Brookside

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Brookside

Credits
Genre Soap opera
Creator(s) Phil Redmond
Starring see List of Brookside Characters
Country of origin Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom
No. of episodes 2915
Production
Running time 30-90 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel Channel 4
Original run November 2, 1982 – November 4, 2003
Chronology
Related shows Hollyoaks
Links
IMDb profile
For other uses, see Brookside (disambiguation).

Brookside, commonly referred to as "Brookie", was a soap opera based in West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool, United Kingdom - introduced with the new British television network, Channel 4. Produced by Mersey Television, it aired from the channel's first night on November 2, 1982. Conceived by Phil Redmond, who also devised Hollyoaks and Grange Hill, the soap was set to become Britain's gritty soap, with extremely compelling and challenging story lines.

Brookside became well known for its tackling of realistic and socially challenging storylines and was most popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the mid-1990s it began raising more controversial, and perhaps sensationalist issues under the guidance of new producers such as Mal Young and Paul Marquess. It is especially well-known for broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television in 1994, as well as a storyline featuring consensual incestuous sexual relations between two sibling characters. Although the series had a long and successful run, by the 2000s its viewing figures were in decline and low ratings eventually called for its cancellation. The final episode was broadcast on November 4, 2003 and was watched by around 2 million viewers.

Contents

[edit] The Beginning

Brookside, based in a cul-de-sac in Liverpool, first appeared on November 2nd 1982 with the launch of the fourth British terrestrial channel, Channel 4. It differed from other serials because it was filmed in real, brand-new houses, in a real street, in an attempt by the producers to add to the show's realism. In early 1982, Mersey Television, with Phil Redmond firmly at the helm, bought 13 houses altogether, 6 of which would be seen on-screen as sets, and the remaining 7 properties would house Administration, Post Production and Canteen facilities for the cast and crew. It was planned that were the show to be a commercial failure, these constructed houses could be sold on to partly recoup any losses. Production began in the Summer of 1982. The first episodes of Brookside weren't well received and featured many obvious technical problems, such as poor sound quality, where actors voices would echo around the small rooms of the box houses used as sets. Poor scripts were criticised by the audience as many derided swear words were commonplace, an hour before the watershed, and questionable acting from a cast of relative unknowns all served to make Brookside seem very amateurish and certainly not good enough to be the flagship soap on Britain's newest TV channel.

The first episodes concentrated on the development of the anchor Grant family, with Sheila (Sue Johnston) and Bobby (Ricky Tomlinson) having moved up the social ladder to a big, four-bedroomed house on the 'middle-class' Brookside Close from a run-down council estate. They were the first family to have moved onto the Close at Number 5, as initially, only 3 of the six new-builds were occupied by characters. Episode 1 saw the Collins' arrival, and they were conversely on their way down the social ladder, downsizing from their lavish home on the upmarket Wirral, to the small, box-sized Number 8 Brookside Close. Other characters included Heather (Amanda Burton in her TV debut) and Roger Huntingdon (Rob Spendlove), two young professionals residing at semi-detached Number 9, and next door at Number 10, low class Gavin (Daniel Webb) and Petra Taylor (Alexandra Pigg) soon moved in, selling stolen cookers from the front lawn, naturally infuriating the neighbours.

Viewing figures bouyed around 1 million as the Production team and writers started to iron out Brooksides teething troubles. Soundproof panels were placed on the ceilings of the houses to contain sound and eliminate echoing, and the scriptwriters toned down the language. Out went the turgid, humourless and contentious feel the soap initially had, and in came new, interesting characters such as Harry (Bill Dean) and Edna (Betty Alberge) Cross, who finally bought Number 7 in November, and in April, comedy figure Alan Partridge (Dicken Ashworth) moved into the Bungalow, Number 6, and these new characters helped bring humour and balance to the existing cast during 1983.

Further cast changes during 1983 saw the arrival of the Jackson family. Both Gavin and Petra Taylor departed Brookside early in the year, with Gavin becoming the first casualty of the soap, dying from a brain haemorrhage, and Petra committed suicide a few months later, after a mysterious disappearance from the Close. Petra's sister, Marie Jackson (Anna Keaveney), her husband George (Cliff Howells) and their twin boys (Gary and 'little' George) moved into Number 10, and became central to Brookside's highest profile storyline yet, when George was wrongly convicted of a warehouse robbery. In an unprecedented move, the plotline was leaked to the tabloid press, and as Marie Jackson began the Free George Jackson campaign on-screen, the press followed, creating levels of media hype never seen before in the UK, especially towards a British soap opera (although the US soap Dallas had seen solid British tabloid support during the 'Who Shot JR' plot of 1980). Viewing figures rose as the hype continued; a record called Free George Jackson by Blazing Saddles was released (and flopped), merchandise was produced, including T Shirts and Posters! However, even though the storyline ultimately had a low-key conclusion (Cliff Howells who played George resigned and George Jackson stayed inside!), the plot largely helped Brookside on the pathway to success, particularly when the Corkhills arrived to replace the departed Jackson family in September 1985. This type of soap opera hype would much later be copied by Coronation Street with the 'Free Deirdre Rachid' campaign of 1998, and later, in EastEnders with the 'Who Shot Phil Mitchell?' plot of 2001.

[edit] The Rolls Royce of Soaps

With the obvious popularity of the Grant family, many storylines were geared around Bobby and Sheila's turbulent marriage for most of the 1980s. Bobby's short-temper and frequent visits to Union picket lines opposite Sheila's staunch catholic faith and family values all served to be compelling viewing for many viewers, as did the antics of their popular older children Barry (Paul Usher), Karen (Shelagh O'Hara), and Damon (Simon O'Brien). They were joined by Clare later in the mid-1980s in a thoughtful storyline where Sheila and Bobby dealt with parenthood later on in life.

