GBH was a seven-part British television drama written by Alan Bleasdale shown in the summer of 1991 on Channel 4. The protagonists were Michael Murray, the Militant tendency-supporting Labour leader of a city council in the North of England and Jim Nelson, the headmaster of a school for disturbed children. The series was controversial partly because Murray appeared to be based on Derek Hatton, former Deputy Leader of Liverpool City Council — in an interview in the G.B.H. DVD Bleasdale recounts an accidental meeting with Hatton before the series, who indicates that he has caught wind of Bleasdale's intentions but does not mind as long as the actor playing him is "handsome". In normal parlance, the initials "GBH" refer to the criminal charge of grievous bodily harm - however, the actual intent of the letters is that it is supposed to stand for Great British Holiday.
Grimethorpe born Freddie Fletcher is an actor who is best known for his role as Jud Casper, the bullying brother in Ken Loach's classic 1969 film Kes. Prior to the film, Fletcher had no acting experience and was working as a painter and decorator but, after the film proved a success, Fletcher secured a number of TV roles, most notably as layabout Raymond Shepherd, one of Diana Dors's wayward sons in the popular comedy series Queenie's Castle. Roles in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, All Creatures Great and Small, Children's Ward and Heartbeat followed, along with four Play for Today's, Jack Rosenthal's Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. and the 1974 film Juggernaut. His last acting role was as Judd the barman in the 1996 movie When Saturday Comes. The film, about Sheffield United, starred Sean Bean who recommended him for the part. Fletcher still lives in Grimethorpe with his wife, Joy, who was Willowgarth School's non-teaching Head of Year.
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