0:00:02 > 0:00:05Coming up: 12 Again goes back to school.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08You will behave when at this school!
0:00:08 > 0:00:10I once got such a good school report,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12my mum and dad bought me a tent.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16I'm kind of out there, but not so much that I'll get in trouble.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19We'll find out what big school was like for them.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23If you talked, if you did anything wrong, your paper would be gone.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27We'd have, like, a pie sandwich in an entire loaf of bread.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30And what did they wear to the school disco?
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Have we got any masking tape?
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Want to know more? Well...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Have you wondered what it would have been like to be at school
0:00:38 > 0:00:42with your favourite celeb when they were your age?
0:00:42 > 0:00:44What songs got them dancing at the school disco?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47And what were their favourite classroom dramas?
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Because, despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55once, they were a kid at school just like you.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59This show finds out what school days were like for your favourite celebs,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and asks them to become 12 Again.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08From presenters, to comedians...
0:01:08 > 0:01:09Hello, Apollo!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11..to pop and rock royalty
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and the stars of must-see mega school drama, Waterloo Road.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I snore a bit, but you already know.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21They've all sat in a classroom and longed for the bell to ring.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23To be fair, this show can't start without us.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26So let's find out what your favourite stars remember
0:01:26 > 0:01:28about their school days.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37When I was 12 at school, I was rather cheeky, quite talkative, a bit nosey.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42When I was 12, I hate to say it, but I was really, really boring.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46I was quite a cheeky chappy! Old beyond my years.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I am pretty sure that I was quite annoying at school.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53I always asked questions. My friends used to hate it.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56"Stop asking questions. We'll get out early!"
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Well, Helen, I've got a few questions too.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03First off, what was school like for comedian Shappi?
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I wasn't one of the cool kids. We didn't have hair straighteners then.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10My hair was this massive frizz. I got called mop head.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And I was fat. I got called The Incredible Bulk.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Not great, then! And how was it for rock star Guy Garvey?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I didn't have the best time at school.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23I wasn't cool and also, my ears stuck out. I had really big ears.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25That was something people picked on.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Some people couldn't get enough of school.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33I was quite good, I think. I managed to achieve the post of head boy.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I've got my head boy badge there.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37He still wears it today!
0:02:37 > 0:02:38I used to love school.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I used to be there until half five every day.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44But you had plasma TVs in your school,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47so of course you're going to love your school.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50One good thing about going to secondary school,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53there's more people and you're likely to find people like you.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55And I did.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00My worst subject without a doubt was French.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I can't speak English properly, never mind French!
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Je suis pantalons. I am trousers! - Exactly! Good.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09I hated IT because the teacher was so scary.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12And if you ever pressed one button wrong, an alarm went off.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16It was so embarrassing because the class knew you'd done it wrong.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18One thing we had was woodwork.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I decided to make a pair of stilts.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21I was only two feet 11.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25I was probably thinking they'd be handy.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27But as far as woodworking goes,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29there's not really much skill involved.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34It's a stick with a bit of wood bolted to the side. That's it!
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I spent a whole term doing that!
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I remember I used to love English and Japanese.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43What? Japanese!
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Japanese!
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Plasmas at school. Japanese lessons!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Can we all please just calm down! OK.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Sometimes it is the simple things that give the greatest pleasure.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Ah, happy days!
0:03:56 > 0:04:01I remember being 12, getting a new exercise book and covering it.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04You got some wallpaper from home
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and the pleasure of getting a new exercise book was just immense.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11One of the best things about being 12 and moving to secondary school
0:04:11 > 0:04:14is being able to buy a whole new stationery set.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Oh, my gosh!
0:04:16 > 0:04:18All the new stationery, your new pencil cases.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23I got this 101 Dalmatians one. It was a proper sick pencil case.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It had a bit for your rubber, a bit for your sharpener. Amazing!
