List of The Story of Tracy Beaker characters

Michael Kevin Lucius "Mike" Milligan MBE, made his first appearance on 8 January 2002 in series 1 of ''The Story of Tracy Beaker'' during the episode "Tracy Returns to The Dumping Ground" and departed in "The End!" but he returned in series 5 during the episode "Caring and Sharing" as a temporary care worker. He became head care worker in "Operation Careworker". Mike appeared in all 3 series of ''Tracy Beaker Returns'' and the first 7 series of ''The Dumping Ground''. Mike is the longest-serving character in the Tracy Beaker franchise, being in the very first episode back in 2002, leaving in Series 7, Episode 24 in 2019.

Mike is tall and slim, with grey hair and blue eyes. He is portrayed as a lovable, kind but firm guardian to the children in his care, able to deliver anger and humour to the children in equal doses. He has shared many emotional moments with the children. He is seen as a father figure to many of them, in particular to Tracy, Justine, Peter, Carmen, Tee, Gus, and Harry, something they have mentioned.

Mike makes his first appearance in the first episode of ''The Story of Tracy Beaker''; he is a care worker at Stowey House, and has been for some time – he is already on good terms with Tracy Beaker (Dani Harmer), thinking she's a 'good kid on the whole'. He leaves at the end of series 1 after an emergency call in another care home. Mike returns in series 5 as Elm Tree House's new chef. When head care worker, Shelley Appelton (Nicola Reynolds), decides to leave Elm Tree House she holds interviews for possible head care workers, who none of the young people like, so they beg Mike to take up the role, which he does.

The character of Mike returns in ''Tracy Beaker Returns'', appearing in every episode of the show; it is implied that he never left Elm Tree House and continued to act as head care worker. Mike is first seen with Gina Conway (Kay Purcell) when he is saying that they need more staff. He is then seen collecting Liam O'Donovan (Richard Wisker) from the local police station and met up with Tracy (Dani Harmer) after she is arrested for fraud. Mike offers her a job at the Dumping Ground because it is short-staffed, with only himself and Gina working there. As a result of this, Tracy and Mike get to know each other again and become closer. In the third series of the show, Mike is offered an MBE and accepts it, and later in the series, he only just survives when a roof falls on him. Mike continues to appear as Head Care Worker throughout "The Dumping Ground"; in the first episode he leaves to go on holiday, only for chaos to occur at Elm Tree House until he returns at the end of the second episode, although he knows nothing about it as Gina worries he may not take another holiday again. In the eighth episode of the fourth series Carmen Howle (Amy-Leigh Hickman) reports Mike to the police, as Mike's car has been broken into, with Carmen file inside the car, and it had been stolen. However, it is revealed that Ryan Reeves (Lewis Hamilton) took the file as revenge for Mike telling the kids about his history, though he was only protecting Ryan. Mike forgives Ryan and agrees not to tell everyone. They end their feud. He later marries Fiona whom he dated 30 years ago in Series 6 Episode 24.

In the Series 7 episode, "Reunion", it is revealed that he has a twin brother named Peadar, who both grew up in a bad care home. He returns to Ireland, where he was born. He meets his mother, Sheila, and patches up his strained relationship with his brother. In the finale, he decides to leave Ashdene Ridge to return to Ireland, to be with his family. This retcons the backstory of Mike, whose character had originally revealed contradictory elements of his history in Series 5 of ''The Story of Tracy Beaker''. Formally, Mike had suggested that his father had walked out on his mother during his teens, and indicates to Jackie that he does not understand the perspective of living as a child in care. Mike does reveal the existence of his brother during this series, however, while not specifically indicating that this brother is an identical twin. Provided by Wikipedia