Tracy Beaker Is Back… & I’ll Never Stop Watching It

Growing up, I, like many, was obsessed with Tracy Beaker. A bookish child, I devoured every word that Jacqueline Wilson wrote. One Christmas, I was delighted to be gifted tickets to the book signing for Jacky Daydream. I dragged my mother down to south London to queue for hours for a glimpse of the author and her signature in my copy. The photograph which documented this momentous occasion has long gone but the memories it created remain. I became a celebrity in the school playground, crowned the "biggest Jacqueline Wilson fan". It was a smug title to hold in the early 2000s.  

Thirty years on from Tracy’s literary creation, BBC series My Mum Tracy Beaker and upcoming chapter The Beaker Girls are bringing her enduring memory back into the public consciousness. In adulthood, Tracy remains a meaningful figurehead for Gen Zs and millennials alike. Premiering earlier this year, My Mum Tracy Beaker explored poignant themes, from class to single parenthood. With Tracy managing a shop named The Dumping Ground (a nod to the residential care home of the same name that she grew up in) in the latest instalment, five-part series The Beaker Girls is poised to be the most emotional yet. 

Magnifying Tracy’s special relationship with daughter Jess, the new series retains its boldly feminist undertones. Focusing on the cosy universe the pair have created for themselves in the fictional seaside town of Cooksea, their world is all that matters. Their mantra – "I’m a Beaker girl: I don’t need protecting" – is a familiar call to arms reminiscent of Tracy’s powerfully independent spirit in childhood. It’s the embodiment of a full-circle moment. 

Publishing The Story of Tracy Beaker in 1991, Jacqueline Wilson created a home for misfits. With The Dare Game and Starring Tracy Beaker following in 2000 and 2006 respectively, the TV adaptation premiered in January 2002 and Tracy’s most iconic moments were instantaneously transferred from library shelves to screens. Millennials graduated from the books to the BBC series while younger Gen Zs largely discovered the magic in reverse. Children who had never shown interest in reading begged their parents for a copy, signifying the power of a good TV show. At my primary school, classmates took it in turns to borrow the books and the library was forced to purchase multiple copies for the trilogy was eternally in high demand.

In many ways, the books laid the foundations for what would become a cultural snapshot of British existence in the early 2000s. Hilariously camp, Tracy Beaker was so enthralling to so many because she could be so ridiculous and yet entirely relatable. Giving a voice to the 'problem children' of our generation, Tracy was the unfailingly accessible character unafraid to express an entire spectrum of emotion. Growing up, we saw her shed tears (which she attributed to hay fever) as she waited at the window for her mum who never materialised, slam doors in the face of myriad care workers and shout "Bog off!" perhaps a million times. The latter phrase became rife in the playground and my school had to implement a ban on competitive 'worm eating' for fear of a public safety hazard. 

With the release of The Beaker Girls, many are rekindling their love for the franchise. Twenty-eight-year-old Elena became so enthralled with the campness of the Tracy Beaker universe that her friends hosted a Tracy Beaker-themed fancy dress party for her birthday. "The memes and clips do encourage a sense of nostalgia but the reason I think it’s blown back up so much online is because the show is a visual, cultural snapshot into our British Y2K childhood. You didn’t need exclusive channels like Disney or Nickelodeon to watch – everyone could take part. It was a big cultural touchpoint for all of us," says Elena. The world of Tracy Beaker has enjoyed an internet revival almost directly because of how meme-worthy it is, which is how Elena and her friends rediscovered their love of it. "I’m not a Tracy Beaker super fan but we had a holiday where we played the Tracy Beaker theme tune nonstop as a joke and it became a thing," she says. 

Though many of us continue to laugh at its melodrama through memes and TikTok trends alike, Tracy Beaker’s representation of adult issues is poignant. Perhaps part of the reason for its enduring place in the public consciousness is that it introduced parts of an entire generation to lesser known elements of society. Growing up in a comfortably middle-class home, I gained exposure to a world with which I was not accustomed. Devouring page after page of The Story of Tracy Beaker, I learned that families could come in all shapes and sizes, from care homes to foster families. A powerful message, Jacqueline Wilson illustrated lessons that were barely approached in the classroom.

Twenty-six-year-old Mazifur works with children in care, enabling them to access tuition and mentorship to further their educational outcomes. She reminisces on how Tracy Beaker tackled these boldly adult themes, refusing to dilute difficult topics. "It didn’t simplify things for a child audience, instead covering topics not dissimilar to soap operas. It was relatable – Justine was the annoying girl you couldn’t get rid of, Bouncer and Lol were the two jokers and the Wellards were the 'gothy' family. It gave our generation a better understanding of what being in care was like for those who hadn’t experienced it. They weren’t just 'naughty children' but born into an unfortunate situation."

In many ways, Tracy aged with us. "As cheesy as it might sound, our generation has grown up with Tracy Beaker – some of us now have children and she now has a child, too," Mazifur reflects. "She’s eternally relatable, even in motherhood – any new mother has doubts at the back of their mind. Worrying about finances, wondering about how they’ll cope, worrying about their child’s wellbeing – they are universal themes for most. So much of what we do as adults involves copying what our own parents did, and obviously if you grew up in care or had a difficult childhood, this can be a real concern. It’s really positive that this is being talked about on children’s TV," she says. 

Perhaps the whole reason why The Beaker Girls feels oddly familiar is this: while we were all busy growing up and settling down, so too was Tracy. Watching feels akin to being reacquainted with an old friend. Years might have passed but she’s still our relatable Tracy Beaker.

The Beaker Girls will air on BBC iPlayer daily from Monday 13th December