Summerhill (TV series)

Summerhill
The opening title of Summerhill.
Genre	Children's drama
Written by	Alison Hume
Directed by	Jon East
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	4
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Tiger Aspect Productions
Distributor	Endemol UK
Release
Original network	CBBC Channel
Original release	21 January 2008 – 29 January 2008

Summerhill is a British children's television drama about the famously radical Summerhill School.^[1] written by Alison Hume and directed by Jon East. It was first broadcast on the CBBC Channel in January 2008 and was subsequently nominated for three children's BAFTA awards: Best Drama, Best Writer (for Alison Hume) and Breakthrough Talent (for Eliot Otis Brown Walters). It won the awards for writer & breakthrough nominations.^[2] The show launched the careers of a number of young actors, most notably Jessie Cave who went on to star as 'Lavender Brown' in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and also Olly Alexander, Eliot Otis Brown Walters, and Holly Bodimeade.

The series was also shown on BBC One,^[3] and as a feature-length film on BBC Four.^[4]

Cast

Character	Actor
Maddy	Holly Bodimeade
Ryan	Eliot Otis Brown Walters
Stella	Jessie Cave
Ned	Olly Alexander

Episodes

Episode	Title	Original airdate
1	"Episode 1"	21 January 2008
Welcome to Summerhill, a school where pupils make the rules and are encouraged to play. 11-year-old Maddie is sent to Summerhill after collapsing from exam stress. When she arrives, she can't believe it is true – a school where you don't have to go to lessons, where you're encouraged to play, where you make all the rules yourself and where climbing trees and building boats are definitely part of the curriculum. When 14-year-old Ryan is sent there after no other school can contain his disruptive behaviour, he thinks he has gone to Heaven.
2	"Episode 2"	22 January 2008
New pupils Maddy and Ryan switch roles as Maddy becomes a rebel and Ryan submits.
3	"Episode 3"	28 January 2008
Maddy admits that she, not Ryan, caused the fire at the school.
4	"Episode 4"	29 January 2008
The pupils of Summerhill take the government to court to fight the closure of the school.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Result
2008	British Academy Children's Awards[5]	Children's: Drama	Alison Hume, Stephen Smallwood, and Jon East	Nominated
		Children's: Writer	Alison Hume	Won
	Royal Television Society Awards[6]	Writer of the Year	Alison Hume	Won

References

1. "Summerhill School". Retrieved 18 April 2009.
2. "Alison Hume".
3. Walton, James (24 January 2008). "Telegraph preview". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 18 April 2009.
4. Moran, Caitlin (19 January 2008). "Times review". The Times (London). Retrieved 18 April 2009.
5. "Children's in 2008".
6. "Nominations & Winners 2008 Programme Awards".

External links

• Summerhill at BBC Programmes
• Summerhill at the Internet Movie Database