Byker Grove: The best bits from the original series as Ant and Dec show ready for revival

Ant and Dec starred in the original series of Byker Grove. Credit: Mitre Studios

Byker Grove is set to make a comeback to television screens after it was revived by production company Fulwell 73.

The show, which gave Ant and Dec their first TV break, will be relaunched under the name BYKER and filmed and produced in the North East.

Originally broadcast between 1989 and 2006, the show was host to a number of memorable moments as it told the story of a youth club in Newcastle.

ITV takes a look back at six standout storylines as we await the return of a North East institution.

PJ gets blinded

Perhaps the most memorable scenes in the show's entire history is the moment that Ant McPartlin's character PJ is blinded by a paintball.

He had been trying to woo two girls, Debbie and Amanda, but the pair found out and tried to take revenge during a paintball fight.

PJ, who had taken his mask off, was hit in the face by a paintball shot by one of the pair leaving him permanently blinded as best friend, Declan Donnelly's character Duncan, cried and uttered the now iconic words "he cannot see man."

Ant McPartlin's character PJ was blinded by a paintball in Byker Grove. Credit: Mitre Studios

Geoff's death

Members of the youth club were taken under the care of the friendly youth leader Geoff Keegan.

However, his time in charge came to a dramatic end in 2000 when he was killed in an accidental gas explosion.

His funeral was an emotional affair with many former cast members including PJ and Duncan returning to see him off.

Jemma Dobson electrocuted

Despite the main audience being teenagers, Byker Grove was not afraid to push boundaries and try graphic storylines over teatime.

The death of Jemma Dobson summed up the approach. The popular character was electrocuted and thrown across the room after touching a faulty plug socket in a flooded kitchen - much to the shock of viewers.

Noddy kisses Gary

Byker Grove was not afraid to tackle the big issues and was the first British drama to broach the subject of coming out.

When Noddy Fishwick kissed Gary Hendrix at the back of a cinema, it was the first time that any children's TV show had broadcast a gay kiss.

It received a furious reaction in some quarters at the time with calls for producer Matthew Robinson to be sacked.

However, it was strongly backed by the BBC and received countrywide support from gay teenagers, many teachers and parents. It was a big step forward for LGBTQ+ visibility on British TV.

Flora's brain tumour

One of the saddest stories in the show's history was Flora's brain tumour. She was one of the main characters during the 1990s but was killed off in heart-wrenching scenes.

The programme covered her battle against the tumour and the struggles that people in a similar position faced.

She eventually died in 1997 after arranging her own funeral party at the Grove.

Byker Grove ran from 1989 to 2006.

The ending

It is fair to say the series finale of Byker Grove was one of the most unusual events in TV history.

In a departure from the storyline up to that point, the characters found out that they only existed as part of a TV show and would no longer exist with the programme close to an end.

Fighting for their survival the characters took the battle to the writers, trying to re-write the ending themselves.

A bizarre set of events unfolded featuring zombies, a Tyrannosaurus rex and a spaceship before the characters discovered the Grove was once a hideout for a robber, using his hidden gold supplies to pay off the writers.

However, not all the characters got the memo and just as most thought they were saved a smaller group blew up the Grove after rigging the club with dynamite to avoid the writers from having control.

A white void took hold of the screen before the final credits were run. It will certainly be interesting to see how the revival will play out.

Ant and Dec are planning to bring back the popular TV show. Credit: PA

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