Hope & Glory 

The main school in an economically depressed area, Hope Park Comprehensive has been on the verge of closing for years. Things begin to look up when the weary headmaster Neil Bruce is ... See full summary »

Stars:

Lenny Henry, Sara Stephens, Amanda Redman

Cast

Series cast summary:
Lenny Henry	...	Ian George 16 episodes, 1999-2000
Sara Stephens	...	Sally Bell 16 episodes, 1999-2000
Amanda Redman	...	Debbie Bryan / ... 10 episodes, 1999-2000
Gillian Kearney	...	Kitty Burton 10 episodes, 2000

Storyline

The main school in an economically depressed area, Hope Park Comprehensive has been on the verge of closing for years. Things begin to look up when the weary headmaster Neil Bruce is replaced by dynamic young Ian George. Ian immediately wins over the head of the board of governors, Dennis Hill and new teacher Debbie Bryan. But can he win the confidence of deputy head Phil Jakes, deal with the incompetent geography teacher Jan Woolley and prevent Hope Park from closing?

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Plot Keywords:

school | headmaster | motivation | growing up | inspiration | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hope and Glory

Filming Locations:

Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Drama Group,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min (16 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian George's motto (on a placard above his desk) is: "If not you, who? If not now, when?"

User Reviews

Knowing when to stop is a good thing...

Despite the title of my comment, I would like to point out that the first series of this drama was an excellent piece of television. The writing talents combined with a stellar cast including Lenny Henry, Amanda Redman and Phyllis Logan seemed really committed to this modern tale of a failing comprehensive.

It was provoking and thoughtful and brought some difficult subjects to the fore, such as the culture of failing schools in Britain, mix-race relationships (shouldn't be controversial, but for some reason still are in TV-land) and the difficulties faced by families coping with poverty.

The second series was a complete about face, however. Where the first series was concise, the second was muddled. Where some of the lead actors had not returned, there was no clear explanation as to where the characters had gone. The difficult subjects tackled seemed to become trite and end of the series was just baffling, it seemed that where it tried to shock it merely left the audience looking at each other and saying "Oh, is that it then?".

I would recommend the first series as an example of what TV drama should be, but unless you want to be disappointed, leave the second series alone.