The two sit at the foot of the cliff as night falls, with Roland admitting he feels everything that goes wrong in his life is his fault. I find it bizarre that some people dont look back on their time at Grange Hill fondly. authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and, display personalised ads and content based on interest profiles, measure the effectiveness of personalised ads and content, and, develop and improve our products and services. She left the series in 1985 and continued to act, appearing in TV series such as Spender and Only Fools and Horses. personal? Roland Browning / . The show focused on dealing with issues like bullying and learning difficulties in a fictional school in the fictional borough of Northam. How did you get on with the adults on set? 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. Todd has been with his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin since 1990, and they have two sons James and Thomas. . I came up with a story that bit me on the arse. Grange Hill was a children's television show that began in 1978 on BBC1 and ran all the way up until 2008. Grange Hill was a children's television show that began in 1978 on BBC1 and ran all the way up until 2008. They could have done a whole evening. Hes living in France and he owns a restaurant. Roland Branning, played by Ercan Mustafa, starred on Grange Hill for six years. Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct at 0207 29 33033. Whatever Ive done in the past, people still always say to me Grange Hill, and I think if Id carried on acting Id probably still get recognised for Grange Hill. . The show followed the lives of a school based in North London, and dealt with hard-hitting storylines following themes of drugs, racism, crime, mental health, and death. Then announced it on the BBC, then axed the show, then there would be a call for it. Pupils [ edit] * On joining the actors' union Equity at the age of 16, it was necessary for some Grange Hill actors to change their professional names to avoid confusion with existing artists with the same name. Even today, I was shopping in my local supermarket and someone was saying Do you know who that is? and I was saying Who? Roland attempted to stand up to Gripper by fighting him in the bathroom, but was not capable enough to overpower him and Gripper floored Roland. Terry Sue-Patt, who played Benny Green, was one of Grange Hill's first-generation cast - Tucker's sidekick - but he and MacDonald overlapped for one series, and MacDonald had known Sue-Patt at. The building is awesome as you walk up. Without her character, Roland would not have been so popular. Roland has set up . I said to Simone, without Janet, Roland wouldnt have been anybody. Just general courtesy, an excuse me, sorry to disturb you is all it needs. Do you have a message for the thousands of Grange Hill fans out there? We always got on well. Required fields are marked *. There was also a point where he had scenes with Mr Baxter and the character got lost, but ended up becoming a hero. Thats why me and Lee do our own Roland and Zammo thing; we do music shows (mainly because my friend is the booker) but also a couple of charity nights. He struggled to return to his previous success after being released but has had small parts since. As a result, he became involved in a number of anti-drugs campaigns encouraging youngsters to 'Just Say No'. They even had the same name for the restaurant that Id wrote! Grange Hill - Series 7 - Episode 1 - ITVX I was like a normal school kid; I never went to stage school or belonged to an agency. Ive written an episode about it. Following his success in Grange Hill, the actor went on to star in Lenny Henry's 90s sitcom Chef! Erkan is also a writer and director. We have to ask you about Rolands friendship with Janet. The question is how far do you go? What happened to Grange Hill kids next as Lee Whitlock dies We keep saying we are going to meet up; we will do some time this month. He also runs a locksmith business in Wallington, Surrey. I bought this special suit, but looking at the pictures now, it was awful the trousers didnt match and I remember wearing white socks. I cant stand listening to Careless Whisper. Grange Hill 1978 - 2008 - Precious stands up to Gripper You can do it.. Grange Hill was only cancelled in 2008 as the production company felt like the series ran its course. . Do you have a story to sell? It was exciting; going into a recording studio, never done that before. I dont get over to see him much, but Ive met his wife and I was invited to their wedding. Im starting to arrange this cast reunion, which started off as just a joke with John Holmes (Gonch). No. In April 2019, it was announced that he would appear in the BBC soap opera EastEndersas Terry. 