\n A sequel to Tracy Beaker Returns, and the third instalment in the much-loved Tracy Beaker franchise, The Dumping Ground first aired in 2013 and remains one of CBBC\u2019s most successful and longest-running shows.\n<\/p>\n
\n The series focuses on the lives of children living in care, tackling themes such as friendship, family, mental health, identity, racism and LGBT parenting.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Dumping Ground (Image: CBBC)\n<\/p>\n
\n For over 12 years, the production has maintained a strong presence in the region.\n<\/p>\n
\n Its current base is the former Hexham Middle School Fellside Building in Northumberland, which has doubled as the fictional Porter’s Lodge home since series 11.\n<\/p>\n
\n Recent episodes, including series 13, have also featured recognisable landmarks such as Hexham Abbey, the town’s local bowling alley and Tyne Green park.\n<\/p>\n
\n Before the move to Hexham, the show filmed extensively in Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, between series two and ten. Hookergate School in High Spen was used for interior scenes, while a nearby children\u2019s respite care home, Kites Rise, served as the exterior of the fictional Ashdene Ridge.\n<\/p>\n
\n Residential streets in Rowlands Gill and Consett also appeared regularly, standing in for the show\u2019s fictional setting of Pottiswood.\n<\/p>\n
\n The earliest series of The Dumping Ground, as well as Tracy Beaker Returns, were filmed at the former La Sagesse convent school in Jesmond, Newcastle.\n<\/p>\n
\n However, plans by developers to convert the site into housing forced production to relocate, prompting the show\u2019s gradual move further into Northumberland.\n<\/p>\n
\n Other North East locations have included Consett and Morpeth, with interior scenes for later series filmed at the former Loansdean Fire Station before production returned briefly to Hookergate School.\n<\/p>\n
\n Filming for the show in Consett (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)\n<\/p>\n
\n A dramatic storyline at the end of series 10, which saw Ashdene Ridge destroyed by fire, neatly coincided with the real-world move to Hexham and the introduction of a new care home setting.\n<\/p>\n
\n In 2024, the eleventh series marked a major creative refresh for the programme, introducing a new house, updated title sequence and logo, and removing the animated segments seen in earlier series.\n<\/p>\n
\n A fourteenth series began airing on CBBC in January 2026.\n<\/p>\n
\n The production has worked closely with North East Screen, helping to support regional talent through paid traineeships and shadow director roles.\n<\/p>\n
\n Former lead actor Dani Harmer, who played Tracy Beaker, has returned to the franchise in recent years both on and off screen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A sequel to Tracy Beaker Returns, and the third instalment in the much-loved Tracy Beaker franchise, The Dumping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":421734,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-421733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}