Conception and preparation Phil Redmond has first conceived the idea for a drama serial centred on a newly-built housing estate in 1973, while writing for
sitcom Doctor in Charge. He pitched the programme to several
ITV production companies, but it was not picked up and Redmond abandoned it. In 1981 he attended a lecture given at the
Royal Institution of Great Britain by
Jeremy Isaacs, the chief executive of newly-commissioned
Channel 4, who was looking for independent producers that could provide content for the channel, which led to Redmond promising Isaacs a format for a drama serial and revisiting his original concept. After previous clashes with the
BBC during production of
Grange Hill, Redmond established production company
Mersey Television to maintain control over his future programmes;
Brookside would be its first product. In early 1982, Mersey Television purchased 13 houses on a
cul-de-sac in
Croxteth,
Liverpool, on land formerly a part of
Lord Sefton's estate. Six of the houses would be seen on-screen as sets, while the remaining seven were used for administration, post-production and canteen facilities. The cul-de-sac backed onto the
River Alt, which lent the programme its name, replacing Redmond's original title
Meadowcroft (which would later be recycled for the show's in-universe soap opera,
Meadowcroft Park). The houses cost a total of £25,000 and were custom-built by
Broseley Homes. Using houses on a real new-build estate added to the desired realism Redmond wanted. Actors that were unfamiliar to the public were cast to enhance the credibility of the characters; the ensemble was smaller than other soaps, having only 16 regular characters and only three of the six houses occupied. This was an intentional choice made to reflect the reality of new-build estate occupancy, and it was over a year until all the houses were full. Shooting for the first episode began on 6 September 1982.
1980s Central to much of the show's early publicity were the
working-class Grant family -
socialist factory worker
Bobby (
Ricky Tomlinson), devout
Catholic Sheila (
Sue Johnston), and their children
Barry (
Paul Usher),
Karen (Shelagh O'Hara) and
Damon (
Simon O'Brien) - who moved into 5 Brookside Close from a rundown
council estate. Bobby and Sheila's turbulent marriage proved popular, as Bobby's socialist principles clashed with Sheila's traditional family values. The Grants contrasted their
conservative,
middle-class neighbours
Paul (
Jim Wiggins) and
Annabelle Collins (
Doreen Sloane), and their children
Lucy (
Katrin Cartlidge/Maggie Saunders) and
Gordon (Nigel Crowley/
Mark Burgess), who downsized from a large home on
the Wirral to Number 8 after Paul was made redundant from his
executive position at a chemical plant. Much of the early storylines were driven by the social and political differences between the
left-wing Grants and the
right-wing Collinses. Number 9 was occupied by solicitor's clerk
Roger Huntington (
Rob Spendlove) and his wife, ambitious accountant
Heather (
Amanda Burton), who together represented the emerging
yuppie subculture. Roger, who was ashamed of his working-class roots, sided with the Collinses against the Grants;
Belfast-born Heather was friendly with both families.
Low-class newlyweds Gavin (
Danny Webb) and
Petra Taylor (
Alexandra Pigg) arrived next-door to the Huntingtons at Number 10 at the end of November, and Gavin infuriated their neighbours by selling stolen gas cookers from his front lawn. but initial reactions were far from positive. Critics were quick to point out various technical problems, as well as the
swearing now being screened before the
watershed. As viewing figures stabilised at 1 million, the production team started to iron out the show's teething troubles. Soundproof panels were placed on the ceilings of the houses to contain sound and eliminate echoing, and scriptwriters toned down the language and removed a couple of poorly performing supporting actors. The atmosphere changed as the rest of the original cast arrived in 1983: computer programmer
Alan Partridge (a character played by
Dicken Ashworth and unrelated to the later
comedy character of the same name) moved into Number 6 in April, and pensioners
Harry (
Bill Dean) and
Edna Cross (
Betty Alberge) bought Number 7, arriving in November. Following the death of Gavin and the disappearance of Petra, Number 10 became home to Petra's sisters
Michelle Jones (Tracey Jay) and
Marie Jackson (
Anna Keaveney), along with Marie's husband
George (Cliff Howells) and their twin sons, Gary and Little George (Allan and Steven Patterson). These new characters expanded the cast whilst helping to bring humour and balance to the existing dynamic. By 1984, off the back of the popular "Free George Jackson" storyline,
Brookside had achieved mainstream popularity, being voted best programme of the year by separate polls in
Smash Hits and
No.1 magazines.
