The Grimleys
Encyclopedia
The Grimleys is a nostalgic comedy-drama
television series set on a council estate in Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
in the mid-1970s. It was first broadcast by Granada TV for ITV
in 1999, following a pilot in 1997, and concluded in 2001 after three series.
The show was written by Jed Mercurio
, who had trained as a doctor and whose first series, Cardiac Arrest
- written under the pseudonym 'John MacUre' - had attracted critical plaudits for its dark portrayal of life in a disintegrating British National Health Service
.
The filming of the school took place in Salford, Buile Hill High, Hope High and Pendleton College, although the filming of the characters' homes actually took place some 80 miles away in the Dudley area itself; around Parkes Hall Road on the Dudley-Sedgley
border.
, is an intellectual but feeble schoolboy who has a crush on his teacher, Miss Geraldine Titley, played by Amanda Holden
(Samantha Janus
in the pilot). His younger brother Darren, played by Ryan Cartwright who also narrates the storyline and set the scene, although fond of Gordon and sympathetic to his unrequited love for Miss Titley, is frustrated by his brother's fey personality and nickname of 'The School Spanner'. Father Baz Grimley, played by former Young Ones
actor Nigel Planer
, was a bone-idle British Leyland car worker, who injured his back on his first day at the Longbridge
plant and went on strike on the second. He had not moved from his armchair since then and spends his days watching television (ITV
only). He is particularly infuriated by son Gordon's artistic leanings and was determined that he should do 'a man's job' rather than go to university. Hard working mum Janet Grimley was played by impressionist
Jan Ravens
.
Other domestic characters are older sister Lisa Grimley, played by Corrieann Fletcher, and Nan, played by Barbara Keogh, who seem to be obsessed with 'The Grimley Curse'. Next door neighbours were the Titley family headed by father Reg Titley, played by Paul Angelis
, who was a plumber
, the aforementioned Geraldine (his niece) who worked as an English teacher at Gordon's school, and the object of his lust, and son Shane (played by Simon Lowe
), a Bay City Roller
look-a-like and self-styled ladies man complete with a clapped out Vauxhall Viva
car.
To complicate matters further, Shane was dating Lisa Grimley, and Janet Grimley and Reg Titley obviously carried a torch for one another. Reg's sensitivity and surprisingly poetic tongue gave rise to the question of Gordon Grimley's parentage, as does Shane Titley's oafish behaviour and idolisation of armchair bound slob Baz Grimley.
Many of the scenes were set in the Grimley brothers' school where we met their sadistic P.E teacher Doug "Dynamo" Digby, played by comedian
Brian Conley
(Jack Dee
in the pilot), who lived in a corner of the school gymnasium. Doug always took both pride and pleasure in bullying his pupils, and in one episode we are given a clue to the development of this behaviour when his thuggish father, played by Lewis Collins
from hit 1970s crime drama 'The Professionals
', visits him. He was dating Geraldine Titley much to Gordon Grimley's chagrin, this leading to increasing tensions between them. Naturally Gordon was always going to come off worst and this rivalry lead to ever more vindictive (and bizarre) punishments meted out by Digby. An Amazonian gym mistress called Miss Thing was played by Ruby Snape.
The show also starred former Slade
singer Noddy Holder
, who played music teacher Neville Holder (Noddy's birth name), and a number of inspired cameos including 1970s glam rock
singer Alvin Stardust
as a pub landlord. This led to a series of clever 'in jokes' such as Noddy and Alvin be-moaning the lost opportunities of their youth over a pint of beer, and the character played by the one time glam-rocker lead singer of Slade being described as "not exactly Mr. Rock 'n' Roll". As implied by the title of the second episode, The Road Not Taken (which ends with Holder mournfully strumming out a Slade song in the school hall), the implication was that The Grimleys took place in an 'alternative' 1970s where Holder and his friend had abandoned their rock dreams in favour of more sensible jobs long before they became famous.
