SERIES ONE – 1978
9 Episodes
EPISODE 1.1 – By Phil Redmond
It is the first day of a new school year and we are introduced to the new first years of Grange Hill, in the form One Alpha; Judy Preston, who pretends to be ill in order to miss school, Trisha Yates, who wants to wear high heels for school and Peter ‘Tucker’ Jenkins, whose friends David and Alan arrive to walk him to school. Benny Green arrives at Grange Hill without a school uniform; his father is out of work and they are unable to afford one yet. The first years assemble in the hall where they are told which form they’ll be in. Tucker gets into trouble with Mr Foster for flicking an elastic band at Trisha’s head. Judy Preston and Justin Bennett talk and realise that they both hate Grange Hill. Ann Wilson arrives late, having overslept, and school bully Jackie Herron sends her in the wrong direction. Realising she’s been tricked Ann confronts Jackie and is then taken with Tucker Jenkins to meet their form teacher Mr Mitchell.
EPISODE 1.2 – By Phil Redmond
Benny Green is kicking a football around the playground and is nearly run over by Mr Mitchell, who suggests he tries out for the school football team at the trials that evening. Benny reveals he doesn’t have any football boots. Tucker gets in trouble again with Mr Foster for messing about. Benny gets lost on his way to PE and ends up getting changed in the Girls’ Changing Rooms, much to their horror and his embarrassment! Mr Foster proves himself a hard taskmaster during the PE lesson, and then sends Benny back to the changing rooms to sort out a proper PE Kit. Tucker promises to get Benny a PE Kit for the football trials. Mr Mitchell tries to help him find some football boots and eventually Ann Wilson realises he can wear her hockey boots instead, leaving Benny to impress during the trials.
EPISODE 1.3 – By Phil Redmond
Judy Preston is still not keen on life at Grange Hill, saying she hasn’t got any friends there. Her day gets worse when Tucker starts throwing her satchel around until he is stopped by Trisha who threatens to fight with him. Judy tries to catch Trisha at break time to say thank you, but instead is confronted by Jackie Herron who steals 20p and a special pen bought by Judy’s late Grandad. Jackie tells Judy she can have the pen back for 75p. The next day, Trisha and her sister Carol see Judy being bullied by Jackie outside some shops. Trisha realises that Jackie is scared of Carol, but when Carol heads back to school, Jackie and her gang spot Judy and chase her. Trisha intervenes and Jackie threatens to get her after school. They are spotted by some of Carol’s friends who tell them to stay away from Jackie. At the end of the day Judy and Trisha wait behind, but Jackie is waiting for them. Luckily, Carol and her friends are waiting and make Jackie give back the pen and the money.
EPISODE 1.4 – By Phil Redmond
Benny and Tucker are excited about their first swimming lesson at Grange Hill, but are sent to get changed when Mr Garfield sees them trying to push Justin into the water. Whilst getting changed Tucker puts on Justin’s trousers under his own. Justin is forced to return to the classroom without any trousers, but they are eventually found hanging from the classroom window! During the next swimming lesson ‘Winkle’ Graham cuts his foot on a loose tile and the class are told to wait in the changing room. The teachers are forced to take ‘Winkle’ to the medical room and leave the rest of the class unattended. Benny realises he’s lost his medal in the pool and Tucker, Alan and Tommy help him look for it. Benny and Tommy throw a bench into the pool and the four boys then race each other up and down the pool on upturned benches. Justin goes to get Mr Garfield who reports them to Mr Malcolm, who loses his temper with the caretaker. Tucker, Tommy and Benny are banned from swimming for three weeks. Back in the changing room Tucker realises his own trousers are missing, but they are eventually seen hanging from a school window!
