John Alford, who played Robbie Wright in Grange Hill, has pleaded not guilty to six child sex offences. Hertfordshire police charged Alford with engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity and penetrating sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16, assault on a woman over 13 by penetration with part of a body or thing and sexual assault on a female, all alleged to have taken place in April 2022. Alford appeared in 113 episodes of the children’s television show between 1985 and 1990, and went on to enjoy a career in other TV dramas, including London’s Burning, The Bill, and Mile High, as well as working as a musician. St Albans Crown Court has set a trial date of December 2, with proceedings scheduled to last seven days.
Earlier this year, Stuart Organ, who had played Mr Robson in Grange Hill for ten years, died aged 72. Organ, who began his career in Leeds in 1975, went on to act in Brookside, Casualty, and Holby City, as well as playing roles in Doctor Who, and in films including Those Glory Glory Days and Fork in the Road.
Grange Hill ran on the BBC from 1978 to 2008, and was set in a London comprehensive and focused on issues facing young people, including bullying, drug use, and racism. Although actors who appeared on the show have subsequently experienced problems, including Mark Farmer serving time for arson, Todd Carty struggling to find work after appearing in the show, and Lee MacDonald, who played Zammo Maguire, experiencing homelessness, Grange Hill remains widely regarded as a pioneer in bringing realistic issues facing young people to television
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