CALGARY - In the 1980s, there were few questions that carried as much weight as who is your favourite Degrassi Junior High character?

Chances were the answer would be either goody two-shoes Caitlin Ryan, played by Stacie Mistysyn or wild-haired punker Christine 'Spike' Nelson.

"Stacie and I have a running joke because it's usually her or me," says Amanda Stepto, who portrayed the rebellious high school student known as Spike.

"Sometimes we have a running tally. The best is when someone comes up to me and says, 'Oh, you were my favourite character. You're Caitlin, right?' And the same thing happens to Stacie."

Even though Degrassi Junior High and the later series, Degrassi High were low-budget shows, the impact they made on a generation of teens is unmistakable.

"Degrassi was a kind of guerrilla-style filmmaking and show telling," says Stepto. "Who knew it was going to be that popular? It was all very natural and the actors were different shapes, sizes and colours and just very realistic. We were a bit cutting edge at the time."

Stepto admits she had a tough time finding roles after Degrassi ended in 1991. "Everyone knew me but couldn't separate me from the character. It was really difficult. So in my early 20s I went back to school, went to university and took it from there."

Stepto stepped back into Spike's shoes in 2001, when she became a recurring character on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

In the original Degrassi, a 15-year-old Spike gave birth to a daughter named Emma, who is now the lead character on The Next Generation.

"It was strange being back on set at first," says the 38-year-old actress. "It was familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. The new show is so polished and has a much bigger budget and seems so professional."

Stepto and Mistysn are currently developing a show loosely based on their experiences as child actors.

"We're more on the creative side of it," she says. "We wouldn't be the stars. Maybe a cameo or something, but we would mostly produce it."

In addition to acting and producing, Stepto and Mistysn have been appearing once a month at Toronto's Annex Wreckroom to deejay its In Between Days '80s dance party.

The ladies are bringing their extensive Me Decade playlist to Broken City tomorrow night for the venue's Degrassi Spring Fling.

Stepto -- who goes by the moniker DJ Demanda -- and Mistysyn (DJ Mistylicious) will be joined by Annex spinmeister Shawn MacDonald and Calgary's leading 1980s pop culture expert DJ Big Daddy Deyotte.

"I use the term deejay loosely," says Stepto. "We're just playing '80s songs from start to finish. We're not creating music. There are so many talented deejays out there that I'd rather call myself a programmer."

Stepto says although she would love to play Depeche Mode, The Cure and Sisters of Mercy all night, she knows she has to play what the people want to hear.

"I try to stay away from Tiffany and stuff like that, but what we've learned is that it's not always about you, unfortunately."

Tickets for the Degrassi Spring Fling are $10 and are available at Broken City.