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. Most people dont want any publicity or any press involved, but I could probably film some of it and do it as a podcast. The actual show came across a bit strangely. He also gave Roland a Welsh dictionary. Caroline 'Calley' Donnington - Simone Hyams Simone Hymas is best known for her role as Calley in Grange Hill, which she starred in from 1985 until 1991. He had issues. 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. Now 75, the actress went on to act in shows including A Touch of Frost, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City. On a Welsh trip, Roland got lost and met the farmer, who taught him some Welsh. and also made appearances onSoccer AMandCelebrity Juice. At the end of the day, it had 15 million people watching at its peak. Grange Hill ran for 30 years until 2008 and covered major issues from drug use to teen pregnancy, HIV and knife crime. They played best friends Tucker Jenkins and Benny Green. 'I had a great time, getting time off school to play football. GRANGE HILL: Series 7 & 8 BOXED SET [DVD] - Amazon Its still on my laptop. There were 2000 people actually went for the role and I think the reason I got it, was because I was quite a shy child at one point, and the fact that I wore glasses. You had the four main characters who were involved in the storyline; Lee (Zammo), Melissa (Jackie), Mmoloki (Kevin) and myself. Bullied by others, only child Roland struggled to fit in at Grange Hill. Roland Browning (s5-10) | Grange Hill Gold My friend had got me down there Djing. Erkan also appeared in a few episodes of Rowan Atkinson's hit show Blackadder. 'Grange Hill' film on the way that will "take a look at the - NME I was always a completely different personality to Roland. It was one of the longest-running programmes on British TV, finally ending in 2008. A poolside prank during a swimming lesson has fatal consequences. danny kendall grange hill Playing the popular rebel won her the part of Michelle Fowler in EastEnders which she played for a decade. He went on to appear in Brookside as Little Jimmy Corkhill. He also had minor roles in other TV shows including Desmonds, General Hospital and Jackanory. Your email address will not be published. The Grange Hill cast then and now: Erkan Mustafa who played Roland 'Roly' Browning (Image: HullLive) Erkan, now 50, played one of the most popular stars of the show.. His character Roly. He recalls that it was quite nerve-racking. He was discovered aged 14 by a talent scout while playing football in the park and enjoyed success in 1989 film The Firm, starring alongside Gary Oldman and Phil Davis. In an interview, somebody asked me if there was an episode of a Grange Hill school reunion, what would happen? . Were talking about the most protected building in the world, where a president cant even get a blow job without the rest of the world knowing. Gripper had picked on Roland during the series, making him give him money and humiliating him. I said no but I could remember the first 3, so I said those and she said Youre probably the only person who would remember those. The Grange Hill cast now - from drugs shame to casino manager Grange Hill cast - where are they now? | Closer Unfortunately, a car accident in the early 1990s left Lee unable to pursue with the sport. Janet was such a helpful character; even though she got on Rolands nerves, I think he loved it really. Wherever we went, they played the video of Just Say No, so they had to bring those characters there as well. He made his first appearance in episode 1 of series 5 and made his final appearance in episode 18 of series 6. At the time it was Anthonys baby, to cover that whole story and he just supervised it so well. Can you guess who all of these characters are supposed to be? Where Are The Cast Of Grange Hill Now? - Eighties Kids He played the role for six years and became an iconic character in the series, suffering horrific bullying at the hands of Gripper Stebson. 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. . Watch out for a Grange Hill feature in this on BBC 1, Weds at 2100. On an orienteering trip Roland declines Janet's offer to pair up to complete an exercise and winds up paired with Mr Baxter. Plotting a deranged revenge plot on the mother who gave him away involving incest and raping a colleague, psychopathic Gabriel became a serial killer and eventually committed suicide. Roly even had a knack for foreign languages. We dont even really talk about Grange Hill ; its just where we grew up really. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA. Its one of the things you just deal with. Thats snowballed into quite a lot of people going to be attending. . The gritty Grange Hill with its often hard-hitting storylines was always one of the more true-to-life shows for kids of the 70s, 80s, 90s and the noughties. Get all the biggest showbiz news straight to your inbox. Originally, viewers felt sorry for Roland, as he was a victim of bullying at the hands of Gripper Stebson. Menu. