Tracy Beaker is returning for a brand new series ๐Ÿ™Œ ๐Ÿ™Œ ๐Ÿ™Œ

Dani Harmer's reprising her role as the Dumping Ground legend

Tracy Beaker Dani Harmer

by William Marriott |
Updated on

It's been over 18 years since The Story of Tracy Beaker first landed onto our screens on CBBC, with the feisty teenager becoming an icon for children across the nation. Her no-nonsense attitude and heartwarming friendship with Ben helped the programme gain a legion of fans and defined many of our childhoods.

And now old, and new, audiences are set to be blessed with the magic of Tracy and her one-liners, as the show is set for a comeback next year. It has been confirmed Dani Harmer will be taking the lead once again. However, it hasn't been confirmed whether any of her old cast members will be joining her.

31-year-old Dani, who is now a mum to a four-year-old girl, will be starring in My Mum Tracy Beaker, which will depict Tracy as a single mum with a 12-year-old daughter called Jess. The series will be based on Jacqueline Wilsonโ€™s book of the same name.

Tracy Beaker
ยฉBBC

Speaking about her return to the iconic character, Dani said, "I canโ€™t wait to return again to the role of Tracy. Iโ€™m a fan myself and want to know what happens next and where this journey takes her. Being a mother, I know how much it changes you."

The 2012 Strictly Come Dancing contestant went on to say, "Iโ€™m looking forward to seeing how it has changed Tracy but still keeping her the same feisty, strong female lead that people know and love." Let's hope she says 'bog off' at least once!

CHECK OUT a definitive ranking of the most distressing Jacqueline Wilson books

Gallery

A definitive ranking of the most distressing Jacqueline Wilson books

15. Double Act (1995)1 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

15. Double Act (1995)

Looking back, the most upsetting aspect of Double Act was that parents named one of their twins after a shining precious stone, and another after a dull, less valuable, one. Though Double Act wasn't particularly sad, the fact that Ruby and Garnet got separated at the end was enough to bring a tear to our eye.

14. Girls In Love2 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

14. Girls In Love (1997)

Falling out with friends, discovering boys and obsessing needlessly over weight was an all too real introduction into teenage life. We'll forever have a place for Ellie, Nadine and Magda in our hearts.

13. Kiss (2007)3 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

13. Kiss (2007)

You may not have heard of this one unless you were a) born after 1997 or b) read Jacqueline Wilson books for far longer than it was socially acceptable (we're b lol).Kiss told the story of Sylvie and Carl, who are just starting separate high schools and have been best friends since they were babies. While Sylvie is still set on remaining as close with Carl in the new era of their lives, he drifts apart from her and settles with his new friends.

12. Love Lessons (2005)4 of 15
CREDIT: Doublday

12. Love Lessons (2005)

Now we come to think of it, Love Lessons was extremely problematic. (But it was also great). The book centres on a 14-year-old girl called Prudence, who is home-schooled because of her horrid father's distrust of mainstream education. But after he has a stroke, she's sent to the local public school. Here, she starts up a very worrying relationship with a pervy art teacher called Mr Raxberrry (or 'Rax'). To cut a long story short, they end up snogging in a car, she tells him he loves him, someone from the school overhears, and Prue gets packed off for another school while weirdo Rax LITERALLY GETS TO KEEP HIS JOB.

Best Friends (2004)5 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

11. Best Friends (2004)

Best Friends (probably) won't make you sob for hours into your teddy bear like many others on this list, but it's definitely a tear-jerker.It tells the story of best friends Gemma and Alice, who are cruelly ripped apart when Alice's family move to Scotland โ€“ and it's made upsetting by the fact Gemma stays far more invested in retaining the friendship than Alice.

10. The Suitcase Kid6 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

10. The Suitcase Kid (1992)

The story of Sadie's desperate yet futile attempts to get her separated parents back together would have been all too real to a child of divorce.

9. Bad Girls7 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

9. Bad Girls (1996)

As if it wasn't bad enough that poor old Mandy's mother lost her job and forced her to dress in childlike clothes which made her a target for bullying, the only friend she'd ever made (shoplifting rebel Tanya) got sent away from her foster parents (and Mandy) at the end.