0:04:26 > 0:04:28I'd love that pencil case now.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32I used to throw my rubbers. A little game. Don't do this.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33No, don't do this.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36We used to saw off bits of rubber with rulers
0:04:36 > 0:04:38and then throw them at each other.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43- It was a good game.- No!- Mr Tomes didn't like it.- No, I bet he didn't.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Mr Tomes wasn't impressed!
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But what did the teachers think of our other celebs
0:04:48 > 0:04:51when it came to report time?
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Every school report I ever got said the same thing,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57"Does not work to her full potential."
0:04:57 > 0:05:00"Really excellent work," it says,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04"often spoiled by silly, immature behaviour. Guilty?"
0:05:04 > 0:05:05Guilty.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09And did Olympic athlete Iwan show any early promise?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11"A quite outstanding athlete.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14"I am confident he will represent Lincolnshire
0:05:14 > 0:05:18"at the England School Championships. Good luck! Well done!
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I once got such a good school report,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23my mum and dad bought me a tent. Which was nice.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26"Rebecca is always enthusiastic and works hard. However,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30"she does tend to chat a little too much in class". OK.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Exam results were rather disappointing.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Yeah, always in trouble for talking. I think it's still the same now.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Whether they were class clown or star pupil,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43one thing they all had in common was school uniform.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45I did like having a uniform.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I liked it because it because it meant you could
0:05:47 > 0:05:50throw your clothes on straight away and go out.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54We had a nice purple uniform which obviously, we hated.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59But looking back on it, it was quite nice, really. A nice shade of lilac.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The school uniform consisted of black trousers, white shirt.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I'd usually wear a vest underneath.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08That's cool, isn't it? Wearing a vest.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11We had a tie that was red and black stripes.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I'd pull threads out of the red bit to make tramlines across it
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and try and personalise it a bit more.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20You could only take out so many tramlines before you had to admit
0:06:20 > 0:06:23you'd done it yourself and you were ordered to get a new tie.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- It wasn't cool to have a long tie. No, no, no.- Oh, yeah!
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- You had to have the shortest tie possible.- Which is really not cool.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33In the end, everybody's ties started to look like Dickie bows
0:06:33 > 0:06:37because it was getting smaller and smaller and smaller.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I used to have it about there supposedly saying,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44"I'm kind of out there, but not so much that I'll get in trouble".
0:06:44 > 0:06:46My mum would never let me have cool shoes.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Some girls would have little ballet pumps with bows.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52No, I had thick heels with plain black lace-ups and I had really
0:06:52 > 0:06:57small feet so they'd just look like little bars of soap, plodding along.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58I looked ridiculous.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- Did you ever wear trainers? - At school?
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Yeah, trainers with school trousers always looked so cool.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I always felt cool and you could do it if you had a foot problem.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- What?- So long as you had a note.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15"I've got six toes, so I need to wear these trainers".
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Nixon! Rhodes! Concentrate!
0:07:21 > 0:07:23That's right, it's exam time.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Good luck!
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Exams were one of the worst things about school for me.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I always used to put a lot of pressure on myself, which sometimes
0:07:32 > 0:07:37worked me up too much and I became really worried and panicked.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39School exams were a tough time for me.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40I was very hyperactive.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I didn't like to sit in one place for too long.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I'd be the kid looking out the window thinking "What time's break?"
0:07:47 > 0:07:49The worst thing is, everyone turns the paper over
0:07:49 > 0:07:51and you're all reading it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Everyone around you seems to go, "Oh, yeah."
0:07:54 > 0:07:56They write ten to the dozen for minutes.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59What? I've not even read it yet!
0:07:59 > 0:08:00How are you doing that?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03What I did love in exams, you'd get stressed out
0:08:03 > 0:08:05because you had homework and revision to do.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09You'd be so stressed, come the exam day and it's a multiple choice one,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13I can't tell you the pressure that got lifted off my shoulders.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Oh! That's good, though!