EPISODE 1.5 – By Phil Redmond
Trisha is spending her lunchtime helping Mr Rankin, the Biology teacher, in the lab. Judy finds Trisha in the lab and tells her she’s planning to write an article about the school pets for the school magazine. Judy pushes Trisha into taking the hamster out of its cage. Miss Clark interrupts them and gives Trisha a detention for wearing ear-rings. After the interruption they realise that the hamster has escaped. After trying to catch the hamster, they knock down a book case, but still can’t find it. Judy suggests getting a replacement hamster from a pet shop, and uses Trisha’s money for the school holiday to do so. However, unbeknown to Judy, the assistant has given her a white hamster instead of a grey one! After they replace the hamster with the white one, Mr Rankin finds the original hamster in the lab, forcing Trisha and Judy to confess. Mr Rankin tells them he’ll take the new hamster back to the shop and refunds their money.
EPISODE 1.6– By Phil Redmond
Benny’s family have finally been able to buy him a blazer and some football boots. Tucker is still holding a grudge against Justin for telling Mr Garfield about the games in the swimming pool. Justin manages to persuade Tucker and Benny to let him come with them during lunch time to visit and old ammunition dump. After messing about in the building, two men arrive and the boys hide. Climbing onto the roof, Justin slips and falls and is knocked unconscious. Justin is taken to hospital whilst Benny and Tucker are given the cane, with their parents’ agreement.
EPISODE 1.7 – By Phil Redmond
It is revealed that Justin has broken his leg and won’t be returning for school this term. Michael Doyle joins Form One Alpha from Mr Malcolm’s class after being caught bullying. Miss Mather, the art teacher, is looking for a pair of flintlock pistols for the school festival. Doyle causes problems in the art lesson. The class have the chance to vote for a School Council representative. Nominations include Ann Wilson, Trisha Yates and Tucker Jenkins, but Trisha steps down after realising the amount of work involved. Michael Doyle nominates himself as his father is a councillor. Ann wins the nominations by several votes and along with her ‘campaign manager, Mary, asks Miss Mather to help design a campaign poster. Judy manages to get a profile of Ann published in the school magazine. Ann decides to include plans to start a tuckshop as part of her campaign. Doyle is threatening people into voting for his friend, David Robinson. However, when Doyle’s scheming is revealed their votes are disallowed and Ann is elected as First Year Representative on the School Council.
EPISODE 1.8 – By Phil Redmond
Michael Doyle causes problems in Miss Mather’s art lesson and is given ten hours detention, whilst Trisha is in trouble for wearing coloured tights. The class begin working on props for the school festival. Doyle and Robinson steal an antique flintlock pistols from the Art Room. The Headmaster threatens to cancel the festival and call in the police unless the flintlocks are returned. Mr Mitchell speaks to Trisha about her constant flouting of uniform rules. Tucker threatens Doyle who denies stealing the pistol. Trisha overhears and the girls and boys join forces to get Doyle to confess. Ann suggests an ‘amnesty’ for the return of the pistol. Tucker gets some friends to help him beat up Doyle. The pistol is returned anonymously and the festival is rescheduled.
EPISODE 1.9 – By Phil Redmond
Doyle and his gang pick on Benny, calling him a ‘golliwog’. Tucker sticks up for him, but Dyle vows revenge. Trisha gets angry about the school’s restrictions on uniform, especially when she gets into trouble with Mr Mitchell for wearing nail varnish. Mr Mitchell threatens to write a letter home, but Trisha intercepts the letter and decides not to go to school. Doyle and his gang attack Benny and tear up his magazine. Benny runs out of school. Ann calls round at Trisha’s and realises her mother doesn’t know. Mr Mitchell overhears Ann and Mary discussing Trisha’s absence and decides to investigate. Trisha and Benny end up looking at an exhibition of paintings in town. After bumping into one another, they realise that they have both ‘bunked off’ school. Trisha and Benny talk about why they’re not at school and manage to make each other feel better about their problems. Miraculously Mr Mitchell manages to track them down and persuades them to return to school the next day.
SERIES ONE WAS RELEASED ON DVD BY BBC DVD IN NOVEMBER 2007
RELATED FEATURES
How It All Began
Phil Redmond Interview
Ann Wilson (Lucinda Duckett) Interview
Justin Bennett (Robert Craig Morgan) Interview
Grange Hill Gold 