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. Grange Hill (TV Series 1978-2008) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Grange Hill's Zammo actor Lee MacDonald marries his girlfriend Jess as he shares beaming wedding day snaps - two Grange Hill actress Gwyneth Powell, known to millions as headmistress Mrs. McClusky, has died aged 76 after undergoing major surgery for a Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' After leaving Grange Hill she appeared in popular shows such as Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost and Holby City. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site is dedicated to the BBC TV series Grange Hill which ran from 1978-2008, concentrating particularly on the early years (1978-1990). WHERE ARE THEY NOW. I never thought all those years ago that we would even be friends. Roland didn't hit it off well with the rest of his classmates of other peers at the school, who viewed him as clumsy due to his excess weight. THE 10 CLOSEST Hotels to Mayow Park, London Sign up for the Daily Star TV newsletter for the biggest TV news. Grange Hill is for everyone." Now, 44 years since the bell first rang in February 1978, it's heading back to our screens. I live with it every day. 10. . Its a shame they didnt have 45 minutes of it. Click here to upload yours. At the time there was some animosity on the set because only certain people on the set got invited to America. Because I had a character mother and father on set, I did scenes with those and when you have those parent scenes youre acting with adults quite a lot. Thats what he wanted; he wanted somebody. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Grange Hill (series 10) - atozwiki.com Photograph: BBC Shortcuts Grange Hill Just say no! You should beat him up, the other half people would just come up and abuse me, thinking it was fun. John said it was about time we all met up again, so I said Id see what I could do. After leaving the school drama in 1987, he went on to act in two series of Chef! Luke 'Gonch' Gardener stepped into the shoes of Pogo Patterson as Grange Hill's ginger entrepreneur, joining the cast in 1985. Grange Hill's Roland Browning actor looks totally different 30 years They made my character dance with his girlfriend, Fabienne. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. . You would think that they could have done a huge night of TV about it; they do Dads Army nights, Doctor Who nights, Blue Peter nights . Id already performed Just Say No at School Disco, three or four months prior to that. I get asked Were you Roland in Grange Hill? and I say No, Im Erkan from Stratford. That always gets a giggle. Theyd shout out strange obscenities, but thats part and parcel of being an actor and playing a character. Popular Scouser Ziggy Greaves arrived at Grange Hill in 1986 and spent four years on the show, with his character compared to original scamp Tucker in the first series. Lee Sparke Grange Hill - mindsteam He didnt have any friends. He invites Gripper there and says to him I forgive you for what you did. Thats another person Im meeting up with next week. . Michelle moved to Dundee in the early 1990s to bring up her family, where she works alongside her husband running their family glazing business. That was a changing point in his development, where he became a lot more confident. In the show, his character found the courage to defend himself against bullies and became an inspiration to young viewers. The show followed the lives of a school based in North London, and dealt with hard-hitting storylines following themes of drugs, racism, crime, mental health, and death. Erkan Mustafa - Wikipedia Basically the whole thing is Roland showing people how he developed and how he came on. BBC changed Grange Hill name after concerns it could offend - Metro Now 75, actress Gwyneth Powell went on to act in shows including A Touch of Frost, Casualty, Doctors and. The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. He then starred as Mark Fowler in EastEnders from 1990 to 2003, with a groundbreaking storyline when his character was diagnosed with HIV. Thats what its all about ; you dont have to be in each others pockets all the time to remain wonderful friends. Roland's disappearance does much to transform his classmates' attitude to him and he returns to a hero's welcome.