Peter "Tucker" Jenkins -
Every school needs a Tucker and Todd Carty is brilliant in the role. In trouble as soon as he sets foot in the school, he doesn't fail to amuse and the whole first series pretty much relies on him to keep going, due to few episodes and weak story lines. Charismatic though not always the most popular among his classmates, especially his two enimies Trisha Yates and Micheal Doyle. In the first series we see his famous benches in the swimming pool episode. Second series involves setting the school on fire. By the third and fourth series he is a taller, leather jacket wearing third year boy. He falls in love with Pamela Cartwight and gets on to the wrong side of the school bully Booga Benson and his friend Gilbo which does end happily. Hard to dislike, a centre role throughout.
Trisha Yates -
The female Tucker but better behaved. Trisha has plenty of friends and is a very entertaining character. Very strong minded she is endlessly campaigning about something. Well meaning she lands herself in the odd scrape but compared to Tucker she is a good girl. In the first and second series she loses the Biology department's pet hamster and is constantly in trouble about school uniform, eventually being suspended for joing a S.A.G. (Sudent's Action Group) sit in that gets out of hand. She also has a brief romance with Cathy Hargreave's brother but dumps him when he tells her friend Simon Shaw to leave her alone. In the third and fourth series we see her arguing with Penny and Susi. Once she gets school uniform optional she is immediately fighting for common rooms during break so she doesn't have to stay outside in the cold as well as technical drawing being an option for girls and boys. She doesn't have a huge story line but she reminds a main character throughout. Played by Michelle Herbert.
Micheal Doyle -
Becomes a character later on in the first series but not too late to make an impact. He immediately gets himself on the wrong side of Tucker and many other members of the class. Starts of at Grange Hill by bully Benny and stealing an antique gun from the art department. As well as forcing people to vote his friend in as year rep. A villian but not particularly feared or 'hard'. His main story line was when Susi and Penny get lost in the coutryside after he scares them off. Tucker is not in this story line so Doyle takes on the main role. Has his better moments such as being elected as male form rep for his year, though later beind dismissed from this role. Played by Vincent Hall.
Benny Green -
Tucker's good friend from the begining. Comes from a poor family due to his father being out of work. Sport, likes football. More innocent then Tucker, sweet and less able to stand up for himself, for instance when Doyle bullies him. In all four series he doesn't tend to have any story lines to himself and mainly follows along with Tucker's ones. Gets his blazer stollen by Brookies(boys from Brookdale school). Still, a much used and likeable character.
Alan Humphries -
Tucker's friend before school starts, and they remain friends throughout despite being put in seperate classes. Known for being taller and fatter then most of the year. He becomes on quite good terms with Micheal Doyle when on the trip to the countryside without Tucker. Again, usually involved with Tucker's story lines but still a main character. However in the third and fourth series he develops a love interest with Susi despite her mother dissapproving, is a judo fan and known for smoking. Gets badly told off for smoking in a classroom. A likeable character.
Cathy Hargreaves -
Best known for being Trisha Yates friend though unlike Tucker's friends she has story lines of her own. Fun and jokey there is little to dislike about Cathy. Over the course of the four series she falls in and out of friends with Trisha but the two work very well as friends. She get's stalked and then chased by a supposedly creepy man who later turns out to be her father who left when she was a baby. She doesn't want anyting to do with him but her older brother does and she eventually meets with him to get some money to go and see a concert with Trisha. Also falls in with the wrong crowd and gets in trouble with the police after shoplifting. In the third and fourth series she starts up a band and we get to see them preform at the school disco. Also has an accident in a dangerous building and corporal punishment for trying to bunk off school. Slightly more troublesome then Trisha Yates.
Andrew Stanton -
One of the more sensible boys, has problems at home from the start with his parents arguing. Becomes friends with Justin and lands the lead role in the school play of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. Very into drama and music. Generally a good boy but at one point tries smoking with Alan Humphries and gets drunk at school when his parents eventually divorce. Has a younger sister in the first year, in the third and fourth series and she finds him bossy and annoying.
