The Dumping Ground

Last updated

The Dumping Ground
TheDumpingGroundLogo.png
Genre Children's drama
Based on The Story of Tracy Beaker
by Jacqueline Wilson
Directed byVarious
Starring
Theme music composerJeremy Holland-Smith
Composer Simon Rogers [1]
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons11
No. of episodes(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Foz Allan (series 1–6)
  • Lis Steele (series 1–6)
  • Lucy Martin (series 6)
  • Kim Crowther (series 6)
  • Jonathan Phillips (series 5–9)
  • Jane Dauncey (series 10)
Producers
  • Louise Sutton (series 1–6)
  • Simon Nelson (series 1–6)
  • Philip Leach (series 1–6)
  • Gert Thomas (series 5–7)
  • Emma Bodger (series 8–9)
  • Jonathan Wolfman (series 10)
Production locations Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Series 1)
High Spen, Gateshead (Series 2–4, 9–10)
Rowlands Gill, Gateshead (Series 2–8)
Morpeth, Northumberland (Series 5–8)
Hexham, Northumberland (Series 11-)
AnimatorDavid Gregory (series 1–6)
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time28 minutes (regular episodes)
Production companiesBBC Children's Productions (2018–2022)
BBC Studios Kids & Family (2022–) [2]
Original release
Network CBBC
Release4 January 2013 (2013-01-04) 
present

The Dumping Ground (also informally referred to as The DG) is a British children's television drama series that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people who live in a children's home with their care workers in care. The series has broadcast ten series, the show has continuously aired on CBBC since its inception in 2013. The series is a continuation of Tracy Beaker Returns , which aired from 2010 to 2012, and is the third television series in the Tracy Beaker franchise.

Contents

The Dumping Ground broadcast its 100th episode on 16 March 2018, which was the tenth episode of series six. [3] [4]

In 2024, the eleventh series of The Dumping Ground marked a complete revamp of the show, including a new house, new title sequence and logo, and the animated sequences are no longer a part of the show. [5]

Plot

The series revolves around the life of children in a care home; typically each episode follows one or more characters' life and includes subplots featuring other characters. The Dumping Ground deals with issues related to the care system as well as social issues such as friendships, family, relationships, mental health, adolescence, racism and LGBT parenting. [6]

Production

The first series, consisting of thirteen, thirty-minute episodes, was commissioned in March 2012. [7] [8] A second series, also with thirteen, thirty-minute episodes, was announced in May 2013. [9] The third and fourth series, announced in 2014 and 2015 respectively, both had an increase in episodes: twenty, thirty-minute episodes. [10] In 2018, it was confirmed that two further series, with 24 episodes in each series, would be made. [11] [12]

The first series was produced in summer 2012 at the former La Sagesse convent school in the Jesmond area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne which had previously been used throughout Tracy Beaker Returns. The former Fathers' house was used as the exterior of Elm Tree House, whilst the show's interior scenes were filmed in a grander building elsewhere on the same site. Property owners Barratt Homes decided to redevelop the school buildings into a luxury housing estate following the first series and production was forced to move to another area of Newcastle. The recognisable cream and red exterior of Elm Tree House has since been demolished in 2014 though the building used for interior scenes partially remains intact.

Between series two and four, interior scenes were filmed at the former Hookergate School in High Spen, Gateshead, which had previously been used as the Bradlington High School in CBBC series Wolfblood. A nearby children's respite care home, Kites Rise, on Smaile's Lane in Rowlands Gill doubled as the exterior of new care home Ashdene Ridge. The move was addressed in the series 2 opener, in which residents and staff can be seen unpacking boxes and bags. The nearby housing estates in Rowlands Gill doubled as the fictional surrounding Talbot Ward area of Pottiswood, where the show is set. The exact location of Pottiswood has never been explicitly said within the programme, though landmarks such as the Tyne Bridge have been seen across the various series and characters have addressed the fact that they are in the North East of England. In Series 10, it is shown on a map to be north west of Ponteland in Northumberland. The garden exterior scenes were filmed against the back of a building at Hookergate School, and therefore did not accurately match the exterior of the front of Kites Rise.

From series five, the filming of interior care home scenes and garden scenes were moved to the former Loansdean Fire Station in Morpeth, Northumberland following Gateshead Council's decision to redevelop the Hookergate School. Kites Rise's façade continue to double as Ashdene Ridge.