, and, of course, as Gordon Grimley's nemesis. Geraldine had spent the time between Series Two and Series Three in a coma
, which allowed the series to shift its focus from the glam rock era to the punk era. Gordon was by now working as a trainee teacher at the school where he was bullied and insulted by the pupils, many of whom, including his brother, Darren, were dressed as punks, reflecting the change in the times. Their mother, meanwhile, had finally walked out on her slobby husband and had taken up with Neville Holder, who had now become the school's headmaster - leaving Gordon as the family's sole breadwinner. The third series suffered by comparison to the first two, and the show was cancelled afterwards.
as the school's headmaster; Johnny Ball
as a maths teacher in another school; Michael Cronin as 'Bullet Baxter', the role that he had played in Grange Hill
; Jim Bowen
as a militant trade union rep and Pam Ayres
playing herself as the hostess and judge of a poetry contest.
" and "Cum On Feel the Noize
" by Slade over the end credits. Noddy Holder performed a 'live' acoustic version of "Cum On Feel the Noize" over the end credits of the episode "The Road Not Taken".
In the second series, the end title credits varied between "Cum On Feel the Noize", "How Does It Feel?" and "Everyday" by Slade. Holder performed an alternative Easter
version of "Merry Xmas Everybody
" during the episode "???", mimed "How Does It Feel?" on a piano in the episode "The Bionic Boy", and performed an acoustic version of "'Coz I Luv You" over the end credits of the Series 2 finale, "The Prime of Mr Doug Digby".
Series 3 also featured the song Jilted John by Jilted John (Graham Fellows
) with its refrain "Gordon is a moron" for a punk disco scene in which the members of Blackpool punk band UFX
appeared in a cameo role opposite Amanda Holden.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television series set on a council estate in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the mid-1970s. It was first broadcast by Granada TV for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1999, following a pilot in 1997, and concluded in 2001 after three series.
The show was written by Jed Mercurio
Jed Mercurio
Jed Mercurio is a British author; TV and film producer and medical doctor-Biography:Jed Mercurio is a British writer who also writes under the name John MacUre. He created the television series Cardiac Arrest and Bodies and the sci-fi miniseries Invasion: Earth...
, who had trained as a doctor and whose first series, Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac Arrest (TV series)
Cardiac Arrest is a British medical drama series made by World Productions for BBC One and first broadcast between 1994 and 1996. The series was controversial due to its depiction of doctors, nurses, and the National Health Service.-Creation:...
- written under the pseudonym 'John MacUre' - had attracted critical plaudits for its dark portrayal of life in a disintegrating British National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
The filming of the school took place in Salford, Buile Hill High, Hope High and Pendleton College, although the filming of the characters' homes actually took place some 80 miles away in the Dudley area itself; around Parkes Hall Road on the Dudley-Sedgley
Sedgley
Sedgley is an urban village within the West Midlands county of England. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal, Gospel End, Woodsetton, Ettingshall, Coseley and Brierley...
border.
Premise
The Grimleys follows the ups and downs of the dysfunctional Grimley family and their struggle with everyday life. Gordon Grimley, played by James BradshawJames Bradshaw (actor)
James Bradshaw, born 20 March 1976 in Stamford, Lincolnshire in England, is a British actor best known for playing Gordon Grimley in the popular Granada TV series The Grimleys, which ran for three series from 1999...
, is an intellectual but feeble schoolboy who has a crush on his teacher, Miss Geraldine Titley, played by Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
(Samantha Janus
Samantha Janus
Samantha Zoe Womack is an English actress, singer and director, both on television and stage. In recent years she has been best known for playing the role of Ronnie Branning in EastEnders, but made her name in the early 1990s as Mandy Wilkins in Game On, and also represented the United Kingdom in...
in the pilot). His younger brother Darren, played by Ryan Cartwright who also narrates the storyline and set the scene, although fond of Gordon and sympathetic to his unrequited love for Miss Titley, is frustrated by his brother's fey personality and nickname of 'The School Spanner'. Father Baz Grimley, played by former Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
actor Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
, was a bone-idle British Leyland car worker, who injured his back on his first day at the Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
plant and went on strike on the second. He had not moved from his armchair since then and spends his days watching television (ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
only). He is particularly infuriated by son Gordon's artistic leanings and was determined that he should do 'a man's job' rather than go to university. Hard working mum Janet Grimley was played by impressionist
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens
Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
.
