Characters / Tracy Beaker Returns

Main characters

Tracy

Tracy Beaker

Played by: Dani Harmer

Forced into working at the Dumping Ground to earn the money she stole from Cam to publish her life-story.

• Curtains Match the Window: She has curly brown hair and brown eyes.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Happily Adopted: When she was a child, she used to dream about this all the time, then Cam came along.
• The Napoleon: Tracy isn't that tall but she has a huge mouth to compensate.
• Parental Neglect: We see her real mother in Tracy's flashbacks leaving her on her own while she is sick to go out with her boyfriend, forgetting to pick her up from kindergarten and, of course, leaving her at the Dumping Ground.
• Parental Abandonment: Her mother left her at the orphanage when Tracy was five.
• Team Mom: She ends up becoming this to the children

Mike

Michael "Mike" Milligan

Played by: Connor Byrne

The Head Careworker at the Dumping Ground.

• Inter Generational Friendship: With Gus
• Married to the Job
• Nice Guy
• Old Retainer: To Tracy.
• Team Dad
• Papa Wolf
• Parental Substitute: Was and is this to Tracy from time to time. Also can count with his close fatherly relationship with Gus.
• Real Men Cook

Gina

Gina Conway

Played by: Kay Purcell

Pretty much Jenny with her and Mike's roles reversed. When she began to trust Tracy more (series 2 onward) she chilled out a bit, and became more like Duke (a friendly, humourous face who cooks).

• Apron Matron
• Reasonable Authority Figure

Liam

Liam O' Donovan

Played by: Richard Wisker

• The Artful Dodger: Liam is this trope. When Mike collects him from the police station and they run into Tracy they have this discussion:
  Mike: See, Liam, if you want to get on in life, maybe we could have a little less artful dodger and a bit more Tracy Beaker.
  Liam: I am like Tracy! We both got nicked!
  Mike: (after Tracy's explanation for being in the station) You published your own book with Cam's money?! Tracy, how could you?
  Tracy: [defensive] Cam's a writer! She'll understand! I'll pay her back when the book sells.
  Mike: [facepalms] Oh, Tracy...
  Liam: So Mike, I think I'd better stick with the artful dodger thing for now. What d'you reckon?
• The Cast Show Off: In his one-off appearance in The Dumping Ground, Richard Wisker shows off his guitar and singing ability.
• Deadpan Snarker: As show in the conversation with Mike quoted above.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Frank
• Moses in the Bulrushes: He was left at the steps of a hospital.
• Put on a Bus: In the fourth episode of series 3 as he goes to live with his brother.
  • The Bus Came Back: For the finale of series 2 of The Dumping Ground as well as an online miniseries tying into it. He reappeared again in the finale of series 6 for Mike's wedding.
• Team Dad: Despite the 'Bad Boy' image he creates, he cares for all the residents in the Dumping Ground, especially when things get tough.

Frank

Frank Matthews

Played by: Chris Slater

Liam's best friend whose Grandad became too ill to look after him.

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Liam. The two are shown to be best friends whether Liam is in Elm Tree House or not.
• Took a Level in Badass: Series 1: Liam's best friend with cerebral palsy. Series 2: Slightly broken after losing his grandad. Series 3: Loses his love and best friend, turning into an Anti-Hero determined to save his only chance at an emotional tie.
• Raised by Grandparents: He was bought up by his Grandad. He was taken into care when his Grandad's health meant that he could no longer look after him.

Gus

Gus Carmichael

Played by: Noah Marullo

• Inter Generational Friendship: With Mike.
• Brutal Honesty: Tends to be blunt and honest, even if it comes off as rude. Justified as he has Aspergers.
• Heroic BSoD: Has a sensory overload in the premiere of The Dumping Ground due to getting his head covered in henna, the loud music from Rick and Frank's feud, and everyone shouting and fighting. This causes him to reach his breaking point and pull the pin of a grenade. Luckily, the explosion was small and nobody got hurt. This also gets everyone to stop fighting and get along again.
• Literal-Minded: Due to having Aspergers, he has trouble understanding idioms and takes them literally.
• Limited Wardrobe: He is always wearing a black shirt and beige trousers and his wardrobe is literally filled with only this style of clothing, though this is justified due to his Aspergers syndrome.
• Obsessively Organized: He has a schedule and his room is organized in a particular way, which is also distressing when this is messed up or ruined.
• Obsessed Are the Listmakers: He makes a list of his routine and all the things he needs to do and gets upset and stressed if he is unable to do them and cross it off his list.
• Put on a Bus: In the first season of The Dumping Ground to live with a pair of lesbians.
• Schedule Fanatic: Due to his Asperger's Syndrome, he finds it very distressing when his routine is broken.

