Super Gran

Did You Know?

• Ure's stunts included pole-vaulting through windows using a trampoline and trick camera angles, and flying with the help of a crane.
• Two computer games based on the show were released by Tynesoft in 1985: an action game and a text adventure.
• The action game Super Gran involved an anti-gravity belt and was released for Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.

Premise

Granny Smith, played by Gudrun Ure, became Super Gran after Inventor Black’s magic ray accidentally struck her. She defended the town of Chisleton from villains like Scunner Campbell and his gang, often joined by her grandson Willard and Inventor Black’s niece, Edison Faraday Black. Bill McAllister narrated each episode.

Production

Forrest Wilson created Super Gran, drawing from Pansy Potter from The Beano, his own mother-in-law, and an unnamed Scottish actress. The first book appeared in 1978, with several sequels illustrated by David McKee. After the TV series, Wilson adapted McDade's scripts into three books and, with Graham Kennedy, a picture book. Gudrun Ure narrated an audiobook in 1991, and Tyne Tees published an annual in 1985. The TV series differed from the books notably in making Inventor Black an ally rather than an antagonist. Filming took place in North East England locations including Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, South Shields and Beamish Museum. Inventor Black's laboratory was housed in an empty church on Tynemouth Front Street, later Land of the Green Ginger. Sets were in a North Shields warehouse whose corrugated roof caused sound issues in rain. Super Gran's home was a stone cottage in Church Way, Earsdon. A crane for flying shots was parked at a neighbouring school. Ure, aged 58 at first appearance, performed many stunts herself with one stunt double. Tyne Tees executive Andrea Wonfor noted special effects used trampolines. Filming the Christmas special and second series took about nine months of 10-hour days from April 1986. Local children from Newcastle played the young roles; the Scunner's toughies were local stand-up comics. Guest stars included George Best, Spike Milligan, Eric Bristow, Roy Kinnear and Geoff Capes. The show featured Patrick Troughton and Charles Hawtrey's final screen appearances.

Reception and legacy

Super Gran won an Emmy and sold to over 60 countries. Director Tony Kysh noted Tyne Tees was among the first Western companies to sell to China TV, where the show was a big success. It became a ratings hit in Cuba in the early 2000s after being redubbed into Spanish. The character placed seventh in The Glasgow Herald's 2003 poll "The Most Scottish Person In The World". The University of Nottingham cited Super Gran as reshaping perceptions of grandmothers. Two VHS releases each contained three episodes; Network released both series on DVD in 2009 and 2011. The Whitley Bay Playhouse held a Super Gran evening in February 2012.