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Strange Hill High

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Strange Hill High
GenreAnimated series
Mystery fiction
Fantasy
Adventure
Science-fiction
Comedy
Created byYoshimi & Katoi
Josh Weinstein
Written by
  • Josh Weinstein
  • Jason Hazeley
  • Joel Morris
  • Mark Oswin
  • James Griffiths
  • Andrew Burrell
  • Bede Blake
  • Ben Teasdale
  • Emma Kennedy
  • Reid Harrison
  • Kirstie Falkous
  • Stuart Kenworthy
Directed byGeoff Walker
Chris Tichborne
Starring
ComposersPaul Lovatt-Cooper
Richie Webb & Matt Katz
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producersBob Higgins
Sander Schwartz
Sarah Muller
Kat Van Henderson
ProducersPhil Chalk
Andrew Burrell
Running time22 mins.
Production companiesFactory
FremantleMedia Enterprises
CBBC
Original release
NetworkCBBC
ReleaseMay 8, 2013 (2013-05-08) –
December 15, 2014 (2014-12-15)

Strange Hill High is a British children's puppet-animated series for CBBC. The show is a co-production between CBBC, FremantleMedia and Factory.

Out of the many writers, it was noted that Josh Weinstein (who worked on The Simpsons, Futurama and Disenchantment) would be involved in the series,[1] with its visuals created using an animation technique combining puppets, Japanese vinyl toys and digital effects. The show continued to air reruns until 2020.

Premise

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Strange Hill High mainly follows a group of three students: Mitchell Tanner, a pupil with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who comes up with plans to resolve various conflicts, while avoiding studying for tests; Becky Butters, a conscientious schoolgirl who tries her best to get out of whatever problems she gets involved in; and the sometimes dull and robotic Templeton, who comes up with bizarre quips and interpretations, as they explore their extraordinary school, uncovering absurd and outrageous occurrences as they go.

The students meet a variety of people involved in the oddities of their school, but have to be wary of some of the students and faculty members - mainly Mr. Abercrombie, who is easily angered by any disturbance.

Cast

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  • Doc Brown as:
    • Mitchell Tanner, one of the main protagonists and a quick-witted boy.
    • Bishop, A student at Strange Hill High who talks like a wannabe gangster.
  • Emma Kennedy as Becky Butters, one of the main protagonists who is the voice of reason.
  • Richard Ayoade as Templeton, one of the main protagonists and a self-proclaimed “genius”.
  • Jonathan Keeble as:
    • Melvyn Abercrombie, the strict headmaster of Strange Hill High.
    • Mr. Brian Dougherty
    • Murdoch, the school repair man who used to be a pirate.
    • Mr. Balding, the oldest teacher in Strange Hill High.
  • John Thomson as:
    • Peter Dustpan, a former Strange Hill High student who lived in the lost and found for centuries.
    • Sir Bogervier, an Arthurian knight who was a stone statue in a secret chamber.
    • The Embarrassment, a boy who used to be human, until he turned into a slug.
  • Caroline Aherne as:
    • Stephanie, a rather mean girl and a lover of fashion.
    • Croydonia, Stephanie’s best friend and a rough girl who is very bossy.
    • C.A.T.E, a kind and hi-tech robot who turned out to be evil.
  • Marc Silk as:
    • Matthews, a happy-go-lucky boy who is always scared and terrified.
    • Tyson, a student at Strange Hill High and a bully.
    • The Ghosts in Detention, 3 ghosts who haunt the detention room at Strange Hill High.
    • Mr. Garden, A teacher at Strange Hill High and the nicest teacher.
    • Ian Gatlin, a smart kid who got frozen for lots of years.
    • Lucas, the smart leader of the bullies.
    • Mr. Kandirsky
    • Nimrod, a robotic maths teacher who was designed for the cold war.
  • Melissa Sinden as:
    • Miss Grackle, A mean teacher at Strange Hill High who loathes Mitchell.
    • Ms. Grimshaw, the secretary of Strange Hill High.
    • Samia, a student at Strange Hill High who can’t walk and talk.
  • Matt King as Mr. Creeper, the P.E. teacher at Strange Hill High.

Guest Stars

Episodes

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Series overview

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1138 May 2013 (2013-05-08)31 July 2013 (2013-07-31)
21329 April 2014 (2014-04-29)15 December 2014 (2014-12-15)

Series 1 (2013)

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# Title Written by Original air date
1"King Mitchell"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		8 May 2013 (2013-05-08)

While cleaning the lavatory on detention, the trio discover an ancient knight guarding an ancient mystical toilet. They get more than they bargained for as Mitchell is declared King of Strange Hill.

