Tracy Beaker Returns

When author Tracy Beaker is arrested for using her adoptive mother Cam's credit card to publish her autobiography, she seeks refuge at Elmtree House, a care home nicknamed "The Dumping Ground" where she used to live as a child. She meets the children who are intrigued by her and her story. Wanting to pay Cam back, Tracy asks the head care worker, Mike (Connor Byrne), for a job. As Mike is short-staffed, he agrees to hire her as an assistant care worker since she knows so much about life in care. Tracy then uses her background as a former child in care to become fully involved in the children's lives.

The first series was produced in summer 2009, then provisionally known Beaker's Back. Set designers revamped buildings of the former La Sagesse convent school in the Jesmond area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne into the children's home, retaining the Elm Tree House name from series 5 of The Story of Tracy Beaker, despite the original series being filmed in Cardiff. The father's house was developed into the exterior of Elm Tree House, whilst the show's interior scenes were filmed in a grander building elsewhere on the same site. Classroom buildings and the Jesmond Towers were also used for scenes, as well as local landmarks such as the MetroCentre shopping centre. Production continued at La Sagesse through series two and three and into the first series of The Dumping Ground until property owners Barratt Homes decided to redevelop the school buildings into a luxury housing estate. The recognisable exterior of Elm Tree House was demolished in mid-2013 though the building used for interior scenes partially remains intact.

Episode ratings from BARB.^[2]

In March 2009, the BBC announced the new 13-part series under the working title Beaker's Back!.^[9] The series was filmed in the old La Sagesse School in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne in the summer of 2009, and directed by Neasa Hardiman, Craig Lines and Michael Davies.^[10]

In February 2010, it was announced that Tracy Beaker Returns would be renewed for a second series to air in 2011.^[11] Filming took place throughout summer and autumn of 2010 and premiered on 7 January 2011.

On 6 April 2010, it was announced that Classic Media's UK division (formerly known as Entertainment Rights) had picked up worldwide distribution rights to the series, with the exception of UK television rights which were retained by the BBC.^[12]

It was announced on 12 March 2011 that a third series has been commissioned to be filmed entirely in the North East.^[13] The third series later premiered on 6 January 2012.

A fourth series of Tracy Beaker Returns was supposed to be released in 2013 but due to Dani Harmer deciding not to return as Tracy, it was instead scrapped and reworked into The Dumping Ground, which was commissioned by CBBC in 2012, filmed over the summer of that year, and took the January 2013 release date, and began on 4 January.^[1]

All thirteen episodes of Series 1 were released as part of a two-case boxset titled "Complete Series 1 Collection", released by Universal Pictures UK and Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics) on 23 March 2011.^[14] Series 2–3 have not seen any DVD releases.

It won the Children's BAFTA award on 28 November 2010 for best drama. On the same night, Dani Harmer and Richard Wisker received nominations in the performer category.^[15] It also won a Royal Television Award in 2011, in the Children's Drama Category.