1985 was a pivotal year for Brookside with the arrival of its longest-running and most well-known family, the Corkhills. The first generation of Corkhills to descend on the Close were Billy (John McArdle) and Doreen (Kate Fitzgerald) who moved into Number 10 with their children Rod (Jason Hope) and Tracy (Justine Kerrigan) along with a multitude of marital problems and debt. A favourite scene with fans occurred in 1987. Doreen and Billy's crumbling marriage reached breaking point after Doreen admitted to Billy she had been sexually propositioned in return to pay off the family's spiralling debts. With fierce and tremendous rage, Billy jumped into his brown Triumph Acclaim and aggressively sped over all his neighbours' gardens! Not only did this satisfy Billy's utter marital frustrations, but it also served as revenge to the rest of the residents of the Close who had driven over his garden to avoid a huge hole that had appeared in the middle of the Brookside Close access road!

Mid 1985 Brookside achieved its biggest viewing figures of the eighties with the infamous 'Number 7 Siege'. This was a heavy handed but powerful plot that intended to highlight the possible dangers of Care in the Community, a controversial parliamentary scheme introduced in the early 1980s where mentally ill people, previously hospitalised in bleak, isolated Victorian asylums, were now treated at home, allowing the closure of these notoriously depressing institutions. The extreme and hard-hitting storyline was watched by 7.5 million people, an incredible achievement for Britain's newest TV channel, still only in its third year. Number 7 Brookside Close was home to three young nurses; Pat Hancock (David Easter), Sandra Maghie (Sheila Greer) and Kate Moses (Sharon Rossita), who rented the property from Harry Cross. Through their nursing, they encountered the seemingly harmless and gentle giant John Clarke (Robert Pugh), whose elderly Mother eventually died (of natural causes) in Hospital, under their care. Gradually, John's instability grew into insanity and he was unable to cope with the death of his Mum with absolutely devastating consequences. He forced his way into Number 7, armed with a sawn-off shot gun and ready to avenge his Mother's death. He violently held the three nurses hostage for several days in a claustrophic and gripping 3 episode run with Brookside Close dramatically sealed off and surrounded by armed police! The siege culminated in a terrifying shoot-out resulting in the shocking death of Kate followed by John's subsequent suicide. Although some critics howled at the unlikely plot-premise (former Daily Mail critic Hilary Kingsley described it as 'ludicrous' in her book Soap Box), these were well produced and powerfully acted sequences, creating genuine and uncomfortable tension with a level of drama arguably never previously seen before in a British soap opera. The storyline put Brookside in a predominant position and made other soaps, such as ITV's Coronation Street and the revamped Crossroads take notice, and the BBC, previously snobbish about the soap opera genre, finally realised they needed a popular soap and launched equally hard-hitting EastEnders the very same year. Brookside was now seen as a quality soap opera, a cult hit within the core of its target demographic, earning it the reputation as being "The Rolls Royce of Soaps" among devoted fans.

1986 was another hugely memorable year for the soap, featuring the horrifying attack of Sheila Grant in some of Brookside's most harrowing and deeply disturbing scenes. The storyline was praised for its marked restraint, and stunned viewers and critics alike. Sue Johnston's powerful portrayal of the heartbreaking scenes showing Sheila coming to terms with her shocking rape ordeal were unbearably realisitic and earned it the second most popular Brookside storyline ever, as featured in the documentary Brookside: 100 of the Best (See below). This year also saw the introduction of the soap's longest-running character Jimmy Corkhill, played by Dean Sullivan. Initially a bit-part player, Jimmy was the brother of Billy, and his early appearances usually saw the character in many money-making schemes, a true scally, along with characters such as Barry Grant, and also the hugely popular Terry Sullivan (Brian Reagan) and Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney Michael Starke. Barry, Terry and Sinbad would all go on to have extremely powerful storylines of their own in the future episodes of Brookside.

The second ground-breaking storyline in 1986 was the death of Nicholas Black (Alan Rothwell). Having divorced her first husband Roger in 1983, Heather reverted back to her maiden name, Haversham, becoming a strong and sassy independent career woman once again. However, these characteristics changed when Heather met businessman Nicholas Black. After a whirlwind romance, Heather and Nick hurriedly married, but little did she know he was a secret heroin addict. On her return from work one day, she found him dead in the Living Room of Number 9 having suffered a fatal overdose. As a result, Heather left Brookside Close for good (in reality, Amanda Burton quit because she strongly disagreed with the plot). The storyline was intentionally shocking, becoming the first British soap opera to candidly tackle the issue of heroin addiction and, notably, Brookside would return to the destructive effects of drug abuse frequently throughout its 21 year run, particularly with the Jimmy Corkhill character, through to the concluding episodes nearly 20 years later.

[edit] Peak of Popularity

The late 80's saw the gradual disintegration of the popular and central Grant family. Damon was fatally stabbed whilst on the run with his girlfriend Debbie (Gillian Kearney) in 1987 (and contained in a Brookside 'Soap Bubble', see below), Karen left for London to study in early 1988 and never returned, and she was followed by the departure of Bobby in April after he discovered he wasn't eldest son Barry's biological father. As the marriage painfully crumbled, Sheila and little Clare moved into the spare room at Billy Corkhill's (Number 10) and 4-bedroomed Number 5 was sold to the Roger's family in 1989. The Roger's were a similarly large family who'd moved into Number 7 in 1987, renting it from Harry Cross. However, when Number 5 went up for auction, Truck driver Frank (Peter Christian) and left wing Chrissie (Eithne Browne) decided they wanted to buy their own home, so bought the former Grant house on their way up the property ladder, a very right wing approach to home ownership in the eighties.

