Grange Hill - Bronson's Best Bits (Part One)

A selection of clips featuring the wonderful Michael Sheard as Mr Bronson in the Children's BBC series.
In memory of Michael Sheard 18 June 1938 - 31 August 2005.
Grange Hill was created by Phil Redmond and Produced by Ronald Smedley for BBC Television ©

[@Intovert572]

Used to love getting in from school and watching this

[@chriswebb141]

I met him once at the Biggin Hill airshow . A lovely man , very interesting stories etc .

[@paul-ie6wi]

Used to love going there with my dad !

[@jmartin1885]

In life, I'm a pro magician... I was hired by some Medieval re-enactors to be their 'Mage' for the day! We were at some convention somewhere near Manchester! Michael Sheard was there signing autographs for Star Wars fans... I wondered up to him in the afternoon when no-one was at his table... He said "Young man, who and what are you?" I bowed (In-character) and introduced myself as 'Jon Shipton' the Mage, and illigitimate son of the famous Oracle and Seer, Old Mother Shipton! I then vanished a handkerchief! Michael said "Oh, you're a real mage?!" We both laughed... I entertained him with another trick, then we chatted about his roles! I told him I was a fan of Grange Hill as well as his films... He said he loved playing Bronson, and asked if I disliked Bronson... I told him, "Everyone hated Bronson, but respected him, and when the time came for Broson to leave... No-one wanted him to leave! That Sir, is true pathos!" Honestly, he looked a bit misty-eyed when I said this, and he thanked me deeply.. He told me, in all the years of doing conventions, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him, and he was going mention me in a book he was writing!!! A wondeful warm person, and it was my privelige to have met him RIP Auld Fella

[@Oneness78]

All beautifully played by Michael Sheard. Long live his spirit.

[@wulfgar6749]

Michael Sheard was a very unique character actor of his generation. It's amazing to see the roles he took on such as Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Doctor Who, Grange Hill, Space 1999 and many more. He didn't do much acting in his later years, he spend most of his time attending conventions and meeting fans. It just goes to show he had huge love and respect to those who loved his work. Rest in Peace Michael, a man with so much talent!

[@scooby1992]

RIP Michael . He was great playing a similar character in Auf Wiedersehen Pet

[@campfreddy3547]

How can you not love the legend who was Mr Sheard.

[@damohorsley]

Great actor!

[@andymerrett]

@@scooby1992 who got caught out in the strip club :)

[@scooby1992]

@@andymerrett Yes m he was brilliant in AWP .

[@davidwarren9932]

When teachers where teachers 😂,used to love this back in the 80s and 90s

[@imanihekima1659]

Maurice Bronson was a superb addition to GH and Michael Sheard played him to perfection. Teachers like him still existed in British comprehensive schools even then which made him so recognisable. Having watched a few British films from the 1950s on the theme of grammar and public schools, it's also amazing how much of a throwback Mr. Bronson was to that post-ww2 era of teachers and probably earlier.

[@balchana3365]

When teachers were allowed to deploy a strong level of disciple. Yet you can see the levels of respect were dwindling in the 80s

[@MrDirkles]

Imo It went downhill as soon as kids had to have 24 hours notice before a detention

[@criticalbill2090]

We had a teacher at the Hundred of Hoo school called Mr Poole. He was the closest thing to Bronson you could get :- the ginger hair, bowtie, always carried a briefcase. Like Bronson, he put the fear of God into EVERY student in the school! He even had the same "You BOY!!!" catchphrase

[@rajnirvan3336]

Bronson was a legend of a teacher and played brilliantly by Michael Sheard

[@sktigress9659]

I used to love watching grange hill after school.

[@mattbod]

Michael Sheard was absolutely lovely in real life so Mr Bronson shows what a great actor he was.

[@richardhadley7396]

I met him at a book signing in Brighton in early 2000. I was the last customer and had a lovely long chat with him. A charming and very kindly gentleman.

[@MEECHIO]

What a fabulous actor Michael Sheard was, really brought the character of Mr Bronson to life...:-)))))

[@jeremyslaney5644]

I think that it's on the Grange Hill Gold website, but there was a great interview with Michael Sheard, explaining in great depth about his Mr.Bronson character

[@mattbod]

Funny thing is Michael Shears irl was a lovely man. He did tend to over act this part but it is what made Bronson memorable. This storyline was over the top. Even then such victimization would have led to the sack.

