Maurice Bronson

Maurice Bronson
Biographical Information
Nicknames	Charlie Bronco
Gender	Male
Parents	Unnamed Mother
Siblings	Unnamed Sister
Colleagues	Geoff Baxter Bridget McClusky Nick Smart Craig MacKenzie Eric Griffiths Ginny Booth Gillie Washington Peter McCartney Mr Humphries Liz Reagan Chris Kennedy Roz Partridge Peter King Phil Scott Margaret Stone Peter Robson
Employer	Grange Hill School
Job	French Teacher N4 Form Tutor (1985) G3 Form Tutor (1986) Deputy Headteacher (1987-1989)
Affiliations	School Council
Production Information
First Episode	Series 8 (Episode 1)
Last Episode	Series 12 (Episode 20
Number of Episodes	92
Played By	Michael Sheard

Maurice Bronson was a French teacher and Deputy Headteacher at Grange Hill from 1985 to 1989, played by Michael Sheard.

Character History

Mr Bronson once spoke with fondness about motorcycling suggesting he did it in his youth. On other occasions he described himself as having been "something of a sportsman in my youth" and "I was considered something of a star." He used to follow professional football but became disillusioned with the way the game developed. He taught Latin and French at Rodney Bennet School where he acquired a fearsome reputation such that pupils nicknamed him "Charlie" after Charles Bronson and before he would enter each Latin lesson they would recite "Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant!" (Those who are about to die salute you.) When Rodney Bennet merged with Brookdale School and Grange Hill under the latter name, Mr Bronson carried forward into the merged school teaching French. He long struggled to come to terms with the merger.

Mr Bronson is bald and wears a toupée that many find all too obvious, but he denies it. He lives with his mother and sister. One of his interests is steam engines and he once went on a hiking holiday of Brittany. A strict disciplinarian, he aimed to maintain traditional standards and took a very firm line with the school. Mr Bronson had a tendency to focus on pupils he considered troublesome, including Zammo McGuire, Ant Jones and Danny Kendall, leading to not-unfair claims that he was victimising them.

Mr Bronson was extremely stern, humourless and quick to anger. His no-nonsense nature made him disliked by most of the pupils and even some of the teachers, and he never got along with Mrs McClusky who he thought was too lenient. He was so bad that Ant Jones chose to run away from home and then his parents opted to change schools rather than deal with Mr Bronson any longer. Things eventually came to a head when Mr Bronson began a feud with Danny Kendall, which resulted in Danny's old illness flaring up causing the pupil to die of a brain haemorrhage. Filled with guilt and with a lot of the school blaming him for Danny's death, Mr Bronson chose to take early retirement and move to the Isle of Wight after enjoying a school trip there. In his last few weeks Mr Bronson mellowed out a little, as he stopped wearing his wig and was friendlier with his fellow staff members. At the end of year dance, Mr Bronson was given a kissogram from the pupils and he gave a brief speech promising to remember them.

Series 8 (1985)

Episode 1

Mr Bronson takes an immediate dislike to Zammo McGuire upon walking into N4 for his first tutorial. He opts against using the language laboratory to teach French and instead uses an empty classroom which leads to a clash with Mr Smart. Mr Bronson rapidly makes it clear he considers himself better than the English teacher.

Episode 2

Mr Bronson declares "There's no confusing Rodney Bennett with Grange Hill when I'm around," and that he still expects pupils to follow the standards of Rodney Bennett despite the merger. He continues to berate Zammo but is taken aback to discover Eric Wallace is deaf.

Episode 3

Mr Bronson has a lesson wasted by walking a class between the two school sites only to get stuck at a crossing with a broken traffic light. Later he is part of a delegation of teachers who speak to Mrs McClusky about a range of problems in the merged school but undermines the group's spokesperson, Mr Baxter, by interrupting to demand a bussing arrangement between the site and this leads to the meeting breaking down into a string of individual complaints. Subsequently in the staff room he continues to complain and blames the merger itself but all the other staff find excuses to leave immediately.

Episode 4

Mr Bronson collides with Precious Matthews in a corridor and stops to fiddle with his hair. In the staffroom he insists on using a particular chair that he says he has always sat in and Mr McCartney agrees to move some items placed on it.

Episode 5

Mr Bronson clashes with Mr Smart again, this time over parking spaces. He then complains to Mr Humphries about the damage to Rodney Bennett's record in languages and makes it clear that French exchange pupils will be coming over. At registration he berates Annette Firman for her clothes and when she is insolent he declares he could use the cane on her.

Episode 6

Mr Bronson takes especial offence when Zammo answers back "Keep your hair on!" Later Kevin Baylon tells Zammo there is a rumour Mr Bronson wears a wig. In the staff room Mr Bronson continues to bemoan the different attitudes of pupils from the pre merger Grange Hill contrasting them with those of ex Rodney Bennett pupils.

Episode 7

Mr Bronson oversees the arrival of a group of French exchange students. His hair becomes the subject of speculation amongst them and they believe he wears a toupée.

Episode 8

Mr Bronson has been coming down on other teachers for not contributing to the staffroom tea fund. He takes part in a consideration as to how a thief has been able to get into the room when the door is locked.

Episode 9

Mr Bronson taunts Mr Smart about the theft of his latest squash racquet. Later he discovers Zammo, Mandy Firth and Sarah Wilks in a school corridor during the lunch break and accuses them of stealing the racquet despite only flimsy circumstantial evidence. Zammo protests to Mrs McClusky that Mr Bronson has it in for him and after the pupils have left her office she repeats the charge to Mr Bronson who denies it.

Episode 10

Mr Bronson continues to berate other staff before going on road duty outside the school, a task he despises but later hides this view when chatting to Mrs McClusky. On the bus between the schools he discovers a cigarette is being smoked and automatically assumes it is Zammo.

