Terry on the Fence (part 1 of 7)

A Children's Film Foundation Production. Based on the book by Bernard Ashley.

A classic and brilliant C.F.F. production from the early eighties. One of my absolute favorites. By the time of it's (later) completion in 1985, the organisation had become the Children's Film and Television Foundation. It is credited as being released in 1985 but was actually created some years earlier and was stalled from completion due to issues with financial backing for the foundation. It had it's main premier later still on the BBC on 20/5/1988 and it was last broadcast (to my knowledge) on the BBC in 1990.

Starring:
Jack McNicholl as Terry Harmer
Neville Watson as Les Hicks
Jeffrey Ward as Mick
Matthew Barker as Denis
Brian Coyle as "Plastic-Head"
Susan Jameson as Terry's Mum
Martin Fisk as Terry's Dad
Margery Mason as Terry's Gran
Tracey Ann-Morris as Tracey / Terry's Sister
Helen Keating as Les's mother
Marianne Stone as Mrs. Parsons
Jon Croft as Mr. Marshall (the headmaster)
Joe Black as the Caretaker (Mr Walter Jarvis)

Directed by Frank Godwin

Most of the cast and crew still work in film and television today. Further information about the cast and crew can be found here at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0354096/fullcredits#cast

If anyone has any further information about the cast and where they are today, (particularly Jack McNicholl) or were involved in the production I'd love to know. Please post a comment or send an email.

The location scenes were shot in and around Greenwich, Southwark, and Shad Thames, Bermondsey and took place just before the area was redeveloped and regenerated.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Childrens
• Film
• Foundation
• CFF
• CFTF
• Terry
• on
• the
• Fence
• Jack
• McNicholl
• Neville
• Watson
• Jeffrey
• Ward
• Matthew
• Barker
• Brian
• Coyle
• Margery
• Mason
• Susan
• Jameson
• Martin
• Fisk
• Tracey
• Ann-Morris
• Helen
• Keating
• Marianne
• Stone
• Jon
• Croft

[Tozyanna]

This is fantastic ... after all these years seeing it again... I played Tracey in the film ... ! many moons ago lol x

[TerrenceHarmer]

@Tozyanna Hi! wow thanks for posting, it's great to hear from the original cast members. It was one of the best and most memorable CFF films made. I'm glad that I was able to upload it to YouTube.a couple of years ago after restoring it from video.

[mrsangela1962]

Would love to get a copy of the full film, any ideas how, I lived in Humber road and my parents house was used for part of the filming, I also went to halstow School. I remember the filming going on.

[TerrenceHarmer]

@mrsangela1962 Hi, thanks for posting, really interesting to hear from you. I looked it up on Google street maps a couple of years ago and it looks very much the same as it did back then. I've uploaded the whole film here on YouTube in 7 parts which were restored from video a few years back. Unfortunately it's not been possible to get hold of the film any other way, cff did release several productions onto DVD but TOTF was not one of them. The author Bernard Ashley actually has the master tape.

[fhbduck]

Haha the house used in this film is 118 Humber Road in Blackheath/Greenwich and 'Fox Hill' School is actually Halstow School.

Notice at the start the view from the allotments when looking towards the other side of the river - the hospital's since been knocked down (formerly Greenwich Hospital) and there is no Canary Wharf tower or O2 dome.

The skyline's a bit different now!

[TerrenceHarmer]

Hi, thanks for that, that's really cool, I checked it out and the house looks exactly the same today! sorry for the late reply btw, I only retreived my login tonight after many months!

[sevilayaydogan]

This is making miss Halstow and my childhood. Best primary school ever!

[fyphfoko]

they took out the "no i'm bloody not" line :(

[glamsleazejunkie]

remember seeing this at saturday morning pictures, superb!

[GoldenLegends100]

I love these old films - I have always said I was born 20 years too late!

[haze7ful]

Is this one of the last films the CFF made? I took my son to the Mediatheque at the British Film Institute recently and searched out this utter gem of a film - last time I saw it was growing up in Scotland. Combined comedy genius and sweet nostalgia. I live at the end of Humber Road now - I live in a film set! Whoever took part in the making of this film should be well proud.

[Jamerio3D]

This was so awesome, we saw it in school, once a week for about 8 months we would get a section, even back then it was dated and kinda cheesy, but everyone loved it. Was hugely popular.