Lee Macdonald’s life after Grange Hill from EastEnders to locksmith job
If you grew up in the 80s then Grange Hill was the TV show you just had to rush home in time to watch. It was the talk of school playgrounds. And if there was one character who defined the hugely popular show at the time it was Samuel ‘Zammo’ McGuire.
Lee MacDonald played the cheeky chap who was at the centre of a ground-breaking, and at the time hugely controversial, storyline for a children’s programme. Zammo became addicted to heroin and distressing scenes were shown of the teenage schoolboy slumped in the toilet, with a glazed, out-of-it look.
The storyline prompted a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and addiction, which Lee was the face of and he joined the rest of the cast in recording a charity single, “Just Say No”, which reached the top 10 in the UK charts.
READ MORE: The EastEnders, Only Fools and Horses and Grange Hill stars now living ordinary lives
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Zammo had arguably one of the most memorable plotlines in Grange Hill – a battle with heroin addiction. Actor Lee MacDonald was on the show for six years, and later made cameo appearances in the likes of Birds of a Feather, The Bill and a television version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has now worked for many years as a locksmith in Wallington, Sutton.
In 2018, The Mirror reported that the actor was experiencing a rough patch with his business. Mr MacDonald, who now works as a key cutter and locksmith, told Anna Foster on BBC Radio 5 Live: “I’m having an absolute nightmare. I’ve got two accounts, both business accounts, with TSB.”
He continued: “My business has literally stopped. I don’t know what money’s coming in, I don’t know what money’s going out. “It is unbelievable for a big company like that. I’m in absolute turmoil at the moment.”
He continued: “I’ve been ringing the online helpline and it goes to an engaged tone, so I can’t even speak to anybody at the other end of the phone… When you’re running a small business, every job counts and it’s just a nightmare.”
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