Strange Hill High Explained

Genre:	Animated series Mystery fiction Fantasy Adventure Science-fiction Comedy
Creator:	Yoshimi & Katoi Josh Weinstein
Company:	Factory FremantleMedia Enterprises CBBC
Director:	Geoff Walker Chris Tichborne
Executive Producer:	Bob Higgins Sander Schwartz Sarah Muller Kat Van Henderson
Producer:	Phil Chalk Andrew Burrell
Composer:	Paul Lovatt-Cooper Richie Webb & Matt Katz
Country:	United Kingdom
Language:	English
Num Series:	2
Num Episodes:	26
Runtime:	22 mins.

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

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

• 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

• Chris Johnson as Ken Kong
• Alison Moyet as Terpsichore (a.k.a. Joy)

Episodes

Series 2 (2014)

Ratings

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

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

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

See also

• 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

Notes and References

1. News: Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein launches British TV show. BBC News. 30 April 2013. 16 May 2013. 17 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130517231335/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22310362. live.
2. Web site: Weekly top 10 programmes - BARB. www.barb.co.uk. 31 May 2013.
3. Web site: Strange hill high wins kidscreen award! . 2014-10-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150212234819/http://factorytm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=162:strange-hill-high-nominated-for-kidscreen-award&catid=36:our-blog . 12 February 2015 . dmy-all .
4. Web site: Children's in 2014. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 23 November 2014. 23 November 2014. 18 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190518100851/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2014/childrens. live.