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| Paddy McTaggart is furious at the BBC's indifference: "I
have been watching the BBC’s treatment of GH over the last couple
of years with concern and decided that it was a disgrace that the
30th anniversary is almost upon us next month and yet there is NO
sign of any special programming to celebrate the anniversary. I have
been in touch with a national newspaper through a contact I have about
the lack of anniversary programming, they have replied and are going
to contact the BBC but whether or not they really are interested in
looking into this or not I am unsure. I also have a friend who works
for the BBC here in Northern Ireland, and he has told me that there
are a lot of people within the BBC who are worried about what to do
with Grange Hill however they want to see it continue but it seems
like it’s a few people who seem to have it in for the show and unfortunately
they are the ones wielding the power in the organization at the moment.
However how much truth is in that above statement and whether it is
just a personal opinion of some individuals I cannot say exactly.
Anyhow I just thought I’d contact you and let you know One thing is
for sure if there are people at the BBC who just hope they can make
Grange Hill go away I hope there will be many others like ourselves
who will voice our concerns and displeasure at the treatment of the
show." Lots of nostalgia from early Grange Hill fans to start this 30th anniversary year! Debra writes: "I am so glad I found this website! I am 45 years old, and started watching GH when it was a school programme on tv, I have in the loft about 40 video tapes of GH from the beginning, and will be going out to buy the box sets, I stopped taping them a while back and stopped watching, but wanted to say how much this programme played a big part in my childhood when I was younger, I even had a haircut like Cathy's!!" Hi Debra and welcome to GH Online! Tell me - are those tapes in the loft of the original showings or the 1990s re-runs? Hope you enjoy the DVDs and if you support them it could lead to more being released. Cathy was a popular girl - see Paul's letter below! An update on the Buckfield twins now from Andrew Startup: "Hi Simon. I am e-mailing you to let you know I have seen both Julie & Clare in their respective pantomimes Cinderella and Peter Pan. Despite it being a preview performance that I saw, Julie has made the transition from Principal Boy to Principal Girl with ease and was a joy to watch as Cinderella. It was a pity that some of the songs that were chosen for her to sing were not better selected to suit her singing voice though, as a few times she sounded slightly off key. However the production itself was very god and given the limited space on stage they got around having a real horse and carriage by having a mechanical horse and carriage that lifted Julie up in the air and was far more spectacular than some that use real horses on stage. No wonder tickets are hard to come by and it's a testament to Julie's popularity that this is her fourth year in Cambridge. I felt sorry though for Clare for being in Peter Pan. The production had pretentions of being more a West End musical than a pantomime as was to concerned with telling the story of Peter Pan rather than use it as a basis for the production. It was only when Smee and two pirates did their version Twelve Days of Christmas did it seem like a pantomime. Also the hand of the Health & Safety were detected. Not only did Clare not fly above the audience but the bombarding of the stage with foam block also had gone. I was surprised that Smee and two pirates were allowed to drench the audience with Super Soakers - including one unfortunate man with light coloured trousers. The role of Peter I felt is one Clare should leave to Julie as Clare lacked the same proud defiance and stance Julie brought to the role. Added to which Clare had to wear a hideous wig that made her look like Rod Stewart at a fancy dress party. I feel Clare is far better suited to Principal Girl roles and leave the Principal Boy roles to Julie as Clare didn't seem to enjoy the role as much as Julie did ham things up the right amount needed to make a good pantomime." Miss A Hayes writes: "I absolutely love your website! I just wanted to first say well done! It's got great and interesting info on it! I'm a massive fan of Grange Hill , and understand the 31st series is starting next month, January 2008. I would be really grateful if you could tell me the date of the 1st episode in January 08? I couldn't find the information on the BBC website. Thank you." Hi! Well as you probably know now, Series 31 is being delayed until the summer. It was originally going to be shown now but CBBC are being coy about the reasons for the delay. As soon as we have a definite date it will appear on the site - keep checking back! Paul asks: "Hi, I wonder if you can help? I recently bought the first two series of GH on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was only 5 when GH started and I was finally able to put into context all the fuzzy images and random plot points that I'd had spinning in my mind for almost 30 years! However, one storyline I remember so vividly was the one about Cathy Hargreaves and her father. It must have made quite an impact on me and I'd dearly love to write to the actress, Lindy Brill, but all I know is that as of 2002 she was working for a publishing company in Oxford. Do you have her agent's details instead, please? I now work in TV myself and was fortunate to meet Todd Carty and Sue Tully when I first started out in this industry and they were both marvellous people. It's always good when your childhood heroes are pleasant to their fans - even if I was a starstruck 21 year old at the time! Anyway, if you could help with my query I'd be very grateful" Hi Paul and glad you like the DVDs. Sadly, we don't have a contact address for Lyndy since she is no longer acting and would therefore not have an agent. She now works for an educational publishing company. Nice to hear you've been able to meet so many of your GH heroes through your work in television - we'd love to meet them all! |