Brookside topped 7 million for the first time in 1985 following a dramatic siege storyline that proved popular with viewers, despite criticism of the unlikeliness of the plot (Hilary Kingsley described it as "ludicrous") and the killing of the programme's only black character,
Kate Moses (Sharon Rosita). September that year saw the arrival of the first generation of the Corkhill family,
Billy (
John McArdle),
Doreen (
Kate Fitzgerald),
Rod (Jason Hope) and
Tracy (Justine Kerrigan), accompanied by Doreen's malapropping mother
Julia Brogan (
Gladys Ambrose) and Billy's ne'er-do-well brother
Jimmy (
Dean Sullivan). The late 1980s saw two spin-offs, referred to as "
soap bubbles". The first, 1987's
Damon and Debbie, focussed on the relationship between Damon Grant and schoolgirl
Debbie McGrath (
Gillian Kearney) as they fled their families in Liverpool to make their own life in
York; the series ended in Damon's death, being stabbed while defending himself from a mugger. The second, 1988's
South, featured Tracy Corkhill and Jamie Henderson (Sean McKee) heading to
London to find employment, sick of the lack of opportunities in Merseyside. The spin-offs were both written by regular
Brookside contributor
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and were woven into the narrative of
Brookside as well, particularly
Damon and Debbie, as scriptwriters explored the grief of Bobby and Sheila at their youngest son's death. The episode featuring Damon's funeral gained 7 million viewers, and also introduced the Rogers family. Lorry driver
Frank (
Peter Christian) and his wife
Chrissy (Eithne Brown) had three children,
Sammy (Rachael Lindsay), Geoff (Kevin Carson/
Stephen Walters) and
Katie (Debbie Reynolds/Diane Burke), and became the show's new nuclear family following the disintegration of the Grants. This status was solidified by the Rogers family buying the Grants' old house, Number 5, at auction in May 1989. Other storylines at this time included the slow-burning romance between divorcees Billy Corkhill and Sheila Grant, and the marriage of longtime resident
Terry Sullivan (
Brian Regan) and his pregnant girlfriend
Sue Harper (
Annie Miles).
1990s Many long-standing characters departed in 1990. Harry Cross moved to
St Helen's in May; the entire Collins family was written out by June, following the sudden death of actress
Doreen Sloane; Billy and Sheila Corkhill, having married in August, departed for
Basingstoke in September; and solicitor
Jonathan Gordon-Davies (Steven Pinner), who had bought Number 9 in 1987, left for
London in October. The departures made way for an influx of new characters who arrived in rapid succession. Harry Cross's lodger
Mick Johnson (
Louis Emerick) took full residence of Number 6, and was joined by his wife Josie (
Suzanne Packer) and their children,
Leo (Leeon Sawyer/
Steven Cole) and Gemma (Naomi Kamanga) in May;
quantity surveyor Max Farnham (
Steven Pinder) and his wife,
public relations consultant Patricia (
Gabrielle Glaister), bought Number 7 in July, moving in with their infant son Thomas (Kieran Warham) and live-in nanny
Margaret Clemence (
Nicola Stephenson); and working-class
Ron (
Vince Earl) and
DD Dixon (
Irene Marot) moved into Number 8 in October, accompanied by their three children
Mike (Paul Byatt),
Jacqui (
Alexandra Fletcher) and Tony (Gerard Bostock/Mark Lennock) and "The Moby", their mobile shop. The dynamic between the Dixons and the Farnhams echoed that of the Grant and Collins families at the show's inception, and there remained a strong rivalry between them until
Brookside demise. The Rogers family remained at Number 5, the Sullivans at Number 9 with son Danny (Kieran Poole), and siblings Rod and Tracy Corkhill continued living at Number 10 with new stepbrother Barry Grant. Barry, now without any of his biological family to ground him, descended further into Liverpool's
criminal underworld. Even with the near-wholesale cast change, ratings were regularly topping 7 million and a third weekly episode was added from 1 July 1990. To accommodate this, Mersey Television bought a defunct
technical college in nearby
Childwall, planning to incorporate it into the programme as a row of shops called Brookside Parade, most of which would be owned by residents of Brookside Close.
