John said it was about time we all met up again, so I said Id see what I could do. . The star had actually trained as a teacher but never taught in the classroom, as she decided to pursue acting instead. Roly, Zammo, Gripper and more - what happened to the original - MSN People dont realise that. That was because he had his girlfriend at one point. Now 50, he continues to act, write and direct according to his Twitter profile. I say that to everybody in life! View our online Press Pack. No. A friend of mine runs SchoolDisco.com and I already knew what was happening. Grange Hill was only cancelled in 2008 as the production company felt like the series ran its course. Thats another person Im meeting up with next week. So there could be a whole corporate line. You couldnt even go for a pee without security. I bought this special suit, but looking at the pictures now, it was awful the trousers didnt match and I remember wearing white socks. You can do it.. GRANGE Hill's Zammo, Tucker, Roland and Janet look unrecognisable in a 'mini reunion' picture. You can do it.". Photograph: BBC Shortcuts Grange Hill Just say no! It came from a tabloid sting in 1998 in which Mustafa was said to have boasted about taking a joint to the White House, and claimed to have smoked it in the garden: When I met Nancy, I was out of it., It seems unlikely. I didnt do that to many other members of the cast, but me and Simone always did. The TV star alsoworked as a presenter for E4 Music and previously did some interviews and presenting for a film website. I did some scenes with Michael Sheard (Mr Bronson) and he gave us some really good advice. Can you guess who all of these characters are supposed to be? Where the cast of Grange Hill are now - YorkshireLive I was speaking to Mark Savage (Gripper), six months ago, and said even though my character was getting bullied, it was too funny the way we were doing it. The Grange Hill cast now - from drugs shame to casino manager She's a mother-of-two and is also an ambassador for the Good Grief Trust. This was because his parents had separated. I had a conversation with Anothony Minghella (Script Editor) and said theres no way Roland would ever be playing basketball. Lee MacDonald - Zammo Maguire MacDonald, who joined the show age 13, went on to have one of the biggest storylines in the school's history when he became addicted to heroin. Something went wrong, please try again later. The long-running series was created by Phil Redmon, who also created Channel 4's. They should have done a whole Grange Hill 30th Anniversary celebration. Her most recent TV role was in an episode of Casualty in 2014. Luke 'Gonch' Gardener stepped into the shoes of Pogo Patterson as Grange Hill's ginger entrepreneur, joining the cast in 1985. Grange Hill star Gwyneth Powell passed away at the age of 76 Credit: BBC 10 The actress played headmistress Bridget McClusky for 10 years until 1991 Credit: Rex The late actress died aged 76. Gordon 'Jonah' Jones, was a student at Grange Hill, from 1982 to 1983, played by Lee Sparke. The now 52-year-old starred in the series for five years from 1982 until 1987. Hotels near Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Gravesend on Tripadvisor: Find traveller reviews, 1,123 candid photos, and prices for 1,649 hotels near Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend, England. Erkan also appeared in a few episodes of Rowan Atkinson's hit show Blackadder. It was funny ; it was realistic. To me, it made no difference working with a fellow child or an adult. Grange Hill's headteacher was in charge between 1981 and 1991. personal? But never say never. There was an episode where there was a school disco and they were playing Spandau Ballets True (another song I cant stand!). I said to Simone, without Janet, Roland wouldnt have been anybody. Lee MacDonald / Zammo McGuire / Melissa Wilks / Jackie Wright / Grange This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Was it difficult to play these scenes? He came up trumps; it was so well written. There was no storyline I didnt enjoy doing, but theres one thing I hate, and I cringe about it now. Erkan spoke about his time on the show from 1982 to 1987, saying: "I was just a normal child attending school. Were they actually even friends and how did you get on with Simone who played Janet? I get asked Were you Roland in Grange Hill? and I say No, Im Erkan from Stratford. That always gets a giggle. Set at a comprehensive school in a fictional north London suburb, Grange Hill was one of the longest running shows in British television history. The young actors were there as part of the first ladys anti-drugs campaign but one later claimed to have smoked a joint in the garden. The proper message, though, was an anti-drugs one, taking on first lady Nancy Reagans campaign catchphrase, Just Say No. Deep down inside, he really did want her. Lee Macdonald and I get on really well now. Roland Browning was Grange Hills fat kid. Roland has set up . Where Are They Now? | Grange Hill Gold Grange Hill (TV Series 1978-2008) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb The fact that Im always going to look like Roland, unless I become slimmer of the year and change my whole body image means people will always recognise me as him. Looking back, you live and learn. So the fact that he cant remember much about the visit wasnt to do with being high, but a more prosaic reason. As I tell everybody else . There was some animosity, and when we came back it was like them and us on the set. What happened to Grange Hill kids next as Lee Whitlock dies I never really wanted to be an actor and doing Grange Hill, that made for 10 or 15 years of my life, think I was going to be an actor. Sign up for the free Mirror Showbiz newsletter. Todd has been with his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin since 1990, and they have two sons James and Thomas. