Glory days? Denny, left, and Gripper Stebson give Ro-land some gentle persuasion
Gripper Stebson, Bullet Baxter and, of course, Ro-land Browning. Ah, the glory days of Grange Hill.
Like an awful lot of you, I imagine, I was gobsmacked to hear this cornerstone of BBC children's programming is for the chop. But when I emailed a mate of mine with the news, she was staggered to learn that it was still being broadcast.
Let's face it, Grange Hill was notable for being a rather tame when I was at school. OK, there were a few gritty plots lines like Zammo's drug addiction, but mostly it was Ziggy hiding donkeys from the caretaker or Pogo Patterson's latest money-making escapade. I don't suppose it's changed much.
So is the show not edgy enough for today's tweenagers? Or has the format finally run out of steam?
Either way, I'm inclined to think that - just like Top of the Pops and Byker Grove - the people who will be saddest to see Grange Hill end are the grown-ups who no longer watch it anyway.
So let's celebrate Grange Hill before Justin Lee Collins reunites the entire cast in an ill-conceived nostalgia-fest and spoils it for everyone. What were your favourite moments?