8. Diamond Girls (2004)8 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

8. Diamond Girls (2004)

We still haven't got over the horror of the moment poor old Dixie Diamond went to change her baby sister's nappy, only to find that her mother had been lying and that the baby was in fact a boy. Very disturbing.

7. Lola Rose (2003)9 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

7. Lola Rose (2003)

After running away from her abusive dad Jay in the middle of the night with her mother and younger brother, Jayni adopts a new name โ€“ Lola Rose โ€“ to make it hard for him to track her down. While initially things go (sort of) well for the family and their new start, things get steadily darker after Jayni's mother gets breast cancer and Jay tracks them down.

6. The Story of Tracy Beaker (1991)10 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

6. The Story of Tracy Beaker (1991)

Tracy Beaker may be one of the most acclaimed and well-known Jacqueline Wilson book, but it is also very much one of the saddest. It tells the story of Tracy, who lives in a foster home and feels extremely lonely and unloved. These feelings are exacerbated by the fact she's missing her uninterested mother, who frequently doesn't turn up to visit her. On top of this, she's rejected by a couple who attempted to foster her.

5. Secrets (2002)11 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

5. Secrets (2002)

Secrets told the story of two girls, Treasure and India, who become friends despite coming from two very different โ€“ though equally difficult โ€“ backgrounds. Taking inspiration from her favourite book, the Diary of Anne Frank, India decides to hide Treasure in her attic to hide her from her abusive stepfather Terry. In the end, Treasure's grandmother Rita tracks her down and wins custody so as to protect her from Terry.

4. Vicky Angel12 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

4. Vicky Angel (2000)

We had no idea what Vicky Angel was about when we first read it, and still haven't got over the absolute shock we felt when Vicky was suddenly mowed down by a car and killed at the start. The book centres around the character Jade, who is 14 years old and is haunted by the ghost of best friend Vicky after her death.

3. Dustbin Baby (2001)13 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

3. Dustbin Baby (2001)

This book was intended to be for readers slightly older than Jacqueline Wilson's usual demographic, but we were rebels so read this at a very young age. This was a grave mistake. Dustbin Baby tells the story of April, who was abandoned in a dustbin as a newborn and has spent her life in various foster homes. On her 14th birthday, she goes on a journey of self-discovery about her past, with predictably depressing results.

2. The Bed and Breakfast Star (1994)14 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

2. The Bed and Breakfast Star (1994)

Homelessness? Check. Abusive stepfather? Check. A massive fire that almost kills your entire family and all your friends? Check. The Best and Breakfast star told the story of Elsa, who is forced to move into a bed and breakfast hotel after her family is made homeless. Despite her distressing situation and the fact her stepdad 'Mack the smack' often hits her, Elsa remains positive and frequently entertains everyone around with jokes. Which just makes this book that extra bit heart-breaking.

1. The Illustrated Mum (2003)15 of 15
CREDIT: Doubleday

1. The Illustrated Mum (2003)

Good god. Where do we start with this one?The Illustrated Mum told the story of Dolphin, Star, and their mum Marigold, who has manic depression and a drinking problem. The story culminated in Marigold having a mental breakdown and covering herself in toxic paint, being taken to hospital, Dolphin tracking down and being rejected by her father, and Star and Dolphin ending up in foster care. Very bleak indeed.

After the news was announced yesterday (2nd August), Dani took to Twitter to share a GIF of a girl grinning, hinting at her excitement, which stirred fan frenzy furthermore.

One fan replied to the tweet, "IM SO EXCITED", while another commented, "ARE U HYPE COS I SURE AM".

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A third said, "weโ€™ve already watched all of the story of tracy beaker and tracy beaker returns during lockdown and now are half way through the dumping ground i actually cannot wait for this" and a fourth added, "24 year old me is just as excited as a 7 year old me was! My childhood hero".

The Story of Tracy Beaker first aired on the BBC for three years, leaving our screens in 2005. The spin-off, Tracy Beaker Returns, was released five years later, running from 2010 to 2012. It saw Tracy return as a care worker, alongside her old care worker Mike.

Since finding fame on the children's programme, Dani has opened her own drama academy and appeared on various reality TV shows.

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