Played by: Zammo McGuire
Lee MacDonald, 52, was the star of one of Grange Hill’s toughest storylines when his character Zammo became addicted to heroin.
As a result, he took part in a number of anti-drug campaigns encouraging young people to ‘Just Say No’.
After six years as Zammo, Lee left Grange Hill to critical acclaim for his portrayal of Zammo.
Lee always had an interest in boxing and continued to develop his skills to a high level, but unfortunately a car accident in the early 1990s left him unable to pursue the sport.
Lee MacDonald as Zammo who was the protagonist of one of the show’s toughest storylines when he became addicted to heroin. Now 52, he runs a locksmith business and continues to appear on television as himself on shows such as Celebrity Pointless
Lee MacDonald played Zammo and now runs a locksmith business in London
Lee always had an interest in boxing and continued to develop his skills to a high level.
Unfortunately, a car accident in the early 1990s left Lee unable to play the sport.
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 on Grange Hill.
In April 2019, it was announced that he would appear in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Terry.
He remains in the public eye appearing as himself on shows such as Celebrity Scissorhands and Celebrity Pointless. He also runs a locksmith business in Wallington, Surrey.
Zammo became addicted to heroin in arguably the longest story of the school drama
Todd Carty
Played by: Peter ‘Tucker’ Jenkins
Todd Carty, 57, remains one of the show’s most famous alumni, having been on TV since the first series aired in 1978. The Grange Hill character was so popular he was given his own spin-off show Tucker’s Luck from 1983 to 1985.
He then starred as Mark Fowler in EastEnders from 1990 to 2003, with a breakthrough storyline when his character was diagnosed with HIV.
But after leaving the Square, he played off the type by portraying villainous PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill.
Todd Carty is known for his role as the mischievous character Tucker Jenkins and even had his own spin-off from the series which ran for three years
Todd Carty went on to a successful career in many TV soaps including Eastenders
The psychopath Gabriel, the psychopath Gabriel, became a serial killer and eventually killed himself.
As well as continuing to act on stage and screen, he has also dabbled in producing and directing and made a memorable appearance on Dancing On Ice in 2009 due to his lack of talent.
His uncoordinated movements became a television draw and in one routine he accidentally passed the exit.
He played Mark Fowler for 13 years, pictured at the funeral of Wendy Richards, who played his on-screen mother, Pauline Fowler
As well as starring in panto, he appeared on Celebrity Masterchef in 2014 and
In 2015, the actor and his eldest son James made a documentary, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, for Channel 5 based on the book by Conn and Hal Iggulden.
Carty and his eldest son James starred together in a TV series for Channel 5, Dangerous Adventures For Boys, based on the book written by Conn and Hal Iggulden.
Most recently, he appeared in the 2017 film Silver Birches about a writer struggling to rebuild his life after the untimely death of his wife.
Todd has been with his childhood sweetheart Dina Clarkin since 1990 and they have two sons James and Thomas.
Actress, businesswoman and PR executive Paula-Ann Bland played nervous Claire Scott in the hit show, who had a crush on teacher Mr Hopwood.
Paula-Ann Bland
Played by: Claire Scott
Paula-Ann’s edgy character Claire caused a stir by fantasizing about teacher Mr Hopwood in her diary, who was then stuck by her overprotective father.
She also enjoyed a romance with Stewpot, before discovering that he was seeing Annette Firman behind her back.
Due to her success on the small screen, record company bosses saw Paula-Ann as a possible British Kylie and even released a cover version of The Locomotion.
She left the series in 1985 and continued to act, appearing in TV series such as Spender and Only Fools and Horses.
In 1988 she caused a stir by posing topless for the men’s magazine Mayfair.
During the 90s she turned her back on acting and opened shoe stores called Paola in Knightsbridge and Chelsea before starting her own PR firm.
She is a mother of two and is also an ambassador for the Good Grief Trust.
John Alford
Played by: Robbie Wright
John Alford as Robbie and George Christopher as ZiggyTuesday in 1986
Actor John Alford played the happy go lucky Robbie Wright between 1985 and 1991.
Jaqui’s younger brother Robbie is best remembered for his romance with Calley Donnington and his friendship with Ziggy Greaves.