[@Predators--cz2fb]

Michael Sheard did a great job parodying the old school teachers in a changing, modern school environment. Teachers like this were a dying breed and were increasingly realising they were becoming out of place by the turn of the mid to late 1980's. By the time most of them retired in the mid 90's they became obsolete. Two of my teachers was like this. When I went back to visit they was about to retire. One of them I called talk to on the level and we was laughing and joking about those days. The Headmaster kept up the front right until the end. I guess being responsible for hundreds of students and a working school he had to be professional. When we met for the final time we reminisced a little and he was telling me to keep up my education and to work hard. So he did leave me with some sound advice. Nice guys tbf. I didnt rate some of the other teachers but I did respect those two guys.

[@kailashpatel1706]

excellent point..

[@MyJourneyToAWholeBitcoin]

Yes, teachers can't touch the pupils now or they would be in trouble. But has the pendulum swung the other way now? Reports of teachers being assaulted are at record highs, and many teachers find keeping the classrooms under control very difficult.

[@manticorenettleable]

Hah yeah we had a teacher (early mid 80's) built and looked like Brian Blessed who would casually hurl or sometimes flip heavy objects at offending students. Quite terrifying really. He was a good teacher though, 95% of the time very jolly. Hawkmen, diiiive!

[@TheChrcol]

2024 Britian needs many Mr Bronsons, on grange hill they dont make shows like this anymore.

[@TchallaCap]

aww good ol Ziggy i loved this character from his first day to the end..bit of a lovable rogue.

[@myalfie]

Great character and brilliantly acted.

[@homeboy2166]

Back when the BBC was worth something.

[@Maguirearch]

I bleedin loved Grange Hill !

[@user-up2qe5sy4t]

Brilliant actor I think most of us who attended school in the eighties had there equivalent of Mr Bronson

[@mrbronson5333]

Happy 86th Birthday Michael Sheard! We will always remember you for Mr Bronson.

[@Alan7997]

Mr Bronson was the kind of teacher that put the fear of God into kids. We need a bit more of this again.

[@wleon4068]

No we don't. No one learns NOTHING if they are scared. Learning then becomes DEFUNCT!

[@quint3570]

W Leon libtard...

[@duncanmills4044]

@@wleon4068 do you learn anything by being allowed to run riot!

[@JamiePiller]

@@quint3570 Nazi

[@campfreddy3547]

He scared the sh*t out of me when I was 8 years old, that's the sign of great actor, Michael was.

[@sologals361]

Bronson and Kendall were a great double act.

[@mehere3013]

its when childrens tv was good and shows people wanted to watch

[@JD-lp5rw]

Now its just "im black, im gay"

[@mr.thegreat557]

@@JD-lp5rwand “if you don’t like it you’re a bigot”.😄

[@cotters1]

Michael Sheard was one of the best actors ever to grace our movie and tv screens...and GH was and always will be one of the best shows ever......just think, millions of kids across the C'Wealth and elsewhere it would have been shown, would race home each day to watch a show about school, where we'd just been for the last 7 hrs, doing and going through mostly the same things...that's why GH was such a success during the best years as it was realistic...that and DJH....

[@campfreddy3547]

Love how Kendall bye passes Mr Bronson. And jumps into he's Taxi and drives off,Kendall !

[@garyproffitt5941]

Very intelligent kids and thumbs up 👍

[@MiniLemmy]

Holy shit, that car really dates this show! Austin Meastro - haven’t seen one of those in decades….

[@jonkiddart5706]

We had a "Mr Bronson" character in my school who everyone was terrified of, but he was actually a lovely man, in secret of course 🙂

[@davidmckirdy4063]

I had a teacher like him in every way till o met him again years later in a pub time seemed to have mellowed him he even bought me a drink just goes to show how much different people are out of school.

[@mrbronson5333]

Happy 82nd birthday Michael Sheard. AKA Mr Bronson. RIP June 18 1938 to August 31 2005

[@Stop_Elitists_Wars]

Miss Booth, a beauty.. Haha Bronsons character was a real ball-breaker

[@clairemcmahon9392]

He was brilliant as Brosnan. My Fav programme after school. Loved it

[@paulparker7419]

Having teenage kids of my own, all I can say is "Mr Bronson, your country needs you...."