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. I think the storyline was handled really, really well. Lee MacDonald played. Simon Vaughan who played Freddie in the show is a TV producer, so we already had a producer on the team. Lee has made several TV appearances since leaving Grange Hill, including an episode of The Bill in which his love interest was played by Melissa Wilkes - who also played his girlfriend Jackie Wright in Grange Hill. Actor and TV presenter Erkan Mustafa shot to fame playing Roland 'Roly' Browning in popular BBC show Grange Hill. It even covered racism, drugs, teen pregnancy, homosexuality, mental illness and so much more. le-de-France: les consquences de la pollution aux particules fines Erkan - who is of Turkish-Cypriot descent - is now 50 years old and looks like a whole new person compared to his younger self. Even today, I was shopping in my local supermarket and someone was saying Do you know who that is? and I was saying Who? We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. He was always seeking acceptance from his parents. In 1988, Alison appeared in an Eastenders spin-off called Civvy Street, set during the second world war, playing a young Ethel Skinner. Im starting to arrange this cast reunion, which started off as just a joke with John Holmes (Gonch). We sat in this room and we heard footsteps coming down the hall, then loads of bodyguards around and then the door opens, and in comes Nancy. Would you like to see your episodes released? Fly to A. merica ; never done that before. . Were talking about kids of 14 and 15; theyre going to have fun; theyre going to get bored. But the actor has also found success on other shows. In fact, I asked her out when I was 13, and I got turned down! Lee, now 54, tried his hand at professional boxing after leaving the show, but a car accident in the early 90s left him unable to return to the ring. danny kendall grange hill Now she campaigns to raise awareness of the lesser-known symptoms of breast cancer. Chris Eubank's life from marrying his manager, involvement in fatal car crash, to son's death at a tragically young age, Letitia Dean's life away from Sharon Watts including marriage to Holby City star and net worth, BBC University Challenge viewers joke it's 'too easy' with question '5-year-old could get right', Roland 'Roly' Browning in BBC's Grange Hill. Hotels near Bonar House Clinic, Hadleigh on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews, 650 candid photos, and prices for 2,209 hotels near Bonar House Clinic in Hadleigh, England. Roland attempted to fit in with the school and took part in a sports event where he was given support by older pupil Benny Green, who had also warned Gripper off from picking on Roland. Roland was a very unique character; but some of the bullying he suffered on screen was quite graphic and personal? Even now if I hear it I just cringe!! Roland reported Annette to Mrs McClusky but Annette said that this was because he wasn't kind to Diane. Me and Ricky have met so many times, and we speak at least once a month. Roland Browning / . Grange Hill's Erkan Mustafa looks unrecognisable 29 years after Roland role No way. In 1989, during Gonch's last series, he fell in love with Mandy Freemont. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. But what became of the actor who played him? They made my character dance with his girlfriend, Fabienne. Grange Hill creator Sir Philip Redmond explained the sudden name change for the show (Picture: PA) . Just say no! What really happened when Grange Hill met Nancy Reagan at Ive done things that other people have never done in their life, but most of all, Ive come out with some good friends. No, really, I just hope that they enjoyed watching Grange Hill as much as we enjoyed making it! The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. At the time it was Anthonys baby, to cover that whole story and he just supervised it so well. While dropping his girlfriend, Jackie, off at Brookdale, Zammo is chased by Gluxo Remington the Brookdale Bully. Susan Tully landed her Grange Hill role in 1981, aged 13. 10. Certain characters develop over time and by the time I left Roland was doing a lot of fund-raising, he was trying to help Zammo ; he came out of his shell. He played the role for six years and became an iconic character in the series, suffering horrific bullying at the hands of Gripper Stebson. After leaving the show, he went on to be a regular on ITV series London's Burning playing Billy Ray. Published: 13:03 GMT, 13 January 2021 | Updated: 13:24 GMT, 13 January 2021. Theres even talk of a Grange Hill convention that Im discussing with someone at the moment; a meet and greet day, with a Q and A and show some episodes. She doesnt know what shes missing!! Contents Episode 2 1.5.3 Episode 3 1.5.4 Episode 4 1.5.5 Episode 5 1.5.6 Episode 6 1.5.7 Episode 7 1.5.8 Episode 8 1.5.9 Episode 9