After leaving the show, he continued to be a regular in the ITV series London’s Burning playing Billy Ray.
He also enjoyed several Top 40 hit singles produced by Stock/Waterman following his television success.
But his luck changed when he was drafted after being caught in a drug sting.
The former teenage pin-up was arrested by News Of The World’s Fake Sheikh and subsequently served a six-week prison sentence following the charge.
John Alford was jailed for nine months last year after being convicted of supplying cocaine and cannabis to a fake Arab prince in 2000
The actor was found guilty by a jury at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court in 1999 of one count of supplying 2,036 grams of cocaine to fake sheikh Mazher Mahmood, as well as a similar charge involving 11.9 grams of cannabis resin.
He struggled to return to his previous success after the release, but has since had little bits. He appeared on Casualty and CBBC’s Mile High and had a long-term relationship with Tina Mahon who played Ronnie Birtles.
In 2016, Mahmood was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, and after the case, it was suggested that up to 72 defendants in criminal cases in which he played a role could apply to have the convictions overturned.
The Alford case was among those reviewed by the Criminal Case Review Commission.
Gwyneth Powell
Played by: Bridget McClusky
Headmistress Bridget McClusky, played by Gwyneth Powell, was one of the show’s longest-running characters who appeared on screen between 1981 and 1991.
The star was actually trained as a teacher but never taught in a classroom as she decided to pursue acting instead.
She previously told the BBC that she was determined to make the role more modern because she was only 35 when she took on the role.
“At first Mrs. McCluskey was written as a ‘twin set and pearls’ role, but I was quite young at the time and didn’t want to play it that way. We started with the clothes and they were quite modern and stylish.
“A lot of people told me he was very good to the new female teachers who were starting to apply for head positions.
After leaving Grange Hill she appeared in popular shows such as Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost and Holby City. Her most recent television role was in an episode of Casualty in 2014.
Michelle Herbert
Played by: Trisha Yates
Michelle played mean girl Trisha Yates in the school drama from 1978 to 1982, but after leaving Grange Hill, Michelle gave up acting and worked for a large confectionery manufacturer.
She made a brief return as Trisha in the final episode of Tucker’s Luck, a Grange Hill spin-off based on Todd Carty’s character Tucker.
Michelle moved to Dundee in the early 1990s to raise her family, where she works alongside her husband running their family mosque business.
She noticed a small dimple on her breast while on vacation in Rome in May 2015.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer and after a mastectomy, she was given the all-clear. She is now campaigning to raise awareness of the lesser-known symptoms of breast cancer.
As Benny Green, Terry Sue-Pat was the first character ever to appear on the show and became one of the most popular characters
Benny Green
Played by: Terry Sue-Patt
As Benny Green, Terry Sue-Pat was the first character ever to appear on the show and became one of the most popular characters.
He was discovered aged 14 by a talent scout while playing football in the park and found success in the 1989 film The Firm, starring Gary Oldman and Phil Davis.
He said: “I basically played myself in Grange Hill. There weren’t many black actors on television at the time.
“I had a great time, skipping school to play football. It was a bit of a dream come true, really.’
He also had minor roles in other TV shows including Desmonds, General Hospital and Jackanory.
In October 2015, Terry was sadly found dead at his home in London, aged 50, after a battle with halocholism.
He was found lying face down on the bed and Reports indicate that his body may have remained uncovered for a month.
Todd Carty said he was “deeply saddened” by the sudden death of his Grange Hill co-star.
Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of a dear friend Terry Sue-Pat. Thoughts with his family RIP xxx.’
They played best friends Tucker Jenkins and Benny Green. The pair left the show in the early 1980s, just four years after joining, but remained friends throughout their careers.
Alison Bettles, now 51, played Fay Lucas from 1982 to 1987 in six series of the show.
Allison Battles
Played by: Fay Lucas
Alison Bettles, now 51, played Fay Lucas from 1982 to 1987 in six series of the show.
Bettles was one of the cast members who took part in the hit single Just Say No, to promote an anti-drugs message following the programme’s controversial history with Zammo McGuire who became addicted to heroin as a child.
The single reached number five in the charts in 1986.
In 1988, Alison appeared in an Eastenders spin-off…
