161 Your favourite Grange Hill character Part 2: Staff

[jno]

Part 2 of our Grange Hill Death Match, what about your favourite staff members?



Pictured, top left to bottom right ...

1 Mr Geoff 'Bullet' Baxter (series 2-9), PE Teacher/Deputy Headmaster
2 Mr Graham 'Sooty' Sutcliffe (series 2-5), English Teacher/Drama teacher
3 Mr Keating (series 2-7), Maths Teacher/Deputy Headmaster
4 Mr Stuart 'Hoppy' Hopwood (series 3-6), Woodwork Teacher/Form tutor
5 Miss Terri Mooney (series 3-6), Science Teacher/Form tutor
6 Mrs Bridget 'The Midget' McCluskey (series 4-14), Headteacher/Deputy Headteacher
7 Miss Jenny Lexington (series 4-7), IT Teacher, I am not sure whether Miss Lexington, appeared in series 5
8 Mr Bill 'Scruffy' McGuffy (series 5-7), English Teacher/Drama Teacher
9 Mr Nick Smart (series 6-8), English Teacher/Form tutor/Head of First Year
10 Mr Maurice 'Bronco' Bronson (series 8-12), French Teacher/Form tutor/Deputy Headteacher
11 Miss Ginny Booth (series 8-14), Art Teacher/Form tutor
12 Mr Eric Griffiths (series 8-15), Caretaker
13 Other (mention below)

As suggested by billyfarmer (many thanks for preparing the list too!)

So, who was your favourite Grange Hill staff member?

Pick 3 answers!

[kelotoph]

Bullet Baxter was my favourite - no nonsense, down-to-earth and not afraid to dish it out to deserving causes when needed - great discipline! Didn't he get involved in fisticuffs with another teacher who was bullying a pupil?

[fordcapri]

I've had to go for Sexy Lexi (for obvious reasons), Bullet Baxter and Mr Hopwood.  Bullet was a tough but fair geezer and Hopwood reminded me of my English teacher at the time.  They all came across as believable.  I think, however, the best teacher was probably Mr Mitchell from the first two series... the sort of teacher you all wished you could have; easy-going, a bit square, a decent bloke at heart who cared about the job and treated the kids fairly.  

[ltd]

Feb 4, 2022 13:08:01 GMT kelotoph said:

Bullet Baxter was my favourite - no nonsense, down-to-earth and not afraid to dish it out to deserving causes when needed - great discipline! Didn't he get involved in fisticuffs with another teacher who was bullying a pupil?

Think he floored the bloke after seeming him laying into a kid. One punch - "slipped did you?". Bullet's finest hour though was confronting would-be Fuhrer Gripper Stebson in the school bogs, saving him from a well deserved shoeing, but expelling him and Denny Rees, the poundland Martin Borman. 

[coyote]

Feb 4, 2022 13:57:07 GMT ltd said:

Feb 4, 2022 13:08:01 GMT kelotoph said:

Bullet Baxter was my favourite - no nonsense, down-to-earth and not afraid to dish it out to deserving causes when needed - great discipline! Didn't he get involved in fisticuffs with another teacher who was bullying a pupil?

Think he floored the bloke after seeming him laying into a kid. One punch - "slipped did you?". Bullet's finest hour though was confronting would-be Fuhrer Gripper Stebson in the school bogs  

I remember both of these incidents, but I think his character changed over the series to become more likeable, especially when he became Deputy Head. In the early series he was very much set up as the typical "Sergeant Major" type of PE teacher and was a bit of a tool tbh.

Sexy Lexi was great and I remember being disappointed when she didn't return. I always thought Hopwood and Sooty were pretty wet.

I went for Scruffy McGuffy, he was picked on a bit by the other staff but the kids liked him to the extent that Tucker's band did a song about him on the school stage called something like "Strange Bill from Grange Hill".

All these are apparently from S2 onwards - weren't any of them in the first series? And if so, who were the teachers then?! I remember there was a different Head in the earlier series - a bloke, but I can't remember his name.

[billyfarmer]

I voted for Mr Baxter, Mrs McCluskey and Miss Mooney, I can still remember the first episode of series 5, when Miss Mooney's first lesson, was interrupted by a stink bomb, which was unleashed by Gordon 'Jonah' Jones, the teacher who Mr Baxter, punched was Mr Hicks, who had been picking on Stewpot.

Not far behind Miss Mooney, would be Mr Hopwood and Mr McGuffy.

[Albert Wendell]

Feb 4, 2022 14:20:56 GMT coyote said:

I remember there was a different Head in the earlier series - a bloke, but I can't remember his name.

In the first series the headmaster was Mr. Starling played by Denys Hawthorne but he only appeared in one episode. In the second and third series the headmaster was Mr. Llewellyn played by Sean Arnold although he only appeared in series 2 but was mentioned in series 3. The familiar Mrs. McClusky took over from series 4.

[coyote]

Wow - Barney Crozier from 'Bergerac'. I don't remember that at all.

I also never knew Sexy Lexi was the attractive au-pair that puts Col and Ray off breaking into the house in 'Golden Fleece'. According to IMDB she was only in 6 episodes over several years.

[daz]

Watched around 8 series of Grange Hill on Britbox last year and have to say Baxter was a very good character. The episode when he found out the other Gym teacher was bullying kids and seeing him deal him a cracking punch to the jaw was superb, proper swift justice. There is also another episode when Benny Green lets him down for the football team for the cup final and Baxter has the hump with him, as he chose to go to area trials on the same day, but when it all finished Baxter tells Green his is proud of him for sticking to his guns and not being swayed by pressure.

A good shout above for Mr Mitchell too.

Have to go for Bronson for my 3rd choice because the actor was was from Aberdeen and he put the fear into kids and exactly the type of teacher I remember well from my Schooldays.

[chrisclark1977]

I liked Baxter as a "take no shite from anyone" type of character.

Also most of GH's caretakers were bad tempered and irritable.

Mr Llewellyn's actor Sean Arnold passed away a couple of years ago. Would have been ineresting to see what would of happened had Llewellyn stayed on for a few more seasons.

[jno]

Feb 7, 2022 23:44:33 GMT chrisclark1977 said:

I liked Baxter as a "take no shite from anyone" type of character.

Also most of GH's caretakers were bad tempered and irritable.

Mr Llewellyn's actor Sean Arnold passed away a couple of years ago. Would have been ineresting to see what would of happened had Llewellyn stayed on for a few more seasons.

Totally agree cc!

[simon316]

Bronson and Baxter were two iconic characters instantly recognisable, Miss Booth was gorgeous, so chose her, too

[ontheslate]

I’ve chosen Baxter he had some great lines normally done in a very deadpan manner, Keating who was the old style of firm but fair teaching and Hopwood as he was the more modern style of teacher at the time who cared for a pupil’s well-being as well as their education similar to Mr Mitchell

[chopper]

Bullet Baxter is the legend. They had some great teachers over the years.
I thought the original form teacher - can’t remember his name, for Tucker & Co was also brilliant. As was the original sports teacher who we well know from Sweeney (Trojan Bus) and Nuts In May .