King Street Junior is a radio comedy which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between March 1985 and November 1998.[1] The show ran for ten series and the cast included Peter Davison,[2] James Grout and Karl Howman. The series is written by Jim Eldridge.

Research for the show was done at Newtown Road School in Carlisle.[3]

A continuation series aired in 2002 and was named King Street Junior Revisited.

Episodes closed with a children's choir singing "See the Farmer Sow the Seed," a hymn written by Baptist minister Frederick Arthur Jackson (1867–1942).

Cast

Episodes

Series 1

Broadcast in 1985

All episodes written by Jim Eldridge

  • The New School Year Starts Here
  • Redeployment
  • Crime And Punishment
  • The Principle of the Thing
  • Scale Points
  • Language Units
  • Christmas at King Street

Series 2

Broadcast in 1987

  • Priorities
  • Dispute
  • Barn Dance
  • Problem Parents
  • The Sound of Music
  • Assemblies
  • Parents' Evening
  • The Outing
  • Sports Day
  • Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Series 3

Broadcast in 1988. Peter Davison's character is no longer in the show, having taken a position at another school; from here on is Karl Howman as Philip Sims.

  • Back To School
  • Fireworks
  • The Spirit of Christmas
  • The History Game
  • Pressures
  • Facts of Life
  • Under Canvas
  • The School Fete

Series 4

  • It's Only Rock'n'Roll
  • Closure
  • Opting Out
  • Fundraising
  • Health
  • The Succession
  • It's Not Cricket
  • That Old Time Religion

Series 5

Broadcast in 1990

  • D-Day Minus One
  • Is This A Career I See Before Me?
  • Good Times, Bad Times
  • Choices
  • Bon Voyage
  • Work
  • The Reunion

Series 6

  • In Real Terms
  • Travellers
  • Safety First
  • A Good Read
  • Emergency
  • A Day at the Centre
  • Thursday's Child
  • The Games Children Play

Series 7

Broadcast in 1992

  • Back in the Jug Again
  • Witch Hunt
  • Is There A Father Christmas?
  • Fatal Attraction
  • Horses For Courses
  • Beside The Seaside
  • Taking The Rap
  • Endings & Beginnings

Series 8

Back after a few years in 1995

Series 9

  • Responsibilities by Richard Stoneman
  • Danger Zone by Jim Eldridge
  • A Bridge To Afar by Paul Copley
  • Relative Value by Andy Rashleigh
  • With Love by Jim Eldridge
  • Crossed Lines Richard Stoneman
  • Financial Times by Paul Copley
  • Gridlocked by Jim Eldridge

Series 10

Broadcast in 1998

  • Proposals
  • The Rivals
  • Accusations
  • Target Practice
  • Incidental Music
  • Final Thoughts

Broadcast History

For most of its run, it was broadcast in Radio 4's lunchtime comedy slot at 12.27, with later series moving to a morning broadcast.[4] Repeats have also been aired on BBC Radio 7 and BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Critical reception

The series was described as follows:

"An unassuming Radio 4 institution, this character sitcom-cum-light drama serial followed the working lives of a group of teachers at a small junior school in a multiracial area, and came from the pen of Jim Eldridge, himself a former teacher."

[5]

Multimedia

The ten series of the show are published by Penguin and available to purchase at Audible.[6]

Book

Jim Eldridge, who created the show and wrote 87 episodes, also wrote a 2006 book, King Street Junior – The Inside Story, describing the history of the show including the behind-the-scenes conflicts.[3]

References

  1. ^ Roy Fisher; Ann Harris; Christine Jarvis (2008). Education in Popular Culture: Telling Tales on Teachers And Learners. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN 9780415332415.
  2. ^ Slide, Anthony (1996). Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities. Greenwood. p. 57. ISBN 9780313295508.
  3. ^ a b "Jim lifts the lid on top radio drama". Cumberland News. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013.
  4. ^ Elmes, Simon (2009). And Now on Radio 4: A Celebration of the World's Best Radio Station. Random House. p. 132. ISBN 9781407005287.
  5. ^ "King Street Junior: radiohaha". radiohaha. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  6. ^ "King Street Junior". Penguin. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Street_Junior
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