Tucker Jenkins

Peter 'Tucker' Jenkins

Peter "Tucker" Jenkins is a fictional character in Grange Hill, who appeared from the first episode in 1978 to 1982, and with cameo appearances in 2003 and the last ever episode in 2008. Tucker was played by Todd Carty.^[1][2]

Series History

Series 1

Tucker appeared as the original Grange Hill rebel. He was best mates with Benny Green, Alan Humphreys and Tommy. During this year, both he and Benny get the cane after Justin Bennett falls off a ladder and breaks his leg when they visit a run down amunition dump at Tucker's suggestion. He also became enemies with a pupil called Doyle, who stole a pistol which meant that the school fete was cancelled, however Tucker and his mates forced him to return it after giving him a beating.

Series 2

This year, Tucker and his mates accidentally set the school hall on fire, break into Brookdale school and rebel against school rules. Tucker also helps paint the sets for the school play but when the props are vandalised, Tucker raids his mum's wardrobe to help out.

Series 3

Tucker keeps up to his old tricks and, with the school uniform gone, Tucker, Alan, Tommy, Billy and Antoni sneak to the 'out of bounds' shopping centre but not before a tragedy occurs.

Series 4

Tucker wins the magazine cover competition. The toilets are vandalised and the school dance cancelled as a result. Tucker knows Booga Benson is responsible and bravely tells all. Tucker is savagely beaten up by Benson. Tucker and Alan smuggle Tommy on the trip to France; they are caught out and the trip cancelled.

Series 5

Tucker only appears a few times this year, but surprises everyone with a song to save the day on the school revue.

Brief guest returns

Todd Carty returned to the show in 2003 for one episode when Tucker was dropping his nephew Togger off at school.^[3]

He returned one final time for the show's last episode in 2008, when telling his nephew not to make the same mistake as he did and leave school early, which led Togger to staying on. His last scene was riding off on his motorbike.^[4]

On 20 April 2009, Tucker was an unseen character in episode 2.1 of Ashes to Ashes. In that episode, the protagonist, DI Alex Drake, sees her daughter Molly incorporated into an episode of Grange Hill on the evening of 3 or 5 April 1982 [calendar indicates 3 April; the news report was from 5 April]. Molly (in new footage) tells headmistress Bridget McClusky (appearing as archival footage and Gwyneth Powell's newly recorded audio) that she and Tucker got into a fight when Tucker said her mother Alex was dead.

Spin Offs

Tucker's Luck

Tucker appeared in three series of Tucker's Luck, which showed Tucker's and his friends Alan and Tommy after they left Grange Hill and their struggles with growing up and trying to find work.

For more details see: http://www.tuckersluck.com/

References