Lily

Lily Kettle

Played by: Jessie Williams

• Born Lucky: Subverted in a strange sense. Even though loads of unlucky things such as her mum dying and being separated from her sisters. She gets fostered by Cam, with no prompting and was initially fostered after only being in care for a few months. Reconciles with her dad and is allowed to live with him.
• Drop-In Character: After she moves in with her dad.
• Foreshadowing: When her and her sisters are leaving to get fostered, Lily doesn't allow Matt and Christy to hold their hands. Foreshadowing to the fact, Lily tries to take over looking after Poppy and Rosie.
• Promotion to Parent: Surrogate mum to her little sisters - had problems handing over control to a foster parent, but not to her dad. It eventually ruins her chance of being happily fostered with the Perrys.
• Put on a Bus: To live down south with her dad and Shannay.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Is shown to be more likely to be nasty and unlikeable after falling off the roof.

Carmen

Carmen Howle

Played by: Amy-Leigh Hickman

• Break the Cutie: After her stuff gets nicked at Burnywood
• Broken Bird: Series 1: Happy girl in pink. Series 2: Slightly less happy...
• Cannot Keep a Secret: Carmen's big mouth is well known in the DG and something that is lampshaded by other characters.
• Character Development: She goes from being a very girly Cheerful Child to being a more Jerk with a Heart of Gold girl by Series 3.
• Cheerful Child: Only in season one of Tracy Beaker Returns
• Expy: Very much like Louise. Often split between two friends (Lily and Elektra/Tee) and also goes through some big Character Development. Ironically, hers and Carmen's personalities switch as they get older.
  • The pink is a dead giveaway.
• The Fashionista: Her passion? Fashion.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Her and Lily. Later, her and Tee.
• Honorary Aunt: To Lily's sisters, Poppy and Rosie.
• It's All About Me
• Jerkass
• Mood-Swinger: From about TBR series 3, she can either be really nice and understanding or a total bitch.
• Never My Fault
• Parental Neglect: Her reason for being in care, her mum cares for her just put herself first too often.
• Pink Means Feminine
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Her time in Burnywood changed her from a Cheerful Child to a meaner girl.
• Vanity Is Feminine: She is very vain and loves her outfits and makeup. Not surprisingly, she's very girly.

Johnny

Johnny Taylor

Played by: Joe Maw

Tee's older brother with dominance and anger issues.

• Abusive Parents: Much more affected by their abusive almost-stepdad than Tee.
• Big Brother Instinct: As much as he orders his sister around, if necessary, he'll do anything for her.
• Control Freak: To his sister, Tee originally. He later backs off and lets her do what she wants.
• The Cynic
• Don't Split Us Up: Subverted. Usually, he and Tee both want to be fostered together, but he once wanted Tee to be fostered alone when he finds out the parents only wanted her and not him.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: This served as his motivation for causing havoc during a power cut in "Shadows", particularly as Tyler had gotten more attention for humiliating him earlier in the episode.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: He has known to have anger problems, although he learns to control it better as he grows older.
• Jerkass
• Villainous Friendship: Whenever he teams up with Elektra.

Tee

Tee Taylor

Played by: Mia McKenna-Bruce

Johnny's sister

• Break the Cutie: When she was responsible for ruining the DG's holiday and everyone started going against her.
• Don't Split Us Up: She hates being separated from Johnny.
• The Heart: The most empathetic member of the DG. Goes gooey over animals and is supportive and friendly to everybody.

