Carl is an old mate of Danny's who has defected from Leaburn to join Grange Hill. A keen artist, Carl enjoys scavenging for junk and turning his treasure into sculptures. Down-to-earth and heppy-go-lucky, Carl takes people at face value but doesn't like being deceived. He has settled in well at Grange Hill.

Carl teams up with Clare to open a drop-in centre for youths on the estate. He goes with the gang to Southern Counties university and is furious to discover Clare is much better off than she likes to make out. At the end of the series, Carl organises Mr Robson's wedding reception in the school hall.

A former child actress, Briony turned her back on the limelight a few years ago in favour of doing her A-levels. Briony was first introduced in Series 23 as the co-presenter of Colin's local TV show. Disgusted by the shallowness of her showbiz pals, Briony enrolled at Grange Hill and in no time became one of the gang. An intelligent, cultured girl, she loves literature and is very organised.

When Colin and Briony did their first show together, Kelly was jealous. Nathan saw Briony on TV and immediately fell for the oriental beauty. He persuaded Colin to fix up a meeting with her, but their first date was a disaster. Briony was forced to admit she fancied Nathan but didn't like his showing off. In due course, romance blossomed. In Series 24 Briony and Nathan were chased out of the council meeting by racists. She also joined the condemnation of Clare for refusing to date Arnie because of his race.

In Year 13 Briony was devastated to learn Nathan was two-timing her. She had a brief fling with Matt on the rebound. Later, Briony was making herself sick and it emerged she was suffering from bulimia. Matt promised to help her.

Vikki ran an athlectics club with Clare in Year 12, but Josh only joined because he fancied her! Vikki befriended Shannon in an attempt to exonerate Danny and soon saw through her lies. Vikki fancies Danny but so far he's viewed her kindness only as friendship. This year, Ozzie came between Danny and Vikki, with Vikki falling for Ozzie's charms. She was devastated when it emerged Ozzie only pulled her for a bet but Ozzie had genuinely fallen for her.

Matt is the shy member of the group, someone who needs time to think about a scam before proceeding with it. He lives with his retirement-age mother.

In Year 7 Matt's dare was to plant a stink-bomb on Dai Hard's chair. Dai Hard was left foaming at the mouth. Matt followed Tom with a camera as he streaked around the school. Matt initially rebuffed Gemma's attentions in Year 8, but they became close friends. Sean forced Matt to plant drugs on Wayne, and held him at knifepoint in the toilets to stop him squealing. Eventually Gemma persuaded Matt to confess all to Mr Robson. Matt consoled Gemma in Year 9 when her parents announced divorce plans and stormed her new boarding school with the others, in an abortive "rescue" attempt. He later became friendly with Tracey. In Year 10 the others set Matt up with two unsuccessful blind dates, but soon he found his own girlfriend, a beautiful Australian called Sylvie.

Matt attended the testicular cancer lecture in Year 11. During self-examination he found a lump, and is understandably terrified. However, he is now back at school. Briony helped him overcome his fears and had a brief fling with her. Matt and Tom helped Lisa overcome her agoraphobia and, when Briony started being sick, he thought he'd got her pregnant. Soon he realised she wasbulimic and vowed to help her.

Tom was the ringleader of the Double Dare Gang. He and Lisa went to primary school together. Tom is not academically brilliant but is the brains behind many of the Gang's scams.

In Year 7 Tom (then known as Speedy) carried off two outrageous dares with no problem - dressing up a skeleton as Mrs Holmes and hanging it from the school roof, and streaking round the school before running starkers across the playground! In Year 8 he challenged Lisa to a snakeboard race, but Lisa used a double to cheat. Tom and the lads conspired to ruin Tracy's birthday night out in Andy Tate's hotel in Year 9, and the mischievous group was ejected from the premises.

Tom helped the others arrange blind dates for Matt in Year 10 and joined the gang in teaming up with Mr Hankin to get revenge on the inspectors. Tom embarked on a relationship with Leah in Year 11. Eventually they slept together, but Leah insists she wasn't ready and it was rape. In Year 12 Tom and Leah became friends again and he helped boost her self-confidence. Tom landed a modelling job and Lisa became attracted to him - at first Tom failed to see this but eventually they kissed.

Lisa is one of the lads, although she seems to dress more girly these days. She sees the boys as mates and has known Tom since primary school. She lives with her dad and sister Shona; her mum left the family for another man.

In Year 7 Lisa's dare was to give Alec a custard pie in the face. She did so with no trouble, leaving hima laughing stock. Lisa was involved in the roller hockey scam in Year 8 and later the mouse-racing event.

In Year 9 she joined the others in the storming of Gemma's new school, and became suspicious of Matt's friendship with Tracey. Year 10 and Lisa got two acquaintances to be Matt's blind dates. She also created alien screensavers on the school computers when the inspectors arrived. This year Lisa's mum left the family for another man. Lisa has to look after the family while her father wallows in self-pity. She had a catfight with Tracy who doubted Tom's innocence over Leah.

Lisa was viciously mugged for her mobile phone in Year 12. She suffered a broken arm but soon became traumatised and terrified to leave the house. Tom, Matt and Ray helped her overcome her fears. At the end of the series, Lisa became attracted to Tom but he was oblivious to this at first.