“They used to clear the car park at Elstree Studios when the exterior scenes for Grange Hill were being shot, so the building could stand in for the school. My favourite parking spot whenever I went in was under the school sign, as if I was up to see Mrs McClusky about my sons’ education. And when it was broadcast, the series seemed so real that the streets emptied early as schoolkids hurried home to see it.
Grange Hill was relevant to them, and still is. Liverpool or north London, the stuff of school is the stuff of children’s lives. Identifying with characters and with situations is a crucial part of growing up…” Read the full blog piece on The Guardian’s website.
