I can honestly say that this series has changed my opinion of Lenny Henry. I was never a fan of his comedy, and Chef! really didn't appeal to me at all, but in this series he shows how he can handle a drama role, whilst still adding some of his own personality and humour into a character. He is more than ably assisted by Clive Russell and Amanda Redman, and they, for me, make this series compelling, but it also caught my attention as it portrayed education and school life in an extremely realistic and believable way. Having spent the best part of 11 years in higher education, it is one subject that I am very particular about when watching.
Hope and Glory is a BBC drama set in a 'failing' inner London school created by Lucy Gannon, who had previously created Soldier Soldier. We first see the head, Ian George, before he takes on the role, addressing a conference and making it clear that his success had nothing to do with those who play about with education in the government, and he was not about to become one of their puppets. Despite this, he was tasked with assessing Hope Park, and to see if he thought it should be closed or not.
As the head of a successful school, and having just been offered the post of government advisor, his initial reaction was to cut the losses and close the school, but after some more thought he realises that the children there needed help far more than he needed a comfortable job, and accepts the headship, replacing the weary Neil Bruce, played by Peter Davison. From the beginning we know the positions of Phil Jakes and Debbie Bryan, staff teachers at Hope Park, who have to be convinced that Ian George's rash decisions will work and the interplay with them, for me, made the series. Their departure at the end of the second series was a bit of a blow to the show, and with the whole three series only covering just over a year at Hope Park, it does feel as though the plotline was being crammed.
Teaching is a profession that requires dedication, and there is usually a varied mix of this in any staff room or department, and whilst Hope and Glory managed to show both the good and bad parts of the profession in a light-hearted fashion, it was inevitable that it would be more distilled with extremes, rather than the gentle differences you would most likely meet in real life. But hell, this is telly, and watching a bunch of teachers marking would not make interesting viewing.
:: Series 1
First broadcast on BBC1 between 22nd June and 27th July 1999.
:: Series 2
First broadcast just before the summer holidays, 27th June to 18th July 2000.
:: Series 3
First broadcast between 4th October and 5th November 2000.