[@kpopfan674]

An aggressive hypocrite who makes teenagers act worse by constantly getting at them even when they try to help him? Man your parenting skills must be something else.

[@paulparker7419]

@@kpopfan674 Well considering the eldest four have all been through university and have good jobs and families, and none of the younger ones have been arrested, I seem to be doing ok so far......

[@kpopfan674]

@@paulparker7419 Lots of poorly-parented children go to university - often despite their parents, not because of them. You literally see an aggressive, hypocritical nutter, who makes things worse, as a role model.

[@chriselkerton9789]

Grange HILL was one off the best 😀

[@SlinkiestTortoise23]

Michael Sheard was in the Empire Strikes Back too!

[@andrewc4612]

"Kenddaaalll!!!" I can't help but feel that Mr Bronson had a bit of a grudge against poor Danny! And his given his apparent desire for power/penchant for a good rant, Mr Bronson reminds me a bit of Davros out of Dr Who. Someone else who apppeared power-mad, and who liked to "let off steam" now again.

[@JP1234815]

10 years before he joined Grange Hill he played another teacher - in The Sweeney - episode 'Hit and Run'.

[@Spectrescup]

Oh cool, I'll look that up.

[@55tranquility]

I like it when he told Darth Vader the rebel base wasn’t on Hoth

[@andymerrett]

I love how a lot of the staff take the mick out of him as well. "Did he come by taxi?" LOL

[@davidthompson6834]

I wish I was young again

[@paulburns-dt9eq]

A hilarious scene involving Mr 'Just say no' Zammo Maguire telling Mr. Bronson to keep your hair on! Whilst on a school trip was hilarious 😂

[@javedriaz6862]

Memories

[@garethglitter5932]

You have failed me for the last time Admiral Ozzel.....

[@UchronianKing]

3:35 Really funny moment! I never get tired of watching it.

[@mazzab1970]

That McCall boy looks like a young 'The Beast' (Mark Labett) from 'The Chase'. Same hairstyle too.

[@storm3698]

Wow yes he does

[@samisticlife]

The lad was played by Joshua Fenton

[@VickyVideo_]

"running him around at terrifying leg speeds"

[@paulburns-dt9eq]

That clip when that lad was doing the goose walk in a classroom would've been outlawed in this day and age.

[@RTWUROTTS]

Loved the end!

[@WAYNE1977100]

We need teachers like Mr Bronson these days to keep the chavs in order.

[@trancelover1992]

I had one just like him. A narcissistic man who abused his power of authority. He frequently told us we where useless underachievers. Learning difficulties or exceptions to rules did not exist. His classroom was a tyranny, devoid of freedom of expression. You were terrified of delivering the incorrect answer. Prior to his influence, I was passionate about algebra, but I learnt to despise it thanks to his imposing and bullying influence

[@mikeycraig8970]

@@trancelover1992 Still, I bet you never stabbed anyone or joined a gang 😁

[@trancelover1992]

@@mikeycraig8970 No, I am an average guy. I graduated university and now I work a full-time job. I still think my old teacher was abusive though. I think there is a clear distinction between being firm but fair and abusive.

[@dpinto6278]

NO WE DON'T! He was a bullying tyrannising prat. Teachers like MacKenzie Baxter and Kennedy were much better

[@pauljordan4452]

@@trancelover1992 There were two little blokes in my school. A high school sports teacher and head of primary school who were angry ants. Their behaviour pissed me off royally.

[@stephendines1936]

It's Herr Grunwald from Auf Wiedersehen Pet.

[@johndean4765]

He was very convincing as a German boss in Au Widersein Pet

[@DJEdSaunders]

KENDALL!!

[@markpunt9638]

BBC didn’t appreciate what they had - they caved in and tamed the whole thing down and looked at it with social messages. So it became a soap opera rather than a drama.

[@user-jg7jo4gp8w]

There were social messages right from the start?

[@leeosborne3793]

It always had a strong social message - that was the whole point! It was all about the issues working class kids faced in an education system that was under enormous pressure.

