Courtesy of BBC

The Grange Hill (BBC, 1979-) character 'Tucker' Jenkins (Todd Carty) proved to be so popular with viewers that Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond developed a spin-off, Tucker's Luck (BBC, 1983-1985). Tucker's Luck was aimed at viewers who had grown up with Tucker in Grange Hill, and followed his life after leaving school with few qualifications. Together with two friends from Grange Hill, Tommy Watson (Paul McCarthy) and Alan Humphries (George Armstrong), Tucker entered adulthood by joining the ranks of the unemployed.

Set in the rundown council estates of London, the series attempted a realistic portrayal of life for teenagers in the Thatcher era. Storylines covered Tucker and his friends' attempts to find work and to make ends meet while living off money from the dole. The three lads topped up their dole cheques with some cash-in-hand building work for Alan's dad, a building contractor.

Much of Tucker's time is spent chasing girls and hanging around the local chip shop. Also, in keeping with Tucker's rebellious nature seen in Grange Hill, he has regular run-ins with figures of authority, as well as clashes with local thug and bovver boy Ralph Passmore (Peter McNamara). The series ended on a relative high-note for Tucker with him eventually attending night-school to learn a trade as a painter and decorator.

The show, in the main, proved to be less controversial than Grange Hill and was less popular with viewers, although its scheduling time did little to help as the show was broadcast on BBC2 opposite the early evening news on both BBC1 and ITV. Todd Carty later went on to appear in the BBC soap EastEnders (BBC, 1984-) as Mark Fowler.

Jon Lysons

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