BBC Pointless: George Christopher's life after Grange Hill and Brookside and partner of 20 years

Best known by his stage name George Christopher, George Wilson has appeared in some of the nations most well known soaps in the 80s.

The 51-year-old actor graced the country's television screens as he took on the role of Ziggy Greaves in BBC 's Grange Hill in 1986.

The actor quickly became a fan favourite when he was just 15 on the iconic drama, and after leaving the soap in 1989 he went onto star in Channel 4 's Brookside, as Little Jimmy Corkhill.

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George was encouraged to pursue acting as a career from his two school drama teachers, who clearly had a keen eye for talent with his success on the soaps.

Grange Hill was looking for a northern male character and George decided to attend the auditions in Manchester.

"It ended up being between me and a guy from Leeds," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"Producer Ron Smedley picked me but the next day I went to meet (Grange Hill and Brookside creator) Phil Redmond, as he would have the final say. When he chose me it was the best moment of my life."

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He has also appeared in other productions such as a play about the Hillsborough disaster, and in 2020 appeared in Sphere of Fear 2.

George has been with his partner, Mel for over 20 years and have one son together, Kirk, 21.

He said about Mel that 'we got engaged 10 years ago, and we WILL get married!'

He has also been very open about his mental health struggles as at the age of 40, he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

Before then he was experiencing a number of different episodes without realising what he was going through.

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Talking to the Liverpool Echo in 2019, he spoke about his trauma and near-tragedy while talking about his book, 'From Grange Hill To Bipolar and Back'.

He said: "In the early 1990s I took an overdose of pills but, luckily, my mum found me and I was taken to hospital to have my stomach pumped.

"I regret doing what I did that night because I would have missed out on so much.”

He also spoke about an instance in 1989 when he just started crying.

"I was crying a lot but didn’t understand why. Then, in 1989, lots of bad things happened. My nan passed away and I was at Hillsborough.

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"I watched it unfold and later had nightmares. But, for a long time, I didn’t talk to anyone about it. It’s only relatively recently that I have attended Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance meetings.”

He was officially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2011.

He now takes Lithium which helps to keep him 'balanced' and he hasn't been back in hospital since 2013.

George reiterated: "While bipolar can be one of the most frightening things in the world, it’s not the end of the world. I want to show people there is hope – that you can get better.”

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