Grange Hill bell to sound for the last time

School's out forever at Grange Hill today - and it may just go out with a bang, writes Maria Cusine.

For 30 years it has been the nation's most famous comprehensive but school's out forever today as Grange Hill's famous bells ring for the last time.

With an instantly recognisable theme tune, comic strip-style opening credits and its bid to tackle the gritty realities of life at a British school scored top marks with children up and down the land.

But television bosses decided to axe the show as they say it no longer reflects modern children's lives. And today sees the broadcast of the last episode of the long-running school. However, there is a special guest for this sad day. The show's original hero, Tucker Jenkins, returns to the drama.

Tucker, played by actor Todd Carty, was probably the most-loved character in the show. He was the leather jacket-wearing loveable rogue that everyone looked up to in the fictional London-based school. And today he can be seen returning to the show to dispense a bit of advice to his errant nephew, Togger Johnson.

Grange Hill, the brainchild of Phil Redmond, broke the mould when it was first broadcast in 1978 by attempting to cover "real issues". It didn't shy away from controversy and has dealt with concerns of ordinary kids around the country.

Early storylines included uniform rebellion, school dinner protests and - with the introduction in 1981 of Norman "Gripper" Stebson, played by Mark Savage - vicious bullying.

Grange Hill wasn't afraid to tackle serious social issues either, with episodes centring on shoplifting, teenage pregnancy, sex and drugs.

The show's heyday is considered to be the early to mid-1980s, with gritty storylines including pupil Zammo's drug addiction which led the programme to spearhead a "Just Say No" campaign.

But the final series has concentrated on the school's younger pupils.

Creator Phil Redmond said earlier this year that the drama had lost its hard-hitting purpose and that it was "time to hang up its mortar board".

And Carty has enjoyed his return but admitted that now is the right time to say goodbye.

"Over the years it did cover difficult subjects like drugs and bullying, but school life has changed so much," he says.

The show launched Carty's TV career. He left in 1982 and moved on to spin-off show Tucker's Luck which, thanks to his heart-throb status, proved a success. In 1990 he joined EastEnders as Mark Fowler, staying until 2003.

And of course he wasn't the only Grange Hill star to make it big. When he arrived in Albert Square he was reunited with fellow Grange Hill classmates Susan Tully, who played his sister Michelle Fowler, and Letitia Dean, who played Sharon Watts. Other graduates Michelle Gayle and Sean Maguire also made the move to Albert Square.

Then along came The Bill which put an end to the 'Mr Nice Guy' roles for Todd. He played Pc Gabriel Kent in the series, a character with award-winning "bad guy" persona.

But in today's final episode of Grange Hill, the school is preparing for the end-of-term prom, and is plunged into chaos when an unexploded bomb is discovered in the sewerage system.

Which begs the question - will the school go out with a bang? Well, it is certainly been an explosive place over the past 30 years.