[@JiminyCricket8899]

​@@leeosborne3793Spot on Lee👍

[@kevinprior3549]

Kendal was a worthy adversary for Bronson... stood up to him more and just carried on like he normally did. Where's Jones was too easy to upset and was just miserable

[@memoir4you]

ha ha Mauler Mccall with a Pre Nessa line " What's Occurring Greaves?" classic.

[@richardcrew417]

"Don't be impertinent, boy!" Loved Mr Bronson

[@UchronianKing]

I loved it the way Mr Bronson spoke in Grange Hill: '...And I shall start right now with Grange Hill's own happy wanderer..." He's a great and somewhat amusing character in a school drama, although when teachers back in my day had a Mr Bronson moment, they were quite terrifying! Even so, many of them were solid people with plenty of learning to share and deserved a certain degree of respect - something which is nowadays is lacking in many schools by many students. I was far from being a grade 'A' student, and sadly never really enjoyed school (which is where an adult perspective would have come in use, but life's not like that), yet unlike Kendall I never slouched off nor disrespected any of my teachers. There was one nasty piece of work at secondary school: the cooking teacher, who simply shouldn't have been a teacher - and she was worse than Mr Bronson!

[@davejames1452]

ahhhh the memories 🤣🤣👍

[@Pro_Skillz]

Michael Sheard was class

[@EgoShredder]

I had teachers like this at my middle school in the early 1980s too. These days with the PC brigade he would be burnt at the stake by social services. Too soft on kids now and the kids know it!

[@howey935]

Same here and they used to dish out the cane like it was going out of fashion lol which it did just as i went in to the 4th year at senior school so i had 1 year left of school when i couldnt be caned. I once got the cane in every lesson 1 day and another time my music teacher sent me for the cane so i put my hand on the radiator at the bottom of the stairs to make it red so when the teacher looked he thought id been caned. Well i got pulled out my next lesson and caned as the music teacher must of asked my head of year lol.

[@butterflymoon6368]

The pc brigade? How old are you - 93?

[@EgoShredder]

@@butterflymoon6368 Fair enough but which words would you rather be used to describe those types of "people"? The longer version is anyone put through the Marxist sausage indoctrination machine, who steadfastly hold on to their programming their entire lives. The same ones who are now wearing masks and taking the arm spear so that big pharma can get rich while watching them die.

[@PeaceDweller]

I had a Headteacher just like Bronson in primary school back in the 80s, whenever we had to visit his office we would wet ourselves in fear. I can still smell the old tobacco from his pipe mixed with the distinct coffee odour as we waited for him to show up. Kids these days have absolutely no idea that kind of fear, but with that fear came a distinct will to do better and the realisation that negative actions have consequences. Something kids these days never have to experience.

[@EgoShredder]

@@PeaceDweller I observe the so called parents around me these days, rewarding their children for bad behaviour. Those children have turned out exactly as expected.

[@Glenn1967ful]

Bronson was old school, the kind of master who would have prospered in a grammar school but was resentful of the comprehensive system and progressive teachers. For all the part is a bit OTT even by the standards of the eighties, you can in a way see where he is coming from.

[@timrollpickering]

Well that pretty much is the character's background. From what we see of both schools in the early years of the series, it would seem that Grange Hill was historically a secondary modern and Rodney Bennett was a grammar school. The 11 plus would have been abolished in the area some years before the series started but both schools have the hallmarks of having maintained their respective ethos and subject specialisms for many years afterwards. Mr Bronson was no doubt at the traditional end of the Rodney Bennett staffroom as a proud Latin master (and he would still use that term instead of "teacher") doing everything he could to keep the school as as much of a grammar school as possible and probably saw himself as the heir apparent to the post of deputy head master in which he would spend his last years of teaching. But then Rodney Bennett merged with Grange Hill (and Brookdale) under the Grange Hill name and subjects not previously taught at Grange Hill were not going t carry on. To add to his pain the Rodney Bennett site would be the long term home for the expanded Grange Hill. From Bronson's perspective his school and subject both disappeared and he was at an age where he could not easily find a new posting as a Latin master. So he wound up taking the job as a teacher (urgh) of French (Urgh) in what he still thought of as a secondary modern (Urgh!) on the site of his old school. To add to his pain the merger meant the route to the deputy headmastership was no longer a natural one. And he got beaten to it by Mr Baxter! (URGH!) Bronson would no doubt have subscribed to the worldview of a hierarchy of teachers - indeed some of his exchanges with other teachers were quite clear he saw himself as superior - in which a grammar-school-without-the-11-plus Latin master was far superior to a secondary-modern-without-the-11-plus PE teacher. So yes he is literally "old school" in a new school world and bitterly resents it but can't recreate the old days whilst he's too old to change.