Episode 12

Mr Bronson makes it clear to N4 that he does not like the latest change to the school timetable that is designed to reduce pupil transfers between the two school sites as it means his Wednesday afternoon class is without a room.

Episode 13

Mr Bronson complains about conditions in the staffroom with other teachers still taking "his" chair and smoking.

Episode 15

Mr Bronson is held up getting into school by a protest about the lack of a pelican crossing outside the school. He considers the whole campaign futile and complains to Mrs McClusky about this and the slow refurbishment of the school. He is invited to attend a meeting with the builders only to find they have gone early and Mrs McClusky is completely supportive of their other work in building bridges with the community which has slowed them down. Subsequently he goes for a swim. Gonch Gardner and Hollo Holloway come into the pool and discover for definite that Mr Bronson is bald and wears a toupée which Gonch takes and hides in a bin where it gets dirty.

Episode 16

Mr Bronson turns up to Grange Hill wearing a noticeably different toupée. The other teachers and the pupils all find it hilarious. He takes advantage of Roland Browning's trip to France to miss an emergency staff meeting.

Episode 17

Mr Bronson has been to Dover to meet Roland on his return from France and was annoyed to discover that Mr Browning and Janet St. Clair had gone without informing the school. He tells Janet off at registration.

Mr Smart has come into possession of Mr Bronson's main toupée and takes great delight in returning it whilst refusing to disclose who gave it to him. However Mr Baxter later tells him he has discovered who the culprits are. Mr Bronson confronts Gonch and Hollo at the end of their French exam and declares he will attend Mr Smart's meeting with their parents to offer suggestions on how to bring them into line.

Episode 18

Mr Bronson discovers Gonch and Hollo with a stink bomb and confronts them about their use of videos at school. Subsequently he tells them he is aware of their pirating of videos and makes it clear they must stop but shows some leniency as "My old eyes and ears get a bit tired by the end of the school year... But next term I shall be fighting fit." He gives Vince Savage the task of recording sound effects from the film Death Race 2000 for the school musical Brighton Rock. When Banksy Banks brings a group of motorcyclists with real bikes to the school to enhance the show Mr Bronson proves surprisingly supportive of the idea and takes charge of the bikes' entry to make it works. He continues to pretend to Mr Smart that his hair is real.

Episode 19

Mr Bronson catches Hollo by the school's crib display and declares it is "A timely reminder that we are still above all a Christian nation." He then gives Roland a detention for being late. Later he discovers the crib has had scarves and masks added to it and declares it to be desecration though other staff are not so outraged. Subsequently he finds Harriet the Donkey at the crib and is somewhat taken with her.

Series 9 (1986)

Episode 1

Mr Bronson is now the form tutor for G3. At the first tutorial of the year he makes clear that he has made it his business to know who his class are and that there will be no favouritism towards any pupil regardless of their background, highlighting both that Julia Glover is the daughter of Mr Glover, the school governor who has donated a sculpture outside the school building, and Laura Reagan is the daughter of Mrs Reagan, the games mistress. He says he is a strict disciplinarian but also fair. Immediately after this Ant Jones arrives late because he was detained by Mr Baxter but is given a week's detention despite protesting his lateness is due to another teacher. When Mr Baxter discovers this he goes to Mr Bronson to explain and object leading to a argument about whether a teacher's decision should ever be appealed, with Mr Bronson likening the situation to a referee on the pitch. Mr Baxter argues back, "Insisting you're right when you're wrong won't get you respect, it'll get you resentment."

Episode 2

Following the death of Mr Humphries in a car crash, Mr Bronson is blunt about the way other members staff are acting as though they are chasing promotion. He is very dismissive of Mrs McClusky's choice of Mr Baxter as acting deputy head, feeling the post should have gone to someone with an "academic grounding" but denies Miss Booth's suggestion that he is after the post himself.

Episode 3

A plaster on Mr Bronson's neck is the source of speculation amongst the pupils. In the staff room he talks with Miss Partridge about how teachers starting out have ambitions to rise to the top but says he no longer desires it and doesn't envy Mrs McClusky's job of running the school. He is opposed to smoking in the school by both pupils and teachers. In the staff room he makes a point of opening the window to get the smell out. When a fire alarm goes off his class doesn't leave the room until he dismisses them.

Episode 4

Following the fire that renders the Upper School site unusable, Mr Bronson does not take well to the new arrangements to teach the whole school on the Lower School site. Not normally a supporter of industrial action, he suggests it is necessary to get the local authority to realise the inadequacy of the situation. During break he admits to Julia and Laura that his neck plaster is because he was attacked by his sister's Macaw parrot.

Episode 5

The Lower School hall is used for several different lessons simultaneously and Mr Bronson wanders from class to class. G3 have a history lesson with Miss Partridge and Mr Bronson hovers behind them as first Danny Kendall and then Ant Jones say they can't hear. He tries to discipline Ant but Miss Partridge shows the pupil is blameless. Later she comments to Mrs Reagan "I wouldn't mind but he didn't interfere with Peter King's class" and they agree about the sexism in multiple parts of the school.

Episode 6

Mr Bronson is frustrated at having to move his car for the imminent arrival of portacabin classrooms.

Episode 7

The portacabins have failed to arrive, only paving stones to form their base, so tempers fray in an overcrowded staffroom and Mr Bronson continues to demand industrial action over the conditions. He assumes that Mr Baxter is abusing his position as deputy headmaster to ensure scarce funds are going to the sports department and goes to confront him in the gym. Mr Baxter furiously explains how he has secured the use of the leisure centre swimming pool for free and is personally paying for the teams' bus fares. Subsequently Mr Bronson wins a confrontation with Mr King over use of a classroom but is bluntly told by a passing Mrs McClusky that such situations require "Maturity, co-operation and patience". When Ant Jones arrives seven minutes late to the class and once again attributes his lateness to Mr Baxter, Mr Bronson explodes at this repeated reason and determines to settle it. In the gym after school the two teachers confront one another and Mr Baxter suggests this is nothing to do with Ant and instead part of Mr Bronson's general attitude but declines to elaborate.

