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. By the time he left Grange Hill six years later, Roland was able to stand up for himself and had developed a talent for foreign languages. The love that he had for the show was amazing. Obviously at the time we had a great, great writer, Anthony Minghella, who went on to bigger and better things, God rest his soul. There weren't many black actors about on TV at that time. Todd has been with his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin since 1990, and they have two sons James and Thomas. Once Ive got Todd Carty on board, its all there. Ricky and I lost touch for about a year, but then something sparked it off again and there was no change in our friendship. Roland Branning, played by Ercan Mustafa, starred on Grange Hill for six years. Roland Browning was Grange Hills fat kid. I cant stand listening to Careless Whisper. Whatever Ive done in the past, people still always say to me Grange Hill, and I think if Id carried on acting Id probably still get recognised for Grange Hill. He played the role for six years and became an iconic character in the series, suffering horrific bullying at the hands of Gripper Stebson. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Its one of the things you just deal with. Erkan spoke about his time on the show from 1982 to 1987, saying: "I was just a normal child attending school. On an orienteering trip Roland declines Janet's offer to pair up to complete an exercise and winds up paired with Mr Baxter. 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. His relationships include Fabienne. How do you think the character developed? Erkan, who is now also a writer and director, also landed appeared in several episodes of Blackadder - where he played one of the "enormous orphans" in the Christmas Carol episode. It was amazing., One of the other cast members who went was Erkan Mustafa, who played Roland Ro-laaand Browning. Most people dont want any publicity or any press involved, but I could probably film some of it and do it as a podcast. Lee MacDonald played Zammo the character whose heroin addiction provided the hard-hitting storyline and sat on the sofa next to Mrs Reagan. Michelle played bad girl Trisha Yates in the school drama from 1978 to 1982 but after leaving Grange Hill, Michelle gave up acting and worked for a major sweet manufacturer. Plotting a deranged revenge plot on the mother who gave him away involving incest and raping a colleague, psychopathic Gabriel became a serial killer and eventually committed suicide. Email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220 . She said no, and I pointed to myself as if I was sex-god and said this is what you could have had! Was it difficult to play these scenes? 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site is dedicated to the BBC TV series Grange Hill which ran from 1978-2008, concentrating particularly on the early years (1978-1990). Roland Browning, played by Erkan Mustafa, was a legendary character on the show, tackling sensitive issues like bullying between 1982 until 1987. Its a shame that Michael Sheard has passed away because I know, damn well, that he would have loved to come to the reunion. Hotels near Mayow Park, London on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews, 50,085 candid photos, and prices for 2,499 hotels near Mayow Park in London, England. . You can do it.". We ask about each others lives. Id already sent him my script and he said to come in for a chat. Do you keep in touch with anyone from your time on Grange Hill? For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Roland 'Roly' Browning became one of the most inspiring characters on hit show Grange Hill, Actor Erkan Mustafa looks very different 29 years after show debut, Grange Hill star Lee 'Zammo' MacDonald joins EastEnders as Terry and has showdown with Danny Dyer's Mick Carter over Spice Girls tickets, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). At its peak in the 80s, it was possibly the most talked-about television show in the school playground. Lee was disgusted with the plans and didn't sign up for the new series. 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). "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. I was just a normal child attending school. No, the way I looked at it, at the time, I was just doing a job. who played Tucker, Janet actress Simone Nylander, and Erkan Mustafa, who starred as Roland. We started with the clothes and she was quite fashion conscious and chic. All fun! Who? There was always animosity between stage schools at one point and I think at the time there was arguments about You only get invited because your mums a chaperone or You only get invited because . 