After becoming a household name in children’s hard-hitting BBC drama Grange Hill one of the show’s biggest stars set up his own key cutting and locksmith business
One of the stars from iconic kids programme Grange Hill decided to return to a ‘normal’ job after claiming his storyline had killed his career.
Those of a certain age will undoubtedly have rushed home from school to catch the latest episode of teen drama Grange Hill. The BBC show started in 1978 and followed the lives of children in a comprehensive school of the same name in a fictional area of north London. Created by Phil Redmond, who was also responsible for Brookside and Hollyoaks, the soap made history for being one of the longest running on British TV. It eventually ended in 2008 after 31 series.
One of its most iconic characters was that of Samuel ‘Zammo’ McGuire, played by actor Lee MacDonald. He was given one of the most groundbreaking storylines of the time and one not normally portrayed in children’s dramas, as he battled an addiction to heroin. His descent into drugs ran over two series and in shocking scenes Zammo later overdosed in the back room of an amusement arcade, with the image of him slumped against a wall haunting fans of the show. The storyline made such an impact that it started a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and addiction. Lee became the face of it and along with the rest of the cast recorded a charity single, Just Say No, which reached the top 10 in the UK charts.
When Lee, now 56, left the hard-hitting soap he initially landed small roles in Birds Of A Father, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Bill as well as making appearances at clubs but he claimed that his role as Zammo and particularly the association with drugs, ultimately ruined his career. He previously revealed: “I was leaving Grange Hill but earning reasonable money doing personal appearances in clubs and places like that. But then I got a call and they said, ‘We’re not going to use you any more.’ I was like, ‘What?’ And they said they didn’t want their nightclubs to be associated with a drug addict.”
Like anyone, Lee needed to earn a living so he decided to set up his own business as a locksmith and key cutter in London, which luckily took off. He said: “I bought the locksmiths shop in 2000. Initially I was aiming to get back into doing TV work but then it got quite busy and then I had my son, Harry, in 2008.”
Lee has made another appearance since then though on a prime time soap. In 2019 he made a shock return to acting after 32 years in a role in EastEnders. He played a bus driver called Terry who clashed with pub landlord Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) as they both tried to win tickets to a gig.
Lee as bus driver Terry with Danny Dyer (Image: BBC / Jack Barnes)
In 2022 Lee “finally” married his long-term girlfriend Jess after they were forced to postpone their nuptials because of Covid. The happy couple, who got engaged in 2020, were surrounded by friends and family for their special day. Groom Lee shared the news on Twitter where he also revealed his son ‘H’ had been his best man.
Earlier on this year he also shared some other news of a more worrying nature with fans when he revealed he had been diagnosed with skin cancer after finding an “unusual” spot on his face. He warned people to keep an eye on their own skin. Taking to Instagram , the much-loved TV star shared his diagnosis. Lee wrote: “Went to the doctors today to check an unusual spot on my face! Doctor says it’s cancer! As we older please keep an eye on anything unusual and hopefully get it looked at early!!! Booked in to get it sorted over the next couple of days.”
