The former teenage pin-up was caught by the News Of The World's Fake Sheikh and then served a six week sentence after being charged. Episode 1 - It's the first day of a new term at Grange Hill. The star, like Roly, wears glasses and rocks a shaved head and stubbly facial hair. Its a bit of a mish-mash to be honest. 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. Then announced it on the BBC, then axed the show, then there would be a call for it. But after his departure from the square, he played away from type portraying the villainous PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill. July 23, 1956 - October 26, 2018. Apprentice pair facing the sack after romping at show's 17m mansion, Brand new Disney show fails to premiere leaving fans furious, Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, EastEnders Natalie Cassidy shares rare picture of her lookalike daughter Joanie, 6, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. They should have done a whole Grange Hill 30th Anniversary celebration. 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)! . Holiday in Ibiza aged 16 and first real girlfriend, Wendy. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Id already sent him my script and he said to come in for a chat. I do a hell of a lot of writing, and so I did this 45 minute reunion story. You can do it.. She noticed a small dimple on her breast while on holiday in Rome in May 2015. Theyd shout out strange obscenities, but thats part and parcel of being an actor and playing a character. . I didnt know he was going; and he didnt know I was going. Set at a comprehensive school in a fictional north London suburb, Grange Hill was one of the longest running shows in British television history. I get asked Were you Roland in Grange Hill? and I say No, Im Erkan from Stratford. That always gets a giggle. Susan Tully landed her Grange Hill role in 1981, aged 13. Roland has set up . We all were. He was found lying face down in bed andreports suggested his body may have lain undiscovered for a month. Regardless of getting into trouble Roland would continue to bunk off school and also faced numerous threats from Gripper. "The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. We started with the clothes and she was quite fashion conscious and chic. No. danny kendall grange hillhow tall is william afton 2021. aau boys basketball teams in maryland. In January were doing something for Mercedes. Susan, 54, is extremely. The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. "The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. The star had actually trained as a teacher but never taught in the classroom, as she decided to pursue acting instead. I dont remember much about arriving there, apart from the amount of security. The inspiring actor turned the once bullied youth into someone people looked up too. GRANGE Hill's Zammo, Tucker, Roland and Janet look unrecognisable in a 'mini reunion' picture. He was always seeking acceptance from his parents. I was like a normal school kid; I never went to stage school or belonged to an agency. 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I took it to a friend of mine who was the head of Light Entertainment at Channel 4. Get all the biggest showbiz news straight to your inbox. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Its quite strange that that was the first episode we ever filmed and it was also, as actors, one of the most fun. Its still on my laptop. Erkan Mustafa - Roland 'Roly' Browning. I had a conversation with Anothony Minghella (Script Editor) and said theres no way Roland would ever be playing basketball. Erkan Mustafa found fame in the Eighties as Roland 'Roly' Browning who was bullied for being obese. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. He made his first appearance in episode 1 of series 5 and made his final appearance in episode 24 of series 10. Its because they think they are better than Grange Hill. Erkan Mustafa (born 14 May 1970) is a British actor and television presenter of Turkish Cypriot descent, [1] most noted for the part of Roland Browning in Grange Hill ( BBC 1982-1987). Actor and TV presenter Erkan Mustafa shot to fame playing Roland 'Roly' Browning in popular BBC show Grange Hill. Roland Browning was a student at Grange Hill from 1982 to 1987, played by Erkan Mustafa. There were some great scenes that were cut, that were really really good. I was acting. Erkan was also instrumental in bringing the cast back together for a 2009 reunion at Sound nightclub in London's Leicester Square. In reality, only 3 years later, we had the whole beginning of the ecstasy movement. He was one of the 'enormous orphans' in the Christmas Carol episode. He played the character for six years. He didnt have any friends. On an orienteering trip Roland declines Janet's offer to pair up to complete an exercise and winds up paired with Mr Baxter. Grange Hill creator Sir Philip Redmond explained the sudden name change for the show (Picture: PA) . Just like any group that you grow up with, there will always be people who have personality clashes and people you dont get on with. The show was about Justin Lee-Collins not about any