Grange Hill

Picture: Class of 1978 - the cast of Grange Hill series 1

Grange Hill started on 8 February 1978. The children's drama was created by Phil Redmond and set in a mixed comprehensive school in London. It aimed to offer a realistic look at school life, different to the more traditional depictions seen in stories like Billy Bunter. Due to its success, from the second series the show went to twice a week, and gradually introduced more controversial story lines.

Through the lives of its characters Grange Hill was able to raise issues such as bullying, shoplifting, pregnancy and drug addiction, while avoiding accusations from its teenage audience that it was trying to educate them. The long unfolding story of Zammo's battle with heroin addiction is the best remembered in the series. At the same time the language of Grange Hill was restrained by its teatime time slot, with swearing limited to phrases like "flippin' 'eck".

The final episode of Grange Hill aired in September 2008, with the original theme tune - "Chicken Man" by Alan Hawkshaw - playing for one last time. Todd Carty returned in the role of Tucker Jenkins. Phil Redmond went on to create Brookside and Hollyoaks. On the BBC today the school drama Waterloo Road (2006-2015) had a substantial following among teenagers.