2"99 Cool Things to do with a Time Machine"Ben Teasdale15 May 2013 (2013-05-15)
During the first day of exams, an old clock tower high above Strange Hill High gives Mitchell an idea as he's running late to class.
3"The Lost and Found Boy"Josh Weinstein22 May 2013 (2013-05-22)
Things have been disappearing at Strange Hill High, and Mitchell finds himself as the prime suspect. Can he clear his name and find out who the real perpetrator is?
4"Snoozical"Reid Harrison29 May 2013 (2013-05-29)
Becky wants to audition for the school play, Scary Poppins, but Miss Grackle, the music teacher, sings her to sleep. Becky dreams of a crazy dream world inhabited by an evil monster named The Grackle.
5"Big Mouth Strikes Again"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		5 June 2013 (2013-06-05)
Competition between new sweets being served by the school chef and Becky selling healthy snacks gives a surprise to the trio when they find out what's behind the new menu at Strange Hill High.
6"The Most Boring Book In The World"Ben Teasdale12 June 2013 (2013-06-12)
With a mysterious book at the cause of many students' disappearances at Strange Hill High, Mitchell and his friends investigate the creepy, dark, and lonely school library.
7"Read All About It"Stuart Kenworthy19 June 2013 (2013-06-19)
Mitchell and his friends write news stories for the school paper in order to get tickets to see their favorite rapper in concert. However, something extraordinary happens and it leaves them having to put back the pieces.
8"Health & Safety"Emma Kennedy26 June 2013 (2013-06-26)
Mitchell, Becky, and Templeton are forced to watch a horrible old school safety film from the 1970's during School Safety Week, when suddenly they find themselves trapped in the film itself.
9"The Ghost Writers of Strange Hill High"Jason Hazeley
Joel Morris		3 July 2013 (2013-07-03)
Looking for a place to hide and avoid his teachers after not doing his assignments, Mitchell stumbles on an unused classroom - a room that looks like it hasn't been used for 100 years.
10"Teacher's Pet"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		10 July 2013 (2013-07-10)
When the trio gets tossed into detention on a snowy day, they're put in charge of cleaning the old and cramped Science Room. While cleaning, they discover a device that soon takes things out of proportion.
11"Lucky Becky"Kirstie Falkous17 July 2013 (2013-07-17)
Becky wants to join the cheerleading squad but is stopped by the stuck-up cheerleaders. Instead, they allow her to become the team mascot, which in turn brings them all good luck, whether it's winning a game or scoring well on a test. But soon she discovers that with every piece of good luck, comes a piece of bad luck.
12"Becky vs Bocky"Jason Hazeley
Joel Morris		24 July 2013 (2013-07-24)
Election Day is coming and it's Becky's perfect chance to win and gain the popularity she's always wanted. But with competition at her doorstep, one creative idea from Mitchell gives her the competitive edge. But will it go as planned?
13"The End Of Terminator"Josh Weinstein31 July 2013 (2013-07-31)
Strange Hill High's computers are hopelessly out of date - breaking down, going up in smoke, and simply falling apart. But with the new technology at the school, it seems all too perfect and it's up to Mitchell and his friends to find out what's behind the changes.

Series 2 (2014)