of the kids from Grange Hill; like any of the Bring Back . People dont realise that. When I met her many, many years later, I asked her if she remembered me. She made a brief return as Trisha in the final episode of Tucker's Luck, a Grange Hill spin-off based on Todd Carty's character Tucker. Theres so much. Whos that? Because of my sense of humour I can play on that. You can do it." There was no storyline I didnt enjoy doing, but theres one thing I hate, and I cringe about it now. Lee had always had an interest in boxing and continued to develop his skill to a high level but unfortunately a car accident in the early 1990s left him unable to pursue the sport. It was amazing., One of the other cast members who went was Erkan Mustafa, who played Roland Ro-laaand Browning. His character became inspirational to young viewers as the character always defended himself when getting bullied. Grange Hill: Erkan Mustafa stars as Roland in 1983, Hollyoaks star John Pickard looks completely different over a decade after leaving show, Sacked CBeebies star Sarah-Jane Honeywell felt 'lost' after axing over naked photoshoot. Would you like to see your episodes released? After leaving Grange Hill she appeared in popular shows such as Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost and Holby City. Mrs McClusky was Grange Hill's headteacher and she was in charge between 1981 and 1991. How did you get on with the adults on set? It gave me some good memories and some bad memories. He went to see his mother before then running off and into the path of a car, resulting in Roland being injured and spending some time in hospital. Bullied by others, only child Roland struggled to fit in at Grange Hill. Lee MacDonald played Zammo the character whose heroin addiction provided the hard-hitting storyline and sat on the sofa next to Mrs Reagan. 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. They could have done a whole evening. And the rest is history basically. But what became of the actor who played him? What was that experience like . Looking back, you live and learn. So the fact that he cant remember much about the visit wasnt to do with being high, but a more prosaic reason. How will I know? Erkan is also a writer and director. Zammo, Tucker, Janet and Roland meet for catch-up 43 YEARS after the beloved children's show first aired. Gripper discovered Roland attending the psychologist and when Roland was unable to come up with a full payment to Gripper, Gripper plotted to expose Roland to his class. alfabeto fonetico italiano pronuncia. When you were released from the school buildings , it was like you were being released from prison for the day; youd just go mad. Ricky Simmonds (Ant) and I have remained friends since we both left. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Todd has been with his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin since 1990, and they have two sons James and Thomas. No, really, I just hope that they enjoyed watching Grange Hill as much as we enjoyed making it! 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. The actor - who played underdog Roly for six years - became one of the BBC show's most beloved characters.. Roland's most memorable storylines included being the victim of sustained bullying by school thug Gripper Stebson and forming friendships with Zammo McGuire . 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. His uncoordinated moves became a ratings draw and in one routine he accidentally skidded through the exit. He then starred as Mark Fowler in EastEnders from 1990 to 2003, with a groundbreaking storyline when his character was diagnosed with HIV. This lead to the Just Say No campaign. Obviously at the time we had a great, great writer, Anthony Minghella, who went on to bigger and better things, God rest his soul. Menu. I was speaking to Mark Savage (Gripper), six months ago, and said even though my character was getting bullied, it was too funny the way we were doing it. Thats a hell of a lot of viewers. The PE teacher has long had a low opinion of Roland but on the course it becomes clear the boy is much better at the task. As a result, in what must be the strangest TV/political encounter of all, a number of the Grange Hill cast found themselves invited to the White House in 1986. Ive done things that other people have never done in their life, but most of all, Ive come out with some good friends. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. The actor was found guilty by a jury at London's Snaresbrook Crown Court in 1999 of one count of supplying 2.036 grammes of cocaine to Fake Sheikh Mazher Mahmood, as well as a similar charge involving 11.9 grammes of cannabis resin. Fans loved how despite horrific bullying, the youngster always stood up for himself and discovered he had a talent for foreign languages. Who? A teacher put me up for the role and said Go on. Im starting to arrange this cast reunion, which started off as just a joke with John Holmes (Gonch). A few notable people who starred in the show include Todd Carty (Mark Fowler in EastEnders ), Gary Love (Casualty), Lee MacDonald (The Bill) and John Alford (London's Burning). Ive written a couple of pieces and taken things around, not just about Grange Hill. Now 50, he continues to act, write and direct according to his Twitter profile. Alison Bettles, now 51, played Fay Lucas from 1982 to 1987 in six series of the show. There were times when I did do quite a lot of scenes with just me and the teacher, a parent or an adult on the show. Annette Firman had been taunting Roland about his weight, but he had also been unkind to Diane Cooney about her spots. 