Bye bye Martin - and Grange Hill's heritage

Malcolm Neale: "Hope you are still keeping well. I thought you might like to read this item about Matthew Buckley. http://www.thisishertfordshire.co.uk/news/borehamwood/display.var.1263813.0.
grange_hill_star_graduates.php I shall miss Martin and Kathy when they leave; the final link with London will be gone. Considering how long they have been in the series I don't think either of them have been given the credit they deserve. I can't believe series 30 is over; apart from the odd glitch it has been most enjoyable. I really do hope it is on BBC1 later in the year; it deserves to be seen by a much wider audience. It's obvious from the forum that many people missed it because of the lack of publicity it received."

Hello Malcolm and thanks for the link! Yes, Martin has been one of Grange Hill's most popular character in recent years and he will be missed by many (see below too). At the moment Matt Buckley's plans are unclear but Sammy O'Grady is attending new auditions, one of which has been for EastEnders. And no news at this stage about a BBC1 repeat - but we hope it happens!

Taylor the caretaker - would that really happen?

Robert Hosie makes several observations about Grange Hill's latest series: "What authority did Miss Gayle have excluding Alex? She is only the Deputy Head and not as ambitious as we were led to believe before the start of the series. Certainly not as ambitious as Mr Deverill or good old Maurice Bronson. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Mrs Bassinger has been mentioned more than once or twice this series.

"It seemed strange that Taylor was allowed to have the school keys as he had just left after being a 'difficult' pupil. That was a bit unrealistic. Obviously, Wally Scott has gone with not a word of explanation, although his and Mrs Bassigner's name is still on the board at the gates - Wally wasn't much of a character anyway.

"One of the correspondents on the Forum suggested Grange Hill couldn't last forever - why not? By the very nature of schools, the characters and actors change, so if the willingness is there, there's no reason it can't last a good few years yet. Maybe even rival Blue Peter as longest running children's programme, although I think it will have to have more teachers to make it feel more like a school.

"We were all worried that it would start being aimed at younger children, but I don't think it has. Tanya talking about Kyle 'getting his leg over' is hardly the language for younger people!! I remember the furore when the word 'arse' was written in relation to Mr Smart, but that was obviously on BBC1, not the little watched CBBC Channel." Thanks Robert for your observations! It was agonising waiting for Mrs Bassinger to appear only for her not to, but it looks like Jacqueline Boatswain has moved on and is unlikely to return next year. And we were pleasantly surprised but Taylor as caretaker actually worked - although he's probably the last ex-pupil you'd have expected to get the job. It could have been a problem with the pupils remembering him as a pupil but Taylor's no-nonsense attitude meant he had their respect from the start. As for Grange Hill lasting forever, no reason why it shouldn't and Phil Redmond has himself said as much. Alas the show's fate lies in the hands of TV bosses, and with children's television currently in a volatile state no promises can be given about its future - it's a case of wait and see...

EastEnder Max in Grange Hill?

Emma Crossley asks: "Please please please can you help?????? What was the name of the character played by Jake Wood, Max in EastEnders????? Please put us out of our misery!!!!! PS Your website is so awesome!" Hi Emma. I'm afraid we can't even confirm that Jake was in Grange Hill; you obviously know more than us! Sometimes, actors who go on to find fame elsewhere did start out as background artists in Grange Hill, such as Alex Walkinshaw of The Bill. Extras in Grange Hill are never normally credited, so this is the only way Jake Wood is likely to have been involved - so on this occasion I'm afraid we can't put you out of your misery. Sorry!

Just Say No lyrics

Casey Morrison writes: "I've had a good look for the lyrics to the Grange Hill song "Just Say No". Could you furnish me with them please.? Help!" Hi Casey. Sadly we don't have any printed lyrics either, but if you wanted to have a go at transcribing them yourself, we have an MP3 of the single here. Good luck!