99 plus Robson appears on the cover alongside such TV icons as the Daleks and The Avengers." Hi Kerr - congratulations in having made contact with Sally and for bringing us up to date with her news. We'd love to see the photo! Nice to hear today's Grange Hill is getting the credit it deserves too - as Si Spencer says, TV critics are too judgemental!

Natalie & Clare play is God-spellbinding! 24/5/02

Natalie was entranced at the theatre: "I went to see production of the play 'Godspell' in Torquay on Saturday night which featured ex-Grange Hill stars Clare Buckfield (Natasha Stevens) and Natalie Tapper (Jodie). They were both fantastic in it and they had the chance to show off their singing talents as well as their brilliant acting. And for any Neighbours fans the play also stars Daniel MacPherson (Joel Samuels) and he was brilliant! He and Clare Buckfield and the show's other main actor, Jonathan Wilkes, were nice enough to sign autographs for the audience in the interval. It was an amazing show to watch and I think they're moving on to the West End now and I'd recommend to anyone - it would appeal to all ages." Hi Natalie. Glad you enjoyed Godspell - nice of the actors to meet you too! Let's hope it comes our way again soon.

* For information on Godspell tour dates visit the Godspell web site at www.godspell.co.uk

Reunited with Grange Hill 24/5/02

Bob Lia was recently reunited with Grange Hill: "I thought that I would take a few minutes an give you an American perspective of episodes 9-12 of series 25. Having not seen any of the episodes since 1986 I will say that the series has indeed changed since 1986 as gone are the friendly faces of Mr. Bronson and Mrs. McClusky among others. The storyline seems much more adult than when I was watching it back then as it seems that the programme is now geared more toward the 14 and up crowd than it was back then.

"Some observations so far: Mr. Deverill is a modern day Mr. Bronson but he does not have Michael Sheard's charm to go with it." Too right - there's not a charming bone in Deverill's body! At least Bronson knew where to draw the line. "Nice interior sets that have improved greatly since 1986 I see the BBC is now using widescreen/letterbox vice the full screen picture I am used to." Widescreen is now standard for most British TV shows; though GH has only been widescreen since 2001. "It seemed that the entire series was filmed rather than using video tape for the studios scenes. I kind of like the video for the insides and the film for the outsides." The filmic effect was introduced in 1999 - although the first two episodes that year were on videotape. "50 minute episodes - I hope Phil Redmond returns to the 25 minute concept for the next series as it seemed that an hour was to long to sit through (OK I sat through two hours at once)." These double episode are omnibus editions - the two single episodes are still shown during the week.

"I can't believe the BBC is boxing the credits like the American channels where you can't see the names of the cast and crew. I hope they return to crediting the production crew next year with readable type size." Sadly this has become the norm for most children's shows these days. GH Online has had several complaints about the lack of end credits. "Well I hope that this was not a big bore I thought I would share my thoughts from a USA point of view. After I finish the rest of this series I doubt I'll get to see series 26 as I had to really pull teeth just to get some one to record this one for me but who knows perhaps I'll get lucky again next year." Well let's hope you do get to see Series 26, and thanks for your comments. Enjoy the rest of Series 25!

E-mailing the cast 18/5/02

Claire asks: "Do you know an e-mail address where I can ask for the autographs instead of writing to them?" Sorry Claire, but you can only write to the cast. The BBC does not currently have a facility where you can contact them by e-mail; likewise if you want cast photos you have to write for those too.

Julie and Clare on video 18/5/02

C. Wadham is a fan of Grange Hill's twins: "Do you have any clips of Julie and Clare Buckfield together in Grange Hill?" Hi! We do not currently have any footage of Julie and Clare in the Video Vault; we tend only to include clips which illustrate storylines rather than footage of particular actors. Still, keep watching - there's every chance the twins could appear!

From teacher to pupil namesakes 18/5/02

Hello again to Michael: "I have another two GH namesakes for you; a friend of mine called Matthew Pearson and a person I once knew called Cheryl Webb. Sadly neither bears a resemblance to either Matthew or Cheryl in the programme." But their names are the same though! Thanks for telling us Michael - hello to Matthew and Cheryl if you're out there!

