Former Alnwick school gets new lease of life in CBBC show Danny & Mick

The school, which closed in 2017, is the setting for the fictional Webbthorpe Leisure Centre in the new run of CBBC show Danny & Mick.

The slapstick show, starring real-life brothers Danny Adams and Mick Potts, sees the hapless pair turn simple jobs into calamity comedy chaos.

And a new batch of 10 episodes featuring the former school launches every weekday on CBBC from Monday, March 13 at 8.10am.

The pair, who rose to fame in Newcastle’s Theatre Royal Pantomime, alongside dad Clive Webb, began the TV series in 2019 incorporating all the fun and frivolity they bring to the panto.

Danny who plays the general dogsbody in the leisure centre, said: “This series we’ve gone bigger and better than ever. The BBC wanted bigger stunts and we delivered - from hanging out of windows to literally sawing a caravan in half!

“The success of this show is a culmination of everything that we have worked towards. I had confidence in it – we have such a good team behind us, and I knew the potential was there so getting to number one show on CBBC is a fantastic achievement for everyone.

“It hasn’t been plain-sailing, with series three and four filmed during lockdown with social distancing – there were a lot of challenges. But since we started, we have been plugging away and this is the icing on the cake.”

Danny, who lives in Newcastle with his wife Amy and two children, says being based in the North East is a huge part of the programme’s success story.

He added: “We started panto here at the Theatre Royal and have built a relationship with the North East over the last 18 years. The BBC knew this and wanted to film Danny & Mick up here because of our fan-base and to replicate that feel that we have when we perform live here.

“We were really keen to keep the work in the region; the locations, the actors and crew as much as we could. It is important to take the North East out of the region and put it on the map nationwide, as well as create work here. We have so many ideas to take this forward – this is just the beginning.”

The latest series sees the return of former Eastenders actor Nina Wadia who stars as long-suffering boss Joy.

The show, which has also previously filmed in Newbiggin, is produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, the producers of Mr Bean, for the BBC.

Producer Tom Beattie said: “It does so well in the North East, there is a huge audience up here and a real love for Danny and Mick.

“I think it will continue to grow and go on and on. Danny, Mick, Nina and not forgetting Rob, who plays Lance, are fantastic comedy actors and they love what they do – and this really comes across in every episode.”

Danny and Mick fans can also catch the accident-prone pair when they appear on Blue Peter on Friday, March 17 as part of Comic Relief.