0:08:14 > 0:08:16I knew there was a chance I might get it right
0:08:16 > 0:08:18without having to use my brain.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I hated the fact that everybody used to pretend they hadn't revised
0:08:21 > 0:08:23when they had.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25"I've not done any revision". Of course you have!
0:08:25 > 0:08:27We all have. Nobody wants to get bottom marks.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32I'm quite self-critical, which was silly, because I did well at exams.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Most of the time if I got 97% or 98%
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'd be like, "That's not good enough!"
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Wow! And if you hadn't revised like clever clogs, Kirsty,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44would you ever be tempted to cheat?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47You can definitely spot a cheater in an exam.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Maybe drop a pen a bit further than they should.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51And then it's...
0:08:51 > 0:08:54"Ah! Got my pen!
0:08:54 > 0:08:56"I'll write that down!"
0:08:56 > 0:08:59You'd see the odd person giving a sly look in the exam room itself.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02But you'd just...in case you got incriminated.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03That was the fear.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09If you talked, if you did anything wrong, your paper would be gone.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13You'd see people with writing all down the insides of their hands.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14They'd walk in like that.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I didn't ever dare.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I was so nervous I'd get caught and I'd be mortified
0:09:20 > 0:09:23so I never once cheated, but people did.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27And yes, she's talking about you, Newsround's Ricky Boleto.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28I did cheat.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I remember we could take our French dictionary in
0:09:30 > 0:09:36and I wrote a few things in my dictionary, which is really naughty.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And I should never have done that and I still only got a C!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42So I must have been really bad at French.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44But I do not endorse cheating. Don't do it!
0:09:44 > 0:09:49- I was looking at somebody's work in a test.- Ooh!- I didn't...
0:09:49 > 0:09:50That's naughty!
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Hey, I don't think it's a good idea to do,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55but algebra is hard, man!
0:09:55 > 0:09:59I'd have built a forcefield around my work with my textbooks.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Would you? I wouldn't have copied your work, mate. To be fair!
0:10:08 > 0:10:12From copycats to cool cats, with exams behind them
0:10:12 > 0:10:15you could let your hair down, put on your dancing shoes,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17and bust out some killer moves.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19It's the school disco!
0:10:19 > 0:10:22# Disco inferno... #
0:10:22 > 0:10:23I liked school discos.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25It was great fun.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30We had a table that had crisps and juice and tuck shop and stuff.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33One lot of kids up this side of the room, the girls,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and then the boys down that side of the room.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39You'd have the geography or French teacher being DJ
0:10:39 > 0:10:41pretending he was cool.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Mine was PSE teacher, Mr Hunt.- Oh, no!
0:10:44 > 0:10:48That was the time you got to wear whatever you liked.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51You would try and go a bit more outrageous than maybe you
0:10:51 > 0:10:54would at school. Make up and things like that.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I used to love pink glitter all about us.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00You want to wear your best outfit,
0:11:00 > 0:11:05your best pair of jeans that makes you look a bit down with it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Do I wear the white trousers?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11That was very in in the '80s. White trousers and white jacket, oh!
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Unbelievably, it was!
0:11:13 > 0:11:16As demonstrated by pop megastar Michael Jackson.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20But one part of Jacko's image didn't work quite so well for Sam.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Michael Jackson, for some unknown reason,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27used to wear white tape around his fingers.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29# As you came to the window
0:11:29 > 0:11:31# Was the sound of a crescendo... #
0:11:31 > 0:11:34So, it was the night of the disco, I'd got home from school.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39I said "Mum, I'm going to the disco. Have we got any masking tape?"
0:11:39 > 0:11:45And I wrapped my fingers with masking tape and went to the disco.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46Why did I do this?
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Don't ask us, Sam, some things are just beyond explanation.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I was waiting all night for a Michael Jackson song to come on.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Did it come on? No.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57- Brilliant!- Not at all.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58# A smooth criminal. #
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I think it's for the best, Sam. For the best.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Waste of time.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05If Michael Jackson wasn't on the playlist,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08what were the other top tunes our celebs were dancing to?