Meet my teacher - Mr Jones! 14/5/02

There's a little bit of Grange Hill at Sean Seymour's school: "At Aberdeen Grammar School (Secondary) we have a Biology teacher called Mr. Jones I call him Dai Hard and some people decided to follow suit. He is like Dai Hard too!" In the nicest possible way, I'm sure! Thanks for sharing that with us Sean - and hello to Mr Jones if you're reading this!

Wanted: GH episodes I missed 14/5/02

Pete Shovlin missed the ending to Series 25: "Hi, can anyone help me. After enjoying the whole of the last series of GH, I sadly forgot to put my clock forward and missed the Sunday omnibus of the last two episodes. Thus, I still haven't seen the conclusion to the series. Could someone either loan me or copy the last two episodes? It would be greatly appreciated, from one Grange Hiller to another. Cheers." Hi Pete - sorry you missed the explosive finale! If you can provide Pete with video copies, please contact us as GH Online and we'll pass your details on.

Your chance to meet GH writers! 12/5/02

Hello again to GH storyliner, Si Spencer: "Just a few quick lines to pass on a couple of bits of information. I'm still involved in the Hill, so obviously I can't comment on the current situation or future storylines, but thought you might like to know that myself and fellow GH writer Suzie Smith will be appearing at the Hay Book festival in the Nestle Smarties dome on June 4th at 5.30. We'll be talking about Grange Hill and about television writing. Also wasn't sure whether you'd caught the Guardian Editor on Saturday which featured a scathing attack on the Hill reprinted from a magazine called the Salisbury Review (apparently one of Mrs Thatcher's favourite reads). Naturally we were blamed for all the youth of the country's ills. You can practically smell the foam emanating from the writer's mouth (a vicar incidentally). Most amusing. Keep up the good work with the site and as soon as I'm allowed to tell you anything, be sure I will."

Good to hear from you Si; I'm sure you'll attract quite an audience at the Festival! We'll look out for the Guardian article (not surprised it's from a vicar!) Our readers will be delighted to hear you're still writing for GH but please, PLEASE tell us some news as soon as you can!

I'd love to be Max's sister! 06/5/02

Liz Smith is suffering withdrawal symptoms: "Great website you have there, keep up the good work. I'm missing Grange Hill, when is the next series? Oh my god!! I cant believe Phoebe is Max Brown's sister, he is the fittest lad ever and he's is a total babe and a brilliant actor too. What I would do to be Phoebe!!" You and hundreds of other girls Liz! But I'm sure Phoebe just sees Max as her brother and nothing else. Anyhow, it might not be all good having a star brother - perhaps Phoebe has encountered people who only want to be her friend because of Max. As for the next series of GH, no news I'm afraid - usually each series is shown in January but this may not be the case now Mersey TV is in charge.

Mrs McClusky seen in London and Scotland! UPDATED 12/5/02

Hello again to The Lilac Pilgrim: "Something funny to tell you. I have a teacher called Mrs McClusky! She's my English teacher - anyone who goes/went to Trinity High in Rutherglen, Scotland will know who I'm talking about! Our Mrs McClusky is like the Grange Hill one, but she's a bit better. She can be good when she wants to be, but no-one dares to be bad in her class, bar one very stupid boy in our class. Also, she's a big fan of Grange Hill! I get her every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday."

Portia Roelofs also has a Mrs McClusky at her school: "I also have a PE teacher called Ms Mc Clusky and she is quite nice. I'm not sure of her views on GH but she looks nothing like the actor. I go to The Latymer school, Edmonton, North London (oddly enough). She is really into netball! Also, do you know ifI am the only person in the world who believes that John Hudson is the fittest, cutest, best actor in the world (second only to Nicolas Tizzard.)? Bye!" Curiouser and curiouser! Thanks Portia - that's two Mrs McCluskys! Any more out there?

* If your teacher shares the name of a Grange Hill Sir or Miss, tell us about them!

UPDATE: Mr Bronson in Coronation Street? UPDATED 12/5/02

Gordon Simpson asked if Michael Sheard, Grange Hill's Mr Bronson, appeared in Grange Hill. Alan Kibby replies: "Yes, Michael did appear in Corrie. He played Arthur Dabner in 1989. I got my info from http://www.corrie.net/profiles/characters/dabner_arthur.html. Hope this is of some assistance."

