The Dumping Ground (series 4)

The Dumping Ground (series 4)
Series Four Title Card
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Release
Original network	CBBC CBBC HD
Original release	29 January 2016 – present

The fourth series of the British children's television series The Dumping Ground began broadcasting on 29 January 2016^[1] on CBBC. 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,^[2] airing in two halves, respectively in January and September 2016; it is the twelfth series in the Tracy Beaker franchise.

Series synopsis

All of the main cast from the second half of the third series reprise their roles in the fourth season.

The Dumping Ground is inspected whilst Bailey meets a woman claiming to be his mother and forgives his father.^[3][4][5][6] Jody enters a street dance competition with Tee and Carmen, but it turns out she suffers from stage fright, caused by her past at home. However, Jody overcomes her fear.^[7][8] When things break, Billie and Toni help Mike fix them and they like to fix things as it reminds them of their mum. When Billie owns up to causing the accidents, Billie and Toni finally talk about their mum.^[9] Ryan met with his sister, Chloe, who was paralyzed due to falling out of the window as a toddler and Ryan was blamed for the accident. Ryan and Chloe made amends when it turns out it wasn't Ryan's fault.^[9][10] Tee has interview for a college place, but she walks out of the interview and admits to Mike she is not ready to leave, but he reassures her they are all there for her whilst the other kids put adverts around town for families.^[11][12] Sasha meets an old friend called Tommo, who shows an interest in Sasha and he plans for him and Sasha to live together with his brother, but Sasha realises Tommo has planned a break in and she is caught and Kazima persuaes Sasha to stay. Carmen forgets Kazima's birthday and everyone decides to throw her a party, but Kazima doesn't want a party and instead, they have a party for a Somalian singer.^[13] Tyler and Floss compete against each other to represent Ashdene Ridge for a kids in care forum, which Tyler wins. Mike struggles with his workload and accidentally takes his stress out on the kids. May-Li is shocked to learn Mike took Carmen's file home to update and when Mike goes to get it from his car, he finds it has been broken into. Mike leaves Ashdene Ridge whilst the police and head office do their investigation. It emerges that Ryan took Carmen's file.^[14][15] Following Mike's suspension, the kids are miserable, so May-Li suggests a trip out to a theme park. Carmen and Ryan remain behind to take care of an upset Harry, but he goes missing. Carmen confesses to Ryan she got Mike suspended by telling the police and they find Harry at Mike's house. On the trip, the minibus breaks down and whilst May-Li and Mo find help, the other kids go off wandering and build dens to hide in.^[16][17] On the day of Mike's hearing, 3 replacements are brought in to help out, but May-Li is unimpressed with the kids attitude towards them and they all leave. Carmen and Tee try to stop the hearing, but Mike doesn't want them too. Instead of giving himself up, Ryan plants Carmen's folder in the office and the kids later find it. They rush to the council and manage to save Mike's job. Mike finds out it was Ryan and they end their feud.^[18][19]

Cast

Main

• Connor Byrne as Mike Milligan
• Amy-Leigh Hickman as Carmen Howle
• Philip Graham Scott as Harry Jones
• Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tee Taylor
• Miles Butler-Hughton as Tyler Lewis
• Kia Pegg as Jody Jackson
• Sarah Rayson as Floss Guppy
• Reece Buttery as Mo Michaels
• Stacy Liu as May-Li Wang
• Kasey McKellar as Bailey Wharton
• Akuc Bol as Kazima Tako
• Lewis Hamilton as Ryan Reeves
• Nelly Currant as Toni Trent
• Gwen Currant as Billie Trent
• Ruben Reuter as Finn McLaine
• Annabelle Davis as Sasha Bellman
• Sage as Mischief

Guest

• Tiana Benjamin as Alison^[4]
• Alison Hammond as Rowena^[4]
• Kate Copeland as Lizzie^[4]
• Abas Eijanabi as Mr Twigg^[4]
• Mark Theodore as Jimmy Wharton^[4]
• Jordan Bolger as Zach
• Ryan Wilkinson as Allen
• Hannah Moncur as Chloe Reeves
• Phil Rowson as Alex^[11]
• Hetty Baynes Russell as Drama Tutor^[11]
• Alexander Aze as Dexter Bellman
• Malique Thompson-Dwyer as Tommo
• Sandy Foster as Kelly Bellman
• Fred Montgomery Scott as Murphy Bellman
• Ian Kershaw as Peter
• Tanya Vital as Phoebe
• Liz Crawther as Mary
• Matt Kennard as Kerr
• Judith Alexander as Chair Person
• Warwick Davis
• Samantha Davis
• Isobel Steele as Kara^[20]
• Kay Purcell as Gina

Casting

In March 2015, an open casting call was announced for the character of Chloe. The requirements were for the actress to be a genuine wheelchair user aged between 10 and 14 years old, who could pass for 11 to 13 years old.^[21] Hannah Moncur was cast in the role.

