The memorable show is making a long-awaited comeback as part of a crossover episode
Brookside street sign Brookside Close(Image: Channel 4)
A special one-off episode of Brookside will be available to watch across the UK this evening, October 22. Brookside was known for tackling sensitive issues such as incest and domestic abuse, and it was also one of the first TV soaps to show a rape storyline, when Sheila (played by Sue Johnston) was attacked by a taxi driver in 1986.
A memorable scene came from the last ever episode, which saw Jimmy Corkhill, played by the late Dean Sullivan, adding a “d” on to the road sign to read “Brookside Closed”, before leaving the street in 2003. The new episode will be the first time Brookside has been on air since the series ended in 2003.
Currently, all Brookside episodes are available to stream from the start on STV Player, after they were digitally restored in a joint project between Lime Pictures and All3Media International. Channel 4 confirmed the exciting news earlier this year that camera crews would return to the famous L12 cul-de-sac for one day only.
It is making a long-awaited comeback as part of a crossover episode with its successor Hollyoaks to celebrate the latter’s 30th anniversary. The episode will air next week and will honour Sir Phil Redmond, who created both shows.
A number of stars will be reprising their roles, this includes Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Paul Usher, Philip Olivier, Suzanne Collins, Michael Starke and John McArdle.
Other cast members confirmed to be returning include Paul Usher as Barry Grant, John McArdle as Billy Corkhill, Philip Olivier as Timothy “Tinhead” O’Leary, Suzanne Collins as Nikki Shadwick and Michael Starke as Thomas “Sinbad” Sweeney.
Speaking about the story, Louis Emerick, renowned for his role as Mick Johnson and who plays Donny Clark in Hollyoaks, said: “Well, the character of Froggy Black recently arrived and is rattling Donny’s cage because he knows a big secret Donny’s been hiding.
“All is not as it seems and we can safely say it’s connected to the Brookside crossover. The house of cards is going to start collapsing.”
Louis’ Hollyoaks character is the village detective and his investigation into the show’s villain, Clare Devine, will take him to the Close, where he will be greeted by Sue Johnston, back as Sheila Grant.
What time is the episode on and how to watch?
The Hollyoaks/Brookside crossover episode will be available to watch today, October 22. The episode will be broadcast at 7pm on E4, in what will be a landmark moment for Brookside.
Speaking about how the special episode of Brookside came about, Sir Phil said: “This year is Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary, and while we have loads of action and brilliant story and unmissable stunts planned, I kept thinking about how important a moment this is in the culture and in the TV landscape right now, for Hollyoaks as a show, for the genre of continuing drama, for the wider Liverpool area.
“The 30th is such a massive achievement, I started racking my brain about how else we could make noise to make people sit up and notice and give the audience something they hadn’t had before.”
Speaking about how he managed to make the crossover happen, Sir Phil announced Channel 4 were excited about it. He said: “Channel 4 were incredibly excited about it from the get go. Where there’s a will there’s a way! It’s been a very big strategy in terms of making this happen.
“We needed to get the Close which had been sold off, all these houses that used to be owned by Mersey TV are now people’s homes. And I didn’t want to approach the cast until we had the Close. It’s been a massive collective effort by everyone, so much love and passion has gone into it.”
