Fans “giddy” about news of ‘Byker Grove’ reboot

4 July, 2023

Ant and Dec in the 'Byker Grove' days

A reboot of BBC teen drama Byker Grove has been announced by original castmembers Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – see fan reactions below.

Byker – the reboot by entertainment company Fulwell 73 – comes some 17 years after the final events of the original series. The revamped show is to be filmed and produced in and around the North East of England again with a new cast and crew.

Broadcasters Ant and Dec, who made their name playing best friend duo PJ and Duncan in the original series, serve as executive producers and creative consultants of the reboot.

Byker Grove became a staple of British television throughout the ’90s and ’00s and also helped launch the careers of Donna Air and Jill Halfpenny.

News of the programme’s return has been met with generally positive responses from fans.

There has, however, been some doubt thrown on how successfully producers will manage to revive the iconic 90s series in 2023.

Additionally, some people have questioned how writers will get around the fact that the 2006 final episode showed that the kids were made aware that they were in fact characters starring in an experimental CBBC show.

“Just a teeny, tiny bit giddy about this!,” wrote one fan on Twitter about the reboot, while a former castmember on the show said: “I’m willing to ditch academia and resume my short-lived role as the moody metaller behind the tuck shop in Byker Grove for the new remake. Just in case the producers are trying to track me down…”

Former England Women’s footballer Jill Scott, who grew up in Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, was asked in a video interview whether she would watch the reboot. She said yes – and even suggested she be given a cameo.

How will they get around the fact that the Grove was canonically wiped from existence after the kids became aware that they were characters in a CBBC show?

“Just the BEST news for Byker, Newcastle and the whole North East region,” someone else added about the show, while another said: “Byker Grove is coming back on the telly, and I think today could already be a more amazing day than my wedding anniversary on Thursday.”

But some people were less enamoured by the news. One person posted a “This is gonna suck” meme under a tweet, while another wrote: “Byker Grove made sense in the 90s cos we had youth clubs in the 90s, they’re all closed now.”

Someone else said: “I always found Byker Grove shit as a kid tbh. Grange Hill was where the real drama was at!”

Elsewhere, fans highlighted the conundrum regarding the final episode. One person tweeted: “How will they get around the fact that the Grove was canonically wiped from existence after the kids became aware that they were characters in a CBBC show?”

Another said: “If they don’t try and write their way around that final episode, they’re cowards.”

In general, people appeared to be happy that the show will return to screens – see more reactions below.

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