Lee Sparke 5–6 1982–1983 Annette Firman Nadia Chambers: 5–8 1982–1985. Two former pupils became staff members of Grange Hill in the show's final years. Grange Hill Trivia Questions & Answers: Television D-G This category is for questions and answers related to Grange Hill, as asked by users of FunTrivia.com. Accuracy: A team of editors takes feedback from our visitors to keep trivia as up to date and as accurate as possible. Related quizzes can be found here: Grange Hill Quizzes.
The Grange Hill school bell rang for the last time today as the final episode of the legendary BBC show was screened, with the return of one of the show's most popular characters. 1980s Childhood My Childhood Memories Kids Tv 90s Kids Old Tv Shows Teenage Years Classic Tv My Memory Growing Up. Erkan Mustafa as Roland Browning, Lee Sparke as Jonah Jones and Lee MacDonald as Samuel 'Zammo' Maguire in series five of 'Grange Hill' (Image: PA).
GRANGE HILL ran for 30 years from 1978 and the BBC school drama saw a huge number of spotty trouble-makers and lovesick teens pass through its gates.
For fans, Saturday’s sad news of the death of former child actor Terry Sue-Patt at the age of 50 brought back memories of his character Benny Green, along with many others from the show.
Because they were fictional people, the Grange Hill pupils tended to experience some of the most dramatic school careers ever.
They were occasionally stabbed, were prone to suffering social ills such as heroin addiction and, at worst, were even bumped off by their own teachers. But how dramatic are the former child actors’ lives nowadays?
Here, we look at what happened to some of the most memorable pupils and where they have ended up.
1. Julie-Ann Steel (Diane Cooney)
SHY redhead Diane’s alter ego Julie-Ann appeared in the show for two years from 1983 but then quit and gave up acting to work first for Sky News as a personal assistant and then on American TV’s Weather Channel.
Her interest in alternative therapies led her to start a lifestyle business called Unclutter Your Life, which has taken her to The Ideal Home Show as well as Grand Designs Live.
2. Tim Polley (Steven Banks)
A GRADUATE of the Sylvia Young Stage School, Tim joined the Grange Hill gang as Banksie in 1985 and played the part for two years.
He later appeared in pantomime alongside It Ain’t Half Hot Mum star Melvyn Hayes. But following a struggle over being typecast as a bad boy, Tim ended up moving to Tenerife to start a pool-cleaning business, though he does still belong to a local drama group.
3. Mark Burdis (Stewpot)
MARK started his acting career at the age of six in 1974 in ITV drama Plague of London.
He then trained at the world-renowned Anna Scher theatre school in Islington, North London, before joining Grange Hill in 1981. Since leaving the show in 1985, he has appeared in The Bill as well as TV adverts for Morrisons and the AA.
The 47-year-old former star also regularly acts as a boxing referee in local bouts.
4. Donald Waugh (Joseph Hughes)
ANOTHER original Grange Hill student, Donald was a seasoned child actor who went on to star in many West End shows, appearing in the original cast of Cats.
Sadly, he later fell victim to alcoholism and ended up living on the streets for several years.
Having recovered, he now works for various charities helping people who have also struggled with addiction and homelessness.
5. Lee MacDonald (Zammo McGuire)
LEE was at the centre of one of the most famous storylines when his character “Zammo” became a heroin addict.
But after giving up acting, he trained as a boxer until a car crash in the early 90s left him unable to fight. He has now set up his own successful key-cutting business in Surrey.
He has also made the odd cameo in shows like Birds Of A Feather and competed in BBC3’s Celebrity Scissorhands.
6. Simone Hyams (Calley Donnington)
SIMONE, who starred in the show as Caroline “Calley” Donnington until 1991, became romantically linked to film director Michael Winner after appearing in his 1993 movie Dirty Weekend.
She also appeared in Baywatch as well as long-running ITV police drama The Bill.
Simone, now 43, works as a corporate events manager for the Virgin Group and is signed to the Ordinary People model agency.
7. Todd Carty (Tucker Jenkins)
PROBABLY Grange Hill’s most successful veteran, Todd is best known for playing Mark Fowler in EastEnders until 2003.
But the 52-year-old has Grange Hill to thank for his soap career, because his much-loved character got his own spin-off,
Tucker’s Luck, from 1983 to 1985.
He is also known for playing evil PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill, and skidding off stage in a hilarious gaffe in Dancing On Ice in 2009.
8. Terry Kinsella (Jimmy Flynn)
BEFORE embarking on three years of study at Grange Hill in 1982, Terry appeared in the 1981 Eric Sykes comedy film If You Go Down In The Woods Today.
His troubled Grange Hill character Flynny was written out of the show at the end of 1985 along with several of his classmates.
Like many of his fellow stars, Terry then opted to pursue a more “normal” career and now works as a successful canoe instructor after his acting career tailed off.
9. John Alford (Robbie Wright)
Lee Sparke Grange Hill Primary School
THE Glasgow-born actor left Grange Hill in 1990 after five years as Robbie and landed a role in ITV series London’s Burning three years later.
After a brief pop career in the mid-1990s he left the firefighting drama in 1998. In 1999 he was jailed for nine months after supplying drugs to an undercover reporter.
John, 43, has since worked as a cab driver, a scaffolder and a roofer and is now trying to relaunch his TV career.
10. Simone Nylander (Janet St-Clair)
HER character’s catchphrase “I just want to help you, Ro-land!” went down in TV history — and actress Simone tried to do the same for womaniser Russell Brand.
The pair had a fling during their student years, but it ended with her throwing his belongings out of her flat in bin bags.
Today she occasionally works as a model and is employed by Simon Fuller’s 19 Management organisation.
11. Sean Maguire (Tegs Ratcliffe)
AFTER his Grange Hill role ended in 1992, heart-throb Sean enjoyed a brief stint in EastEnders playing Aidan Brosnan and had a short-lived pop career.
The handsome 39-year-old has had a range of small TV roles but his 2008 comedy film Meet The Spartans was a bad move.
It became one of the worst-reviewed ever, with a critic calling it “as funny as a burning orphanage”.
12. Susan Tully (Suzanne Ross)
LIKE fellow Grange Hill stalwart Todd Carty, Susan went on to star in EastEnders, playing his sister Michelle Fowler, from the show’s start in 1985 until 1995.
Lee Sparke Grange Hills
Proving to be just as strong-willed as her original school character, the 46-year-old actress is now one of telly’s most well-known directors, working on a string of popular dramas including Silent Witness and The Bill.
13. Erkan Mustafa (Roland Browning)
VIEWER fave Erkan was behind several recent Grange Hill reunions and is a presenter for his own film website as well as offering a personalised video service for his fans.
His character was bullied, and in real life Erkan has not been much luckier since leaving the show in 1987. As an actor he claims to be an expert at various accents, including Dutch and Turkish.
Lee Sparke Grange Hill High School