SA
If they want a younger audience,can't they just change byker grove FOR a younger audience?
TV
Do that and it ceases to be Byker Grove.
Children's Ward on ITV gained a reputation for being a gritty teenage drama. Then, CITV went on a "younger audience" kick in the late 1990s and storylines about rape and the dangers of Ecstasy move over for primary school tomfoolery. In 2000, it ended.
Axing Byker Grove just because it no longer fits in with the new controller's vision for CBBC is premature and foolish. Why can't CBBC hold fire until the teen brand is established? After all, CITV screened the second series of Girls In Love because "there was nowhere else for it", which was better than leaving it to fester on the shelves.
Children's Ward on ITV gained a reputation for being a gritty teenage drama. Then, CITV went on a "younger audience" kick in the late 1990s and storylines about rape and the dangers of Ecstasy move over for primary school tomfoolery. In 2000, it ended.
Axing Byker Grove just because it no longer fits in with the new controller's vision for CBBC is premature and foolish. Why can't CBBC hold fire until the teen brand is established? After all, CITV screened the second series of Girls In Love because "there was nowhere else for it", which was better than leaving it to fester on the shelves.
TV
When Grange Hill first started its creator was Phil "Brookside" Redmond. After a few years he moved away to create both Brrokside and Hollyoaks. 4 years ago MerseyTV won the Grange Hill contract from the BBC and once more Phil Redmond was at the helm. God knows what the BBC remit was but the creator seems to have destroyed his creation (a kind of Frankenstein story!).
I grew up with Grange Hill and always knew that it was supposedly set in North London. When Mersey TV won the rights Phil Redmond tried to advise the populous with saying that Grange Hill is only a name and that all schools in the UK were basically the same so moving it from London to Liverpool was no big Deal. It is, where are the London accents, the scouse accent doesn't work for the programme. Decent storylines have madeway for the softly softly approach - i.e. Big School is no big deal!
BBC should bring it back inhouse - use the same old outside sets as before (which are now being used for Holby City) and make it griitier again, and show it in am mid-teen slot.
Unfortunately, the Grange Hill school facade was bulldozed within a year of production moving. The fake school gates have survived, most recently seen as a police station in Holby City.
amosc100 posted:
Joey K posted:
As a southerner, I always prefered Grange Hill, which to me reached its peak during it's final year in Elstree (being a 16-year-old). However, since switching to Liverpool, it seems to be turning into more of a comedy than a drama.
When Grange Hill first started its creator was Phil "Brookside" Redmond. After a few years he moved away to create both Brrokside and Hollyoaks. 4 years ago MerseyTV won the Grange Hill contract from the BBC and once more Phil Redmond was at the helm. God knows what the BBC remit was but the creator seems to have destroyed his creation (a kind of Frankenstein story!).
I grew up with Grange Hill and always knew that it was supposedly set in North London. When Mersey TV won the rights Phil Redmond tried to advise the populous with saying that Grange Hill is only a name and that all schools in the UK were basically the same so moving it from London to Liverpool was no big Deal. It is, where are the London accents, the scouse accent doesn't work for the programme. Decent storylines have madeway for the softly softly approach - i.e. Big School is no big deal!
BBC should bring it back inhouse - use the same old outside sets as before (which are now being used for Holby City) and make it griitier again, and show it in am mid-teen slot.
Unfortunately, the Grange Hill school facade was bulldozed within a year of production moving. The fake school gates have survived, most recently seen as a police station in Holby City.
AM
When Grange Hill first started its creator was Phil "Brookside" Redmond. After a few years he moved away to create both Brrokside and Hollyoaks. 4 years ago MerseyTV won the Grange Hill contract from the BBC and once more Phil Redmond was at the helm. God knows what the BBC remit was but the creator seems to have destroyed his creation (a kind of Frankenstein story!).
I grew up with Grange Hill and always knew that it was supposedly set in North London. When Mersey TV won the rights Phil Redmond tried to advise the populous with saying that Grange Hill is only a name and that all schools in the UK were basically the same so moving it from London to Liverpool was no big Deal. It is, where are the London accents, the scouse accent doesn't work for the programme. Decent storylines have madeway for the softly softly approach - i.e. Big School is no big deal!
BBC should bring it back inhouse - use the same old outside sets as before (which are now being used for Holby City) and make it griitier again, and show it in am mid-teen slot.
Unfortunately, the Grange Hill school facade was bulldozed within a year of production moving. The fake school gates have survived, most recently seen as a police station in Holby City.
which Grange Hill are we talking about - the original one set in an old style school building (i.e. Mrs McClusky's era) or the ones where it was set in a 1960's/1970's style building (i.e. Mr Robson's era). As the Robson era is actually the BBC building used as the frontage of the school and now the frontage of Darwin Ward at Holby
tvarksouthwest posted:
amosc100 posted:
Joey K posted:
As a southerner, I always prefered Grange Hill, which to me reached its peak during it's final year in Elstree (being a 16-year-old). However, since switching to Liverpool, it seems to be turning into more of a comedy than a drama.
When Grange Hill first started its creator was Phil "Brookside" Redmond. After a few years he moved away to create both Brrokside and Hollyoaks. 4 years ago MerseyTV won the Grange Hill contract from the BBC and once more Phil Redmond was at the helm. God knows what the BBC remit was but the creator seems to have destroyed his creation (a kind of Frankenstein story!).
I grew up with Grange Hill and always knew that it was supposedly set in North London. When Mersey TV won the rights Phil Redmond tried to advise the populous with saying that Grange Hill is only a name and that all schools in the UK were basically the same so moving it from London to Liverpool was no big Deal. It is, where are the London accents, the scouse accent doesn't work for the programme. Decent storylines have madeway for the softly softly approach - i.e. Big School is no big deal!