Episode 8

Mr Bronson makes Roland Browning read out a romantic letter from Fabienne in class, first in French and then in English.

Episode 9

Before a staff meeting formally begins Mr Bronson has a lengthy critical rant about the administration of the school but none of the other staff are particularly interested. Later in the meeting Mrs Reagan takes some exception to his sexist presumptions.

Episode 10

The portacabins have arrived and Mr Bronson's car is parked in the way so he has to rush to move it. Like Mr Baxter he is is taken aback to discover the crane driver is a woman.

Episode 11

Mr Bronson finds Ant Jones and Georgina Hayes embracing on a bench and physically pulls Ant up who pushes the teacher to the ground. Accusing Ant of assault, he takes both pupils to Mrs McClusky's office. The headmistress suggests the situation got out of control and can be settled with Ant apologising but he refuses, accusing Mr Bronson of having victimised him all year. Mr Bronson denies the charge.

Episode 12

Mr Bronson considers the competition to design a new school logo to be a "ridiculous idea". He encounters Danny Kendall by a noticeboard and upon learning that the boy has been told to go to Mr Baxter by Mrs Reagan for insolence, Mr Bronson opts to walk the pupil to the office because of his "tendency to veer off course... like a defective supermarket trolley." Mr Bronson is suffering a cold. He subsequently discovers Ziggy Greaves and Robbie Wright searching his drawers for chalk and hears that they have received a letter from the Duke of Edinburgh asking them to collect chalk for him. He sees the letter and instantly recognises it as a forgery. Ant has agreed to apologise to Mr Bronson.

Episode 15

Mr Bronson continues to be annoyed about other staff smoking in the staffroom but is also angry about the new school magazine campaigning for a ban on smoking across the whole school including the staffroom as he believes it will mean pupils dictating to teachers and it is the thin end of the wedge. Later he enters a cloakroom to discover Ant Jones with a lit cigarette and berates the lad for smoking, not realising he was just holding it for Danny Kendall.

Episode 16

Mr Bronson enters one of the temporary classrooms to discover Ant Jones and Laura Reagan putting up a poster and telling Mr Griffiths the caretaker to stop smoking. Mr Bronson is horrified at the way the pupils are taking over. The next day Mr Baxter hosts a meeting with Mr Bronson and Ant about the latter's attitude which descends into argument. After Ant has left Mr Baxter tells Mr Bronson to cut back on hammering him and that "you're old enough and experienced to know that you are over the top". Mr Bronson leaves fuming in silence. Despite Mr Baxter's words he later confronts Ant in a corridor and gives him five hundred lines for smoking despite the pupil's protests that he does not smoke.

Episode 18

Mr Bronson has contributed to a third year collection to buy sympathy flowers for Louise and Cheryl Webb after the death of their father. He is unhappy with the large number of late arrivals and absences in G3s weekly tutorial and when Louise and Laura Reagan arrive late he gives them detentions. Ant Jones protests that Mr Bronson is insensitive to Louise's circumstances leading to another confrontation between the two and both threatening to report the other to Mrs McClusky. Mr Bronson defers Louise's detention and takes Ant to the headmistress's office where the pupil is sent home to cool off before a meeting with his parents.

Episode 19

The fifth years have their French O-Level oral exam. Roland Browning has overslept and arrives late and panicky because his alarm clock has been stolen but Mr Bronson calms him down and successfully convinces the examiner to grant the exam. All this delays Mr Bronson from arriving for a meeting with Mrs McClusky, Mr Baxter and Ant Jones's parents, Mr Jones and Mrs Jones. Upon arriving he discovers that Ant is in the room and firmly and successfully objects to the pupil's presence. After this Mr Bronson firmly denies he is carrying on a vendetta against Ant but the boy's parents are not convinced. After the meeting finishes Mr Bronson is approached by the French oral examiner who praises both Roland's performance and his teacher's concern for the welfare of his pupils, inadvertently within earshot of Mr Jones.

Episode 20

Mr Bronson explains to Mr King that he will never use a language laboratory for teaching despite the technology being there. Later he encounters Miss Booth with Danny Kendall and upon hearing that the mural in the playground has been reprieved he takes great pleasure in telling them that Mr Griffiths has already gone to whitewash it.

Episode 21

Mr Bronson is late for a meeting with Ant Jones about his options form. The teacher is determined to stay calm as he explains it is not possible in the timetable to take both Chemistry and German and Ant must select one of History, Geography, Religious Education or Social Studies. Ant leaves dissatisfied. Later Julia Glover brings her option form but Mr Bronson is expecting an urgent phone call and doesn't spot she has the same clash before the call comes. This leads Julia to assume her combination is acceptable and when Ant hears there was no problem with her form he storms off annoyed. The phone call is from Mr Glover on the subject of rumours about Miss Partridge and Mr King's separate private lives and at an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors Mr Bronson sides with him in seeking both teachers' heads. After the meeting Ant approaches them in front of Mrs McClusky and Mr Baxter and furiously accuses Mr Bronson of nepotism in favour of the daughter of the Chair of the Board of Governors and both him and Mr Glover of being hypocrites in calling a meeting about others' behaviour when they (he assumes) have been fixing things up. He refuses to apologise and storms out.

Episode 22

Ant Jones has run away from home and Mr Bronson attends a meeting about this with Mr Jones, Mrs McClusky, Mr Baxter and Georgina Hayes. Georgina recounts how Ant got upset with the perception that Mr Bronson had approved Julia's options but not his and took it as the last straw. Mr Jones notes the number of misunderstandings involving Ant and Mr Bronson and declines the teacher's offer of help.