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. lots of reasons. Me and Ricky have met so many times, and we speak at least once a month. No. No way. with Lenny Henry as well as several episodes of Blackadder. Her most recent TV role was in an episode of Casualty in 2014. Thats why it is never going to be rerun, because there is huge costs involved for any broadcaster. I live with it every day. It really bugs me. It took them ten years to decide to put it on DVD, but they can put something like the Red Hand Gang on DVD easily! They played best friends Tucker Jenkins and Benny Green. 'I was told by lots of people she was a great fillip to young women teachers who started applying for headships.'. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Roland attempted to stand up to Gripper by fighting him in the bathroom, but was not capable enough to overpower him and Gripper floored Roland. It had taken me a year to write six episodes, and so I was thinking had I told anyone about this? Wherever we went, they played the video of Just Say No, so they had to bring those characters there as well. Erkan Mustafa - Roland . Erkan is also a writer and director. Grange Hill star Gwyneth Powell passed away at the age of 76 Credit: BBC 10 The actress played headmistress Bridget McClusky for 10 years until 1991 Credit: Rex The late actress died aged 76. In the last ten years, fans may have spotted the child actor on Celebrity Juice, Pointless Celebrities and Soccer A.M. Erkan spoke about his time on the show: "I was just a normal child attending school. Theyd shout out strange obscenities, but thats part and parcel of being an actor and playing a character. As a result, he became involved in a number of anti-drugs campaigns encouraging youngsters to 'Just Say No'. Thats a hell of a lot of viewers. It was funny ; it was realistic. My character had to see a child psychologist; there were scenes with just me and Mr Baxter. Can you tell me your middle names? and she said Will you remember all twenty of them?. . shows hes done. Erkan, who is now also a writer and director, also appeared in several episodes of Blackadder, where he played one of the "enormous orphans" in the Christmas Carol episode. Janet St. Clair noticed that Roland had started having school dinners. Contents 4 6 7 8 9 Character History Series 5 (1982) Was there any storyline you didnt enjoy doing? 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Lee MacDonald - Zammo Maguire MacDonald, who joined the show age 13, went on to have one of the biggest storylines in the school's history when he became addicted to heroin. 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. Word of mouth is not enough! Id already performed Just Say No at School Disco, three or four months prior to that. It was exciting; going into a recording studio, never done that before. Did you get much reaction to your character from the public? Roland wouldnt dance and they made him dance to that song. The show was about Justin Lee-Collins not about any of the kids from Grange Hill; like any of the Bring Back . The single reached number five in the charts in 1986. It came from a tabloid sting in 1998 in which Mustafa was said to have boasted about taking a joint to the White House, and claimed to have smoked it in the garden: When I met Nancy, I was out of it., It seems unlikely. The actor - who played Roly for six years - became one of the most inspiring characters during his time on the programme. A lot of fan-mail that I received was from people who had been bullied and people felt really sorry for the character, saying he should stand up for himself. and what did you think of the finished programme? Immense, immense reaction from people. In reality, myself and Roland are two completely different people. 'Finally got hitched!' . You would think that they could have done a huge night of TV about it; they do Dads Army nights, Doctor Who nights, Blue Peter nights . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Got a story? . This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 10. They talked about the campaign, and he explained the programme to her: I dont think she had a clue what Grange Hill was. It is only looking back, he says, that he realises what a big deal it was, although he did make an effort at the time. Thats what its all about ; you dont have to be in each others pockets all the time to remain wonderful friends. Hotels near Woodcote Park Golf Club, Coulsdon on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews, 1,110 candid photos, and prices for 2,487 hotels near Woodcote Park Golf Club in Coulsdon, England. So I already had people on board to be interviewed, back at their own schools. Especially being asked for an autograph when Im eating. Nobody really remembers the cross over between Tuckers year and my year; the Mark Burdiss (Stewpot) era. The show focused on dealing with issues like bullying and learning difficulties in a fictional school in the fictional borough of Northam. Did the character develop along the lines of your own personality? Following his success in Grange Hill, the actor went on to star in Lenny Henry's 90s sitcom Chef! I had a conversation with Anothony Minghella (Script Editor) and said theres no way Roland would ever be playing basketball. It should have been a huge thing. 