History Series / TheGrimleys

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot episode had several different cast members - notably Samantha Janus as Geraldine and Jack Dee as Digby. Also, the Grimley boys managed to get one over on Digby at the end -- which they never managed to do in the series.

* HotTeacher: Geraldine Titley - regardless of whether she was played by Samantha Janus (pilot) or Amanda Holden (series 1-3).
* KavorkaMan: Doug Digby has shades of this - given how often he is openly hostile to Geraldine's plans and ideas to the point of actively trying to sabotage them, you've got to wonder what she sees in him. Gordon himself acquires something of a female fanbase when he [[spoiler: unexpectedly becomes a pop star]].

* SympatheticAdulterer: Janet, who has to put up with being married to the bone-idle Baz. At least one of their children (Gordon) isn't his. In the third series, she runs off with Mr. Holder.

* ThemeTune: For the first two series, "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers played over the opening credits while various Slade songs played over the closing credits. With the change in emphasis from the mid-1970s (glam rock) to the late 1970s (punk rock), the theme tune for the third series was "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" by the Buzzcocks, while various other punk songs, notably "Jilted John" by Jilted John (with its refrain "Gordon is a moron") were used for the closing credits.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Inverted; Mr. Holder becomes the school's headmaster by the time of the third series (having previously served as deputy head for a time); despite being nicknamed "Hitler" (presumably due to the alliteration), he's more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Inverted; Mr. Holder becomes the school's headmaster by the time of the third series (having previously served as deputy head for a time) -- but, despite being nicknamed "Hitler" (presumably due to the alliteration) he's actually more of a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: When he gets put in charge of the school newspaper, Darren uncovers what ''really'' goes into the meat pies in the canteen, and sneaks a photo of Mr. Trebilcock's portrait of a nude Miss Titley -- which ends up on the front page (although as it turns out, she's less annoyed by the invasion of her privacy than she is by the fact that all it reveals is that Trebilcock's a ''really bad'' painter).
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the third series, Janet finally leaves Baz.

* ForeignRemake: An American version, ''The Grubbs'', was commissioned by Creator/FOX in 2002. Critical response was overwhelmingly negative, and the show was cancelled two days before its planned premiere.

* BrotherSisterIncest: Implied in the case of Lisa and Shane, since we don't know for sure if Shane's dad Reg is also Lisa's biological father as well as Gordon's. Since Reg obviously disapproves of the relationship, he might have his suspicions.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot episode had several different cast members - notably Samantha Janus as Geraldine and Jack Dee as Digby. [[spoiler: Also, the Grimley boys managed to get one over on Digby at the end - which they never managed to do in the series.]]

* ThemeTune: For the first two series, "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers played over the opening credits while various Slade songs played over the closing credits. With the change in emphasis from the mid-1970s (glam rock) to the late 1970s (punk rock), the theme tune for the third series was "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" by the Buzzcocks, while "Jilted John" by Jilted John (with its refrain "Gordon is a moron") was also used.

* KavorkaMan: Doug Digby has shades of this - given how often he is openly hostile to Geraldine's plans and ideas to the point of actively trying to sabotage them, you've got to wonder what she sees in him.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Averted. Gordon desperately wants one but Geraldine keeps it strictly professional.
* UsefulNotes/TheMidlands: The setting is the English Midlands, in Dudley, near Birmingham, a location and a strong local accent treated with fond derision by the rest of Great Britain.

* DawsonCasting: James Bradshaw, who played Gordon, was in his early twenties when the show started.

* TheOtherDarrin: Several cast changes between the pilot and the first series, notably Geraldine (Samantha Janus, Amanda Holden) and Digby (Jack Dee, Brian Conley).

%%* CoolTeacher: Mr Holder.

* GymClassHell: inflicted by "Dynamo" Doug Digby and his DistaffCounterpart Miss Thing.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. Holder, particularly after he takes over as the school's headmaster; the "Hitler" nickname is more due to the alliteration than to any authoritarian character traits.

* SympatheticAdulterer: Janet, who has to put up with being married to the bone-idle Baz. At least one of their children (Gordon) isn't his. In the third series, she runs off with Mr Holder.

* YoungEntrepreneur: Darren, who during his brief tenure in charge of the school tuckshop sells porno mags and cigarettes to his fellow-pupils. When Mr. Holder finds out, he spares Darren a [[CorporalPunishment caning]] because he's impressed by his grasp of the law of supply and demand.

Stealing the show was former Music/{{Slade}} lead singer Noddy Holder, who played music teacher Neville Holder [[note]]Noddy's birth name[[/note]]. There were also a number of inspired cameos, notably Lewis Collins from ''Series/TheProfessionals'' who appeared in one episode as Doug's father, Stephen Lewis from ''Series/OnTheBuses'' as a coach driver and 1970s glam rocker Alvin Stardust, who played a pub landlord. The latter led to a series of clever in-jokes, such as Noddy and Alvin bemoaning the lost opportunities of their youth over a pint of beer; it's implied by the title of the second episode, "The Road Not Taken" (which ends with Holder mournfully strumming out a Slade song in the school hall) that ''The Grimleys'' takes place in an [[AlternateUniverse alternative]] [[TheSeventies 1970s]] in which Holder and his friend abandoned their rock music dreams in favour of more sensible jobs long before they became famous.

* CampStraight: Gordon.

* CoolTeacher: Mr Holder.

* IncestIsRelative: Played with, as Gordon lusts after Geraldine ... who he doesn't realise is actually his cousin (Gordon's biological father Reg being Geraldine's uncle). Implied in the case of Lisa and Shane, since we don't know for sure if Shane's dad Reg is also Lisa's biological father as well as Gordon's. Since Reg obviously disapproves of the relationship, he might have his suspicions.

* YoungEntrepreneur: Darren, who during his brief tenure in charge of the school tuckshop sells porno mags and cigarettes to his fellow-pupils. When Mr Holder finds out, he spares Darren a [[CorporalPunishment caning]] because he's impressed by his grasp of the law of supply and demand.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot episode had several different cast members - notably Samantha Janus as Geraldine and Jack Dee as Digby. Also, the Grimley boys managed to get one over on Digby at the end - which they never managed to do in the series.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Digby's bizarre death in the first episode of the third series is very much of his own making - he ends up getting impaled by a javelin which was part of an indoor assault course that he'd put together.

* KavorkaMan: Doug Digby has shades of this - given the amount of times he is openly hostile to Geraldine's plans and ideas to the point of actively trying to sabotage them, you've got to wonder what she sees in him.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: After Digby is killed off at the start of the third series, he's replaced by Dave Trebilcock, a macho teacher (woodwork rather than PE, though) who dates Geraldine.

* ThemeTune: For the first two series, "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers played over the opening credits while various Slade songs played over the closing credits. With the change in emphasis from the mid-1970s (glam rock) to the late 1970s (punk rock), the theme tune for the third series was "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" by the Buzzcocks, with "Jilted John" by Jilted John (with its refrain "Gordon is a moron") was also used.