Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer comeback hint as The Dumping Ground to return

Dani Harmer and Emma Maggie Davies
(Image credit: BBC)

Tracy Beaker may make a surprise return in the spin off series The Dumping Ground.

The BBC has announced that The Dumping Ground will be back for a 13th series. And the makers have dropped a big hint that Dani Harmer will make a guest return as Tracy Beaker, the character she first played in 2002.

The BBC teased: "New for season 13, there will be four new young characters and even a very familiar face…".

Following the success of The Story of Tracy Beaker, Dani appeared in The Dumping Ground and various spin-offs, most recently My Mum Tracy Beaker and The Beaker Girls.

Outside of Tracy Beaker, Dani is perhaps best known for coming fourth in Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.

Dani Harmer at 2012 Strictly Come Dancing launch

Dani Harmer at 2012 Strictly Come Dancing launch (Image credit: Getty Images)

The new series of The Dumping Ground will be 10 parts long and was one of a number of new commissions the BBC has revealed.

Based on the award-winning films Zog and Zog and the Flying Doctors and the books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Zog is a new series that will see fresh adventures for Sir Gadabout and Princess Pearl. The series is for four to six-year-olds and aims to show them about "caring for others, yourself and the amazing world around you".

Zog

Zog is flying back onto our screens

There will also be Get Arty, a "funny 'How To' art series hosted by a charismatic, relatable, enthusiastic family and a hilariously deadpan animated paint brush called Bristles".

Plus The Football Fantastics, set in Yorkshire and billed as "an energetic and joyful live-action preschool comedy about six irrepressible children brought together by their weekend football activity group". Supertato, about the world's strongest and bravest potato, is also getting a third series. Plus Andy and the Band — Rock Star School will return for a fourth series.

The Dumping Ground first aired in 2013. You can catch up with previous series on BBC iPlayer.

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!