Tracy and Jess are settling into their new life in the seaside town of Cooksea. Their new friend Flo is a former actress who owns a junk shop ironically named 'The Dumping Ground' of which Tracy becomes the manager, they later meet a teenager named Jordan, who is later found out to be a runaway from the care system, and Tracy invites her to stay with her and Jess.
Production
Following the success of the miniseries My Mum Tracy Beaker, in August 2021, CBBC announced that a new series based on the book We Are The Beaker Girls would premiere in mid December.[5] The series saw most of the main cast from My Mum Tracy Beaker reprise their roles along with newcomers Chi-Megan Ennis-McLean as Jordan Whitely and Alibe Parsons as junk shop owner Flo. Wim Snape replaces Jim English in the role as Peter Ingham.[6] The series is set in the fictional town of Cooksea and was filmed in summer 2021 in Clevedon on the North Somerset coast.[7] A second series was announced in 2022 and filmed over the summer, and then shown in January 2023.
Tracy and Jess are settling into their new life in the seaside town of Cooksea. Their new friend Flo is a former actress who owns a junk shop ironically named 'The Dumping Ground' of which Tracy becomes the manager. Whilst out buying ice creams, Jess is mugged by a thief who turns out to be a girl named Jordan who is in care and meets another girl called Patience at the beach. Tracy's friend and former Dumping Ground resident Peter Ingham returns and is set to become Jess' new headteacher when she starts secondary school. Jess does her best to help Jordan but is furious when she discovers she is a thief and has stolen from the local shop. Meanwhile Jess' friend Tyrone and Tracy's ex-boyfriend Sean Godfrey turn up to surprise them in their new hometown.
2
"Showdown at the Shore"
John McKay
Emma Reeves
14 December 2021 (2021-12-14)
Sean and Tyrone’s visit leads to an eventful picnic on the beach as everyone discovers the truth about Jordan. Justine Littlewood returns and vandalises Sean Godfrey's car, accusing him of cheating on her and reveals to Tracy that her father is suffering with dementia. Meanwhile, Jordan has nowhere to run when Tracy discovers the truth about her.
3
"My Sister Jordan"
John McKay
Emma Reeves
15 December 2021 (2021-12-15)
Tracy invites Jordan to live with them and Jess is relieved that her secret is finally out, but now has to adjust to life with Jordan as part of her family. Cam and Mary arrive in Cooksea to give their advice after Peter informs them of Tracy's decision. Jess starts secondary school and is shocked to find out her new teacher is the woman who she threw a burger at on the pier. After overhearing Cam and Mary encouraging Tracy to inform social services, Jordan runs away.
4
"The Runaway Returns"
John McKay
Emma Reeves
16 December 2021 (2021-12-16)
Tracy discovers that Jordan has stolen £500 from her bank account and as Jess struggles to deal with Jordan’s disappearance, she also has to find space to deal with the surprise arrival of her father back in her life and begins to reconnect with him and discovers her father is married and that she has a younger half brother called Alex. Jess is angry with Tracy for not telling her about her father's family and after going to Cam for advice decides she is not ready to let her father back in her life.
5
"The Beaker Girls' Christmas"
John McKay
Emma Reeves
17 December 2021 (2021-12-17)
It is Christmas in Cooksea, Jordan has now been missing for several months however when Jess and Patience are in town they discover Jordan busking for money, however she runs away yet again and Jess discovers she is sleeping rough. Jess questions Jordan as to why she stole from her mum. Justine calls Tracy and reveals she has split up with Sean Godfrey again and that her father Steve has died. Tracy decides to invite Justine for Christmas but Jess is not happy and tells Tracy she wants to spend Christmas with her dad. When Sean Godfrey is helping out at a charity Christmas Grotto, Justine arrives and reveals she is heavily pregnant. Jess sees Jordan once again and makes one final attempt to bring her home but they discover Justine going into labour on the beach and she gives birth to a baby boy in the beach hut on Christmas Eve, whom she names after her father. The Beaker Girls celebrate Christmas with their family and friends.
Tracy is almost approved to foster Jordan, but after a series of mishaps, such as Tracy falling through the floor of Jordan's new room and Jess, Jordan and Tyrone pranking the daughter of the person who is organising the fostering, will it go ahead?
Jess and Paysh campaign to remove a ghost net from the beach against the odds, while Asha goes all out to win Jess’s forgiveness for the cyberbullying.
Tracy faces an upsetting blast from the past, while Jordan’s past threatens to stop her facing her future. Can Jess help the Beaker Girls find a way forward?
Jess’s 13th birthday doesn’t go to plan, as a series of mishaps see her celebrating on her own. However, she takes control and throws a party that changes everything!
Jess leads a protest against an environmentally unfriendly café against her mum’s advice and Jordan and Asha set out to change Mrs Cook’s unrepresentative musical.
Jordan steps up to lead the community play after Seren drops out. After discovering that Jess and Asha made it possible through a prank, the truth about Jordan and Asha comes out. Asha's parents forbid them from seeing each other, leading to them running away together.
After Tracy's accident, Si decides that he wants custody of Jess. To stop her family being torn apart, Jess takes matters into her own hands and organises a mock trial hosted by Justine Littlewood to show how good a mum Tracy is.
Reception
The series was praised in The Guardian for having a nostalgic feel and was named as one of the seven best shows to watch in December. The writers stated "The Story of The Beaker Girls is just beginning... For millennials who grew up learning about life through Jacqueline Wilson books, the promising exit line of this year’s Tracy Beaker reboot was a welcome one. Following a now grownup Tracy and her daughter Jess, it scratched a nostalgic itch while continuing to beautifully explore the care system, with plenty of silly moments in between."[20]
