Back to Grange Hill for Tucker

It's the nation's most famous comprehensive and it celebrates its 30th anniversary next year - but whatever happened to the star pupils, asks Women's Editor Maria Cuisine.

He was probably the first television hero for schoolchildren. Leather jacket wearing rebel Tucker Jenkins was the loveable rogue that everyone looked up to in Grange Hill.

The school is the nation's most famous comprehensive - and it first opened its doors three decades ago.

Its instantly recognisable theme tune, comic strip-style opening credits and its bid to tackle the grittier side of life at a British comprehensive scored top marks with children up and down the land.

Tucker Jenkins was the top dog of the show. And now, 30 years after the series was first aired, Todd Carty is back as Tucker.

The actor, now aged 44, has filmed a one-off special to celebrate the 30th birthday of the show.

Grange Hill, the brainchild of Phil Redmond, broke the mould when it was first broadcast in 1978 by attempting to cover "real issues".

It didn't shy away from controversy and has dealt with issues affecting ordinary kids around the country.

The launch episode featured Tucker, of course, plus his closest mates Trisha Yates, played by Michelle Herbert and Benny Green, played by Terry Sue Patt, as they started their first day at the fictional East London Grange Hill High School.

Early storylines included uniform rebellion, school dinner protests and - with the introduction in 1981 of Norman "Gripper" Stebson, played by Mark Savage - vicious bullying.

The BBC was inundated with complaints from shocked parents after the first few episodes.

Grange Hill wasn't afraid to tackle serious social issues either, with episodes centring on shoplifting, teenage pregnancy, sex and drugs.

The latter came into focus in 1986 with the story of Zammo McGuire's heroin addiction. This resulted in the release of a cast single, Just Say No, and a national anti-drugs campaign.

The storylines may have provoked fury, but throughout it all, the watching youngsters loved every minute of it of its true-to-life portrayal of school.

Todd Carty left the cast in 1982 and moved on to spin-off show Tucker's Luck which, thanks to his heart-throb status, proved a success.

In 1990 he joined EastEnders as Mark Fowler, staying until 2003. There, he was reunited with fellow Grange Hill classmates Susan Tully, who played his sister Michelle Fowler, and Letitia Dean, who played Sharon Watts. Other graduates Michelle Gayle and Sean Maguire also made the move to Albert Square.

Then along came The Bill which put an end to the "Mr Nice Guy" roles for Todd. He played Pc Gabriel Kent in the series, a character with award-winning "bad guy" persona.

Despite the high-profile nature of the job, it was announced in 2005 that Todd was leaving the police drama. He exited the series in dramatic style, with his character leaping to his death from a high rise block of flats.

As for the other Grange Hill pupils, Susan Tully, who played Suzanne Ross, went on to play Todd's sister Michelle Fowler in EastEnders, before giving up acting to work behind the camera and has since directed and produced various British television programmes.

Lee MacDonald, who played Zammo McGuire, went on to play several cameo roles but a car crash put paid to his boxing dream.

Erkan Mustafa, who played Roland 'Ro-land' Browning, appeared in Blackadder's Christmas Carol and in BBC comedy series Chef.

George Christopher, who played Ziggy Greaves in Grange Hill, played Little Jimmy Corkhill in Brookside. He's now writing comedy.

Mark Savage, who was Gripper Stebson in the drama, carved out an acting career mainly on the stage plus some TV and short films.

Mark Burdiss, played Stewpot Stewart, and appeared in The Bill and ads including the AA's popular Bev and Kev campaign.

When it came to the teaching staff, Michael Sheard, who played the terrifying deputy-head Mr Bronson, went onto play Hitler in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. He died in 2005.

Gwyenth Powell, who played headteacher Mrs McClusky, aka Bridgit the Midget, has also appeared in other television programmes such as Heartbeat and A Touch of Frost

While Brian Capron, who played Mr Stuart (Hoppy) Hopwood in Grange Hill in the early 1980s, went on to become Coronation Street's serial killer Richard Hillman.

Tucker's legacy lives on in Grange Hill with his trouble-making nephews Tigger and Togger, played by Chris Perry-Metcalf and Jack McMullen.

But his fans from the 70s and 80s will see him in the show again when he makes a special appearance in Grange Hill in the one-off special in January.

Wonder if he'll be wearing his trademark black leather jacket?