# The Story of Tracy Beaker (franchise)

The Story of Tracy Beaker is a British children's drama media franchise that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people and their care workers in care. The franchise began with the publication of The Story of Tracy Beaker on 14 February 1991. Since then, the franchise has had six further books, three television series and their spin-offs, a television movie, a Children In Need special, a musical and two magazine collections. The Story of Tracy Beaker merchandise has also been released.

## Publications

The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise currently has seven books. The books are The Story of Tracy Beaker, The Dare Game (reissued in 2018 as I Dare You, Tracy Beaker), Starring Tracy Beaker, My Mum Tracy Beaker, We Are The Beaker Girls, Tracy Beaker's Thumping Heart and Ask Tracy Beaker and Friends.
The Story of Tracy Beaker also had two magazine collections. Totally Tracy Beaker came with free art and craft supplies, which the reader collected, and the second magazine released, The Story of Tracy Beaker: The DVD collection, came with a DVD with episodes from the series and the reader would eventually have all five series.

## Television

Overview of The Story of Tracy Beaker TV series :
| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Network |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | 1 | 26 | 26 | 8 January 2002 (2002-1-8) | 4 April 2002 (2002-4-4) | CBBC |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | 2 | 26 | 26 | 7 January 2003 (2003-1-7) | 3 April 2003 (2003-4-3) | CBBC |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | 3 | 26 | 26 | 25 September 2003 (2003-9-25) | 1 April 2004 (2004-4-1) | CBBC |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | TV Film | TV Film | TV Film | 21 February 2004 (2004-2-21) | 21 February 2004 (2004-2-21) | | CBBC |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | 4 | 22 | 22 | 7 October 2004 (2004-10-7) | 5 April 2005 (2005-4-5) | CBBC |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker | 5 | 20 | 20 | 28 November 2005 (2005-11-28) | 9 December 2005 (2005-12-9) | CBBC |
| Tracy Beaker Returns | 1 | 13 | 13 | 8 January 2010 (2010-1-8) | 26 March 2010 (2010-3-26) | CBBC |
| Tracy Beaker Returns | 2 | 13 | 13 | 7 January 2011 (2011-1-7) | 25 March 2011 (2011-3-25) | CBBC |
| Tracy Beaker Returns | 3 | 13 | 13 | 6 January 2012 (2012-1-6) | 23 March 2012 (2012-3-23) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 1 | 13 | 13 | 4 January 2013 (2013-1-4) | 15 March 2013 (2013-3-15) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 2 | 13 | 13 | 10 January 2014 (2014-1-10) | 28 March 2014 (2014-3-28) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 3 | 20 | 10 | 16 January 2015 (2015-1-16) | 13 March 2015 (2015-3-13) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 3 | 20 | 10 | 6 October 2015 (2015-10-6) | 8 December 2015 (2015-12-8) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 4 | 20 | 10 | 29 January 2016 (2016-1-29) | 25 March 2016 (2016-3-25) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 4 | 20 | 10 | 30 September 2016 (2016-9-30) | 2 December 2016 (2016-12-2) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 5 | 22 | 12 | 20 January 2017 (2017-1-20) | 31 March 2017 (2017-3-31) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 5 | 22 | 10 | 13 October 2017 (2017-10-13) | 15 December 2017 (2017-12-15) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 6 | 24 | 12 | 12 January 2018 (2018-1-12) | 30 March 2018 (2018-3-30) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 6 | 24 | 12 | 21 September 2018 (2018-9-21) | 7 December 2018 (2018-12-7) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 7 | 24 | 12 | 4 January 2019 (2019-1-4) | 15 March 2019 (2019-3-15) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 7 | 24 | 12 | 27 September 2019 (2019-9-27) | 6 December 2019 (2019-12-6) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 8 | 24 | 12 | 10 January 2020 (2020-1-10) | 27 March 2020 (2020-3-27) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 8 | 24 | 12 | 25 September 2020 (2020-9-25) | 5 February 2021 (2021-2-5) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 9 | 20 | 10 | 11 June 2021 (2021-6-11) | 13 August 2021 (2021-8-13) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 9 | 20 | 10 | 21 January 2022 (2022-1-21) | 25 March 2022 (2022-3-25) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 10 | 20 | 10 | 30 September 2022 (2022-9-30) | 2 December 2022 (2022-12-2) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 10 | 20 | 10 | 21 April 2023 (2023-4-21) | 23 June 2023 (2023-6-23) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 11 | 10 | 10 | 26 January 2024 (2024-01-26) | 22 March 2024 (2024-03-22) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 12 | 8 | 8 | 18 October 2024 (2024-10-18) | 6 December 2024 (2024-12-6) | CBBC |
| The Dumping Ground | 13 | 10 | 10 | 17 January 2025 (2025-01-17) | 21 March 2025 (2025-03-21) | CBBC |
| My Mum Tracy Beaker | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 February 2021 (2021-2-12) | 14 February 2021 (2021-2-14) |
| The Beaker Girls | 1 | 5 | 5 | 13 December 2021 (2021-12-13) | 17 December 2021 (2021-12-17) |
| The Beaker Girls | 2 | 12 | 12 | 13 January 2023 (2023-1-13) | 31 March 2023 (2023-3-31) |
The BBC adapted the book for television and The Story of Tracy Beaker ran for five series on CBBC from 8 January 2002 to 9 December 2005, featuring Dani Harmer as Tracy Beaker. In 2009, a sequel series to The Story of Tracy Beaker was announced, titled Beaker's Back but eventually retitled Tracy Beaker Returns. This series aired on CBBC for three series, from 8 January 2010 to 23 March 2012. In 2012, a spin-off series titled The Dumping Ground was announced, but without Harmer, as the latter chose to quit her role as Tracy. The Dumping Ground has aired on CBBC since 4 January 2013 and is still ongoing; it is currently in its thirteenth series.
On 21 February 2004, Tracy Beaker: The Movie of Me aired on CBBC. For Children In Need that year, a The Story of Tracy Beaker special aired on CBBC titled Tracy Beaker Parties With Pudsey. Tracy Beaker Returns aired one spin-off, Tracy Beaker Survival Files, which aired for one series from 16 December 2011 to 6 January 2012. The Dumping Ground currently has had five spin-off's: The Dumping Ground Survival Files aired for two series from 6 January to 12 December 2014, a webisode miniseries Liam's Story aired from 17 January to 14 March 2018 and the series aired as a full episode on CBBC on 23 March 2014, a five-part miniseries called The Dumping Ground Dish Up aired in November 2015, The Dumping Ground: I'm..., another webisode series where young people and staff describe living and working in care, aired for two series from 25 January 2016 to 9 February 2017. A five-part mini webisode series, Sasha's Contact Meetings, was released on 6 April 2018.

## Musicals

In 2006, The Story of Tracy Beaker was adapted into a musical, featuring Sarah Churm as Tracy Beaker. Suzie McGrath played Justine Littlewood, Jessica Martin played Tracy's mum and Louise, Alice Redmond played Tracy's foster mother Cam, Gemma Page played social worker Elaine, and Andy Steed played Peter.