King Street Junior

King Street Junior
Genre	Radio comedy
Running time	30 minutes
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Starring	Peter Davison (series 1—2); Karl Howman (series 3—10); James Grout
Created by	Jim Eldridge
Written by	Jim Eldridge (66 episodes); Paul Copley (3 episodes) ; Richard Stoneman (3 eps) ; Martin Davies (2 episodes) ; Andy Rashleigh {1 episode} ; Ivan Shakespeare (1 ep)
Produced by	John Fawcett Wilson
Original release	25 March 1985 –; 2 November 1998
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	76
Website	King Street Junior at BBC Radio 4 Extra

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

Peter Davison as Mr. Eric Brown (Series one and two)
James Grout as Mr. Harry Beeston
Karl Howman as Mr. Philip Sims (From series three onwards)
Tom Watson as Mr. Fred Holliday
Margaret John as Mrs. Dorothy Stone
Vivienne Martin as Mrs. Lillian Rudd
Paul Copley as Mr. Geoff Long
Marlene Sidaway as Miss. Glenda Lewis
Deirdre Costello as Mrs. Yvonne Patterson

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

Mr Chips - by Paul Copley
Settling In
Beginnings & Endings
Left Out, Roped In
Confusion - by Richard Stoneman
Internal Enquiries

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

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

External links

[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.

[cumberland-3] "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.

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