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Cha Cha Slide was quite a big one at the time when I was at school.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14# This is something new # The Casper Slide part II
0:12:14 > 0:12:18# And this time, we're going to get funky
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Dum dum-dum!
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Originally popular in fitness classes,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26this number one from 2004 was released in 1996
0:12:26 > 0:12:31and took eight years to cha-cha slide to the top of the charts.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35You'd get in rows and stuff.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Slide to the left!
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Slide to the right!
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I remember other routines as well, like the Macarena.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44#... alegria macarena.. #
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Recorded by two ageing Spanish blokes who called themselves
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Los Del Rio,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54this unlikely pair topped the charts the world over
0:12:54 > 0:12:59with the irritatingly catchy Macarena.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01# Hey, Macarena! #
0:13:01 > 0:13:04I loved the Macarena. I can remember it to this day.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Even now, I take it quite seriously.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Right! Head, hips, wiggle, jump.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14No, you're off. You missed it. Get back in line and do it properly.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Sorry, Helen!
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I was a pain in the neck, wasn't I?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20But we took it seriously. The girls had to do it right.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22The boys never joined in.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I did. What about you, Ricky?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27I was very good at the Macarena, yes.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Me too, brother. Me too.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Duh-na-na-na. Macarena.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32No-one knows the lyrics to it. They just do,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35da da-da da da-da da, Macarena! Hey, macarena!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38It's all about the moves, mate! The moves.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43But there was one party song whose lyrics were easier to understand.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46You just needed to follow the simple instructions.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50There was one song I remember. I think it was called Superman.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Amazingly, Superman, by mullet-haired pop duo, Black Lace,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57only ever reached number nine in the charts,
0:13:57 > 0:13:58and yet it's been filling
0:13:58 > 0:14:03school disco dance floors for nigh on three decades.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07It was fun because you didn't have to be good at dancing to get involved.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10Yeah, that was it.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11# Hitch a ride. #
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Nobody hitches rides.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17# Sneeze. Achoo. Achoo! #
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Go for a walk.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Da da da da-la-la-la.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21# Spray! #
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Maybe I'm using a roll-on? He didn't think about that!
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Roll-on! It doesn't work as well, does it?
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It wasn't a dance or a song, it was a list of instructions.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36OK, so you've combed your hair and applied some much-needed deodorant.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Are you ready for the grand finale?
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Everybody would stand on a chair and go, Superman!
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It's the one dance that the boys can do.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Not strictly true, Helen, and as the school disco drew to a close,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54there was always that last slushy tune that got the boys
0:14:54 > 0:14:57shuffling awkwardly towards the girls.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58The slow dance.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01# Close your eyes, but don't forget... #
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It would either be the best time or the worst time
0:15:04 > 0:15:06because that's the moment you think,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09"Am I going to have a dance at the end of the night?"
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I was always the last girl picked because I had very frizzy hair.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I would sit there with, like,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18balloons stuck to my head with static. The other boy left
0:15:18 > 0:15:21would be the kid who'd turned up in his school uniform
0:15:21 > 0:15:24because his mum thought it was the smartest thing.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26You'd dance like this, wouldn't you?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29As far away from the person as humanly possible
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and you would just sway from side to side.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Chris De Burgh's smash hit smoocher, The Lady in Red,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37topped the UK charts in 1986,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and it's been a slow dance favourite ever since.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44# Never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight... #
0:15:44 > 0:15:45Bit weird, this!
0:15:45 > 0:15:48# I'd never seen you shine so bright
0:15:48 > 0:15:51# You were amazing! #
0:15:51 > 0:15:56You know the two people who had the awkward dance in the middle? Yeah.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57- Like this.- Yeah.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01And because I was short, my hand was right on their bum
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and my head was on their chest.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06I was the female in the relationship.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Aw! Bless!