[@goodlife6145]

I liked the tension between his old-school approach and the more liberal slant of the newly-merged school. It made for great drama and great comedy in equal measure.

[@goodlife6145]

His only fault was to pursue personal vendettas with Ant Jones and Danny Kendall (not that either one helped themselves at times). But, for all Bronson's old-school strictness, he genuinely cared about the pupils.

[@kailashpatel1706]

@@goodlife6145 the greatness of Grange Hill between 1979-1989, they should have left it as a classic when Danny died and Bronson left..

[@goodlife6145]

@@kailashpatel1706 Yes, it would have ended on a high as far as the quality is concerned. Even so, even after series 9, it had started to wobble. The Bronson/Danny story stands up there with the best of GH.

[@davh1231]

@WAYNE1977100 we had someone like him in the 80's, he taught maths, and no one, but no one messed around in his class's, we all lived in fear, good teacher to.

[@repo136]

Pity it wasn't your English teacher. LOL.

[@richbiles230872]

too

[@Nooziterp1]

I seem to recall there was one bit where his wig fell off in front of the whole class. I think he was never regarded in quite the same way after that.

[@guineagirl5078]

@@leebradshaw3549 classic scene. Gonch and Hollo also nicked it

[@DavidHerbert-gm4bf]

Brilliant

[@nickslick75]

An absolute legend.

[@VickyVideo_]

MR BRONSON FOR PM INSTEAD OF THE INEFFECTUAL SUPPLY TEACHER WE HAVE TODAY

[@chriselkerton9789]

You are right there 😅

[@nicholasgargano7396]

The guy who played kendal works in local chippy, he slipped last year and fried his arm, we had a whip round and got him a side of gravy

[@jamesmacleod671]

"You failed me for the last time Admiral Ozzel"

[@MsBananasmel]

That quote from Ziggy about fluids is from Tucker's Luck.

[@FossilisedFishooks]

he'd make a brilliant dalek

[@jeffreyweitzman6463]

Well he was actually in an episode of Doctor Who.

[@rscosworthfan]

4.49 brilliant catch lol

[@jonrichards7678]

Loved him as Her Grunwald in Auf Wiedersehen Pet.

[@bettyswunghole3310]

"Gripper" Stebson was much scarier than "Mauler" McCall...

[@sirandrelefaedelinoge]

*KENDALL!!!*

[@Brasslantern007]

Our deputy was JUST like him. An ex copper

[@justonecornetto80]

Nearly every school had one like him. The headmaster at mine served as a screw in an army glass house during WW2 and was a proper bastard. We used to call him SS Grant because he guarded some top war criminals before they were shipped off for trial and we always said that's who inspired him to become a sadist. He had some good stories to tell during his lighter moments though.

[@kevinward3088]

@@justonecornetto80 If your former head was Military Provost Staff Corps , he would be a bastard. But also capable of creating very squared away , well skilled soldiers & students.

[@fpvDRE]

lol bronson was like davros without the chair haha 😂😂 in our school we had a mrs reagon 😁😁

[@WayneGordon-ir7zs]

Mr Bronson was a great headmaster.

[@HappyHauptwerk]

Bronson still scares the shit outa me!

[@Nooziterp1]

Every school had one teacher who had that effect.

[@gameofthrows9357]

McCall looks like a young Mark Labbett (Beast)

[@tonymontana1974]

bronson is bad ass.

[@kevinprior3549]

Ziggy and Robbie really were the main stars of this series.

[@hidebarnes8188]

I loved mr Mitchell he was gr8 understanding but firm like

[@cmdfarsight]

I couldn't stand that woman teacher with the glasses and odd voice. Sheard was a great actor and always spoke highly of the children actors.