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. The national press were advertising the fact that they couldnt find a fat child at stage school to appear in Grange Hill. Then just as Im walking back down to the station I bumped into Melissa Wilkes (Jackie) who I hadnt seen in about 14 years! Looking at it now, we were the chosen ones; we were lucky to get it. Eventually they are found by a search party led by Mr Knowles. A poolside prank during a swimming lesson has fatal consequences. RD's first wife, Anna [Teasdale]; sharing Notting Hill Gate flat . Im alright with it as long as people arent rude. As I tell everybody else . He briefly worked in a catering business, before returning to his television roots to work as a writer and director. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. As well as continuing to act on stage and screen, he's also delved into producing and directing and made a memorable appearance on Dancing On Ice in 2009 because of his lack of flair. Simone played the role of Calley in Grange Hill for six years, appearing in the very first episode of the show. There was an episode where there was a school disco and they were playing Spandau Ballets True (another song I cant stand!). It first aired on BBC1 on February 8 1978. Because I had a character mother and father on set, I did scenes with those and when you have those parent scenes youre acting with adults quite a lot. 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. He was one of the 'enormous orphans' in the Christmas Carol episode. In 1988, Alison appeared in an Eastenders spin-off called Civvy Street, set during the second world war, playing a young Ethel Skinner. It gave me some good memories and some bad memories. She noticed a small dimple on her breast while on holiday in Rome in May 2015. The first scene would be a hand writing out letters (though it would probably be email or Facebook now) saying did you want to meet up again. He also hosted a Grange Hill cast reunion in a nightclub in Leicester Square back in 2009. Were talking about kids of 14 and 15; theyre going to have fun; theyre going to get bored. Actor John Holmes left the show to complete his education and studied at the University of East Anglia, where he eventually became president of the Student Union for several years. Roland's best friends are Zammo McGuire, Jonah Jones and Kevin Baylon and his friends are Fay Lucas, Janet St. Clair, Annette Firman, Jimmy Flynn, Belinda Zowkowski, Julie Marchant, Diane Cooney, Jackie Wright, Banksy Banks, Julian Fairbrother and Cheryl Webb. 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. The He also had minor roles in other TV shows including Desmonds, General Hospital and Jackanory. But the BBC turned it down and I feel theyve let the public down. Roland didn't hit it off well with the rest of his classmates of other peers at the school, who viewed him as clumsy due to his excess weight. For other inquiries, Contact Us. I wrote a 6 part comedy, aiming for Channel 4. Ive written a couple of pieces and taken things around, not just about Grange Hill. During the '90s she turned her back on acting and opened shoe shops called Paola in Knightsbridge and Chelsea before starting her own PR company. Roland was a very unique character; but some of the bullying he suffered on screen was quite graphic and personal? I know when Lee got approached, he thought Well, Ive got to do my research. A few years ago, Channel 4 reunited some of the cast for Bring Back Grange Hill. In reality, only 3 years later, we had the whole beginning of the ecstasy movement. . The proper message, though, was an anti-drugs one, taking on first lady Nancy Reagans campaign catchphrase, Just Say No. Grange Hill cast reunite 43 years on to discuss the importance of teaching kids about drugs in a pre-internet world and meeting First Lady Grange Hill reunion! Gordon 'Jonah' Jones, was a student at Grange Hill, from 1982 to 1983, played by Lee Sparke. I dont get over to see him much, but Ive met his wife and I was invited to their wedding. That got certain individuals backs up. You were a key character in the Zammo/Drugs storyline. She went on to appear in The Bill, Baywatch and had a role in 1993 film Dirty Weekend. . Now 75, the actress went on to act in shows including A Touch of Frost, Casualty, Doctors and Holby City. 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. How will I know? The Grange Hill gang meet Nancy Reagan in 1986. . It was great fun; it made me the person I am today. Did you realise the impact that this story would have? May 24, 2021 danny kendall grange hillbest jobs for every zodiac sign. Diane K. Young. Lee has made several TV appearances since leaving Grange Hill, including an episode of The Bill in which his love interest was played by Melissa Wilkes - who also played his girlfriend Jackie Wright in Grange Hill.