The Collins' had also had a relatively eventful time on the Close. Nearing retirement, Paul (Jim Wiggins) suffered humiliation at his redundancy and subsequent unemployment, resulting in the family having to move to Brookside Close. Meanwhile, in another British soap opera first, a ground-breaking storyline saw their son Gordon (Nigel Crowley/Mark Burgess) coming out as homosexual, while daughter Lucy (Katrin Cartlidge/Maggie Saunders) embarked on a controversial affair with a married man. Mother and family matriarch Annabelle (Doreen Sloane), had to rescue her elderly and abused mother, Mona, from a corrupt care-home and this was followed by her illicit affair with Magistrate, Brian Lawrence. By 1990, however, the entire family had to be written out of Brookside following Doreen Sloane's sad and untimely death from cancer in early 1990.

The Corkhill's marriage had also ended in divorce and Doreen left the family in late 1987. With Rod becoming a Police Officer and Tracey a Hairdresser, the family regularly saw Uncle Jimmy popping in to create a spare room at Number 10 by knocking a door way through to the garage! This room was eventually occupied by Sheila and Clare Grant, and it marked the beginning of Sheila and Billy's slow dance to love and marriage - another hugely popular storyline with viewers.

During 1987, Brookside saw the arrival of 1980's archetypes 'yuppies' Jonathan Gordon-Davies (Stephen Pinner) and Laura Wright (Jane Cunliffe) into Number 9. A popular union was tragically cut short when Laura was electrocuted by a faulty light switch, sending her tumbling down the stairs. She was comatose for 3 months, dying in January 1988. The recently vacated Number 7 saw Chinese immigrants the Choi's move in for a short period, providing storylines for the increasingly popular window-cleaner Sinbad, who embarked on a shortlived attraction to Caroline Choi (Sarah Lamm). The soap was now averaging around 4 to 5 million viewers as the 1980s drew to a close but it was at this point that the tide was beginning to turn. Off-screen, Mersey Television had bought a defunct Technical College in the district of Childwall, around 15 minutes away from the set of Brookside Close and on-screen, part of this new premises became a row of shops called Brookside Parade. The introduction of a shop, bar, chip-shop and other businesses saw Brookside's main focus shift from the Close, to this new set, and many storylines went with it. To launch the Parade in 1991, coinciding with the soaps 1000th episode, the writers developed the storyline of Terry Sullivan's wife Sue (Annie Miles) and baby Danny being pushed to their deaths off scaffolding. This again gave the soap extremely high viewing figures. When Barry Grant was revealed as Sue's murderer, his character became somewhat oppressive and sinister, but he was no-less popular with the ever growing audience.

In the early 1990s, the plots of Brookside became increasingly sensationalised. Most of the original cast had left, with Billy and Sheila, the entire Collins family, the Choi's and Harry Cross all departing by the end of 1990. In came the Dixon family, the Farnham's and the Johnson's. Also, the Barry Grant character (Barry Usher) became centrally involved in many dark and dramatic plots. Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick) had been a lodger with Harry Cross in 1989, but by early 1990, he'd been joined by his wife Josie (Suzanne Packer) and children Leo and Gemma. Max and Patricia Farnham (Steven Pinder and Gabrielle Glaister) moved into Number 7 in April 1990 and became the soap's new yuppie couple. Ron and DD Dixon (Vince Earl and Irene Marot) drove onto Brookside Close during October in the 'Moby', a huge mobile shop, to move into Number 8, and it wasn't long before the family were rowing with their new neighbours over the junk on their front lawn!

Following the departure of Billy Corkhill, his children, Rod and Tracey, were both gradually written out of the soap and Billy's brother, Jimmy (Dean Sullivan), became a regular and central player in Brookside. He was joined by his estranged wife Jackie, popular actress Sue Jenkins, well known for her role as Gloria Todd in Coronation Street, and his elder children 'little' Jimmy (George Christopher) and Lindsay (Claire Sweeney) were initially seen as recurring characters. However, the formally loveable Jimmy soon descended into intense and harrowing drug abuse, his addiction memorably climaxing in a cocaine-induced car crash which shockingly killed off long-running character Frank Rogers (Peter Christian) in 1993, and teenager Tony Dixon (Mark Lennock) eventually died of his injuries from the crash in February 1994.

Between 1991 and 1993, the establishment of Brookside Parade occurred; Ron Dixon opened a convenience store, Barry Grant launched a bar and nightclub establishment, and eventually the entire Parade was occupied by businesses owned by residents of Brookside Close. Flats above the shops also provided new homes to various characters, such as Mick Johnson, famously held at gun-point in his flat by obsessed stalker Jenny Swift (Kate Beckett). Mersey Television made full use of their former Technical College buildings in Childwall and introduced Head Mistress Barbara Harrison (Angela Morant), who moved into Number 9 Brookside Close with recently retired husband John (Geoffrey Leesley). Many scenes saw Barbara at Brookside Comprehensive (in reality derelict Childwall Technical College buildings) in charge of pupils such as teenagers Jacqui (Alexandra Fletcher) and Mike Dixon (Paul Byatt) from Number 8, and Katie Rogers (Diane Burke) from Number 5. The Harrison's storylines, including John's asthma and shoplifting, and later, son Peter (Robert Beck) who became involved in a lengthy date-rape plot with Rod Corkhill's wife Diana, weren't particularly popular with viewers, so they were replaced by the Banks family who arrived with much baggage of their own in early 1994.