BBC should bring it back inhouse - use the same old outside sets as before (which are now being used for Holby City) and make it griitier again, and show it in am mid-teen slot.
Unfortunately, the Grange Hill school facade was bulldozed within a year of production moving. The fake school gates have survived, most recently seen as a police station in Holby City.
which Grange Hill are we talking about - the original one set in an old style school building (i.e. Mrs McClusky's era) or the ones where it was set in a 1960's/1970's style building (i.e. Mr Robson's era). As the Robson era is actually the BBC building used as the frontage of the school and now the frontage of Darwin Ward at Holby
AM
ahh all those gritty teenage drama's - where are they now???
Murphy's Mob
Press Gang
Children's Ward/The Ward
Byker Grove
Grange Hill
then there were the good old family drama's - for the whole family
The Campbells
Follyfoot
Black Beauty
Dick Turpin
Phoenix ....
Robin Of Sherwood - not actually children's but shown in the A Team slot on Saturdays
Supergran
and many many more
BBC still make the family drama's - but now in 45-50 minute slots for Sunday afternoons. What about ITV - no way costs far too much and is not part of their remit for real decent family entertainment, they'd rather have cheap interactive quizzes and soap.
Murphy's Mob
Press Gang
Children's Ward/The Ward
Byker Grove
Grange Hill
then there were the good old family drama's - for the whole family
The Campbells
Follyfoot
Black Beauty
Dick Turpin
Phoenix ....
Robin Of Sherwood - not actually children's but shown in the A Team slot on Saturdays
Supergran
and many many more
BBC still make the family drama's - but now in 45-50 minute slots for Sunday afternoons. What about ITV - no way costs far too much and is not part of their remit for real decent family entertainment, they'd rather have cheap interactive quizzes and soap.
TV
Sorry, I meant the Robson-era building (ie. Neptune House). Until 1990, what is now Holby City's frontage was the school entrance, then a school facade was built on the car park round the back of Neptune. Then filming moved, and it was pulled down again.
amosc100 posted:
which Grange Hill are we talking about - the original one set in an old style school building (i.e. Mrs McClusky's era) or the ones where it was set in a 1960's/1970's style building (i.e. Mr Robson's era). As the Robson era is actually the BBC building used as the frontage of the school and now the frontage of Darwin Ward at Holby
Sorry, I meant the Robson-era building (ie. Neptune House). Until 1990, what is now Holby City's frontage was the school entrance, then a school facade was built on the car park round the back of Neptune. Then filming moved, and it was pulled down again.
AM
Sorry, I meant the Robson-era building (ie. Neptune House). Until 1990, what is now Holby City's frontage was the school entrance, then a school facade was built on the car park round the back of Neptune. Then filming moved, and it was pulled down again.
My apologies, I didn''t realise that they had built another set during the Robson era. I was 16 years younger then (about 18yr old - when Grange Hill was actaully still watchable for later teens unlike recent 4 series') and more niaive then nowadays
tvarksouthwest posted:
amosc100 posted:
which Grange Hill are we talking about - the original one set in an old style school building (i.e. Mrs McClusky's era) or the ones where it was set in a 1960's/1970's style building (i.e. Mr Robson's era). As the Robson era is actually the BBC building used as the frontage of the school and now the frontage of Darwin Ward at Holby
Sorry, I meant the Robson-era building (ie. Neptune House). Until 1990, what is now Holby City's frontage was the school entrance, then a school facade was built on the car park round the back of Neptune. Then filming moved, and it was pulled down again.
My apologies, I didn''t realise that they had built another set during the Robson era. I was 16 years younger then (about 18yr old - when Grange Hill was actaully still watchable for later teens unlike recent 4 series') and more niaive then nowadays
PT
Not dramas, more kids documentaries...but who remembers, The Lowdown (with the meccano man on the titles) and Activ8? Both on Childrens BBC circa early ninties after Newsround.
AM
I remember The Lowdown - hadn't it been going for about 13/14 years before CBBC axed it - shame it was good and not many documentary series for children (if any) are made in todays watered down TV world.
I also remember Docurama (a format that was first used in Dramarama) - That was quite good as well.
The only form of Documentary programmes/Current affairs for children nowadays is Newsround and even that has been ba star dised to fit in with the up to 12yr old market!
I also remember Docurama (a format that was first used in Dramarama) - That was quite good as well.
The only form of Documentary programmes/Current affairs for children nowadays is Newsround and even that has been ba star dised to fit in with the up to 12yr old market!
NJ
Because Byker Grove for a younger audience would be a carbon clone of Tracy Beaker, which isn't exactly the best-acted programme on the CBBC strand at the moment, plus it'd end up being set in an after-school club I reckon. Anybody who's ever been inside an after-school club would realise after five minutes that it''s like the House of Tiny Tearaways with older kids.
Anyway the Byker Grove website on the BBC website has now disappeared altogether, although typing in bbc.co.uk/byker sends you to a page not found screen.
Neil Jones
Founding member
saturdaymorning posted:
If they want a younger audience,can't they just change byker grove FOR a younger audience?
Because Byker Grove for a younger audience would be a carbon clone of Tracy Beaker, which isn't exactly the best-acted programme on the CBBC strand at the moment, plus it'd end up being set in an after-school club I reckon. Anybody who's ever been inside an after-school club would realise after five minutes that it''s like the House of Tiny Tearaways with older kids.
Anyway the Byker Grove website on the BBC website has now disappeared altogether, although typing in bbc.co.uk/byker sends you to a page not found screen.