Episodes

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
Part 1
48	1	"Lost and Found (Slings and Arrows - Part 1)"	Sallie Aprahamian	Dawn Harrison	29 January 2016
The young people watch in the audience at Bailey's football academy trial, hoping that he will land a scholarship there. However, it is later revealed that a woman who was watching with them, who they presumed to be an agent, is claiming to be him mum that abandoned him as a child. At first he doesn't want anything to do with her, however he later agrees to meet up with her and begins to imagine the relationship with his mum that he has always wanted, and so when she reveals that she lost her job when going to watch the match, he puts his name down on a flat for them to live in together with the money he is hoping to secure from the academy. Unfortunately, his plan to support himself and his mum is ruined when his manager reveals that he won't be offered a scholarship, forcing himself to stop dreaming about his future. Meanwhile, when OFSTED turn up at the Dumping Ground, the surprise inspection gets off to a shaky start, and worried that Ashdene Ridge may be closed down, the young people decide to stage a Shakespeare play of A Winter's Tale, but when they find a bag of stolen jewels in the bear prop from a local second hand shop, they begin to send the performance into a big dilemma.
49	2	"Bear-Faced Liar (Slings and Arrows - Part 2)"	Sallie Aprahamian	Dawn Harrison	29 January 2016
Following recent events, Bailey must break some bad news to his mum. Everyone must put on a Shakespeare play for Ofsted but they are still in turmoil about their discovery. Later, Bailey's father, Jimmy Wharton, turns up at Ashdene Ridge after hearing that Alison is back on the scene. But Bailey is in for a shock when he finds out that she isn't really his mum. The young people perform 'A Winter's Tale' to Ofsted, Mike and May-Li and it goes well. The story makes Bailey upset because it reminds him of when his mum walked out on him when he was a baby. In the end, everyone thinks Bailey has given up on his football dream. Playing it in the garden, they all stop when Bailey comes out but Bailey soon joins in.
50	3	"Stepping Up"	Sarah Walker	Sarah-Louise Hawkins	5 February 2016
Carmen wants to enter a street dancing competition and Tee helps her. But when Jody starts competing against them, Carmen and Tee realize that they need Jody after all. But when Jody gets stage fright, she begins to feel that she can't do it. But a caring Carmen encourages Jody and helps her overcome her stage fright and before long, the trio are dancing for the DG gang! Meanwhile, when everything starts to fall apart in Ashdene Ridge, Harry, Toni and Billie try to help Mike fix it. But when Billie keeps breaking them so they don't run out of things to fix, her and Toni finally talk about their mum.
51	4	"They Walk Among Us"	Sallie Aprahamian	Jeff Povey	12 February 2016
Mo thinks there are aliens in the neighborhood, and makes Bailey believe him. But when everyone begins to tease Mo about it, he is determined to prove them wrong. He meets Allen, a fellow 'alien' that he found in the woods. They become good friends and build a radio together to contact Allen's father who is away on a job. Meanwhile, Tee is all in a frantic when fitness coach, Zach, asks her out. But she soon finds out he is all good to be true and Carmen and Sasha help Tee get revenge.
52	5	"Hold the Front Page"	Sallie Aprahamian	Julie Dixon	19 February 2016
Ryan receives a letter from his sister and runs upstairs with it, causing Finn to trip and fall, as he comes down. However, everyone believes Ryan pushed him. When Chloe turns up at the DG, Ryan feels nervous about meeting her for the first time since her accident. Certain he did something to put her in a wheelchair, Tee and Sasha spy on them while they speak. But it is revealed they got the wrong end of the stick. Meanwhile, Tyler wins a journalism competition. Chloe leaves Ashdene Ridge, promising to visit again. Note: First Appearance of Chloe Reeves
53	6	"Growing Pains"	Sallie Aprahamian	Matt Evans	26 February 2016
Tee gets an interview for art college but is upset when they offer Carmen a place on the drama course. After getting cold feet about the interview, Tee walks out apologizing for 'wasting their time' and goes back to Ashdene Ridge, unaware that her artwork made the college give her a place on the art course. Tee burns all her artwork in anger. Meanwhile, Mo, Harry, Toni and Billie put posters up around town about them, to help them get new homes. Carmen tells Tee that she rang the college and pretended to be Tee to get Tee on the course she has always wanted. Tee then says that her and Carmen are 'sisters'.
54	7	"Submarine"	Sarah Walker	Ian Kershaw	4 March 2016
Sasha decides to start an online vlog but she soon gets interrupted by Floss and the twins when they prank her. Sasha is told off for storming around the house but she argues back. After getting fed up of all the hassle she is getting, Sasha sets out to find her brother, Dexter, and they go off to the park where she sees an old friend. They hang out together for a while but she soon finds herself in trouble when he starts making her do things that she is unsure about. Sasha soon agrees to burgle the house but she is caught and is given a criminal record. Meanwhile, Carmen finds out it is Kazima's birthday so she organizes a party with everyone. But Kazima doesn't want one, which leads everyone to throw a party for a Somali singer.
55	8	"First Past the Post"	Sarah Walker	Matthew Leys	11 March 2016
Mike is struggling to keep up with work and ends up getting stressed and angry at the slightest thing. Meanwhile Tyler and Floss go head to head in an election with Mo and Jody as campaign managers. Floss keeps pranking Tyler to make sure she gets to win the election and become the voice for Young People. Meanwhile, Bailey becomes a dog sitter with the help of Sasha. Sasha wants revenge on Ryan so she and Bailey set the two dogs on Ryan. Carmen's file is stolen when Mike's car is broken into. Carmen reported Mike so he is forced to leave but it is soon revealed Ryan broke in to get rid of Mike.
56	9	"Survivors"	Sarah Walker	Ian Kershaw	18 March 2016
The young people go out for the day but when Harry doesn't want to go, Ryan and Carmen stay behind to look after him. Everyone gets list out in the countryside after the minibus breaks down. When Harry goes missing, Ryan and Carmen panic, setting out to look for him, eventually finding him at Mike's house. Everyone returns home and happily playing a game of rounders.
57	10	"The End of It All"	Sarah Walker	Julie Dixon	25 March 2016
On the day of Mike's hearing, 3 replacements are brought in to help out, but May-Li is unimpressed with the kids attitude towards them, with Pheobe, who could not work with the 'level of anger', Mary, who thought she wasn't able to compete with Mike and Kerr, who everyone thought was a bully and so they all leave. Carmen and Tee try to stop the hearing, but Mike doesn't want them too. Instead of giving himself up, Ryan plants Carmen's folder in the office and the kids later find it. They rush to the council and manage to save Mike's job. Mike finds out it was Ryan and they end their feud.
Part 2
58	11	TBA	TBA	TBA	September 2016