Episode 23

Mr Bronson praises Mrs McClusky's earlier help with handling Danny Kendall which results in Mr Baxter responding, "Is this another one you've got your knife into. You've already driven one lad away from the school. How many more have to go before you realise what you're doing?" Mr Bronson is left discomforted.

Episode 24

At the school fun run Mr Bronson dresses up in a yellow blazer and straw boater but when he reaches the relevant stage he finds his bicycle missing and has to do a lap of the track on a child's tricycle. He sees the returned Ant Jones and approaches in a conciliatory mood to tell him he is glad the boy has returned from running away but is sorry to hear he will be going to another school next year as he will be a loss to the language department.

Series 10 (1987)

Episode 1

Mrs McClusky is once again permanently Headmistress of the school and Mr Bronson is the new Deputy Headmaster. Both Mr Bronson and Miss Partridge have submitted papers about school organisation, with the former pushing for stronger discipline and rigid organisation whilst the latter is more relaxed. An argument between the two is broken up by Mrs McClusky making clear she is taking ideas from both on board before reminding Mr Bronson one of his deputy duties is taking the Junior School assembly. Later he confronts Danny Kendall in a corridor about why the boy isn't wearing the new school uniform with the colours he designed. The two have a discussion about the point of school and qualifications.

The stables where Harriet the Donkey is kept are closing down and Mr Bronson proposes she be "disposed" of, feeling she is not the school's responsibility. Mrs McClusky is reluctant and accepts Mr Griffiths's offer to find an alternative home.

Episode 3

The school handbook has been completed but Mr Bronson feels it is "far too liberal" and Miss Partridge "not liberal enough". Mrs McClusky is satisfied. A delegation of sixth formers led by Roland Browning try to see Mr Bronson about their common room but he is too busy. Later he gives Vince Savage and Hollo Holloway the task of transporting the completed handbooks from the print room to the staffroom but one is lost en route. The new handbook is received with mixed reactions by the teachers but Mr Bronson manages to carry the room on the question of denying pupils the ability to see the files held on them.

Episode 4

Danny Kendall walks out of Mr Bronson's French class. The teacher shouts after him that he will not be chasing the boy the way he did last year. Later Mr Bronson expresses his dislike of proposals for a school radio station but does not persuade Mrs McClusky.

Episode 5

At the start of a school day Mr Bronson takes Danny Kendall to his office to confront him about his disappearances and apparent illness. The deputy headmaster issues him with an attendance card to be signed at each class. Later the staff discuss Danny's situation and Mr Bronson continues to doubt there is anything wrong beyond the boy's nature.

Episode 6

Mr Kennedy suggests that Danny is behaving similar to Zammo Maguire last year and suspects drugs, but Mr Bronson is sceptical and continues to attribute the problem's to the boy's nature. Later he comes across Danny, Roland Browning and Trevor Cleaver chalking artwork on a pavement and learns that they haven't permission to do it despite their claims it is for a hospital appeal so tells them to stop it.

Episode 7

Banksy Banks arrives at school on a motorcycle and Mr Bronson confronts him as it is against the new school rules but the pupil is unfazed. Later at the start of a fourth year French lesson the deputy head deduces that a school diary found floating in the pond is Danny Kendall's and confronts him about his attitude. Later Mr Bronson hears the news that Danny is very ill and will need specialist treatment which leaves him taken aback, until he discovers a massive dent on his car and charges off to the sixth form common room to discover Banksy throwing a mug at the wall in anger. He accuses the boy of vandalising the car but Banksy just storms out. Outside Mrs Reagan discovers her car has also suffered damage and they deduce the real culprit is Harriet the Donkey. Mr Bronson declares she will have to go.

Episode 8

The day starts with Mr Bronson's car knocking over a hand truck loaded with empty glass bottles as he parks, infuriating the deputy head. He then goes searching for Banksy but can't find him. Later he opts to overlook an absence by Roland Browning as the boy was fundraising for Danny Kendall. In G4's French lesson Danny Kendall forces Mr Bronson to admit that the profile system he has introduced is vulnerable to teachers abusing it against pupils they dislike. At the end of the day Mr Bronson accompanies Mrs McClusky to the school radio studio where Miss Booth and Mr MacKenzie are testing the equipment. Mr Bronson accidentally turns on the transmitter and the teachers' joking conversation about the "scandal" of Mr Bronson and the donkey is broadcast over the school loudspeaker system. Outside the building Mr Bronson confides in Mr Kennedy that he has been shattered by the news about Danny's illness and that he finds often the most interesting pupils are the ones who most resist the system. He is later one of many shocked to see an ambulance arrive to take an unconscious Danny to hospital.

Episode 9

Driving to school Mr Bronson sees Banksy and stops to apologise to him for accusing him of vandalising his car, then gives the boy a lift to school and learns how parking a motorcycle outside the school grounds is considered unsafe. At school Mr Bronson tries to take charge of the fundraising campaign for Danny, to the annoyance of Miss Booth. He calls a lunchtime meeting in the hall but most interested pupils instead attend one in the radio studio. In the hall Mr Bronson proposes making himself treasurer of the campaign and Miss Partridge secretary but there is a general lack of enthusiasm for his ideas throughout the small audience.

Episode 13

Mr Bronson stands in for Miss Partridge in giving the sixth formers details of their work experience placements and firmly explains to Banksy that details of the stand in were on the board and that the school can only place pupils with employers willing to take them.

Episode 14

Mr Bronson is in the library when he hears a message from Danny Kendall broadcast by the school radio station including mentioning a teacher as "that old fellow with a wig" which amuses pupils and other teachers. At the end of the day he joins Miss Booth in investigating why so many pupils are still hanging around the playground and discovers the banner that Ziggy Greaves had tried to attach to the school's television aerial. He confronts Ziggy in the playground.

Episode 16

Louise Webb skips her French class to meet her boyfriend and speak to her sister Cheryl. Mr Bronson catches them in a school corridor and berates each of them. Later when the pupils' paper for the School Council arrives in advance he tells Mr McClusky it will no doubt be demands to change everything. At the end of the day he watches a school football match against St Joseph's School.

