CD cover from The Grimleys soundtrack (Source: Amazon.com)

The Grimleys was a nostalgic comedy-drama 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 filming of the school took place in Salford, Buile Hill High, Hope High and Pendleton College. Image File history File links Grimleys. ... Image File history File links Grimleys. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a population of around 2,600,000 people. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Granada TV logo, used from 1956 to 1968. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ...

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. Jed Mercurio (pseudonym John MacUre) is a British writer who created the television series Cardiac Arrest and Bodies. ... , the information in this article describes the current English public health service. ...

It followed the ups and downs of the dysfunctional Grimley family and their struggle with everyday life. Gordon Grimley, played by James Bradshaw, was an intellectual but feeble schoolboy who had 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, was frustrated by his brother's fey personality and nickname of 'The School Spanner'. Father Baz Grimley, played by former Young One, 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 and spent his entire life watching television (ITV only). He was 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. Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born February 16, 1971 in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire)is an English actress. ... Samantha Janus (born 2 November 1972 in Brighton) is a British actress. ... Ryan Cartwright (born 14 March 1981) is a British actor. ... The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first seen in 1982, which aired on BBC2. ... Nigel George Planer (born February 22, 1953 in London) is an English actor, novelist and playwright. ... The British Leyland Motor Corporation (often abbreviated to simply BL), was a Britain in 1968. ... The Longbridge Plant from the Air, 2005. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... See also Impressionist (entertainment): A girl with a watering can by Renoir, 1876 Impressionism was a 19th century art movement, which began as a private association of Paris-based artists who exhibited publicly in 1874. ... Jan Ravens (born May 14, 1958 in Bebington, Wirral) is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers. ...

Other domestic characters were older sister Lisa Grimley, played by Corrieann Fletcher, and Nan, played by Barbara Keogh, who seemed 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, Bay City Roller look-a-like and self styled ladies man complete with a clapped out Vauxhall Viva car, played by Simon Lowe. Paul Angelis is a Liverpool born actor who did the voice of Ringo Starr in the movie Yellow Submarine. ... A plumber at work. ... The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish Pop/rock band of the 1970s. ... The Viva was a model of car produced by Vauxhall Motors in a variety of models from 1963 to 1979. ... Simon Lowe is a British actor who, amongst other British titles, has played series regulars in Bodies (Dr. Tim Sibley) and The Grimleys (Shane Titley) both of which were written by Jed Mercurio. ...

To complicate issues 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. A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... Brian Conley presenting Let Me Entertain You. ... Jack Dee (born September 24, 1962) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, deadpan style. ... Lewis Collins (born 27 May 1946 in Bidston, Birkenhead, Merseyside) is a British actor. ... From Left : Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle, Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, and Lewis Collins as William Bodie. ...

Whenever things went wrong in the Grimley household the Grandmother's commonest comment she used to say was 'The Grimley Curse!'

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 'alternate' 1970s where Holder and his friend had abandoned their rock dreams in favour of more sensible jobs long before they became famous. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Noddy Holder (born Neville John Holder in Walsall, Staffordshire on 15 June 1946) is an English musician and actor best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist with 1970s rock music group Slade. ... David Bowie as Glam superstar Ziggy Stardust on the cover of his 1973 Album Aladdin Sane. ... Alvin Stardust (born Bernard William Jewry, 27 September 1942, Muswell Hill, North London) is an English vocalist and stage actor. ...

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, with Brian Conley's character Doug Digby dying in a gymnasium accident in the first episode. He was replaced in Geraldine Titley's affections by scheming, manipulative woodwork teacher Dave Trebilcock, played by Craig Kelly, and, of course, as Gordon Grimley's nemesis. Gordon was by now working as a trainee teacher at the school where he was bullied and insulted by the pupils, many of whom were dressed as punks reflecting the change in the times. The third series suffered by comparism to the first two, and the show was cancelled afterwards. Craig Kelly (born in 1973, in Lancashire) is a British actor, best known for his role as Vince Tyler in the Channel 4 television series Queer as Folk. ...

List Of The Grimleys Episodes This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Music

Series One

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 Now and Cum on Feel the Noize by Slade over the end credits. SONG TITLES 01. ... 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 bands third number one single in the United Kingdom, spending three weeks... Cum on Feel the Noize is a hard rock song originally released by Slade in 1973. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Noddy Holder performed a 'live' acoustic version of Cum on Feel the Noize over the end credits of the episode The Road Not Taken Noddy Holder (born Neville John Holder in Walsall, Staffordshire on 15 June 1946) is an English musician and actor best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist with 1970s rock music group Slade. ...

Series Two

In the second season, the end title credits varied between Cum on Feel the Noize, How Does It Feel? and Everyday by Slade. Everyday is a studio album by the Dave Matthews Band, released on February 27, 2001. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Noddy Holder performed an alternative Easter version of Merry Xmas Everybody during the episode ???, mimes How Does It Feel on a piano in the episode The Bionic Boy and also performed an acoustic version of Coz I Luv You over the end credits of the Series 2 finale The Prime Of Mr Doug Digby. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Easter, the Sunday of... Merry Xmas Everybody is a single by the English glam-rock band Slade. ... Coz I Luv You is a popular song by Slade. ...