The End of an Era.....

[TheArsenal]

The next series of children's drama Byker Grove will be the last, the BBC has announced.

The show's cancellation comes as the CBBC programme strand begins to focus on a primary school audience.

Controller of children's programmes Richard Deverell called it "a great programme for CBBC with some ground-breaking stories".

Byker Grove has been running for 17 years, and launched the careers of Ant and Dec, and actress Donna Air.

The drama, which is set in a Tyneside youth club, was first shown as a pilot in 1989. A full series was commissioned the following year.

It has featured several hard-hitting storylines, including drug addiction, teenage pregnancy and abortion.

In 1995, it became the first children's drama to tackle the subject of homosexuality, when Brett Adam's character, Noddy Fishwick, kissed another boy in the back of a cinema.

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly played PJ and Duncan in the programme before graduating to a career in pop music.

More recently they have found success as the hosts of ITV1's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Saturday Night Takeaway. They recently made their film debut in Alien Autopsy.

The duo returned to Byker Grove in October 2000 to attend the funeral of youth club manager, Geoff, who died in an accidental gas explosion.

Other actors to have appeared in the series include Jill Halfpenny, Denise Welch and Roger Lloyd Pack.

The final series of Byker Grove will be broadcast in September on BBC One.

[Colly]

Bring back Geoff, in ghost form, for the last few episodes. I made him on WWF Warzone, he was ace.

But seriously, old cast members are gonna have to be dragged in.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Since Spuggie left it went downhill rapidly.

That is all.

[TAFKA Castroneves]

I used to love Byker Grove but it did get really shit the last two series or so.

[Steeb]

May as well cancel the whole childhood period now.

Mine's dead, so why should anyone else get one.

[The Chief]

ah man that sucks, i watched that and grange hill all the time in school. havent seen either for a few years now actually

[fineintent]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

[TheArsenal]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

[Pander Opiate]

I never liked Byker Grove. I think it was a north/south thing I never could understand what those weird Geordie people were saying. Grange Hill was better.

[YI]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

Edited May 12, 2006 by YI

[fineintent]

Meh, Byker is ok. Maybe I'm biased because the Cluny is practically in Byker, and I met yourcodenameismilo and the look north presenter there last week. Came to uni and hob-knobbed with the stars.

If only Geoff drank there, but I see him as more of an ale pub man.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

We're you surprised that it's a total shithouse?

Some girl at the bottom of my mates street was/is (I don't know for sure) on Byker Grove (Guess I wont be able to use her as my contact to get you on Byker Grove anymore Bluey ). She had her front window put out once, not sure if it was connected...

Was she Spuggie?

Anyways Grange Hill has got just as rubbish as well, ever since Mr Bronson left (the mighty Mr Bronson who also appeared in Star Wars!)

[YI]

Meh, Byker is ok. Maybe I'm biased because the Cluny is practically in Byker, and I met yourcodenameismilo and the look north presenter there last week. Came to uni and hob-knobbed with the stars.

If only Geoff drank there, but I see him as more of an ale pub man.

[Hutch2004]

Until you've woken up in Byker in a bus stop, clutching a thermos flask full of tea, and wearing only one shoe, you haven't lived.

[apsham]

So... this is like the British version of Degrassi? Don't worry, soon enough they'll make a shitty and inferior New Generation.

[YI]

So... this is like the British version of Degrassi? Don't worry, soon enough they'll make a shitty and inferior New Generation.

[apsham]

Suuuuuure.

And it sounds very much like it, so pfft.

[Colly]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

[YI]

Imagine my horror when I come to Uni and find out that there is a Byker, but there isn't a Byker Grove.

More disappointingly I think it was actually filmed in Sunderland. Former Byker resident, until he moved into upmarket Jesmond digs...

[fineintent]

I met a girl on the metro who was from Byker and started telling me about when she headbutted her boyfriend. Good times.