Harry

Harry Jones

Played by: Philip Graham Scott

• The Cutie
• Iconic Item: His stuffed animal Jeff the giraffe.
• The Quiet One: He doesn't speak much - possibly rooted in psychological issues - or just not trusting the actor with many lines.
• Tagalong Kid: Throughout Tracy Beaker Returns, he was the youngest member of the DG.

Toby

Toby Coleman

Played by: John Bell

A comics nerd of Scottish descent whose parents died in a car crash.

• Born Unlucky: Where his nickname comes from.
• Improperly Paranoid: He becomes convinced that Mike has ebola when he falls ill in "Anarchy in the DG", resulting in him calling an emergency team.
  • He later becomes convinced his new social worker Seth is part of a gang after some stolen money the kids found.
• In-Series Nickname: Bad-Luck Boy.
• It's All My Fault: He blames himself for his parents' deaths as he had argued with them shortly before they died.
• Nice Guy
• Put on a Bus: In-between seasons 2 and 3, so we never see his departure. He does get a throwaway line to his whereabouts (he got fostered).

Sapphire

Sapphire Fox

Played by: Saffron Coomber

Rocker's daughter who is unwanted by him.

• Cool Big Sis: Towards Harry.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Drop-In Character: After she moves out of the Dumping Ground when she's 16. After her flat gets flooded, she returns back to the Dumping Ground whilst it gets fixed.
• Mama Bear: She is very protective of Harry, to the point where she picked a fight with Elektra when she cut off one of Jeff’s legs.
• Parental Substitute: She falls somewhere between being like a Mum and being like a big sister to Harry.

Elektra

Mandy "Elektra" Perkins

Played by: Jessica Revell

Former gang member.

• Berserk Button: Just don't touch her hair. Also, don't be homophobic.
• Deadpan Snarker
• Faux Affably Evil: Whilst not evil, she is a bitch but can be very polite if she wants to convince someone.
• Hidden Depths: Elektra's parents reveal that she used to be a vegetarian and fought for 'meat is murder'
  • In the background of her room, you can see a pride flag.
  • Word of God states that she is a lesbian and part of her story in the web series After The DG is about her getting together with a girl. It was just never explored during the show due to Jessica's departure from the series plus CBBC having stricter guidelines at the time.
• Jerkass
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Deep down, she does care about the other kids and The Dumping Ground shows more of a softer side to her.
• Manipulative Bitch: Elektra is the biggest one in the series.
• Schemer

Tyler

Tyler Lewis

Played by: Miles Butler-Hughton

Prankster from Burnywood.

• Disappeared Dad: Tyler's dad left his mum before he was even born.
• Embarrassing Damp Sheets: When he first arrived, Tyler kept wetting the bed as a result of a dream he would have involving an incoming flood. Harry helped him overcome this in "Reward".
• The Prankster: His defining trait.
• Villain Ball: He's originally introduced as the boy who stole Carmen's stuff and hit her when she went to Burnywood. However, in the rest of his appearances, he doesn't appear the type to maliciously steal someone's stuff.
• Zany Scheme: Usually does this in the side plots.

Rick

Rick Barber

Played by: Daniel Pearson

From Burnywood.

• Big Brother Instinct: Acts a big brother to Tyler and always looks out for him. He was also seen to be protective of Kitty.
• Comically Missing the Point: in the episode "The Invitation" it is revealed that Rick is against the Queen because his parents are in prison in 'Her Majesty's Pleasure' and doesn't realise that it's only in name.
• Nice Guy: One of the more decent members of the DG
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Is this for Liam, replacing him as a regular and moving into his room. Just like Liam, Rick knows all about scams and con artists, plays guitar and has a passion for music (something Liam later goes on to focus on). His role in episodes such as "Justine Littlewood Returns" seem to have originally been written for Liam, as Rick is the only kid to take Tracy's side, despite barely knowing her at this point, and he deduces that Justine's fiance is a fraudster in a similar scenario to Liam's in "Out of Control".

Jody

Jody Jackson

Played by: Kia Pegg

• Dark and Troubled Past: She was neglected and abused by her family, especially her mother and Kingsley.
• Deadpan Snarker
  • Little Miss Snarker
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Her temper can cause her to get very angry and she snaps when provoked.
• Hates Baths: Only in her introductory episode due to past abuse.
• Mouthy Kid
• Parental Abandonment: She is abandoned by her mother and her brothers in her first appearance.
• Sore Loser: She gets too mad when a game doesn't go in her favour.
• Tomboy: Likes listening to rock music and watching football.
• Trademark Favourite Food: Chocolate biscuits
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Tyler.