Episode 17

Before a Student Council meeting Mr Bronson expresses his philosophy to several of his fellow teachers as "The pupils prefer to be TOLD what to do. ... Pupil power is a mockery not a democracy. You cannot have power without responsibility. And you can never give real responsibility over to the pupils." In the meeting he is the bedrock of opposition to the pupils' ideas leading to the meeting breaking up as they walk out in disgust.

Episode 18

Freddie Mainwaring is broadcasting on the school radio and starts mocking sections of the school handbook. Mr Bronson hears this and heads straight to the radio studio where during a record he tells the boy this was not cleared in advance and reprimands him.

Episode 19

Mr Bronson has been discretely informing Mr Glover about some of the pupils causing agitation. Pupils are engaging in civil disobedience by taking sentences from the school handbook and following them in a deliberately literal absurd way, such as "pupils must walk in the corridors at all times" instead of going into their lessons. This culminates in the boys in E3 following the rule that white skirts must be worn for cricket but their games teacher simply accepts this and makes them go out to practice. Mr Bronson sees this from the window of a French class and is furious, storming out where he encounters Mrs McClusky and tells her that he will take charge and stamp out the civil disobedience for good.

Episode 21

Mr Bronson issues a notice that "any pupil who, in future, deliberately misinterprets the school rules" will be punished. In the staff room he announces that he will deliver it to E3 himself rather than trusting their form tutor, Mr Scott. The notice does not go down with the pupils, other teachers or Mrs McClusky. During break a protest meeting of fourth form pupils is called which Mr Bronson discovers and orders Banksy to compile a list of every attendee but once the deputy headmaster is gone Banksy tells the other pupils the sixth form is also in uproar.

Mrs McClusky summons Mr Bronson to her office to assert her fury about his attempts to set school policy without reference to the headmistress. After discussing the role of the deputy head she firmly tells him, "Never, never go behind my back again." Later Mr Bronson welcomes Danny Kendall back to the school and is then visited in his office by Julia Glover, with Danny deducing that she is delivering information about the pupils' planned protest on the orders of her father.

Episode 22

On the day of the protest Mr Bronson meets Mr Glover as the latter drives Julia to school and confirms "she knows what's expected of her". However she is discovered and deliberately gives him false information of a plan to occupy the main hall. When the pupils occupy the radio station and begin broadcasting their demands, Mrs McClusky overrules Mr Bronson's idea to charge in and instead suggests a strategy to flush them out. The pupils repeatedly outmanoeuvre the teachers, with Mr Bronson and Mr Glover especially frustrated. After the end of school they lay siege to the sixth form common room where the occupation has been transferred to, until Danny Kendall lures them away with news about a group of St Joseph's pupils having arrived in the car park whilst the protesters escape.

Episode 23

Mr Bronson fumes silently as Mrs McClusky announces that a review of the profile system and staff handbook was already underway before the pupil occupation and the main changes demanded have been implemented. He is further annoyed when the pupils put out a message on the school radio, in a fake Scottish accent, claiming victory. The news that the staff/pupil cricket match will be mixed gender brings him a bit of delight as he taunts Mr Kennedy that the latter will have to tell the traditionalist Mr Glover he is being dropped from the team in favour of a woman. When Mr Scott brings a shocked Trevor Cleaver to the staffroom for a cup of tea, Mr Bronson demands to hear the boy's Scottish accent and expresses delight upon hearing it.

Episode 24

Mr Bronson is on the staff team for the cricket match against the pupils. He and Mrs McClusky start the batting for the second innings but he is soon got out LBW. At the party afterwards he joins the other staff and pupils in dancing the conga.

Series 11 (1988)

Episode 1

Mr Bronson starts the new school year in firmly explaining to Danny Kendall that the boy will be repeating the fourth year because he missed too much of the previous year due to his illness.

Episode 3

Mr Bronson spots that Helen Kelly's homework was rushed in a hurry and does not react well to her confession that she was watching a Clint Eastwood film.

Episode 4

Danny Kendall tries to skip a PE class and wander out of school but gets caught by Mr Bronson and delivered to Mr Robson. Subsequently Danny manages to escape and Mr Bronson and Mr Robson meet with Mrs McCluskey where the deputy headmaster suggests Danny should not have been held back a year but instead got through the school as quickly as possible. Later Mr Bronson is surprised when Justine Dean and Tegs Ratcliffe run into his French class, escaping Mauler McCaul and his gang.

Episode 5

Mr Bronson discovers a piece of paper floating around the car park which has "P.E. REMINDER SERVICE" and Freddie Mainwaring's name printed on it. He summons the boy to his office who denies knowledge of it. Later he summons Trevor Cleaver and Vince Savage to his office about their reported absences from school earlier that day, noting that the Education Welfare Officer who reported meeting a boy who gave Vince's name also gave a description that matches Trevor.

The meeting is interrupted by Mr Robson and Mrs Reagan reporting the disappearance of the former's crash helmet, leading to a staff search of the pupils' lockers. Ziggy Greaves tries to bluff his way out of having his locker inspected for other reasons, but Mr Bronson makes him produce the key and is about to open the locker when the missing helmet is found in Mauler McCaul's locker. Whilst Mr Bronson confronts Mauler, Ziggy quickly transfers the offending items to the already inspected Gonch Gardner's locker, just in time for when the the deputy headmaster returns to insist on opening Ziggy's locker in an unsuccessful attempt to see what the boy was concealing.

Episode 6

Mr Bronson is present along with Mr Robson when Mauler and his "Grid Iron Crew" gang are hauled up to Mrs McCluskey's office to explain how Mr Robson's crash helmet with a label with the gang's name misspelled ended up in Mauler's locker. However they prove their innocence. At lunch Mr Bronson sits in the canteen with Miss Booth opposite Gonch, Ziggy and Robbie Wright when Mr Robson approaches the table and announces the solution to the mystery of the piece of paper flying around the car park - he has discovered the three boys' PE kit reminder scheme.