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. George has also appeared in numerous theatre productions, including some he's written himself and is currently working on a stage version of Papillion. Youre going to have people you like, and people you dont like. 9.2K views 5 years ago #GrangeHill Lee MacDonald (born 21 June 1968) is a British actor who played Zammo McGuire in the children's TV series Grange Hill from 1982-1987. Erkan starred alongside other famous faces including former EastEnders star Todd Carty who played Peter 'Tucker' Jenkins, Casualty's Amanda Mealing, who portrayed Tracy Edwards and Lee MacDonald as Samuel 'Zammo' McGuire. Something went wrong, please try again later. Were they actually even friends and how did you get on with Simone who played Janet? As always you can unsubscribe at any time. In fact, I asked her out when I was 13, and I got turned down! Its about forgetting the past, and its the past who made us who we are today. Janet St. Clair | Grange Hill Wiki | Fandom in: Children, Teenagers, St. Clair Family, and 4 more Janet St. Clair Edit Janet St. Clair was a student at Grange Hill from 1982 to 1986, played by Simone Nylander. When I left Grange Hill it was only really Ricky who I kept in touch with, and Amma Asante (Cheryl) for about 12 or 15 years. 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. Now 75, the actress went on to act in shows including A Touch of Frost, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City. 10. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. . 72 episodes, 1982-1987 Lisa York . I left Grange Hill in about 1986, so thats some time to still be recognised from the show! I came up with a story that bit me on the arse. There was also a point where he had scenes with Mr Baxter and the character got lost, but ended up becoming a hero. Im alright with it as long as people arent rude. Show more. Deep down inside, he really did want her. They could have had a whole night of the public voting for their favourite characters in the show. "The national press were advertising the fact that they couldn't find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. Following his success in Grange Hill, the actor went on to star in Lenny Henry's 90s sitcom Chef! Mustafa told Grange Hill Gold: "I was just a normal child attending school. Email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220 . but thats only my joke! Ricky and I lost touch for about a year, but then something sparked it off again and there was no change in our friendship. 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. Erkan - who is of Turkish-Cypriot descent - is now 50 years old and looks like a whole new person compared to his younger self. "A teacher put me up for the role and said 'Go on. I said to Simone that I thank her for that and she told me to shut up! Grange Hill was a children's television show that began in 1978 on BBC1 and ran all the way up until 2008. He also hosted a Grange Hill cast reunion in a nightclub in Leicester Square back in 2009. Once Ive got Todd Carty on board, its all there. Lee MacDonald, 52, was the star of one of Grange Hill's most hard-hitting storylines when his character Zammo became addicted to heroin. During this race war Gripper made Roland swear allegiance to his own race, and also taunted Roland claiming that he wasn't white. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. In the show, his character found the courage to defend himself against bullies and became an inspiration to young viewers. . Did the character develop along the lines of your own personality? Thats what its all about ; you dont have to be in each others pockets all the time to remain wonderful friends. I say that to everybody in life! She's a mother-of-two and is also an ambassador for the Good Grief Trust. Me and Simone (Janet) had a wonderful relationship. She also enjoyed a romance with Stewpot, before discovering he was seeing Annette Firman behind her back. Can you guess who all of these characters are supposed to be? Roland made friends with a couple of bullies, and was caught red handed stealing Annette Firman's bike. Grange Hill was a long-running children's drama series that first hit British screens in 1978, before finally coming to an end in 2008. It had taken me a year to write six episodes, and so I was thinking had I told anyone about this? Grange Hill (TV Series 1978-2008) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Paula-Ann's edgy character Claire caused a stir by fantasising about teacher MrHopwood in her diary, who was then attached by her overprotective father. The young actors were there as part of the first ladys anti-drugs campaign but one later claimed to have smoked a joint in the garden.