Knight School (British TV series) facts for kids

Knight School is a funny and exciting TV show from the 1990s. It was shown on CITV (Children's ITV) and made by Granada Television. The show was created by Mark Billingham and Peter Cocks, who also acted in it. There were two series, broadcast between 1997 and 1998.

What is Knight School About?

Knight School is set in the Middle Ages, but it's full of modern jokes! Think of it like a mix between a school drama and a historical comedy. The story takes place at St Cuthbert's Academy, which is a special school for young knights.

The show begins when the school decides to let a scholarship boy join. This lucky boy, and the main hero of the series, is Wally Scrope. Throughout the show, Wally tries to win the attention of Lady Elizabeth de Gossard. She is the head girl of the nearby St Catherine's School for Damsels. Wally also has a rival, Sir Roger de Courcey, who is the head boy and bully at St Cuthbert's.

Modern Fun in the Middle Ages

Even though the show is set a long time ago, it has many jokes that people in the late 1990s would understand. For example, the school is run by a modern headmaster, Sir Hubert Grindcobbe. It was his idea to bring in a scholarship student. His deputy, Sir Baldwin De'Ath, wants to be the headmaster himself. He often uses Sir Roger de Courcey as his helper.

In one episode, Wally tries to impress Lady Elizabeth. He gets her tickets to see her favorite boy band, "MinstrelZone." The tickets turn out to be fake, but they still manage to get into the concert.

In the second series, the show made fun of the popular Spice Girls music group. Lady Elizabeth and her friend Eunice are kidnapped during a school holiday. They are then forced to perform in a new girl band called "The Herb Girls."

Changes in Series 2

The first series of Knight School looked like a movie. It had very good production quality. But for the second series, a new producer, Yvon Grace, made some changes. The show looked more like a regular TV recording instead of a movie. The cool male singing theme song was replaced with a less impressive one played on kazoos. Also, a few main characters were played by different actors.

However, the second series also had some special guest stars. These included John Altman, who played an evil wizard named Wormwood. Comedian Ted Robbins also appeared as the DJ at the school's end-of-term "disco."

Who's in the Show?

Many actors played the staff and pupils at Knight School.

Staff

• Peter Jeffrey – Sir Hubert Grindcobbe
• Roger Lloyd-Pack – Sir Baldwin de'Ath, also Ben D'Izir (Series 2)
• Joanna McCallum – Mistress Genevieve Gently
• Mark Billingham – Scrubbe
• Peter Cocks – Grockle
• Anne Orwin – Mrs Scabbe (Series 2)
• Ramsay Gilderdale – Jasper Crouchback
• Christopher Guard – Clovis Sackbutt (Series 1)
• Geoffrey Bayldon – Dr Spencer DePenser (Series 1)

Pupils

• Stuart Rooker – Wally Scrope
• Anthony Hamblin – Sir Arthur Melton-Mowbray
• Blake Ritson – Sir Roger de Courcey
• Amy Phillips – Lady Elizabeth de Gossard
• Susie Williams – Eunice Spongge-Baggeley (Series 1)
• Carly Hamilton – Eunice Spongge-Baggeley (Series 2)
• Robert Pollard – Alf Scrope (Series 2)
• Lucy Bell – Lady Amelia de Gossard (Series 2)
• Thomas Hudson – Wykeham (Series 2)
• Steven Townsley – Sir Montegue (Series 1 & 2)