After-School TV: Grange Hill, Byker Grove And The Tea-Time Slot

Home by four, telly on, and an hour and a half that ran to a schedule the entire country's children knew by heart.

Here's what was in it.

Grange Hill, 1978 to 2008

• Created by Phil Redmond, set in a London comprehensive, and controversial from the first episode for showing school as it was.
• Tucker Jenkins, and the spin-off Tucker's Luck that followed him out of school.
• Zammo's heroin storyline in 1986, the 'Just Say No' campaign and the cast's trip to the White House.
• Mr Bronson, Mr Baxter, Mrs McClusky and Gonch Gardner's endless schemes.
• The sausage on a fork title sequence, which is the single most recognisable image in British children's television.
• It ran for thirty years and was eventually cancelled in 2008.

Byker Grove, 1989 to 2006

• Set in a Newcastle youth club, and much tougher than its slot suggested.
• Ant and Dec as PJ and Duncan, which became their pop name.
• The 1994 paintball episode where PJ was blinded - still the most-remembered children's drama moment of the decade.
• Storylines on addiction, bereavement, sexuality and homelessness, handled properly.
• Jill Halfpenny and Donna Air among the cast who came out of it.

Blue Peter

• Running since 1958, and the longest-running children's programme in the world.
• The badges: blue for a letter or idea, silver for a second, green for the environment, orange for competitions, gold for exceptional achievement.
• The appeals, with the totaliser, and the rule that they collected items rather than money.
• The pets: Petra, Shep, Goldie, Mabel, Jack and Jill, Bleep and George the tortoise.
• The makes, always with sticky-backed plastic, and the one you were shown earlier.
• The elephant incident in 1969, which nobody who saw it forgot.

The rest of the slot

• Newsround, from 1972, with John Craven - the first news programme made for children anywhere.
• The Broom Cupboard links, with Phillip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher, then Andy Crane.
• Children's ITV in-vision links with Tommy Boyd, Mark Granger and Jeanne Downs.
• Neighbours at 5.35pm, watched by the entire country including everyone who claimed not to.
• Home and Away on ITV, deliberately scheduled against it.
• Blockbusters at 5.15 on ITV, which is where the homework stopped entirely.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• The Grange Hill sausage title sequence is the defining image of the slot.
• Newsround was the first news programme for children anywhere.
• Everybody watched Neighbours. Everybody.

Where to shop next

• 70s kids' TV shows
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 90s kids' TV shows
• Saturday morning TV
• Kids' TV presenters we all remember
• Scariest kids' TV moments
• Christmas TV of the 70s, 80s and 90s
• Bank holiday films that were always on
• Puppets and animation we grew up with
• ITV or BBC childhood
• TV theme tunes quiz
• Adverts we can all still recite
• Test card, Ceefax and the three-channel years
• Soap moments that stopped the country
• Nostalgic quiz questions
• Growing up in the 80s and 90s
• Playground games we all played
• 80s and 90s party ideas
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When was Grange Hill on TV?

From 1978 to 2008. It was created by Phil Redmond and was controversial from the start for showing a comprehensive school realistically.

What was the Zammo storyline?

A 1986 Grange Hill storyline in which the character Zammo became addicted to heroin. It led to the 'Just Say No' campaign and the cast visiting the White House.

How many Blue Peter badges are there?

Blue for a good letter or idea, silver for a second achievement, green for environmental work, orange for competitions, purple for the Blue Peter fan club era, and gold for exceptional achievement.

What time was Neighbours on?

The BBC's tea-time showing was at 5.35pm, straight after the children's block, and it was watched by a very large proportion of the country.

Do you sell DVDs or TV merchandise?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This is written for the pleasure of remembering it, and the only products on this page are our own cards.