Episode 7

The male staff loo is out of order for the day, to the annoyance of Mr Bronson who has to use the boys'. Mauler and the Grid Iron Crew enter the room seeking revenge on Tegs for waterbombing their leader. They assume Tegs is in an occupied cubicle so fill balloons with water and throw them but soak the deputy headmaster instead. Mr Bronson retreats to the staffroom where his condition amuses Mrs Reagan and he manages to evade Mrs McCluskey. In a French lesson with G5 a note is passed around with "BRONSON'S WET HIMSELF PASS IT ON" but before the teacher can see it he is distracted by Freddie asking a question about homework whilst the note is substituted for a blank piece of paper. The arrival of Justine with a note for Laura from her mother does not improve his mood.

Episode 8

Mr Bronson's ear prick up when he overhears Mrs McCluskey saying "...it's time for me to resign". In the corridor he hears noise in the boys' locker room and finds Mauler and the Crew bullying Matthew Pearson and Clarke Trent. He recognises Mauler as responsible for his soaking and demands the Crew come with him but they run off. Mauler's next lesson is French with Mr Bronson and the boy tries to hide by keeping his head down but the teacher instantly spots him and demands he give an apology and explanation to the rest of the class in French. The boy's command of the language is atrocious which angers Mr Bronson and he makes Mauler stand on a chair whilst every other pupil names a part of the body in French for Mauler to point to.

Later in the staffroom Mr Bronson asks Mrs McCluskey directly in front of other teachers about rumours of her resignation, which she brushes aside as she leaves. Other teachers taunt Mr Bronson. At the end of the day he has Vince Savage carry a load of exercise books to his car and when asked about languages spoken in America he comments that he doesn't feel they even speak English and "their spelling is extremely vulgar."

Episode 10

Mr Bronson finds Danny Kendall standing outside the staffroom and marches him off to Mrs McCluskey's office, asking about the boy's repeated absences as they go.

Episode 11

Mr Bronson spots Ronnie Birtles and Fiona Wilson running into school late after lunch and apprehends them by an entrance. He is suddenly knocked over by Gonch, Ziggy and Robbie as they come running out, with the teacher's wig coming off to his anger and the pupils' amusement.

Episode 13

At the start of a school day Mr Bronson breaks up a struggle amongst several first year pupils and then berates Susi Young for wearing an irregular jumper before hearing Chrissy Mainwaring's explanation for the fight and query about whether an olive is a fruit or not, telling her to consult a dictionary. Later he sneaks into the library to do just that himself and is glad to discover it is a fruit only to be caught by Mr MacKenzie. In the staffroom he shows Susi's jumper to Mrs McCluskey, a "reversible", and complains about what he sees as the latest craze but none of the other teachers care.

Episode 14

Mr Bronson is briefly singing opera music in his office then finds Matthew in the corridor and calls him in, tells the boy that "Your face is a mask of tragedy" and then gets him to help carry a new shipment of French text books to a classroom.

Episode 15

Mr Bronson finds Mr Griffiths out of breath by the bike shed and the caretaker explains about the wave of stealing in the school. Subsequently the deputy head joins a group of support staff organised by the caretaker to try and catch the thieves. Ziggy and Robbie are spotted at the bike sheds by Mr Griffiths and Mr Bronson and they prepare to move in as Mauler and the Grid Iron Crew arrive to be ambushed by a large group of other pupils with a fight breaking out. The staff move in to apprehend Ziggy and Robbie, accusing them of demanding money with menaces.

Episode 16

Mr Bronson has a meeting with Mrs McClusky about Ronnie's arrest for shoplifting when she should have been at school.

Episode 17

Mr Bronson confronts Ronnie sympathetically as she arrives at school, commenting how her actions were out of character and Helen notes he seems "almost human" for once.

Episode 18

A school council meeting is called about Mr Robson's policy of non-competitive sport and pulling the school out of the football District Cup. Mr Bronson attends and expresses some agreement with Freddie's position, recalling his own youthful sporting experience. Mrs McClusky tells the meeting that the school has not actually pulled out of the cup and it was only a suggestion. On the way out Danny Kendall suggests to Mr Bronson that the meeting has shown the power of debate but the deputy headmaster responds that the decision was taken long before he spoke.

Episode 19

Mr Bronson watches a school football match against St Joseph's with Mr Griffiths and at half-time he offers Mr Robson some advice on strategy. He expresses his low opinion of the professional game "played by louts and watched by animals" and contrasts it to the past when he used to follow it.

Episode 20

Mr Bronson relays to Mrs McClusky a request from Danny Kendall to do some "hip hop" on the last day of term, which the deputy headmaster has not heard of. The headmistress agrees to the suggestion even though there may be criticism of the running of the school. At lunchtime Mr Bronson stands at the school gate stopping any pupil wearing face paint from leaving the grounds. In the afternoon as part of the "Wear What You Like Day" festivities the staff dress up in fancy dress, with Mr Bronson and Mr Griffiths in colonial uniforms with pith helmets. During the hip hop performance Mr Bronson is called away to discipline a fifth former who has been caught stealing.

Series 12 (1989)

Episode 1

At the start of the new school year Calley Donnington, Ziggy Greaves and Robbie Wright are walking to school when they discover Mr Bronson's car has stopped moving. Ziggy's offer to look at the engine is reluctantly accepted as other pupils arrive. Mauler McCaul suggests to his gang that they give the car a push to get it going and despite the deputy headmaster's objections they push it along some distance. Subsequently Mr Bronson takes several of the pupils to the school in a taxi. On arrival he confronts Mauler and Ted Fisk but whilst this happens Danny Kendall sneaks past and takes the taxi to bunk off school, to the teacher's fury. He goes to E5's tutorial and tells Mr Robson that if Danny appears he is to be escorted to the deputy headmaster's office, then growls, "It is time that young man was brought into line."