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# Title Written by Original air date
1"The Curse of the Were-Teacher"Josh Weinstein29 April 2014 (2014-04-29)
Mitchell is bitten by a rabid Deputy Head and, every time the school bell rings, transforms into the disciplinarian were-teacher, Mr. Tanner. If the curse isn't lifted before Mr. Tanner signs a permanent contract, Mitchell could be doomed to spend the rest of his life as a teacher at Strange Hill!
2"Invasion of the Templetons"Andrew Burrell6 May 2014 (2014-05-06)
When Templeton's Science Fair attempt to blast into the cosmos backfires, he accidentally instigates a full-blown alien invasion - by aliens that seem remarkably familiar and have come to pay homage to the creator of the Universe...Templeton?!
3"The 101% Solution"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		13 May 2014 (2014-05-13)
Mitchell must pass the 'Hardest Maths Assignment Ever'. He cheats and ends up earning the mythical grade of 101%, breaking maths and the world as we know it in the process.
4"Little School of Horrors"Bede Blake20 May 2014 (2014-05-20)
When Becky coaxes a wilting plant back to life in the old Strange Hill Greenhouse, she gets more than she bargained for with an outbreak of plantlike PE teachers threatening to exercise the world into submission. Only Mitchell's sarcastically planted chicken nugget beast can save the day.
5"Big Templeton is Watching You!"Jason Hazeley
Joel Morris		27 May 2014 (2014-05-27)
A new school security system is installed - and the cameras seem to record what happens in the future. When Templeton becomes Security Monitor and goes mad with this incredible, all-seeing power, the very existence of Strange Hill is threatened.
6"Crushing Embarrassment"Jason Hazeley
Joel Morris		3 June 2014 (2014-06-03)
It's Aprils Fool's day and Mitchell is pranking in overdrive. Before too long he's pranked everyone and unleashed a dormant beast of Embarrassment that lives under the school. Mitchell must save his friends - and Tyson - from 'The Embarrassment's' disgusting lair by going toe to toe in a shameful game show.
7"Mitchell Who?"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		10 June 2014 (2014-06-10)
Mitchell accidentally erases himself from history after deleting his school record. At first his anonymity is fun but when his friends forget him and he starts to disappear, he calls on Samia, the one person who can remember him, to help reboot his existence.
8"Innercrombie"Andrew Burrell17 June 2014 (2014-06-17)
It's Valentine's Day and whilst attempting to sabotage Abercombie's zero tolerance to romance, our trio discover a portal to the inside the Head's head! What at first seems like the best thing ever soon turns into a nightmare as the bullies gain control of the Headmaster. The only way to stop them is to test the old adage: the heart rules the head.
9"Ken Kong"Stuart Kenworthy24 June 2014 (2014-06-24)
During a swimming test in the middle of winter in the dreaded Strange Hill swimming pool, the kids discover a mysterious paradise island in the middle of the pool. They also soon discover the isle's longtime sole inhabitant, a mysteriously huge exchange student named Ken Kong. When Ken returns to the school with our kids, it throws Abercrombie into a panic.
10"Mitchell Junior"Emma Kennedy1 July 2014 (2014-07-01)
When Mitchell is issued a strange simulation baby doll to teach him responsibility, his first reaction is to bin it. Freakishly it keeps coming back and he soon realizes it's alive! From apathy, to panic to parenthood, Mitchell soon appreciates that having Mitchell Junior around might not be so bad after all.
11"The MCDXX Men"Mark Oswin
James Griffiths		8 July 2014 (2014-07-08)
Mitchell, Becky and Templeton stumble across an underground lair that was home to a league of medieval superheroes - Ye Olde Righteousness League. When the League's evil arch nemesis escapes his confinement and possesses Abercrombie, our trio find themselves (and their classmates) transformed into these heroes to fight his tyranny.
12"The Snide Piper"Ben Bailey-Smith15 July 2014 (2014-07-15)
The Annual Strange Hill Festival is approaching. Not staying quiet about his dislike of folk music, Mitchell drives Miss Grackle mad - and perhaps to an early retirement - and the kids get a mysterious and oddly nice new music teacher who may have a much deeper connection to the ancient Spring Festival than anyone realized.
13"A Strange Hill Christmas"Josh Weinstein15 December 2014 (2014-12-15)

Mitchell's desperate attempt to start his Christmas holiday early is scuppered when he accidentally traps everyone in the freezing school.

Note: Postman Pat makes a brief cameo in the episode.

Ratings

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Episode ratings from BARB.[2]

Episode No. Airdate Viewers CBBC Weekly Ranking
1 8 May 2013 Under 244,000 Outside Top 10
2 15 May 2013 298,000 8
3 22 May 2013 360,000 3
4 29 May 2013 317,000 6
5 5 June 2013 Under 205,000 Outside Top 10
6 12 June 2013 Under 248,000 Outside Top 10
7 19 June 2013 224,000 10
8 26 June 2013 283,000 4
9 3 July 2013 Under 198,000 Outside Top 10
10 10 July 2013 294,000 2
11 17 July 2013 Under 262,000 Outside Top 10
12 24 July 2013 Under 212,000 Outside Top 10
13 31 July 2013 278,000 6

App game

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An app game titled Merchant of Menace was released for iOS and Android in 2014, though it could also be played online.

Awards and nominations

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Awards
Award Category Result
67th British Academy Film Awards[3] Best Animated Series Nominated
Kidscreen Awards[3] Best Animated Series Won
British Academy Children's Awards[4] Animation Nominated

See also

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  • Grange Hill – unrelated 1978–2008 British television children's drama series that also takes place at a school
  • Strange Hill – unrelated British comic strip with a similar name that also takes place at a school

References

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  1. ^ "Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein launches British TV show". BBC News. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Weekly top 10 programmes - BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Strange hill high wins kidscreen award!". Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Children's in 2014". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 23 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
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