Production

Production began on 24 May 2015,^[22] and was completed on 12 November 2015.^[23]

References

1. "Radio Times Listings - 29 January 2016". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
2. "CBBC Productions announce new commissions and recommissions". BBC Media Centre. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
3. "The Dumping Ground Series 4 - 1.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
4. "The Dumping Ground Series 4 - 2.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
5. The Dumping Ground - Series 4 Episode 1 - CBBC on YouTube
6. The Dumping Ground Series 4 Episode 2 - CBBC on YouTube
7. "The Dumping Ground Series 4 - 3.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
8. The Dumping Ground Series 4 Episode 3 - CBBC on YouTube
9. The Dumping Ground Series 4 Episode 5 - CBBC on YouTube
10. "The Dumping Ground Series 4 - 5.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
11. "The Dumping Groynd S4 - 6.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
12. The Dumping Ground S4 - 6. Trailer on YouTube
13. "The Dumping Ground S4 - E7.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
14. "The Dumping Ground S4 - E8.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
15. The Dumping Ground - Series 4 Episode 8 - CBBC on YouTube
16. "The Dumping Ground S4 - 9.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
17. The Dumping Ground - Series 4 Episode 9 - CBBC on YouTube
18. "The Dumping Ground S4 - 9.". Radio Times. 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
19. The Dumping Ground Series 4 Episode 10 - CBBC on YouTube
20. Take 2 Management on Twitter: Isobel Steele confirmed as 'Kara' in The Dumping Ground' CBBC filming in November
21. "Casting call for new regular for very popular CBBC drama series". ScreenTerrier. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
22. So today I hand my boy over again to the BBC to film series 4 of THE DUMPING GROUND for 20 weeks!!! I… https://instagram.com/p/3DsqMIlQ6s/ on Twitter.
23. Last day on set. Thanks cast & crew. @connorjbyrne @stacyliu83 @ReeceButtery @AnnabelleLDavis @kiapegg @KaysMckellar on Twitter.