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Still to come, we'll find out what classroom dramas
0:16:12 > 0:16:14our star pupils enjoyed.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Grange Hill was naughty television, wasn't it?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- What am I supposed to be looking for?- Exam paper, dummy!
0:16:20 > 0:16:23The Demon Headmaster was terrifying.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Look at me!
0:16:25 > 0:16:29They were wild. And you wanted to be part of their gang.
0:16:29 > 0:16:35But first, our celebs remember when schools hit the headlines.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Tomorrow, MPs will decide if corporal punishment should be
0:16:38 > 0:16:40retained in any of our state schools.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46The year I was 12, 1986, corporal punishment was banned in the UK.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It seems hard to believe now, but back in the '80s,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52corporal punishment meant that teachers were allowed
0:16:52 > 0:16:55to hit naughty pupils using slippers,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59canes or even belts. Ouch!
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I remember the headmaster, he was a big bulldog of a man,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05whacking a leather belt on, like, a lectern at the front,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09"You will behave when at this school" and all this
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and terrifying all these kids.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15That's no good, nobody wants to be scared at school.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17So in the '80s, the government decided that teachers
0:17:17 > 0:17:21in state schools should no longer strike pupils.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25If there was the thought of getting whacked around the hand or leg,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28you couldn't concentrate if you want to be creative.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I think we're better off without it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34So with the cane now back in the drawer for good...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Can I have a word with that young lady...
0:17:36 > 0:17:38..how were our naughty celebs punished
0:17:38 > 0:17:40when they stepped out of line?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43When we got in trouble, we used to get detentions and do litter picking.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47We went to a big field next to the school playgrounds at break
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and lunch and we just used to pick up rubbish.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51The teacher would stand and watch.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53"There's a bit there and there".
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Everyone's having fun and you're just...
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Picking up litter. Dog do-do. Who let their dog in the school?
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It was embarrassing. The worst punishment.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Picking up rubbish was all well and good for minor misdemeanours,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13but in 2000, the government was worried about a bigger problem,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and truancy hit the news.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18On any one day across the country,
0:18:18 > 0:18:2250,000 pupils who ought to be in school are playing truant.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25What's more, in most cases, their parents know about it
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and have given permission.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I remember when I was about 12,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33because truancy was such a big thing, it wasn't just the kids
0:18:33 > 0:18:35getting into trouble for bunking off.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39It was more the parents getting into trouble as well.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42We have a number of parents here who, unless there's pressure
0:18:42 > 0:18:44put on them, they won't get children to school.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48If we have a policy with some teeth behind it, we know it will work.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50The government decided that bunking off
0:18:50 > 0:18:53didn't just break the school rules, it was also against the law.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Excuse me, gentlemen.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57And one mother was sent to jail
0:18:57 > 0:19:00because her two teenage daughters skipped school.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03As soon as that story came out about that lady,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06because it was national news, people started to be a bit scared.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09My school, after that story, really knuckled down with truancy.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12These tough new rules weren't supported by everybody,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16but at the time, they did seem to have an impact.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19This morning, teacher unions said truancy rates are now falling
0:19:19 > 0:19:22as a direct result of the threat of prison to parents.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24I could never skive.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28I remember I got a certificate in front of the whole school assembly
0:19:28 > 0:19:29for 100% attendance.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32You could tell as I'm walking out to the front,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34everyone's just going...(SNIGGERS)
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Every day!
