Groundbreaking in its storytelling, like its older cousin Grange Hill, Byker Grove was appointment television for young teenagers growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now, nearly two decades after its original run came to an end on BBC One and Children’s BBC, Byker Grove is finally returning to UK screens with classic episodes now available to stream for free on STV Player and ITVX later this year.
ITVX has partnered with Ant & Dec’s production company, Mitre Studios, which owns the rights to Byker Grove, to relaunch the series. Viewers across the UK can stream it now on STV Player and ITVX later this year.
The first episode of the children’s drama serial Byker Grove was shown on 8 November 1989. It was created by Andrea Wonfor and Adele Rose and written by Rose, an experienced writer on Coronation Street. The combination of the Newcastle setting – with accents rarely heard on television at the time- and the drama’s refreshing willingness to address social issues, such as drug addiction, child abuse and abortion, made it an instant, and at times controversial hit among some conservative households. The height of this controversy came in 1994, when the series featured the first gay kiss on UK children’s TV, when character Noddy Fishwick kissed close friend Gary Hendrix at the back of a cinema.
In the first episode, Julie (Lucy Walsh) – unhappy that her family have relocated from London – goes to the youth club at Byker Grove, described by youth worker Alison (Vicky Murray) as “an alternative place to be”. She meets the regulars, including Gill (Caspar Berry), Winston (Craig Reilly), Donna (Sally McQuillan), Nicola, played by Jill Halfpenny, yes, the very same Jill who went on to star in Waterloo Road, Spuggie (Lyndyann Barrass) and Cas (Niall Shearer).
Byker Grove gave many other young actors their big break, not least Ant and Dec, whose popularity as PJ and Duncan was turned into a pop career with eight top 20 singles, including the number one, ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble’.
Equally, the show served as a major training ground for behind-the-scenes talent, with former writer Catherine Johnson going on to pen the hit musical Mamma Mia! and Tom Hooper, who directed episodes in 1997, later winning the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on The King’s Speech. And let’s not forget the kids watching who went on to become passionate youth workers across the UK, thanks to Byker Grove’s ability to open the door to the profession.
Byker Grove also joins another pioneering British drama, Brookside, on STV Player. The streaming service became the first to relaunch classic episodes of the iconic Merseyside soap in 2023.
Richard Williams, STV’s Managing Director, Audience: Video & Technology, said, “Just when you thought the 90s revival might have been slowing down, we’ve only gone and brought back one of the seminal TV shows of the decade. Byker Grove was an integral part of so many British childhoods, and we’re delighted that those original viewers – now of a slightly more mature vintage – can relive all the nostalgic action on STV Player. And if any Gen Z viewers want to find out who really started the baggy trousers trend, look no further than Byker Grove!”
Craig Morris, Managing Editor, ITV Channels & ITVX, added, “We are so excited to bring this iconic coming-of-age series to ITVX, marking the first TV appearances of two ITV stalwarts. Relive all the great moments with us later this year.”
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