Principal filming returned to the Hookergate School in series 9, and following a change of ownership at Kites Rise a replica of the building's frontage was constructed around an old caretaker's house on the school site. The replica is noticeably smaller than the real building and in wide shots the adjoining garage can be seen just to be a wooden façade. The original chimney of the caretaker's house can be seen above the Ashdene Ridge roof. This arrangement continued into series 10.

In the final episode of Series 10, Ashdene Ridge caught on fire and therefore production moved to a former middle school in Hexham for Series 11, doubling as the interior and exterior of new care home Porter's Lodge. [13]

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 134 January 2013 (2013-01-04)15 March 2013 (2013-03-15)
2 1310 January 2014 (2014-01-10)28 March 2014 (2014-03-28)
3 201014 January 2015 (2015-01-14)13 March 2015 (2015-03-13)
105 October 2015 (2015-10-05)8 December 2015 (2015-12-08)
4 201028 January 2016 (2016-01-28)25 March 2016 (2016-03-25)
1029 September 2016 (2016-09-29)2 December 2016 (2016-12-02)
5 221220 January 2017 (2017-01-20)31 March 2017 (2017-03-31)
1012 October 2017 (2017-10-12)15 December 2017 (2017-12-15)
6 241211 January 2018 (2018-01-11)30 March 2018 (2018-03-30)
1220 September 2018 (2018-09-20)7 December 2018 (2018-12-07)
7 24124 January 2019 (2019-01-04)15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
1227 September 2019 (2019-09-27)6 December 2019 (2019-12-06)
8 241211 January 2020 (2020-01-11)27 March 2020 (2020-03-27)
1225 September 2020 (2020-09-25)5 February 2021 (2021-02-05)
9 201011 June 2021 (2021-06-11)13 August 2021 (2021-08-13)
1021 January 2022 (2022-01-21)25 March 2022 (2022-03-25)
10 201030 September 2022 (2022-09-30)2 December 2022 (2022-12-02)
1021 April 2023 (2023-04-21)23 June 2023 (2023-06-23)
11 TBC1026 January 2024 (2024-01-26)TBC (TBC)
TBCTBC (TBC)TBC (TBC)

Cast

Awards and nominations

CeremonyAwardNomineeResult
2013 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards Best Children's Television ScriptElly Brewer for "What Would Gus Want?"Won
Emma Reeves for "The Truth is Out There"Nominated
2013 British Academy Children's Awards [14] Best DramaThe Dumping GroundWon
2014 British Academy Children's Awards [15] BAFTA Kid's Vote – TelevisionThe Dumping GroundNominated
Best Actor Kia Pegg as Jody JacksonNominated
2015 British Academy Children's Awards [16] Best DramaThe Dumping GroundNominated
Interactive: Adapted in 2015The Dumping Ground: You're The BossWon
2016 Royal Television Society North East and the Border AwardsDrama in 2016The Dumping GroundWon
2016 British Academy Children's Awards [17] Best DramaThe Dumping GroundNominated
2018 Royal Television Society NETB AwardsBest Drama (Long Form)Ian Kershaw for "Farvel" [18] Nominated
Performance of the Year Annabelle Davis [19] Won
Lewis G Hamilton [20] Nominated
Rising StarJordan Barrett, Script Editor [21] Nominated
Rachel Smee, Make Up Trainee [21] Nominated
Professional Excellence – Costume and Make-upMichael Birtley [22] Won
2018 British Academy Children's Awards Performer Annabelle Davis [23] Nominated
2019 Royal Television Society NETB AwardsBest Drama (Long Form)Ian Kershaw for "Heroes" [24] Won
2019 British Academy Children's Awards Best DramaThe Dumping Ground [25] Nominated
Performer Emily Burnett [25] Won

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Wilson</span> English novelist

Dame Jacqueline Wilson is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her large readership. Since her debut novel in 1969, Wilson has written over 100 books.

<i>The Story of Tracy Beaker</i> 1991 novel by Jacqueline Wilson

The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's book first published in 1991, written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Beaker</span> Fictional character from the Tracy Beaker franchise

Tracy Beaker is the lead character in the Tracy Beaker franchise. After first appearing as the main character in Jacqueline Wilson's 1991 book The Story of Tracy Beaker, she appeared in the children's television drama of the same name, portrayed by Danielle Jane Harmer, and its sequel series Tracy Beaker Returns, as well as numerous spin-offs, Jacqueline Wilson books, a play and a video game. Harmer reprised her role as Tracy in the 2021 television series My Mum Tracy Beaker followed by The Beaker Girls.