Other domestic characters are older sister Lisa Grimley, played by Corrieann Fletcher, and Nan, played by Barbara Keogh, who seem to be obsessed with 'The Grimley Curse'. Next door neighbours were the Titley family headed by father Reg Titley, played by Paul Angelis
Paul Angelis
Paul Angelis is an English actor and writer best known for his role as PC Bannerman in the British television series Z-Cars.He provided the voice of Ringo Starr and the Chief Blue Meanie in the movie Yellow Submarine....
, who was a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
, the aforementioned Geraldine (his niece) who worked as an English teacher at Gordon's school, and the object of his lust, and son Shane (played by Simon Lowe
Simon Lowe
Simon Lowe is a British actor who, amongst other British titles, has played series regulars in Bodies and The Grimleys both of which were written by Jed Mercurio. He also played Derek Evans in EastEnders. He is also the regular character, Sgt...
), a Bay City Roller
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
look-a-like and self-styled ladies man complete with a clapped out Vauxhall Viva
Vauxhall Viva
The Viva was a small family car produced by Vauxhall Motors in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were known as the HA, the HB and the HC series....
car.
To complicate matters further, Shane was dating Lisa Grimley, and Janet Grimley and Reg Titley obviously carried a torch for one another. Reg's sensitivity and surprisingly poetic tongue gave rise to the question of Gordon Grimley's parentage, as does Shane Titley's oafish behaviour and idolisation of armchair bound slob Baz Grimley.
Many of the scenes were set in the Grimley brothers' school where we met their sadistic P.E teacher Doug "Dynamo" Digby, played by comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Brian Conley
Brian Conley
Brian Conley is an English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK. Outside of television, he is best known for his frequent portrayals of Buttons in pantomime versions of...
(Jack Dee
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
in the pilot), who lived in a corner of the school gymnasium. Doug always took both pride and pleasure in bullying his pupils, and in one episode we are given a clue to the development of this behaviour when his thuggish father, played by Lewis Collins
Lewis Collins
Lewis Collins is an English actor best known for his tough-guy role as Bodie in The Professionals. He was educated at Bidston Primary and Grange School in Birkenhead. He started out as a ladies' hairdresser before playing drums and guitar in pop groups. He had a number of other jobs before...
from hit 1970s crime drama 'The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
', visits him. He was dating Geraldine Titley much to Gordon Grimley's chagrin, this leading to increasing tensions between them. Naturally Gordon was always going to come off worst and this rivalry lead to ever more vindictive (and bizarre) punishments meted out by Digby. An Amazonian gym mistress called Miss Thing was played by Ruby Snape.
The show also starred former Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
singer Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
, who played music teacher Neville Holder (Noddy's birth name), and a number of inspired cameos including 1970s glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
singer Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust is an English pop singer and stage actor.-Career:...
as a pub landlord. This led to a series of clever 'in jokes' such as Noddy and Alvin be-moaning the lost opportunities of their youth over a pint of beer, and the character played by the one time glam-rocker lead singer of Slade being described as "not exactly Mr. Rock 'n' Roll". As implied by the title of the second episode, The Road Not Taken (which ends with Holder mournfully strumming out a Slade song in the school hall), the implication was that The Grimleys took place in an 'alternative' 1970s where Holder and his friend had abandoned their rock dreams in favour of more sensible jobs long before they became famous.