0:19:36 > 0:19:39The thing is, though, we've obviously found each other.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- I got 100% attendance as well. - Did you?- Yeah.- Nice.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44That shows you. Stay in school, guys.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Wise words, fellas.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51And it wasn't just punishment and truancy issues making the news,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55in 2005, it was the turn of dodgy school dinners to go on trial.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57This is Newsround.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has said school dinners are horrible
0:20:01 > 0:20:04so he's calling on the government to spend more money on them.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I remember Jamie Oliver doing his school dinners.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09There was a lot of fuss in the papers.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13A man who's made his millions from cooking and supermarket adverts
0:20:13 > 0:20:17says meals served up at schools are rubbish and need improving.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Before Jamie Oliver launched his campaign
0:20:20 > 0:20:23school dinners weren't as healthy as he would have liked.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Tell me your favourite school dinner.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Pizza, chips and beans.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Pizza and chips. Probably.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And it wasn't just these kids who loved their stodgy food.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Turkey burger, chips and beans. Yes, please. And a pudding.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- No greenery?- No. I had no greens for my lunch.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45I loved my school dinners.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50My favourite dinner was cheese and onion tart with chips and beans.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Sometimes I would get a sausage roll, chips and beans.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- Oh, how nutritious!- Healthy.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Sometimes, when we got away with it, we used to go out of school
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and buy a pie sandwich in an entire loaf of bread.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Pie sandwich? Not for me, Melanie.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09We used to have these delicious things
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- called Turkey Twizzlers at school. - Yeah, delicious.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17They were so yummy and then Jamie did his campaign and they did
0:21:17 > 0:21:21a whole episode on how bad they were and how there was no turkey in them.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Then our school stopped serving them.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Yeah, I'm all right, thanks, Tiger.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29And he wasn't the only one upset by the new healthier options.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Some parents and children rebelled against healthy menus.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36In Rotherham, a handful of mums tried to smuggle in fast food.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I could see what all the fuss was about, but then again,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43he only cares, Jamie. He cares.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Now let's find out what school TV shows our celebrities were watching
0:21:48 > 0:21:50when they were 12.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Grange Hill was naughty television, wasn't it?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Grange Hill was a gritty CBBC drama about a comprehensive school
0:21:58 > 0:22:01in London that ran for an incredible 30 years.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I wasn't really allowed to watch it officially.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08So when you put it on and heard that music and saw that sausage,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11you thought, "I hope Mum doesn't come in now
0:22:11 > 0:22:13"because she might say turn it off."
0:22:13 > 0:22:15My mum and dad banned me from watching it
0:22:15 > 0:22:17because it was full of naughty people.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And one of the naughtiest kids at Grange Hill...
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Do my shoelace up while you're down there.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26..Was cheeky young scamp Pogo Patterson.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29He was a bit of a wheeler-dealer.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32He's got lots of schemes going on. There was always something like that
0:22:32 > 0:22:35at school as well. So you kind of related to the character.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Hapless Pogo was far more interested in his money-making schemes
0:22:39 > 0:22:41than his maths homework.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- What am I supposed to be looking for?- An exam paper, dummy!
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And it wasn't just exam scams.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Grange Hill was chock-a-block with kids behaving badly.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Pack it in, Doyle.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55I wasn't a massive Grange Hill fan.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57I used to find it too gritty.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00There was quite a lot of violence involved.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It was educational at the same time. We were being entertained.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08At the same time, we didn't realise we were being educated.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11That's why I've grown up so proper!
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Next up, some far from proper classroom capers
0:23:14 > 0:23:18from an iconic comedy first produced back in the '50s.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26St Trinian's was about what was supposed to be a very
0:23:26 > 0:23:29respectable private all-girls' boarding school.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Actually, they were like wild animals.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38These films blazed a trail for badly behaved school kids on screen,
0:23:38 > 0:23:44and one of the most popular was The Belles Of St Trinian's, made in 1954.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47When our girls leave here, it is the merciless world
0:23:47 > 0:23:49which has to be prepared.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Obviously, young Jo wasn't even born then, but no problem.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56These classic films have been endlessly repeated on telly
0:23:56 > 0:23:58for nigh on 50 years.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It was black and white, yet you still wanted to watch it.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Most things black and white were just old-fashioned
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and you weren't interested. And it was funny.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- You will be careful of that nitro-glycerine, won't you, pet? - Yes.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13They were all feisty girls. God forbid you should go near that school
0:24:13 > 0:24:19because you could get barricaded inside it and never be allowed out.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21SHOUTING
0:24:21 > 0:24:25They were wild and you wanted to be part of their gang.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- I think that gives you a fair picture of the school.- Quite!