Episode 2

Mr Bronson angrily charges through the school, searching for Danny Kendall. He walks into Miss Stone's History class with E5 just after Robbie has compared him and the school to a totalitarian regime, causing much laughter. The deputy headmaster eventually finds his prey in a corridor and upon being told the boy was going to see Miss Booth the teacher pokes a pen in the boy's back to escort him to the art room. There Miss Booth denies there was an appointment but Danny points out he never said he had one and was just going to collect a form. An angry Mr Bronson tells him to come to his office after school and makes clear there will be consequences if he fails to attend. Mr Bronson's pursuit is subsequently noted by Mr MacKenzie. Mr Bronson is slightly delayed due to the roof of part of a corridor collapsing and arrives to find on his desk a ram's skull from the art room decorated with glasses and orange hair.

Episode 3

Mrs McClusky tells Miss Booth about the skull and that Mr Bronson has determined the culprit. The deputy headmaster is standing at the school gate in the hope of catching a late Danny and the art teacher tells the headmistress that Mr Bronson has a clear vendetta against the boy. Danny arrives and is taken to Mr Bronson's office to be told the deputy headmaster is keeping special track of his movements including asking all teachers to keep an attendance record and he has a large chart of the boy's timetable on the office wall. "There will not be one moment of any day when I shall not know exactly where you are supposed to be!" shouts Mr Bronson but Danny remains calm and asks, "When do you add the barbed wire and searchlights?"

Episode 4

During the lunch break Mr Griffiths finds Danny in the art room and firmly tells him he should be outside, getting a rude response. Later the caretaker and Mr Bronson hunt the boy through the school, finding him in E5's registration and escorting him to Mrs McClusky's office but the headmistress opts to see the boy on her own.

Episode 5

Mr Bronson spots Justine Dean wearing earrings and irregular sandals on her way to school and gives her two detentions. Later in Mrs McClusky's office he agrees to meet Mr Tilley, the managing director of the design firm refurbishing the swimming pool, and learns that she has arranged a work experience place at the firm for Danny. He is told to make sure Danny meets Mr Tilley, however the boy he sends to look for Danny cannot find him. After the meeting Mr Bronson goes to the swimming pool where Danny is working on the mosaic and refuses a hard hat. Whilst he berates Danny, Tegs Ratcliffe sneaks up the high diving board steps and throws some dirt down, proving the need for a hard hat.

Episode 6

In the staff room Mr Bronson expresses critical views about the teaching unions. After lunch Danny learns that an appointment was arranged for him with the design company but he never knew about it. Mrs McClusky is annoyed and insists on putting their agreement in writing, including keeping Mr Bronson "off your back". As the boy leaves the office he bumps into the deputy headmaster and waves the written agreement at him. That evening the Grange Hill French Society puts on Les Diapositives de Bretagne at the community centre which Gonch Gardner goes to, only to discover it's not a band but Mr Bronson presenting his holiday slides from Brittany.

Episode 7

The corridor roof continues to be repaired, causing a human traffic jam in the narrow section still open. Mrs McClusky is directing pupil traffic when Mr Bronson comes up to demand a meeting about Danny and his contractual agreement which he disagrees with but the headmistress doesn't want to discuss it now. Mr Bronson asserts that as deputy headmaster he is "responsible for the good discipline of all pupils," so Mrs McClusky agrees and makes him take over directing pupils. Later Mr Bronson discovers Danny on his way to registration on time and they briefly argue about the contract the pupil has signed until Danny points out he promised Mrs McClusky he wouldn't be late for registration and walks off. "You have not defeated me Kendall!" shouts Mr Bronson but the boy is unmoved.

At lunchtime Mr Bronson visits the swimming pool and tells one of the design team to pass on something to Mr Tilley. After lunch he drives his car back into school and spots Danny walking through the car park, learns the boy has a free period so is heading for the pool and tells him he is wasting his time. At the pool Danny is given some bad news by the contractors. Later Mrs McClusky walks past Mr Bronson's office to hear a shouting match between him and Danny. Danny explains he was going to be given a job by the design company but then Mr Bronson bad mouthed him to the company and they withdrew the offer. The two continue shouting and then Danny storms out, declaring "You won't be seeing me in this place again!"

At the end of the day Mr Bronson conscripts Ziggy and Robbie to help him take a load of books to his car but the car has disappeared with an outline left on the ground sprayed with pink paint. Mr Bronson screams, "Kendall!!!"

Episode 8

His car still missing, Mr Bronson is forced to ride a bike unsteadily to school, to much amusement amongst the pupils. At a junction his arm is hit by Ronnie Birtles on her moped. He hauls her up and tells her that it is against the rules to have the vehicle on the school grounds despite her protests it will get vandalised if left outside. He then takes his bike into the school building despite Mr Griffiths's objections that bikes are not allowed in the building under the rules, refusing to leave it vulnerable outside. Mr Bronson takes some pills just before Helen Kelly arrives for a meeting about work experience, as Miss Drummer rang in sick, which Mr Bronson had forgotten about. He states that there has not been possible to place her with an engineering firm and he has found a place with a personal assistant at an insurance firm. The pupil firmly states she has no interest in being a secretary. Ronnie's moped has been vandalised and she is fixing it inside the school with the help of Mr MacKenzie when Mr Bronson hears the noise of the motor. He charges in and angrily berates both the pupil and the CDT teacher. In the staff room Mr MacKenzie jokingly asks if he can join Miss Booth's self-defence class and bemoans Mr Bronson's attitude, especially the way he talks to the pupils. Helen delivers a similar complaint to Mrs McClusky.

Episode 9

Mr Bronson's car is discovered on an estate by Ziggy, Robbie and Gonch. In the back is the dead body of Danny Kendall.