Episodes
Series one and two featured the same regular cast and ran in a continuous time frame, whereas series three was set later in the 1970s. Doug Digby's character was killed off in a gymnasium accident in the first episode, replaced in Geraldine Titley's affections by scheming, manipulative woodwork teacher Dave Trebilcock , played by Craig KellyCraig Kelly (actor)
Craig Kelly is a British actor, best known for his role as Vince Tyler in the Channel 4 television series Queer as Folk and as Luke Strong in Coronation Street.-Biography:...
, and, of course, as Gordon Grimley's nemesis. Geraldine had spent the time between Series Two and Series Three in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, which allowed the series to shift its focus from the glam rock era to the punk era. Gordon was by now working as a trainee teacher at the school where he was bullied and insulted by the pupils, many of whom, including his brother, Darren, were dressed as punks, reflecting the change in the times. Their mother, meanwhile, had finally walked out on her slobby husband and had taken up with Neville Holder, who had now become the school's headmaster - leaving Gordon as the family's sole breadwinner. The third series suffered by comparison to the first two, and the show was cancelled afterwards.
Cameo appearances
A number of guest stars, all of them famous in the 70's, made welcome cameo appearances in most of the episodes. They included Bamber GascoigneBamber Gascoigne
Bamber Gascoigne, FRSL is a British television presenter and author, most known for being the original quizmaster on University Challenge.-Biography:...
as the school's headmaster; Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...
as a maths teacher in another school; Michael Cronin as 'Bullet Baxter', the role that he had played in Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
; Jim Bowen
Jim Bowen
Jim Bowen is an English stand-up comedian and TV personality. He is best known as the host of the ITV gameshow Bullseye, which he hosted between 1981 and 1995.-Early life:...
as a militant trade union rep and Pam Ayres
Pam Ayres
Pam Ayres MBE is an English poet, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes. Her 1975 appearance on the television talent show Opportunity Knocks led to a variety of appearances on TV and radio shows, a one woman touring stage show and performing before the Queen.-Early life:Pam...
playing herself as the hostess and judge of a poetry contest.
Music
The theme music of the first series was "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers over the title credits and varied between "Mama Weer All Crazee NowMama Weer All Crazee Now
"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a popular song originally recorded by the British Glam rock band Slade on their album Slayed?.Written by Jim Lea and Noddy Holder and produced by Chas Chandler, it was the band's third number-one single in the United Kingdom. The single entered the charts on its first...
" and "Cum On Feel the Noize
Cum on Feel the Noize
"Cum On Feel the Noize" is a rock song originally released by Slade in 1973.Written by Jim Lea and Noddy Holder and produced by Chas Chandler, "Cum On Feel the Noize" was Slade's fourth number-one single in the UK and their first to enter straight at number one...
" by Slade over the end credits. Noddy Holder performed a 'live' acoustic version of "Cum On Feel the Noize" over the end credits of the episode "The Road Not Taken".
In the second series, the end title credits varied between "Cum On Feel the Noize", "How Does It Feel?" and "Everyday" by Slade. Holder performed an alternative Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
version of "Merry Xmas Everybody
Merry Xmas Everybody
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a 1973 song by the English rock band Slade. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler, it was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK...
" during the episode "???", mimed "How Does It Feel?" on a piano in the episode "The Bionic Boy", and performed an acoustic version of "'Coz I Luv You" over the end credits of the Series 2 finale, "The Prime of Mr Doug Digby".
Series 3 also featured the song Jilted John by Jilted John (Graham Fellows
Graham Fellows
Graham David Fellows is an English comedy actor and musician, best known for creating the characters of John Shuttleworth and Jilted John.-Early life:...
) with its refrain "Gordon is a moron" for a punk disco scene in which the members of Blackpool punk band UFX
UFX
UFX is an Alternative Rock band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 2000.-History:Duncan Jowitt had been guitarist in an early line-up of Section 25 before the band signed to the Factory record label...
appeared in a cameo role opposite Amanda Holden.