Brookside's most infamous plot happened in 1993 with the storyline of wife beater and child abuser Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray). Late in the year, his wife, Mandy (Sandra Maitland) and daughters Beth (Anna Friel) and Rachel (Tiffany Chapman) moved into Number 10. The house had been vacated by the remaining (Billy) Corkhill clan, and unbeknown to anyone, had been sold off to become a safe house for abused families. As the viewer got to know the new characters, some disturbing facts emerged. Beth and her young sister Rachel had been sexually abused by their Dad, and before long, the vile and disturbingly realistic Trevor had found them in Brookside Close and bullied his way back into the family home. As the abuse and torture got worst, Mandy and Beth stabbed him in the Kitchen of Number 10 and, with the help of Sinbad, buried him underneath their patio, where his body remained for well over a year. The finding of his remains in January 1995 gave Brookside its highest ever viewing figures of 9 million - and earned it the Number One most popular storyline in the Brookside: 100 of the Best documentary to celebrate the soap's 21st Anniversary. (The Top Ten is shown below). The Jordache family, particularly the character Beth (Anna Friel), were at the peak of Brookside's popularity, especially when Beth shared British Television's first pre-watershed lesbian kiss with the Farnham's Nanny Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson) in December 1993. Unfortunately, things were to go rapidly downhill from here as Brookside boldly attempted to hold on to its largely cult audience with years of sensational and often badly handled storylines, an unrealistic sense of realism and a range of unlikeable, tired and unpopular characters, proved as ratings began to rapidly slide.

[edit] Decline

Following the success of the 'body under the patio' plot, the writers of the show continued to deal with controversial subjects that other British soaps did not. A religious cult headed by Simon Howe (Simon Hartney) blew up Number 5 in a suicide pact during 1994, and a mysterious killer virus saw the lame death of two guest characters in 1995. But it was the incestuous relationship between brother and sister, Nat (John Sandford) and Georgia Simpson (Helen Grace) in 1996 that drew the most criticism, plus the over use of characters such as Lindsay Corkhill in many similarly contentious plots all served to make viewers gradually switch off. The character of Lindsay was played by Claire Sweeney, and due to the popularity of the actress at the time, there were many storylines for her alter-ego. These included being stalked by her ex husband Gary (Andrew Fillis), an on-off relationship with bad-boy Barry Grant (Paul Usher), a very short marriage to Peter Phelan (Samuel Kane), a stint being terrorised by gang-land boss Callum Finnegan (John Kelly) and then 'our Linds' became a lesbian, falling for a new character, cunning Shelly Bowers (Alexandra Wescourt). Many of these plots were met with limited success, however, and viewers were even more unimpressed with a 'lesbian love triangle' involving Shelly, Lindsay and Lindsay's Mother Jackie (Sue Jenkins), an extremely unlikely plot-premise that required a huge suspension of disbelief.

A new family at Number 8, the Musgroves, introduced in 1998 were met with further criticism, lot least due to the strange range of accents spoken by the sprawling and unpopular brewd, whilst the Shadwicks, who had moved into Number 6, were perhaps a more a more successful cast addition. Greg (Mark Moraghan) and Margi Shadwick (Bernadette Foley) and their family marked an attempt to return Brookside 'back-to-basics' with storylines again revolving around families and their dynamics within the close-knit community. The introduction of these families heralded perhaps one of Brookside's most long-running story arcs, the date rape of Nikki Shadwick (Suzanne Collins) at a party held at Number 5. For an entire year, Nikki accused neighbour Luke Musgrove (Jason Kavannah) of the attack, however, following a lengthy courtcase, he was proven not guilty. In an unpopular plot-twist and after consistently denying the allegations, Luke eventually confessed to Nikki that he had in fact raped her, and the entire Musgrove family seemingly fled Liverpool during January 2000 overnight in shame. But, in another British soap opera first, the character of teenage cannabis smoker Matt Musgrove, played by Kristian Ealey, immediately transferred to Brookside's sister-soap Hollyoaks where the character stayed until 2004.

Despite the attempts at a more grounded approach to the long-running soap opera again, Brookside had ultimately become synonymous with plots involving guns and explosions, with no fewer than 6 catastrophic fires and explosions taking place during the soaps final 5 years. A gas-cooker destroyed much of the Brookside Parade and a bomb detonated in the Millennium Club killed both Jason and Greg Shadwick. Separate fires at Number 6 and Number 8 almost killed several cast members, and the roads were no safer, as a memorable car crash in which Susannah (Karen Drury) and Max Farnham's (Steven Pinder) children both perished, all served to make Brookside the most dangerous place on Television. Radio Times TV listings Editor, Alison Graham, remarked in 1998: "Brookside loves a good disaster" as well as renaming Claire Sweeney's character's name to; Lindsay "Get Your Gun" Corkhill! This was shortly before the soap was dropped from Graham's satirical page reviewing weekly soap opera plots, with Brookside's column handed over to BBC Radio 2 rural-soap The Archers which was now indeed getting a higher audience on Radio than Brookside was achieving on prime-time Television.