Justin Bennett -
Ridiculed at the beginging for being soppy and is an easy target for Tucker. After befriending Andrew he improves greatly and by the third and fourth series looks much less sickly and is less likely to run of telling on people. When Susi and Penny get lost in the woods it is he who tells the teacher, even though Micheal Doyle threatens him not too. Eventually becomes male form rep to replace Micheal Doyle. Can be annoying at the begining but changes for the better later on.
Penny Lewis -
Loves school and being on the school council. The geek of the year is generally found doing work in the classroom in her free time, an avid writer for the school magazine. Her two main story lines would be getting lost in the forest on a school trip and hurting her ankle so she can not walk and writing a provocative article about Micheal Doyle and his position as male year rep, which ends up with her having to write him a sorry letter and getting banned from the school magazine. She can be disliked by her classmates but this is not without reason, she often tries to elaborate things with complicated words and talks quite like a teacher, even to her best friend Susi.
Susi MacMahon -
Probably more likeable then Penny. Her main storylines are again the getting lost in a forest in the country and her suggested romance with Alan Humphries. She also gets pressured a lot by her not so likeable mother and ends up getting ill just before the exams from worry. A well meaning good girl. Penny Lewis inexplicably leaves in the fourth series but Susi remains and even gets bullied but uses her Judo to defend herself.
Joseph Hughes -
A very amusing and likeable character. There is no real point to his character but he is there as a bit of a coward who often makes stupid remarks. He often goes around with Tucker and Co. but is never really in the group. Could have been a bigger part in the series. In series two he regrets getting himself into the Brookdale V.S. Grange Hill general knowledge quiz but ends up not doing too badly. Brookdale win by one point in the end. Popular among his class mates, never racially bullied like Benny is by Doyle.
Simon Shaw -
Sweet and fairly timid, Simon Shaw is a likeable character. He spends a long time covering up the fact that he can not read and can barely write until he has to admitt it. Mr Suttcliffe eventually works out that he must be dyslexic and he eventually leaves to go to a special school so he can learn to read and write. He is also bad at getting up in the mornings and Mr Mitchell manages to persaude Trisha Yates to stop by at his house on the way to school to get him up as she passes his house anyway. They become good friends and though Simon Shaw fancies her she doesn't fancy him and they remain friends despite a kiss on the cheek. Trisha is endlessly teased about her and Simon, but refuses to let it get to her. Simon is also involved in the fire with Tucker and gets the blame because he gets caught up in it when Tucker and Co manage to escape. Does not appear again after he leaves in the second series.
Antoni Karamanopolis -
In the first two series Antoni, who sports an afro, gets in trouble for always falling asleep in lessons. When chased about this it turns out his father who owns a restuarant has him up and helping out until late and night and he doesn't get sufficient sleep. The teacher goes round to try and reason wiht Antoni's father, who at first shouts at her but eventually agrees to send him to bed at an earlier time. In the third and fourth series he falls to his death after a trend of dares goes too far. This death is not dwelled upon much by the other people back at school. He was a sweet child and likeable.
Madelin Tanner -
Madelin Tanner is a bad girl of the form. When Trisha and Cathy fall out in series two she befriends Cathy and they bunk of a lesson together and sit outside smoking and talking to senior girls, among them Jackie, who bullies a girl in the first series. She regularly shop lifts and smokes and in the third and fourth series she steals people's bikes for two boys she knows before eventually being caught after a chase across a feild by the third and first years and being captured by Tucker. Wore a leather jacked and had blonde hair.
Tommy Watson -
Joins Tucker's gang at a later stage but is not very explored. Is involved with Tucker sending of a fake love letter to Susi from Alan. His main storyline was being smuggled to France by Tucker which results in the entire trip being called off and Tucker becoming very unpopular before a subsitute trip is made. Perfectly nice character.
Booga Benson -
Booga and his friend Gilbo are pretty severe bullies. After being talked about but never seen earlier he turns out to be the person behind all the school vandalism. when Tucker stands up to him and tells Mrs McClusky for the sake of the school challenge he is very agressive and chases him throughout the school before beating him up. Very ugly and aggressive. Gets expelled for the vandalism.