Episode 10

At a special assembly for older pupils Mrs McClusky informs them of the death of Danny Kendal and that a memorial service will be arranged. She asks the pupils to return to their classrooms quietly. In the corridor pupils talk about the circumstances and Mr Bronson erupts at them. Miss Booth comes out of a room and storms past him, upset. Graffiti appears outside the school saying, "Who Killed Danny Kendal [sic]? Don't buck Bronco. You might end up Dead." Mr Bronson goes to Mrs McClusky's office to object to holding a memorial service, complaining that Danny was a troublemaker who stole his car and that the death and the rumours around it has caused great distress to Mr Bronson's family. Mrs McClusky just throws her papers down on the desk in disagreement, then uses a knock on the door by Miss Booth to declare the discussion concluded.

Later Mrs McClusky summons Mr Bronson to her office to explain she has been contacted by the police with the news that Danny died of natural causes, due to a recurrence of his old illness, and there won't be an inquest. Mr Bronson takes the news stunned and suggests that in hindsight the illness may have explained the boy's delinquency and he might have made allowance for it. Mrs McClusky reminds him it is too late now. The following Friday morning a memorial service is held for Danny which Mr Bronson goes to despite the pupils continue to whisper that they hold him ultimately responsible.

Episode 11

When opening the school up Mr Griffiths discovers graffiti reading "Happy now Bronson? love Danny Kendal". When Mr Bronson arrives many pupils line up in silent protest. A gust of wind blows most of his papers away but only Calley picks up a sheet and Fiona Wilson makes her put it back down, with the teacher left to retrieve them all himself. Later a French lesson with is notably subdued with Helen noting how hurt Mr Bronson seems. Mr MacKenzie enters with some brochures for a forthcoming school trip to the Isle of Wight. However Mr Bronson is barely interested and says he will get another teacher to replace him on it, though Mr MacKenzie doubts there is enough time and urges a rethink. Mauler comments to Ted that Mr Bronson appears to have got the message that no-one wants him. Miss Booth and Mr MacKenzie meet Mr Bronson before Mrs McClusky and explain that if he pulls out the entire school trip is in jeopardy but he will not even give his reason and walks out. Mrs McClusky suggests the graffiti has got to him.

Episode 12

"Danny Kendall lives! Bronson OUT!" says the latest graffiti. Mr Bronson's withdrawal from the Isle of Wight trip looks to have put the whole thing in jeopardy. Calley comes from the dentist to a scheduled French lesson to find no other pupils there and Mr Bronson slowly looking at travel brochures. She tells him it's a pity he isn't going on the trip and "We don't all hate you..." which touches him. The rest of the class arrive late having come from a meeting with Miss Booth. Mr Bronson comes to life as he shouts to demand to know when the meeting ended. Mr Bronson goes to the art room where he tells Miss Booth and Mrs McClusky that after reconsidering he will come on the trip.

Episode 13

Mr Bronson is the last to arrive for the Isle of Wight school trip. At Portsmouth he disagrees with letting the pupils off the coach but Mr MacKenzie and Miss Booth prevail. On the ferry he berates Trevor Cleaver for making a lot of noise. At the outdoor centre he is quite taken with the head, Joan Hamilton, and goes for a cold swim with her, attracting much pupil attention.

Episode 14

The Isle of Wight trip continues. Mr Bronson ends up in the same group as Miss Booth doing activities on the beach, to the latter's displeasure. Later that morning he goes into the town and visits an estate agent to enquire about a property. At a barbecue that afternoon he continues to befriend Joan Hamilton and starts to mention his interest in a property in the area. After Trevor gets drunk and has to be rescued from the sea he is sent home early with Mr Bronson accompanying him.

Episode 15

Mr Bronson goes to Mrs McClusky's office and tells her he is going to take early retirement at the end of term. She does not resist it but the two briefly argue about their different philosophies and approach to the school.

Episode 16

Mr Bronson comes to school not wearing his wig, telling Trevor "It's at the cleaners Cleaver." He donates £10 towards the fund for the school prom. Mr Griffiths complains to the deputy headmaster about a mysterious stranger hiding in the school at night and stealing snacks from stock.

Episode 17

Mr Griffiths catches the intruder in the middle of the night and calls out Mr Bronson who gives the intruder a temporary bed for the night. It is Gareth, a former pupil from Zammo McGuire's year. Social Services consider him too old to be taken into care and not at risk so Mr Bronson offers to let him stay with him.

Episode 18

Paula Beatley, a reporter from the local radio station, is in the school and Mr Bronson is keen to talk to her but his attempts are repeatedly thwarted as other members of the school occupy her time.

Episode 19

Calley, Georgina and Helen do a collection for a leaving present for Mr Bronson but few pupils want to contribute, raising only £15. Calley literally bumps into the deputy headmaster in a corridor but he simply accepts her apology and smiles, to the amazement of the pupils present. Mandy Freemont, Gonch, Ziggy and Robbie agree to invite him to the end of term prom with the three boys delivering the invitation in a French lesson. Mr Bronson accepts and considers a costume. When Trevor and Vince are chatting at the back of the room he simply tells them to be silent, leaving them stunned. The other staff have not started a collection for him until Helen and Georgina mention it to Mr MacKenzie who starts one. In the staffroom Mr Bronson enters, sees the collection jar and sticks a note in without even asking what it's for, then offers to make coffee to the amazement of his colleagues.

Episode 20

At the school prom Mr Bronson dresses as Jack Nicholson. Mr Griffiths tells him, "We shall all miss you Mr Bronson" but Mrs McClusky and Miss Booth can't quite repeat the sentiments. He is invited on stage to receive his gift - a kissogram - and briefly addresses the school, telling them he will miss them all, wishing them good luck "And no slacking just because I have gone. Thank you."

Gallery

To view the Maurice Bronson gallery, click here.

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