[1]. Just say no! What really happened when Grange Hill met Nancy Reagan at There was no storyline I didnt enjoy doing, but theres one thing I hate, and I cringe about it now. Grange Hill Series 7 synopsis - First broadcast on 3rd January 1984 It s a new term & Zammo has a girlfriend (Jackie Wright) who goes to rival school Brookdale. He was found lying face down in bed andreports suggested his body may have lain undiscovered for a month. Whether it's Tucker, Mrs McCluskey, Zammo, Bronson, Fay Lucas, Ziggy Greaves or Roland Browning, you'll find them here! The It was exciting; going into a recording studio, never done that before. Thoughts with his family RIP xxx.'. Other parts include "Enormous Orphan" in Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) and "Otto" in Chef! Watch the video for Just Say No, the Grange Hill single, and there are many things a child would do well to denounce: a mullet, a saxophone solo and wearing a cardigan to a disco. . He said Sit down and watch this. Gripper began picking on a new kid at Grange Hill named Roland Browning, mostly because Roland was overweight and shy with no friends. Always full of money making schemes, Gonch was a wheeler dealer who ran a toast bar, a dating agency, a homework service and a PE kit lending scheme all from the classroom. Grange Hill cast reunite 43 years on to discuss the importance of teaching kids about drugs in a pre-internet world and meeting First Lady Grange Hill reunion! The TV star also worked as a presenter for E4 Music and previously did some interviews and presenting for a film website. For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here. 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. What happened to Danny Kendall in Grange Hill? After leaving the show, he went on to be a regular on ITV series London's Burning playing Billy Ray. Followed about by the ever helpful Janet, Rolands time at Grange Hill saw him develop from an unhappy eleven year old to a more confident teenager. Now she campaigns to raise awareness of the lesser-known symptoms of breast cancer. Fans loved how despite horrific bullying, the youngster always stood up for himself and discovered he had a talent for foreign languages. Can you tell me your middle names? and she said Will you remember all twenty of them?. Were they actually even friends and how did you get on with Simone who played Janet? Grange Hill Memories 2. There was an episode where there was a school disco and they were playing Spandau Ballets True (another song I cant stand!). The star, like Roly, wears glasses and rocks a shaved head and stubbly facial hair. Actor and TV presenter Erkan Mustafa shot to fame playing Roland 'Roly' Browning in popular BBC show Grange Hill. Gripper wrote on the board that Roland is a headcase and that he goes to the shrink, which prompted Roland to bunk off school yet again. That got certain individuals backs up. So we spent the whole evening chatting about the reunion! What are your favourite memories from your time playing Roland? Grange Hill wasn't afraid to tackle controversial subjects and that's why people loved it so much. Me and Simone (Janet) had a wonderful relationship. It was basically another comedy, exactly the same as what I had written! 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. Lee MacDonald played. Its going to be quite strange for us, the class of 86; we had our reunion a couple of years ago. This was because his parents had separated. Thanks very much to Erkan Mustafa for taking part in this interview. The Grange Hill gang meet Nancy Reagan in 1986. 5. Erkan Mustafa found fame in the Eighties as Roland 'Roly' Browning who was bullied for being obese. In terms of the character, I think Roland really really did like the fact that someone cared for him and basically hed push Janet away, knowing that shed come back. I do a hell of a lot of writing, and so I did this 45 minute reunion story. Nobody really remembers the cross over between Tuckers year and my year; the Mark Burdiss (Stewpot) era. Ive written a couple of pieces and taken things around, not just about Grange Hill. She also starred as Mum in . Theres a girl called Tracey who used to be in Grange Hill, who I tracked down and we met up in a pub in Islington, only to bump into Mark Burdiss (Stewpot)! I never even thought about acting. BBC Radio 4 - The Reunion, Grange Hill 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I had a conversation with Anothony Minghella (Script Editor) and said theres no way Roland would ever be playing basketball. There weren't many black actors about on TV at that time. Roland Browning was Grange Hill's 'fat kid'. You can ask as much as you like about Roland and Janet. As well as starring in panto, he appeared on Celebrity Masterchef in 2014 and, In 2015, the actor and his eldest son James filmed a documentary, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, for Channel 5 based on the book byConn and Hal Iggulden, Carty and his eldest son, James, filmed together in a factual television series for Channel 5, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, based on the book written by Conn and Hal Iggulden.