0:24:30 > 0:24:32So whilst St Trinian's was all mayhem and mirth,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36our next school drama was a little more menacing.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40The Demon Headmaster was terrifying.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45The Demon Headmaster was a hugely popular BBC series from the '90s.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47It told the story of Dinah,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51a new girl at a school where the pupils weren't quite as they seemed.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55It's down to the Demon Headmaster, isn't it?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57He controls them all. Swirly eyes!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00He had these glasses and when he took the glasses off,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04you knew you were in trouble. He's going to get you with those eyes.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Funny that you should all be so tired.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08'His eyes! No!'
0:25:08 > 0:25:10You are very, very tired.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11'I won't look at them.'
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Even as a kid watching, you'd think,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15"I don't want to look at him in the eye".
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It was quite nerve-wracking TV.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Your left arm is completely numb.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24You can feel nothing.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'Oh, yes I can. I can. I can.'
0:25:28 > 0:25:31As I thought, pretending.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Look at me!
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Yikes! And he wasn't just mean for the sake of it,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37he had a sinister master plan.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41- I have a master plan.- See, told you.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43- He wanted to take over the world. - He's naughty.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Starting with a school, though. A bit weird, that.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49My scheme will be the only choice people have.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- You've got to start somewhere, I suppose.- Yeah.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53Don't you understand?
0:25:53 > 0:25:56He hypnotises people to get them to do what he wants.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59You were on the edge of your seat week to week,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01wondering what would happen and how it would end.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Good morning...
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Prime Minister.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It was scary stuff. Scary stuff, you know?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Silence, both of you.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15So, those were our star pupils' favourite TV treats,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17but if you've got exams on the horizon,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20what wise words can they offer?
0:26:20 > 0:26:24If I could give kids advice for exams now, I would just say,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28put the work in. That's what I did and look at me now!
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Playing dinner lady at Waterloo Road. Get in!
0:26:32 > 0:26:37You think that everyone else is so confident and that you're not.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40The simple fact is, everyone is scared,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and just trying to do the best they can.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Everyone is in the same situation.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48And what advice would they give their 12-year-old selves?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Looking back, I'd probably say to myself,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52"You need to calm down a bit.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54"Just enjoy it a bit more."
0:26:54 > 0:26:57If I could talk to myself when I was 12 I would just say,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01people who've got this colour hair, gingers, just be confident
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and because people make fun of you
0:27:04 > 0:27:05because you're different...
0:27:05 > 0:27:08who wants to be the same as everybody else?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12If I met my 12-year-old self now I think I'd just say, "Carry on.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15"Yes, you're a geek, but we'll love you in the end."
0:27:16 > 0:27:18My parents always used to say to me,
0:27:18 > 0:27:22"This is the best time of your life at school." And they were right.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23They were absolutely right.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27My advice would be, if you don't enjoy school,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29keep your head down, work hard,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33get out of there and it will all become one memory one day.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And just in case it is the best years of your life,
0:27:36 > 0:27:37really go for it!
0:27:37 > 0:27:39So, what have we learnt?
0:27:39 > 0:27:44Pogo Patterson couldn't even be bothered to tie his own laces.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Do my shoelace up while you're down there.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Never ever slow dance with Sam Nixon.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53# ..Never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight... #
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- A bit weird, this!- Creepy!
0:27:55 > 0:28:01Finally, don't take Macarena lessons from Newsround's Ricky Boleto.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Duh-na-na-na. Macarena. Eh, Macarena! Aye!
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd