The actor who played Zammo in Grange Hill says he is saddened by the news that the show is to be axed after 30 years.

Lee Macdonald, from Carshalton, joined the BBC One show in 1981 and was in it for six years. The programme will be aired for the last time later this year.

"It's really sad news for me as the show holds a lot of good memories of when I was younger," he said.

"I think society has overtaken Grange Hill. If the programme were to portray London schools as they are now they wouldn't be able to show it because of the hoodies, gang culture and knife crime.

"As risqué as the show was at that time, with the drugs storyline, it was still light-hearted entertainment."

Lee, who was interviewed with Todd Carty on GMTV by Lorraine Kelly this morning, said he did not know about the show being axed until this afternoon.

Phil Redmond devised the series in 1978 and it went on to become a national institution.

"I loved my time on the show," he said. "We celebrated the 20th, 25th and 30th anniversary and didn't expect it to end now."

Lee, who owns a locksmiths in Wallington, got married in September last year and his wife is expecting their first child in May.

CBBC controller Anne Gilchrist said: "Part of CBBC's reputation for reflecting contemporary Britain back to UK children has been built upon Phil Redmond's brilliantly realised idea and, of course, it's sad to say goodbye to such a much-loved institution.

"The lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this.

"We're actively seeking out new and exciting ways of bringing social realism to the CBBC audience through drama and other genres."