Notable other characters and pets

Introduced Tracy Beaker Returns Season 1

Cam Lawson

Played by: Lisa Coleman

• Good Parents: To Tracy.

Rosie and Poppy Kettle

Played by: Katie Anderson (Poppy), Claudia Colling (Rosie S1) and Millie Redfearn (Rosie S2&3)

Lily's younger sisters.

• Happily Adopted: Poppy and Rosie see the Perrys as their parents.
• Satellite Character: Their backstory revolves around Lily, and every drama about them results in Lily's development.
• Those Two Girls: They are always seen together.

Matt and Christie Perry

Played by: Chris Robson and Vicki Perry

Poppy and Rosie's foster parents

• Jerkass Has a Point: Not trusting Tracy to take Poppy and Rosie out takes a new meaning when you remember what Tracy did in Season 1 and she's not wrong in feeling that way.
• My Beloved Smother: How Lily feels Christie is toward Poppy and Rosie.
• Parental Substitute: To Poppy and Rosie.
• Villain Ball: Christie in her appearance in TBR Season 3, she didn't want Poppy and Rosie to see Steve. Also, she is more argumentative.

Rob

Played by: Neil Armstrong

Lily's and later Jody's social worker

• Anti-Villain: Tracy and Lily don't seem to like Rob for splitting her and her sisters up, but he is just doing his job.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Rob may not be the nicest, but he's right about the stunt that Tracy pulled after she had been told it was too soon.
• Reasonable Authority Figure

Introduced Tracy Beaker Returns Season 2

Ade and Dayo

Played by: Timi Lamikanra (Ade) and Mohammed Mansaray (Dayo)

• War Refugees: In emergency care after fleeing a war.

Steve Kettle

Played by: Ben Cartwright

Lily, Poppy and Rosie's father

• The Alcoholic: Formerly.
• Bumbling Dad: Lily knows more about how to deal with house and home than he does.
• Drowning My Sorrows: How he dealt with his wife's death, leading to his daughters ending up in care.

Introduced Tracy Beaker Returns Season 3

Lizanne

Played by: Lauren Mote

From Burnywood. Started the fire.

• Bad "Bad Acting": Her supposed "Panic attack".
• Gold Digger: Is attracted to the boys who have money.
• Manipulative Bitch: Second only to Elektra.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Not as much as other characters, but she does put Johnny's money back before she leaves.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She was responsible for the fire at Burnywood after accidentally leaving her hair straighteners on overnight.

Kitty

Played by: Eleni Foskett

From Burnywood.

• Ambiguous Disorder: Something is wrong with her, none of the characters are really sure what is. The show never gives an explanation for this either.
• Does Not Like Being Touched: She pushes Tracy down the stairs when she tries to lead her outside.
• Put on a Bus: To a care home where they can handle her needs properly in between episodes 2 and 3 of the third season of Tracy Beaker Returns.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Leaves after the first two episodes of Series 3 without the audience getting to know her more.

Denis Stockle

Played by: James Gahadas

The head careworker from Burnywood. Arrives and briefly takes over Elm Tree House in the Series 3 opener.

• Jerkass

Jack O'Donovan

Played by: Calum Callaghan (2012) and Chris Finch (2014)

• Big Brother Instinct
• Long-Lost Relative: He's Liam's brother who works as a police officer. He meets Liam while he is working undercover in a stall selling pirate DVDs (to bring down a film piracy ring).

Melissa Perkins

Played by: Angela Terence

• Extreme Doormat: To her mother.

Pets

Mr. Hamster

Lily's hamster. Handed over to Toby. Back to Tee after Toby left.

• Team Pet

Shadow (ACTRESS: Connie the dog)

Frank's Morality Pet and a new friend. Later is given to Lily when she can't stay in The Dumping Ground

• Berserk Button: Frank has just lost all his friends and relations. So he makes sure Shadow doesn't die.