After a Grange Hill "moved" to Liverpool, there followed a couple of rather insipid years. Here though, we have a series that reclaims its former glory, with powerful story lines, well written, directed and acted.
* * * SPOILER * * *
I've put a spoiler space here, but it's unlikely the old series will get a DVD release. Don't read on though, or read my plot summaries if you do get a chance to see this series.
The main story lines for series 28 are: 1) A French-exchange boyfriend for Tanya who she meets through email turns out to be someone grooming for young girls. 2) Year 7 kid Alex starts, and becomes the target for bullying both from his own year, and from the older kids. When things get too much for him, the consequences are almost disastrous. 3) The school decides to make a DVD. Due to various machinations, the musical My Fair Lady is chosen, but is transformed into a non-musical, modern remake, inverting the theme. 4) There's a romantic triangle, or perhaps pentagon, involving Taylor, Karen, Maddie, Martin and Baz. 5) New Year 7 girls start, and try to make money by selling sweets, and creating other scams. 6) There are new problems for Annie, as she starts using a credit card, and gets into spiralling debt.
I don't believe the acting in Grange Hill has ever been as good as here, most commendable are Kirsten Cassidy, and Lauren Bunney as, respectively, Tanya and Annie - they don't just speak the lines as would have happened in the early series, they act with 100% of their bodies. The directing too is great, shots in unexpected places, camera-work is never dull, lighting is excellent.
The downsides - 1) not enough use made of Maddie, Kacey Barnfield, another brilliant actor, who just seems have the single storyline of interfering with Karen and Taylor's relationship. 2) not enough outside scenes - apart from the Adventure trip, Series 28 seems to be entirely inside the school, or on its premises. But at least there are classroom scenes here - in Series 30, we lose these too - and most of the teachers! 3) No-one outside of the main cast. This lets down all the post-Liverpool series, the lack of additional personnel - this makes the series more of a soap. Adding a few extra cast in each week, giving the odd extra something new to do used to make the series more real.
* * * SPOILER * * *
I've put a spoiler space here, but it's unlikely the old series will get a DVD release. Don't read on though, or read my plot summaries if you do get a chance to see this series.
The main story lines for series 28 are: 1) A French-exchange boyfriend for Tanya who she meets through email turns out to be someone grooming for young girls. 2) Year 7 kid Alex starts, and becomes the target for bullying both from his own year, and from the older kids. When things get too much for him, the consequences are almost disastrous. 3) The school decides to make a DVD. Due to various machinations, the musical My Fair Lady is chosen, but is transformed into a non-musical, modern remake, inverting the theme. 4) There's a romantic triangle, or perhaps pentagon, involving Taylor, Karen, Maddie, Martin and Baz. 5) New Year 7 girls start, and try to make money by selling sweets, and creating other scams. 6) There are new problems for Annie, as she starts using a credit card, and gets into spiralling debt.
I don't believe the acting in Grange Hill has ever been as good as here, most commendable are Kirsten Cassidy, and Lauren Bunney as, respectively, Tanya and Annie - they don't just speak the lines as would have happened in the early series, they act with 100% of their bodies. The directing too is great, shots in unexpected places, camera-work is never dull, lighting is excellent.
The downsides - 1) not enough use made of Maddie, Kacey Barnfield, another brilliant actor, who just seems have the single storyline of interfering with Karen and Taylor's relationship. 2) not enough outside scenes - apart from the Adventure trip, Series 28 seems to be entirely inside the school, or on its premises. But at least there are classroom scenes here - in Series 30, we lose these too - and most of the teachers! 3) No-one outside of the main cast. This lets down all the post-Liverpool series, the lack of additional personnel - this makes the series more of a soap. Adding a few extra cast in each week, giving the odd extra something new to do used to make the series more real.