The long-running character Max Farnham was written out of the soap in 1998 after Steven Pinder decided to leave Brookside after almost nine years as the philandering romeo. The characters' exit was extremely unpopular and involved a retconned storyline where Max had supposedly had a 10 year-long affair with a woman never mentioned before in the script. Max abruptly departed, viewers weren't convinced, and Susannah returned to her maiden name, Morrisey, going on to have affairs with Greg Shadwick (Mark Moraghan) and Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick). The Dixon family fell apart when Ron (Vince Earl) and Jackie Corkhill (Sue Jenkins) almost had an affair, but the fate of the doomed marriage was sealed when Ron did have an affair with much-younger Bev McLoughlin (Sarah White). Ron then remarried his old flame Anthea Brindley (Barbara Hatwell), the mother of his long-lost (and quickly forgotten) Jacqui look-a-like daughter in 1999, but the marriage quickly ended in divorce when Anthea wouldn't lie in court after Ron shot-dead Clint Moffat (Greg Petaras) in the Kitchen of Number 8 - arguably an act of 'self defence' which got him 6 months in prison. Viewer favourite Bev (Sarah White) had a one-night stand with Ron's elder son Mike (Paul Byatt), resulting in the birth of baby Josh. Years of animosity followed, but after Mike's marriage to Rachel Dixon (Tiffany Chapman), Ron reconciled with Bev and began to see Josh as one of his own.

In 2000, a new family were introduced, the Murray's, who were the creation of the soaps penultimate Producer, Paul Marquess. They became an important part of further rejuvenation of Brookside and featured singer Bernie Nolan as Diane in her first acting role, and Neil Caple as Marty. The Murray's did spark new viewer interest in Brookside and the family became central to plots, such as Diane's lengthy IVF treatment, daughter Adele's (Katy Lamont) under-age preganacy and abortion, and perhaps most memorable of all, young Anthony's (Raymond Quinn) shocking bullying storyline, where he accidentally killed his nemesis Imelda Clough. The Liverpool 'scally' aspect of the soap was still evident at this time with eldest son Steve Murray (Stephen Fletcher) teaming up with Tim 'Tinhead' O'Leary (Philip Olivier), who had married Emily Shadwick (Jennifer Ellison), Ellison's character having been completely re-written during this time from a shy, frumpy schoolgirl to a confident, sexy young vixen, becoming popular with viewers. Tim and Emily lived with the increasingly isolated Jimmy at Number 10, providing storylines for the character following the exit of daughter Lindsay and his wife Jackie. But the departure of the soaps original scally, the hugely popular 'Sinbad' (Michael Starke) in an on-screen child abuse scandal, wasn't well received, with the formally upbeat and jolly character departing Brookside Close under a cloud.

Also exiting, the notoriously accident prone Susannah Morrisey, took a fatal tumble down the stairs of Number 7 in a 2000 'Whodunnit' plotline with jilted former-lover Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick), vengeful Emily Shadwick (Jennifer Ellison) and returned ex-husband Max Farnham all in the frame when it was eventually discovered Susannah may have been pushed to her death. Max was unveiled as the culprit, although as shown in flashback, Susannah had actually tripped over a toy as she argued with Max at the top of the stairs. All charges were dropped, leaving Max free to marry previous next-door neighbour, Jacqui Dixon (Alexandra Fletcher), who became his third wife in 2001. They continued to live in Number 7, before swapping houses with Ron Dixon (Vince Earl) next door at Number 8.

[edit] The End

By 2002, the show had become a less important part of Channel 4's programming, and ratings dropped to below 1.5 million. The addition of the unpopular Gordon/Smith family early in the year did nothing to halt the ratings decline. Often, Brookside would be shunted around the schedule to make place for other shows, or broadcast late at night. Consequently, it was announced that Brookside would no longer be aired during its weeknight prime-time slots but would continue in its traditional Saturday evening omnibus edition. Sadly, this news coincided with the 20th Anniversary of Brookside, and it was something of a blow considering the programme was celebrating its Birthday on-screen with a new look (a post-production film-effect was added), a new title sequence, updated theme tune and a spectacular, multi-episode story arc that began with drug-laden armed robbers speeding onto the Close, hotly pursued by Police. They end up cornered in the cul-de-sac and took many residents hostage in their homes in highly dramatic scenes which led to a number of complaints from viewers. The scenes of three teenagers being violently terrorised, Steve Murray getting shot and dumped outside the front door of No 9, Nikki Shadwick almost being raped for a second time, Emily O'Leary falling to her death from an upstairs window, blatant drug abuse, offensive, strong language and a realistic portrayal of a deranged, drug addicted bank robber called 'Psycho' Gibson by Greg Milburn, all garnered complaints. Many scenes were considered unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing and, in particular, during the Saturday evening omnibus, broadcast from 4.30pm.[1]

The siege culminated the following week in a dramatic stunt involving a police helicopter being gunned down by Psycho Gibson and crashing onto the Brookside Parade car park, killing Diane Murray (Bernie Nolan). It was the most spectacular scene in the history of Brookside, but it would also end up being its last... Following these well executed, costly but ultimately futile sequences, the soap transferred to the 'graveyard' Saturday afternoon slot 4.30pm, and the programme was once again retooled to fit the new 90 minute slot. Storylines now revolved around only a handful of characters, often in just one location, giving the programme a slow and claustrophic pace. This approach to episodes was heavily criticised by fans.

Due to contractual obligations, Channel 4 was committed to Brookside until November 2003, its 21st Anniversary. During the final 12 months, there was an eerie, deserted feel to the previously high-octane soap. Characters slowly drifted away, often with little or no explanation, Brookside Parade was virtually forgotten, many experimental storylines fell flat and only die-hard fans were still watching. A fitting final storyline, introduced 8 weeks before the last episode, saw the eponymous Brookside Close being emptied before demolition for the construction of a waste incinerator. Channel 4 then moved Brookside to what would become its final timeslot, on Tuesdays in a 90 minute format, usually at 11pm. Taking full advantage of the late-night slot, the foul language frequented in early episodes was back; 'fuck' was now scripted regularly, as was unmotivated violence and drug abuse could now be seen in abundance, but this did nothing to improve ratings, having now fallen well below 700,000. During the final 6 weeks, a rawness and energy previously captured in the early years made a surprising return with a new character, the despised drug-dealer Jack Michaelson (Paul Duckworth), who moved into Number 8, becoming the focus of the end of Brookside as all the remaining residents found themselves affected by his destructive presence.

