Byker Grove (TV Series 1989 - 2006)

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Plot

The show ran between 1989 and 2006, and was set in a youth club in the Byker district of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Byker Grove was the original idea of late TV executive Andrea Wonfor. In 1987, Andrea approached veteran soap writer Adele Rose. Together they created a single pilot episode featuring kids aged 811 at an out-of-school club (transmitted on Tyne Tees TV in 1988). In autumn 1988, Andrea got backing from Anna Home, then Head of drama, BBC TV. Anna gave the green light for a run of a series of six 25-minute episodes on BBC TV. The age of the main characters was raised to 12-16 after support from first producer-director, Matthew Robinson. The first series therefore centred on young teenagers crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood. Although some of the action took place outside the youth club, the series was unusual among dramas in that the characters were rarely shown in school. One of the major settings was the foster home run by the kindly but strict Lou Gallagher, the longest-running character.

 

Byker Grove has tackled some controversial subjects such as drug addiction, child abuse, homelessness, teen pregnancy and abortion. In November 1994, Byker Grove became the first British drama to broach the subject of coming out when Noddy Fishwick kissed his close friend Gary Hendrix at the back of a cinema. This scene caused outrage in the British tabloids, a Sun editorial calling for producer Matthew Robinson to be sacked. However the BBC strongly backed the storyline which received countrywide support from gay teenagers, many teachers and parents. The 2004 series saw the character of Bradley agonising over his sexuality and eventually coming out as gay to his girlfriend Sadie, after a romantic holiday together had failed to live up to their expectations.

The series frequently depicts life as unjust, with bad things happening to good people. One of the most shocking episodes is when P.J. is blinded in a paintball accident. It is one of many tragedies to befall Byker Grove characters through the years. Others include Jemma Dobson being electrocuted by a faulty electricity mains socket, Flora's death from a brain tumour, Greg's fall from the roof of the Grove which left him paralysed from the waist down, youth leader Geoff Keegan's death in an accidental gas explosion, and the latest tragedy, Ben Carter being knocked down and fatally injured by a car driven by Craig on the Quayside.