It's Late (Degrassi Junior High)

"It's Late"
Degrassi Junior High episode
Spike (Amanda Stepto) confirms she is pregnant to her mother (Rhonda Kristi) outside of the health clinic as Shane (Bill Parrott) looks on. Nervous about the outcome of the story and the reaction to it, two versions of this scene were filmed, one in which Spike says she isn't pregnant.[1][2]
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 11
Directed by	Kit Hood
Written by	Yan Moore
Editing by	Eric Wrate
Original air date	April 5, 1987 (1987-04-05)
Running time	27 minutes
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"It's Late" is the 11th episode of the first season of Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi Junior High. It originally aired on the CBC in Canada on April 5, 1987.^[3] After a careless night with Shane (Bill Parrott) at a classmate's party, Spike (Amanda Stepto) fears she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Arthur (Duncan Waugh) gives continuously bad romantic advice to his friend Yick (Siluck Saysanasy).

Co-creator Linda Schuyler drew upon the experience of her sister, who became pregnant at 15 and was sent to a maternity home, as inspiration for the teenage pregnancy storyline. After a period of deliberation in which other characters were considered, Spike, who up to that point had been a nameless extra, was selected for the storyline due to her lack of prior development and unassuming nature. Due to concerns about arousing controversy, two endings were filmed.

The episode was praised in Canada for its portrayal of teenage pregnancy, with critics saying the subject was handled with sensitivity. It became one of several episodes withheld from regular broadcast by the BBC following complaints of its content, with the episode airing instead in a later time slot on BBC2. "It's Late" won an International Emmy Award as well as a Gemini Award for director Kit Hood. Spike's daughter, who was named Emma after the Emmy, became a central character of Degrassi: The Next Generation.