In the extended final episode, screened from 10.30pm and divided into three distinctive parts, Brookside shocked the audience one last time with the remaining residents of Brookside Close taking a stance against Michaelson, lynching him from Number 8's bedroom window. Then, Phil Redmond, clearly gutted by the cancellation of Brookside, had his final say in a rebellious scripted rant about how ‘TV and society’s not like it was’, fittingly voiced by Brookside’s longest-running character, Jimmy Corkhill, who was also the last resident of Brookside Close to leave their house. As a last act of defiance he broke into the houses and left all the taps running and then painted Game Over on the boarded-up windows of several houses and drew an extra D on the Brookside Close sign, to spell Brookside Closed at the end of the episode. He then went to live with his daughter Lindsey, who had married Barry Grant off-screen, the two popular characters having returned especially for the final episode, watched by a peak of 1.9 million viewers.

[edit] The Final Cast

Number 10

  • Jimmy Corkhill played by Dean Sullivan.
  • Lindsay Corkhill played by Claire Sweeney
  • Tim 'Tinhead' O'Leary played by Philip Olivier
  • Barry Grant played by Paul Usher

Jimmy and Lindsay went to live in West Yorkshire in Barry's mansion. Tim moved in with Steve Murray, sharing an apartment in Liverpool City Centre, as shown in the Unfinished Business feature.

Number 9

  • Marty Murray played by Neil Caple
  • Jan Murray played by Helen Sheals
  • Steve Murray played by Stephen Fletcher
  • Anthony Murray played by Raymond Quinn
  • Christy Murray played by Glyn Pritchard

The Murray's finally packed up and departed Number 9 and refused to tell anyone where they were going.

Number 8

  • Jack Michaelson played by Paul Duckworth

Lynched during the final episode.

Number 7

  • Ron Dixon played by Vince Earl
  • Bev McLoughlin-Dixon played by Sarah White
  • Josh McLoughlin-Dixon played by Jack McMullen

It is unknown where the Dixon's went after leaving Brookside Close in the 'Moby'.

Number 6

  • Nikki Shadwick played by Suzanne Collins

Nikki went to live her Mum, Margi, in Brussells. Her only remaining immediate family.

Number 5

  • Sean Smith played by Barry Sloan
  • Ruth Smith played by Lynsey McCaffrey
  • Kirsty Gordon played by Jessica Noon
  • Ali Gordon played by Kris Mocherri
  • Stuart Gordon played by David Lyon

With Sean and Ruth now guardian's of the orphaned Gordon teenagers, they moved away to start a new life elsewhere.

Regular viewers observed many notable cast absences in the final episode:

  • Katie Rogers played by Diane Burke. The character was left planning the future with her boyfriend Nick and their baby just before the last episode.
  • Sammy Rogers played by Rachel Lindsay. Disappeared a month before the end with no on-screen explanation.
  • Mike Dixon played by Paul Byatt. Last seen in the penultimate episode.
  • Rachel Dixon played by Tiffany Chapman. Last seen in the penultimate episode.
  • Jacqui Farnham played by Alexandra Fletcher. Last seen in the penultimate episode.
  • Max Farnham played by Steven Pinder. Left Brookside 6 months before the final episode, having sold Number 8 to Jack Michaelson.
  • Adele Murray played by Katy Lamont. The character left for University and appeared occasionally during the last 6 months.

[edit] Soap bubbles

Two 'soap bubbles' were produced in the late 80s. Damon and Debbie (1987) followed the two characters, Damon Grant and Debbie McGrath absconding to York, while 1988's South saw Tracy Corkhill and Jamie Henderson seeking a better life in London. The latter was part of an ITV For Schools English programme and was notable for featuring a guest appearance by Morrissey playing himself.

[edit] What next?

When it was announced that the show would be finishing as a continuing series, on Brookside's Official Website, there was suggestion by Phil Redmond that Brookside would continue with a succession of DVD releases. In fact, as early as 1988, Hilary Kingsley interviewed Redmond for her book, Soap Box, and even then, Redmond suggested that if Brookside were to end on Channel 4, he would attempt to continue the show off-screen:

"Redmond has even suggested the end of Brookside in that way - fittingly inspired and unusual. "Perhaps we will watch a character leave and follow him or her. Brookside will continue with its daily life, but not on-screen anymore," he mused." (Page 49)

The first DVD after the final episode featured the climax to a long running storyline involving Tim "Tinhead" O'Leary and Steve Murray finally getting revenge on Psycho Gibson in an 85 minute feature called Unfinished Business. Psycho killed Tim's wife Emily during the November 2002 siege, and Steve's step-Mother, Diane (Bernie Nolan), died in the subsequent helicopter crash on Brookside Parade. The DVD was released in November 2003, and there was meant to be a follow-up release involving a storyline with Barry Grant tracking down his brother Damon's killers, another story arc that began during Brooksides final episode on Channel 4. A trailer for the DVD called Settlin' Up was filmed and included on the Unfinished Business DVD, along with a promo for an Anniversary documentary called Brookside: 100 of the Best. However, with the sale of Mersey Television in 2005, and the sale of Brookside Close the same year [2], it is highly unlikely that any further DVDs will be released, and whilst recognising the existence of the documentary, Channel 4 say they have no plans to screen it in the future.

