''The Dumping Ground'' (also informally referred to as ''The DG'') is a British

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

series that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people who live in a children's home with their care workers in

care Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (relief agency), "Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere", an international aid and ...

. The series currently has 10 seasons and airs on

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...

. The series is a continuation of '' Tracy Beaker Returns'' and the first series, consisting of thirteen, thirty-minute episodes, was commissioned in early 2012. A second series, also with thirteen, thirty-minute episodes, was announced in May 2013. The third and fourth series, announced in 2015 and 2016 respectively, both had an increase in episodes: twenty, thirty-minute episodes. In 2018, it was confirmed that two further series, with 24 episodes in each series, would be made. ''The Dumping Ground'' broadcast its 100th episode on 16 March 2018, which was the tenth episode of series six. The tenth and current series began airing on 30 September 2022, as of Series 10, there are 192 episodes of The Dumping Ground. Series 10 will contain the show's 200th episode.

Plot

The series revolves around the life of children in a care home; typically each episode follows one or more characters' life and includes subplots featuring other characters. ''The Dumping Ground'' deals with issues related to the care system as well as social issues such as friendships, family, relationships,

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles Stress (biology), stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-maki ...

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

and LGBT parenting.

Production

The first series was produced in summer 2012 at the former La Sagesse convent school in the

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

area of

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

which had previously been used throughout Tracy Beaker Returns. The former father's house was used as the exterior of Elm Tree House, whilst the show's interior scenes were filmed in a grander building elsewhere on the same site. Property owners Barratt Homes decided to redevelop the school buildings into a luxury housing estate following the first series and production was forced to move to another area of Newcastle. The recognisable exterior of Elm Tree House has since been demolished though the building used for interior scenes partially remains intact. Between series two and four, interior scenes were filmed at the former

Hookergate School Hookergate School was a secondary school and sixth form located in High Spen in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, England. The school was formally merged with Ryton Comprehensive School in 2011, and was renamed Charles Thorp Comprehensi ...

in High Spen,

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...

, which had previously been used as the Bradlington High School in

series

Wolfblood ''Wolfblood'' is a fantasy teen drama television series targeted at a young audience. Created by Debbie Moon, it is a co-production between CBBC and ZDF/ZDFE. The television series revolves around the life of the species known as wolfbloods. Th ...

. A nearby children's

respite care __NOTOC__ Respite care is planned or emergency temporary care provided to caregivers of a child or adult. Respite programs provide planned short-term and time-limited breaks for families and other unpaid caregivers of children with a developmenta ...

home, Kites Rise, on Smaile's Lane in Rowlands Gill doubled as the exterior of new care home Ashdene Ridge. The move was addressed in the series opener of series two, in which residents and staff can be seen unpacking boxes. The nearby housing estates in Rowlands Gill doubled as the fictional surrounding Talbot Ward area of Pottiswood, where the show is set. The exact location of Pottiswood has never been explicitly said within the programme, though landmarks such as the

Tyne Bridge The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...

have been seen across the various series and characters have addressed the fact that they are in the

North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. In series ten, it is shown on a map to be north west of

Ponteland Ponteland ( ) is a large village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The name means "island in the Pont", after the River Pont which flows from west to east and joins the River Blyth further downstream, be ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. The garden exterior scenes were filmed against the back of a building at Hookergate School, and therefore did not accurately match the exterior of the front of Kites Rise. From series five, the filming of interior care home scenes and garden scenes were moved to the former Loansdean Fire Station in Morpeth,

following Gateshead Council's decision to redevelop the Hookergate School. Kites Rise's façade continued to double as Ashdene Ridge. Principal filming returned to the Hookergate School in series nine, and following a change of ownership at Kites Rise a replica of the building's frontage was constructed around an old caretaker's house on the school site. The replica is noticeably smaller than the real building and in wide shots the adjoining garage can be seen just to be a wooden façade. The original chimney of the caretaker's house can be seen above the Ashdene Ridge roof. This arrangement continued into series ten.

Episodes

Cast

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dumping Ground 2013 British television series debuts 2010s British children's television series 2010s British LGBT-related drama television series 2020s British children's television series 2020s British LGBT-related drama television series CBBC shows BBC children's television shows English-language television shows Lesbian-related television shows Television series by BBC Studios Television series about children Television series about orphans Television series about teenagers Television shows set in Newcastle upon Tyne Tracy Beaker series