Sudhamani Patel -
She appears in many episodes but mainly just fades into the background as quite boring and always in immaculate school uniform. However she has her own little story like when Andrew Stanton fancies her and this starts to worry her father along with his complaints about Western music and fashion and he tries to remove her from the school. The school insists that sending Sudhamani to an all girl's school would not improve matters and that Sudhamani is happy at Grange Hill. Cathy and Trisha also have a word with him and in the end he agrees to let her finish that year. She also has to help a Pakistani girl called Fatima who cannot speak English when a memember of staff assumes that Sudhamani will be able to communicate with the girl, however she is not Pakistani herself but still helps with Fatima until she speaks enough English to look after herself.
Douglas 'Pogo' Patterson -
A first year so only in the third and fourth series. He starts off with a broken arm. He is quite fat with ginger hair and very out going. He and Duane start up a money making business selling chocolate crispy cakes at break and gets good businiess until he has to close it down. Another money making scheme of doing people's homework lands him in big trouble when Gripper forces him to do his homework free of charge. He makes and stand and ends up having a massive fight with Gripper, doing a lot of damage to a classroom. Fairly likeable though not always.
Duane Orpington -
A strong willed first former. Tall and thin and good friends with Tracy Edwards. He has a strict father who gives him a black eye for getting his bike stolen on the first day. He later gets a paint stain on his jacket but Tracy gets it off for him with the help of the school builder before his father finds out. Develops a crush on Mrs Lexington or 'Sexy Lexy' who teachers computer studies and offers to carry her books for her. Likeable but not as light hearted as many other characters.
Danny Taylor -
Quite quiet and nerdy. Enjoys Computer club on a regular basis and known for being clever. Attempts to set up a lottery but gets outwitted by Gripper and loses a lot of money. Sweet with brunette hair, son to a G.P.
Micheal Green -
The little brother of Benny Green. Not as big a role as that of Benny but makes friends and takes part in some of the story lines. Most famously for him going to Tracy's house to get answers for a competition to win a school mini bus and being chucked out by Tracy's racist mother.
Tracy Edwards -
Freckled girl with wiry hair, resembles Tracy Beaker from the modern day show. Old friends with Duane before they come. Good willed and strong willed and makes friends with other girls in her class easily though quite protective of Duane and defensive at first.
Sally Forsyth -
Thin girl who at first always seems to be ill. Is liked by the other girls in her class. Hates doing sports but after being forced to partake in the Gym Obstacle Course she falls off the climbing frame onto the hard wooden floor. She is rushed to hospital and soon taken out of intensive care and it is discovered she has a heart problem.
Anita Usworth -
Fat and hating of all sports. She constantly threatening that her Grandmother will ring up the sport teacher. Not particularly liked by the year but befriends Sally Forsyth as they both dislike sports.
Karen Stanton -
Andrew Stanton's little sister. Makes friends very easily and becomes friends with Tracy Edwards. Nice and friendly but doesn't really have a story line. Well liked. Finds her brother annoying and overbearing and wants more independence from him at first. Has a fight with Micheal Doyle on her first day which she wins after wacking him with her bag.
'Gripper' Stebson -
Shoplifts at the local newsagent and is seen by Daune, Pogo and Stewpot who he then threatens incase they tell on him. Forces Pogo to do his homework and then chases him around the school before aggressively attacking him. Also cheats Danny out of money. Disliked by all as well as teachers.
Christoper 'Stewpot' Stuart -
Very likable, and sweet. Gets abused by Mr Hicks the sport teacher and the school doesn't believe him. However Mr Baxter catches Mr Hicks in the act and punches him. Stewpot becomes a main character but has not further storylines centered around him.
Claire Scott -
Pretty and anxious about growing up. Has a hard time over the school medicals especially when an older girl puts makeup on her and she doesn't like it. A nice sweet girl, makes plenty of friends.
I hope to write more on Grange Hill later. Hope you enjoyed this!