[edit] Brookside: Ten of the Best

The Top Ten favourite Brookside moments were also included on the Unfinished Business DVD as a special bonus feature. The list was compiled from viewer votes to celebrate the soaps 21st Anniversary. In descending order, here are Brookside: Ten of the Best:

10. Mick Johnson is stalked and held at gun point by deranged teacher Jenny Swift. (1995)
9. Jimmy Corkhill causes Frank Rogers' car to crash on the way to his Wedding ceremony. Both Frank and Tony Dixon are killed. (1993)
8. Beth Jordache and Maragaret Clemence share a lesbian kiss. (1993)
7. Jimmy Corkhill breaks down at Tony Dixon's funeral and confesses being the cause of his death. (1994)
6. The first episode of Brookside. (1982)
5. Anthony Murray kills Imelda Clough. (2002)
4. Billy Corkill drives over his neighbours' lawns. (1987)
3. Damon Grant is fatally stabbed. (1987)
2. The rape of Sheila Grant. (1986)
1. Mandy and Beth Jordache murder Trevor and bury his body under the patio. (1993)

[edit] Brookside Close

The houses used as locations for the show are still in existence. When Brookside was removed from prime-time Channel 4, Mersey TV immediately started using some of the houses on Brookside Close in its other soaps Hollyoaks and Grange Hill. In Hollyoaks, the Dean family moved into what was Number 7, and the Burton-Taylor family moved into what was Number 8 Brookside Close. On-screen, the two identical houses had their exteriors cladded in a mock-Tudor wood effect, net curtains covered the windows, and there were rarely exterior long-shots, but eagle-eyed viewers frequently spotted familiar sights and props that gave the game away. It is also well known that the Cunningham's house in Hollyoaks was situated on Brookside Close, but the house was never used as a set in Brookside. In children's soap Grange Hill, Number 5's interior was used as the home to the character Carl Fenton although curiously, the exterior was a carefully chosen house that matched the inside situated elsewhere. The public bar in Brookside which resided on Brookside Parade is now used as the Student Union bar in Hollyoaks and the opposite side of the Parade can now be seen in Grange Hill as the School entrance.

Brookside Close was eventually sold off in 2005 to a developer who then stripped, gutted and effectively rebuilt the entire interior of each of the 13 houses before making them available for sale to the public in January 2007. Of the houses on Brookside Close (that were used as sets), Numbers 7 and 8 were the cheapest at £199,000, while the famous Number 10 was For Sale at £295,000 according to the Off Plan Investments particulars, who are selling the houses. As of March 2007, the Houses remain empty and unsold.

[edit] Who Lived Where?

Number 5: The biggest detached house featured in the show, with four Bedrooms and a built-in Garage. No structural alterations were made to the interior lay-out of the house, and even still had its original fitted Kitchen when the soap ended in 2003!

  • The Grants 1982–1989
  • The Rogers 1989–1993
  • Simon Howe and 'the cult' 1993–1994
  • Barry Grant 1994–1995
  • The Johnsons 1995–2001
  • The Gordons 2002–2003

Number 6: This set was known as 'The Bungalow'. The property was extended and the floor plan vastly altered in 1998 when the Shadwicks moved in. The Kitchen moved to the opposite side of the house, and the Living Room greatly extended to the rear, creating a large open-plan Kitchen and Living Room area. The Bathroom also moved to the front of the property. After a devastating fire in 2002, the Bungalow was rebuilt and the floor plan seemingly reverted back to its original layout.

  • Alan Partridge 1982–1984
  • Harry & Edna Cross and Ralph Hardwick 1984–1990
  • The Johnsons 1990–1993
  • Dave & Jean Crosbie 1993–1995
  • Jacqui Dixon, Katie Rogers and Rachel Jordache 1995–1997
  • David Crosby 1995–1998
  • The Shadwicks 1998–2000
  • Ray and Jessie Hilton 2000-2002
  • Kate and Sammy Rogers, Nikki Shadwick 2003

Number 7: This property, and neighbouring Number 8, were initially identical 'box houses'. In 2000, the dividing wall separating the Living Room and Kitchen was removed, making the downstairs entirely open-plan. This house was also used in Hollyoaks after Brookside ended. In an attempt to make the house look more modern, a mock-Tudor wood effect was added to the first floor exterior along with new window frames.

  • Harry and Edna Cross 1983–1984
  • Sandra Maghie, Pat Hancock and Kate Moses 1984–1987
  • The Rogers 1987–1989
  • The Chois 1989–1990
  • Max and Patricia Farnham 1990–1996
  • Max and Susannah Farnham 1996-2000
  • Max and Jacqui Farnham 2001-2002
  • Ron and Bev Dixon 2003

Number 8 : In the mid-1980s when the Collins lived here, a Garage was built onto the left of the house with no on-screen explanation. The interior floor-plan remained unchanged until Max and Jacqui Farnham moved in during 2002. Similar to Number 7, part of the dividing wall between the Kitchen and Living Room was removed, bringing more natural light into the set. The house also had a new, stylish fitted Kitchen and was lavishly decorated to suit the Farnham's more up-market tastes. This house was also used as a set in Hollyoaks, even when Brookside was still in Production, and there was little attempt to disguise the distinctive yellow decor, Kitchen and new floor-plan. Like Number 7, a mock-Tudor wooden beam effect was added to the first floor exterior, modernising its outdated look.

  • The Collins 1982–1990
  • The Dixons 1990–1997
  • The O’Learys and Sinbad 1997–1998
  • The Musgroves 1998–2000
  • Mike and Rachel, Ron and Anthea Dixon 2000–2002
  • Max and Jacqui Farnham 2002–2003

Number 9: The only on-screen semi-detached houses in Brookside Close were Numbers 9 and 10. This house saw a major extension when the Simpson's lived here in 1998. They added a Garage and an extra Bedroom above, as well as a large Conservatory to the rear of the property. During the 2002 siege, a character managed to punch a huge hole in the dividing wall between Number 9 and 10 and climb through! Number 9 was the only house to have a Porch added to the front entrance.

