The Grange Hill actor Lee MacDonald has been cast in EastEnders, more than 30 years after he played the heroin-addicted schoolboy Zammo McGuire in the children’s TV series.
The 50-year-old will appear in the BBC soap as a London bus driver called Terry, who will cause trouble for the Queen Vic landlord, Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer.
MacDonald said: “I am absolutely chuffed to bits and so excited to be briefly joining the cast of EastEnders. I can’t say too much yet – but watch this space! Top banana!”
He appeared in Grange Hill from 1982 until 1987, and had a number of cameo roles in TV programmes including The Bill and Birds of a Feather, but had mostly retired from acting, concentrating on running a locksmith and key cutting shop in Surrey.
Samuel “Zammo” McGuire became one of the most celebrated Grange Hill characters after he battled heroin addiction on the BBC One children’s soap opera, which was created by Phil Redmond, who went on to develop Brookside and Hollyoaks.
Regarded as one of the most controversial storylines on children’s TV during the 1980s, it prompted a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and addiction, culminating in the show’s cast releasing a charity single, Just Say No, which reached the top 10 in the UK charts.
MacDonald was in Grange Hill from the ages of 12 to 17, and then attempted to become a professional boxer. Despite showing promise, he was injured in a car crash aged 21, and was unable to box again.
He follows other Grange Hill alumni to Albert Square. Susan Tully and Todd Carty, who played Suzanne Ross and Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, appeared as on-screen brother and sister Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler in the early years of the BBC’s flagship soap. The singer Michelle Gayle also had roles in both shows.
MacDonald will appear in two episodes of EastEnders this spring.