Danielle Jane Harmer is an English actress, television personality, and former singer. She is best known for her lead role as Tracy Beaker in the CBBC series The Story of Tracy Beaker (2002–2006), Tracy Beaker Returns (2010–2012), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA in 2010, The Tracy Beaker Survival Files (2011–2012), My Mum Tracy Beaker (2021), and The Beaker Girls (2021–2023).

<i>The Story of Tracy Beaker</i> (TV series) British television series

The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British television programme series adapted from the book of the same name by Jacqueline Wilson. It ran on CBBC for five series, from January 2002 to December 2005 and also contained a feature-length episode, Tracy Beaker: The Movie of Me, broadcast in February 2004, as well as a week of interactive episodes for Children in Need. The theme song was written and produced by Brian Harris and Nigel Lowis and performed by Keisha White.

<i>Tracy Beaker Returns</i> British television series

Tracy Beaker Returns was a British television programme. Based upon the novels by Jacqueline Wilson, it is the sequel series to The Story of Tracy Beaker. The series stars Dani Harmer reprising her role as protagonist Tracy Beaker. The third and final series ended on 23 March 2012. A sequel spin-off entitled The Dumping Ground started airing on 4 January 2013.

Richard David Kevin Wisker is an English actor and television presenter, best known for his role as Liam O'Donovan in Tracy Beaker Returns (2010–2012). He also portrayed Rich in the CBBC series Dani's Castle (2013–2015) and Declan in Millie Inbetween (2017–2018) and its spin-off Flatmates (2019–2021). Between 2011 and 2015, he was a presenter on Friday Download.

Daniel Pearson is an English actor and presenter, best known for his role as Rick Barber in the BAFTA-winning British children's television series, Tracy Beaker Returns and in the BAFTA winning spinoff series, The Dumping Ground.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 2 Season of television series

The second series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 10 January 2014 on CBBC and ended on 28 March 2014. The series follows the lives of the children living in the new fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of thirteen, thirty-minute episodes. It is the tenth series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Pegg</span> English actress and presenter

Kia May Pegg is an English actress and television presenter. She portrayed Jody Jackson in the British children's drama show Tracy Beaker Returns (2012), as well as the spin-off series The Dumping Ground (2013–2022). Then in 2022, Pegg began appearing in the BBC soap opera Doctors as receptionist Scarlett Kiernan. She also began occasionally presenting episodes of Saturday Mash-Up! for CBBC in 2022, having previously appeared on their live links.

<i>The Story of Tracy Beaker</i> series 1 Season of television series

The first series of the British children's television series The Story of Tracy Beaker began broadcasting on 8 January 2002 on CBBC on BBC One and ended on 4 April 2002. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Stowey House, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty-six, fifteen-minute episodes. It is the first series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 4 Season of television series

The fourth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 29 January 2016 on CBBC and ended on 2 December 2016. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty, thirty-minute episodes, airing in two halves in January and October 2016. It is the twelfth series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 5 Season of television series

The fifth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 20 January 2017 on CBBC and ended on 15 December 2017. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty-two, thirty-minute episodes, airing in two halves in January–March and October–December 2017. It is the thirteenth series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's drama media franchise that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people and their care workers in care. The franchise began with the publication of The Story of Tracy Beaker on 14 February 1991. Since then, the franchise has had six further books, three television series and their spin-offs, a television movie, a Children In Need special, a musical and two magazine collections. The Story of Tracy Beaker merchandise has also been released.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 6 Season of television series

The sixth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 12 January 2018 on CBBC and ended on 7 December 2018. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consisted of twenty-four, thirty-minute episodes, airing in two halves in January and September; ten episodes for the second half premiered a week early on BBC iPlayer. It is the fourteenth series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 7 Season of television series

The seventh series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 4 January 2019 on CBBC and ended on 6 December 2019. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consisted of twenty-four, thirty-minute episodes; from episode two onwards, episodes premiered a week early on BBC iPlayer. It is the 15th series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

<i>The Dumping Ground</i> series 9 Season of television series

The ninth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 11 June 2021 on CBBC and concluded on 25 March 2022. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty, thirty-minute episodes. It is the 18th series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise. This series is shorter than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic and substantial delays in filming. This marked the last regular appearance of Annabelle Davis as Sasha Bellman prior to her new acting role in Hollyoaks as Lacey Lloyd.

The tenth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 30 September 2022 on CBBC and ended on 23 June 2023. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Ashdene Ridge, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It is the 20th series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.

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