Grange Hill: Series 3 & 4

It’s now 1980 and the start of yet another term at Grange Hill. Some pupils and teachers have moved on and a whole new batch of tiny terrors (and little darlings) are about to make their way through those steel gates for the first time.

Tucker (Todd Carty) Jenkins and his gang are still up to their old tricks and trying their best to copy homeworks, miss classes and generally rebel against the system, making him the most likeable jack-the-lad on TV at the time. These next two series add to the already present collection of GH action groups (which over time would cover drugs, bullying and may more subjects that affected children that age), the character arcs from previous years and of course the ever-present inter-school rivalry with the dreaded pupils of Brookdale. It's fun to watch the main leads grow up and change slightly each term (as we all did during our years at school) and amazing to see how the bitchy nature of children and pushy parents has not actually changed at all in that length of time. Back then it was grades, cars, money, clothes, hair and music and, apart from maybe which iPod you have, it's pretty much the same.

So it's all systems go for another 34 episodes of pupil versus teacher one-upmanship, locker room talks about which teacher is the most fancyable, bullying, protective older siblings looking out for their younger brother or sister and more tales of the highs and lows of life in the early 1980s for students of a comprehensive school.

Looking back at series like these make for fun viewing, for anyone who recalls the show in its heyday and others who get an opportunity to witness vintage classic TV drama that offers a chance to see just how well written they were and the care with which the sometimes delicate subjects were treated. Sure it’s a time of optional uniforms, banning of denim, bike sheds and bowl haircuts, but it's an oddly intense collection of episodes that you feel the need to watch and wonder just what happened next term.

Extras: Grange Hill quiz.

Released 12th November 2007 by BBC Worldwide.

Written by Phil Allely.