"The Grimleys" (1999) TV series 1999-2001

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

Martin Dennis
Jed Mercurio

Writers:

Fiona McCormick (writer)
John Stevenson (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Release Date:

8 March 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Comedy series about the unfortunate misadventures of a misfit schoolboy, Gordon Grimley, set in 1970's Dudley.

Plot Keywords:

English | Misfit | 1970s | Bully | Dudley

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Amanda Holden	...	Geraldine Titley (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Jan Ravens	...	Janet Grimley (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Ruby Snape	...	Miss Thing (11 episodes, 2000-2001)

Runtime:

24 min (21 episodes) | 50 min (1 episode)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Granada Television

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the second episode of the third series, Blondie's "Atomic" accompanies a scene. This episode is set in summer 1978, but the song was only written in 1979.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Grimleys (1997) (TV)

Nostalgia And Comedy Rolled Into One

Watching the first two series of The Grimley's every Sunday night was an absolute pleasure. It featured stories from a time where I grew up and it just brought back some memories for me.

The Grimley's were a strange family. Gordon Grimley was the young schoolboy who was an intellect and had a major crush on the English teacher Geraldine Titley played by Amanda Holden. There was Darren Grimley who was the brother of Gordon and totally the opposite character to his brother. There was the mother Janet Grimley who kept the house in order. And there was Baz Grimley, a lazy scruffy workshy oaf who spent every episode with his bottom firmly embedded in his chair, not moving but doing plenty of slobbering. That was the Grimley family.

The other scenes were set in the school. Comedian Brian Conley played psychotic P.E. teacher Doug "Dynamo" Digby who was dating Geraldine Titley and who took great pleasure in bullying the pupils. There was also the Music Teacher Neville Holder played by ex-Slade singer Noddy Holder who had some great scenes.

The show didn't have one particular theme. It was all about nostalgia for those like us who had grown up in the Black Country. It was funny but nostalgic at the same time. It was just half an hour of fun each week...until the last series.

The last series was very average. Doug Digby was killed off and the show suffered after that. I'm not saying that one particular character was integral to the show's success. But every character is a cog in a big wheel and if one character leaves, the quality of the show suffers. Digby was replaced by a woodwork teacher who didn't have the same rapport with Geraldine Titley. Also, Gordon Grimley had become a teacher (the third series was set a few years after the end of the second one) and we were seeing less of Baz. To be fair though, the last episode was good. Baz finally left his chair which his bottom had been embedded in and there were other great things too.

All in all, it was good whilst it lasted and gave me plenty of pleasure.