Malcolm Neale adds: "Michael was definitely in Coronation Street. It was for a few weeks around April 1989, straight after he retired from Grange Hill. I can't quite remember the part he played but I think he may have been Emily Bishop's lodger."

While Jim Palmer confirms: "He played a character called Arthur Dabner who was an accountant for a firm where Derek Wilton worked. Derek introduced Arthur to Emily Bishop, the two had a brief period of seeing each other until it was revealed he was married upon which he went back to his wife. Hope this answers the query."

Vince Oldham seems to think Michael appeared much earlier: "Michael Sheard most certainly did appear in Coronation Street back in 1960 (playing the role of Mr Dabner). Whether he has reappeared in the series since I don't know (very often supporting actors turn up again in different roles) but he also turned up in other classic series such as Van Der Valk, The Protectors, and the ever-excellent Jason King!" Hmm...interesting. Thanks to everyone who's written in about this. Wonder if Michael will follow his GH co-stars and turn up in EastEnders? Now that would be something!

Lee Cornes carries on teaching 02/5/02

Hello to Greg Cooper: "Further to an earlier article about Lee Cornes, I bought a CD single today and, to my utter amazement, he appeared in the music video!! The CD was the debut single by the S Club Juniors, called "One Step Closer", and he appeared in the music video on the CD as a teacher (surprise, surprise!). Perhaps this foreshadows Mr Hankin, in the next series of Grange Hill, expanding his repertoire to include singing and dancing as well as being a stand-up comic. Who knows?? Incidentally, the single entered the charts at No. 3.

"Also, I wondered if you had ever thought about putting up a separate page for everyone's adverts concerning Grange Hill episodes and other memorabilia connected with the show? Because it would certainly be better than trawling through the entire CYH archive (which is incredibly large already. Imagine what it'll be like in another couple of years!)" Thanks for the photo Greg - we'll look out for the video! And if you want to see more of Lee, buy the CD-ROM single of "One Step Closer" now. We thought about a seperate page for video requests; we don't actually get them that often so it's better to put them here on Can You Help?. The CYH archive isn't as big as you think - we delete messages after a yeaar. Imagine the chaos if we didn't!

Leah becomes a nurse? 02/5/02

Les B has been ad-spotting: "Not sure but I saw advert on TV tonight for "The Mirror". The girl playing a nurse looked like Leah from GH. Saw (endured) "Night and Day" (as bad as ever), but Sally Morton was not in it. I only watch British programmes (not American or Australian), most of the soaps and Crime Series. Re. a previous correspondent, cannot remember Mr Robson or Miss Carver (Mrs Robson) say they were going to stay on at the School." Hi Les! I've looked out for the ad you mention but alas we couldn't find it. Jessica might not be old enough to play a nurse, so it could have been a doppelganger. Mr Robson and Miss Carver are dancing in ep 18 when they agree to stay on for another year. "Patagonia will still be there", Miss Carver says. This happens after Deverill is locked in the PRF - hope this helps!

Mr Bronson in Coronation Street? 02/5/02

Gordon Simpson: "I have just been looking again at your fabulous website and that page on Mr Bronson. I was told that actor Michael Sheard was in Coronation Street at one time. Do you or any other readers know if it is true? I would be grateful if you could let me know; keep up the good work. I find your site brilliant and excellently presented." Hi Gordon - glad you like the site! Off the top of our heads, we don't know for sure whether Michael appeared in Coronation Street but it's likely, as Michael has appeared in a great many TV shows over the years. If anyone can provide Gordon with a firm answer please write in! And if you're right Gordon, Michael won't have been the first GH teacher to stroll along the Weatherfield cobbles!

Parents complaining? I don't Believe It! 02/5/02

The Lilac Pilgrim is back to defend Grange Hill: "How can people be so ignorant of increasing crime? I was reading the "I don't believe it!" page, and it seems most adults don't recognise warnings when they see them. Grange Hill shows the issues exaggerated to show how bad things like rape or intended injury are! They show these kinds of issues to help stop or at least ease them. I understand these people are just trying to protect children and we appreciate that, but children nowadays know much more than they realise already."

Good point. Mind you, today's parents don't shock as easily as those in 1978 - but Grange Hill still does hit the headlines. We think Grange Hill does a brilliant job at raising awareness of issues. Our advice to those moaning parents - if you don't like it, stick to watching Countdown!