[@helendearnley473]

Barb

[@josephgerard5473]

I've just watched this for the 2nd time and it reminds me of a couple of bits of info I ought to mention, should anyone be interested. There are a couple of musical items I discovered recently that are related to GH. First, there's a nice, spritely cover of the GH 1990s theme tune by a group called UNIT. It's on You Tube although I've forgotten the link to it. This same band also recorded a piece called Water...originally by Peter Morton (aka Wayne Sutcliffe). This is also on You Tube. One of the members of the group also published a book about (or mainly about) Grange Hill called Not In Front Of The Children which I purchased from Lulu but I think it's in certain stores as well. However, this isn't the main reason I'm writing this comment. The main reason is because I want to alert people to a brilliant series of short films Peter Morton has done (with Aiden David, Marcel McCalla and other ex-Grange Hill alumni), all of which are on You Tube. Blood Bird Thief Of Vocal Vision Just A Boy The Walk Of Shame Keane I found them all on Peter's own You Tube channel. Each of them is radically different in tone, genre and style.

[@kevinprior3549]

Robbie is a underrated hardman

[@richardmunoz4771]

He was in Empire strikes back

[@endrightwinglunacy]

Michael couldn't have been more unlike his character!

[@danw1374]

Yep he was a lovely bloke in real life and a fine actor, much missed.

[@Loganberrybunny]

A bit like Richard Gibson, who played Herr Flick in 'Allo 'Allo for most of its run. Apparently one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet in real life.

[@UchronianKing]

2:06 Until watching that scene, I didn't know that a 'Sherbet (Dab)' was Cockney rhyming slang for 'cab' - as suggested to Mr Bronson by Robbie.

[@butterflymoon6368]

Is this the Sean Maguire era? People are saying early 80s but I was too young for that. I started watching in the 90s.

[@scousertom0388]

2:42 *KENDALLLL!!*

[@philcosgrove6823]

That's Jamie carragher fixing the car haha

[@stephenduncan3605]

Yeah he does look like him, ziggy greaves was later in Brookside as Jimmy Corkhill junior

[@philcosgrove6823]

@@stephenduncan3605 yeah he was a drug addict on it. I was on brookside only as a walk on as a kid it was a laugh

[@70looney]

this man got about from on the buses star wars war pictures doctor who space 1999

[@glyndaley5844]

From trying to steel the Liberator and offed by AVON getting choked and offed by Vader and tormented by KENDAAAAL 😂

[@englishchief373]

Folk today won't realise how close to reality 70's and 80's schooling was... #PissPoor and wokey driven.....

[@goodlife6145]

'Maurice Bronson' may well rhyme with the name of the current UK prime minister, but the comparison ends there!

[@petercampbell8694]

Wonder if Mr Bronson was the inspiration for Edward (local shop, for local people) The League of Gentlemen? 🧐🧐🧐

[@UchronianKing]

4:09 Mr Bronson is clearly a fan of the Scarlet Pimpernel!

[@harryraiswell2158]

If Mr Bronson was still alive on Monday 23rd March 2020 (earlier this year), he would've insisted that the school would stay open despite the lockdown, and would've turned up at the school gates waiting for everyone to arrive. Instead it was a policeman who turned up... Mr Bronson: Can I help you constables? Policeman: You do realise that there is a lockdown going on Sir. Mr Bronson: It is Mr Bronson to you, and I think that schools should stay open NO MATTER WHAT!!! Policeman: Well ur, M... M... M... Mr Bronson, the government have announced that schools are not going to reopen until September. Mr Bronson: Not this one, as we expect students to come in, even if they have broken every bone in their body or have the coronavirus. Policeman: Well then Mr Bronson, we're afraid that you'll have to come with us to the police station. Mr Bronson: YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS CONSTABLES, YOU'LL SEE! Policeman: Just get in the car Sir, ur I mean Mr Bronson.

[@rachaeladams8059]

Mr Bronson was scary but I would have treated him with respect has I was told at school by the teachers you treat us with respect and we treat you with respect too which is what I did and they did in return sometimes they would find me funny in a good way sometimes they would laugh but it was very rare it was very rare that I would get in trouble most of the time I was shy and quiet but a character in my own way they liked it tho because I would not cause trouble they respected me and I respected them because they are in charge of the class and school but the headmaster or mistress were In charge and boss has were the teachers of the classes

[@kevinward3088]

Michael Sheard also played Adolf Hitler in the Tomorrow People episode Hitler's Last Secret . A top chap that played dictatorial characters rather well.