  • Heather and Roger Huntington 1982–1983
  • Heather Haversham (Heather reverted to her maiden name) 1983–1986
  • Heather Haversham and Nicholas Black 1986–1987
  • Jonathon and Laura Gordon-Davies, then Jonathon with Terry Sullivan as a lodger 1987–1990
  • Terry and Sue Sullivan 1990–1991
  • The Harrisons 1991–1993
  • The Banks 1994–1996
  • The Simpsons 1996–1998
  • Nathan, Darren, Victoria and Jacqui as tenants of Lindsey Corkhill 1999–2000
  • The Murrays 2000–2003

Number 10: Possibly the most famous house in Brookside Close and it saw many changes over the years. The dividing wall between the Kitchen and Living Room was removed in 1986, and a Garage extension containing a Spare Room was built in 1987. The distinctive shutters were added to the front windows by the Corkhill's during the mid-1980s.

  • Gavin and Petra Taylor 1982–1983
  • The Jacksons 1984–1985
  • The Billy Corkhill family 1985–1993
  • The Jordaches 1993–1995
  • Jimmy Corkhill and family 1995–2003.

In the book, Phil Redmond's 20 Years of Brookside, there is detailed information about the rest of the houses in Brookside Close and what they were used for:

  • The large house to the right of Number 5, seen regularly in early Brookside title-sequences (before the shrubs grew and disguised it!), was actually the Mersey Television canteen! The particulars detailing the sale of the property (no longer Online) showed a large, PVC Conservatory at the back of the house. Very similar to Number 5, this house has 4 bedrooms and a built-in Garage and would have been Number 4 Brookside Close had it been used in on-screen storylines.
  • The three terraced properties (with the upper exteriors rendered pastel blue) were used as Post Production and Wardrobe. The ground floor interior walls dividing the three houses were removed, creating a large open space. These houses were numbered 1 to 3 Brookside Close on-screen. The Production Gallery was situated on the first floor of Number 1, over-looking the access road into the set of the Close. The houses have now been restored to the original design.
  • To the left of Number 10 is a cluster of three semi-detached properties that were easy to see during earlier episodes. These houses were initially used as the Mersey Television Administration block, although one property later became the set for the Cunningham family in Hollyoaks for several years. This house had a Conservatory added to its left side which was curiously identical to the one built at the back of Number 9 Brookside Close!
  • Altogether, Mersey Television owned 13 houses and several 1 bedroomed apartments in the area of West Derby, in reality simply called "Brookside". The actual set of the Close is situated at the end of "Brookside", and would be numbered 41 to 53, with the real Number 53 being Number 1 Brookside Close on-screen.
  • These houses on Brookside Close were only ever mentioned twice by characters in Brookside during the entire 21 years it was in production! In 1995, during a plot where the Close was quarantined because of a mysterious virus, Jimmy Corkill mentioned a resident at 'Number 11' being particularly ill. In the final episodes during 2003, it was noted by Jimmy and the Murray's that the 'residents' of 1-4 had sold up to the incinerator firm "Cinerco" as they watched the four houses being boarded up, heralding the beginning of the end of Brookside Close.
  • Information about the set, and guidance to view fabulous ariel views of Brookside Close (and Childwall Technical College) can be found on this site:[3] Also, it is the definitive site about all the sets used in the hugely popular soap Emmerdale since its inception, plus EastEnders, Coronation Street and Crossroads.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

All information about the soap opera Brookside contained on this page including; inception, setting, production, cast, storylines, viewing figures and programme evolvement has been researched from the following publications, productions and resources:-

  • Kibble-White, Graham (2002). Phil Redmond's 20 Years of Brookside. London: Carlton. ISBN 1-84222-764-5. 
  • Information about Brookside's move from prime-time Channel 4 in 2002: [4] Includes several key cast photographs.
  • News articles featuring Phil Redmond talking about the demise of Brookside. He also suggests the possibility that Brookside could continue as a series of DVD specials: The Scotsman [5]. The BBC article also reports the introduction of the character Jack Michaelson.[6]
  • Information detailing Brookside's official cancellation in 2003: [7] Includes cast photographs.
  • Information about viewing figures for the final episode of Brookside: [8] Includes cast photographs, and also here, [9] with a final episode ratings summary with pictures.
  • Channel 4 archive Brookside web page: [10]
  • 100 'Behind the Scenes' facts and trivia about Brookside can be found on this website: [11] Also includes detailed previews for episodes originally aired from 1996 to 2000 and episode summaries covering 1999 and 2000 episodes. Plus a great selection of rare pictures.
  • Information about the Sale of Brookside Close: [12]
  • Website dedicated to Helen Grace who played Georgia Simpson: [14]
  • A detailed essay about the lesbian storyline between Beth Jordache and Margaret Clemence: [15]
  • Detailed account of the career of Phil Redmond, the creator of Brookside: [17] [18]
  • Every episode of Brookside, its transmission day and date, plus a short synopsis of each episode can be found here [19] on this excellent website. There's also an extensive range of cast photographs, plus experiences behind the scenes, production and a detailed guides for episodes shown between 1999 and 2002.
  • Brookside: Ten of the Best. A 30-minute documentary can be seen as a bonus feature on the DVD release Brookside: Unfinished Business. FHED1759. Copyright 2003 Brookside Productions Ltd. A Fremantle Home Entertainment Release.

[edit] External links

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