Brookside most famous storyline, known as "The Body Under the Patio", involved the murder of
wife-beater and
child abuser Trevor Jordache (
Bryan Murray) in May 1993, at the hands of his wife
Mandy (Sandra Maitland) and daughter
Beth (
Anna Friel). His body was unceremoniously buried beneath the
patio at Number 10 and remained there until its unearthing in January 1995 during a search for a leaking water pipe. The trial and imprisonment of Mandy and Beth Jordache captivated viewers and drew
Brookside highest ratings of 9 million viewers. The storyline was inspired by a 1990 murder in the
West Midlands, when a woman killed her abusive husband and buried him in her garden. The Jordache family contributed heavily to the show's appeal, especially through Beth Jordache sharing the first televised pre-watershed
lesbian kiss with Margaret Clemence, and Mandy's relationship with popular long-standing character
Sinbad (
Michael Starke). However, the conclusion to their storyline drew criticism when Beth suddenly died off-screen from an undiagnosed
heart disease while incarcerated for Trevor's murder and waiting for an appeal hearing. The character's death came when Anna Friel decided not to renew her contract and quit the role;
executive producer Redmond explained to disappointed viewers at the time that he felt it would not be right to leave the character languishing in prison. Mandy Jordache left shortly afterward, having been
acquitted and given birth to hers and Sinbad's daughter, which left only youngest child
Rachel (Tiffany Chapman), who remained until the programme's end. Following the conclusion of the Jordache family's story, writers persisted with contentious and sensational storylines to keep ratings high and
Brookside in the headlines. In 1996, an
incest storyline between siblings
Georgia (
Helen Grace) and
Nat Simpson (John Sandford) drew substantial backlash, especially as they were caught in bed by younger brother Danny (Andrew Butler). In the aftermath of viewer complaints to the
Independent Television Commission, Channel 4 were ordered to broadcast a public apology and Redmond admitted that he and the writers "got it wrong"; senior producer
Mal Young also drew criticism for taking the programme away from its social-realist roots. Following the separate departures of Rod and Tracy Corkhill, their uncle
Jimmy (
Dean Sullivan) was joined by his estranged wife
Jackie (
Sue Jenkins) and daughter
Lindsey (
Claire Sweeney). Sweeney became popular among
Brookside audience, and Lindsey went through several different incarnations, moving from a downtrodden single mother to a formidable gun-toting gangster romantically involved with Barry Grant. Lindsey became so associated with guns that the Mersey Television publicity department released promotional pictures of Sweeney posing provocatively with a
firearm. The complete transformation of the character was indicative of the improbable storylines, and Lindsey's spell as a gangster was described by Lorna Hughes of the
Liverpool Echo as "best forgotten". By 1998, viewing figures had fallen below 7 million and new Channel 4 chief executive
Michael Jackson was considering cancelling the show. In response to the falling ratings, and criticisms for outlandish and dangerous plots that upset television watchdogs, producers shifted focus back onto the families and their dynamics within a close-knit community; Redmond would go on to comment that the
Brookside of 1998 was closer to the show he had launched in 1982. Despite the attempt to return to realism and issue-led plots,
Brookside had become synonymous with guns and explosions, and was losing support among its viewers and the press. Alison Graham, TV listing editor for
Radio Times, dropped the show from her soap opera column in 1998 and replaced it with
BBC Radio 4's rural soap
The Archers.
2000s 2000 saw
Brookside try and revamp itself for the new
millennium, by reviving past characters Josie Johnson (
Suzanne Packer), Bev McLoughlin (Sarah White),
Leanne Powell (
Vickie Gates) and
Nisha Batra (
Sunetra Sarker), and introducing pop singer
Bernie Nolan in her first acting role as Diane Murray, the matriarch of a new nuclear family in Number 9. This succeeded in sparking a new interest in the programme, although many of the plots were felt to be rehashes of previously explored issues. The departure of the popular Sinbad in a controversial child abuse scandal, and a love triangle involving Lindsey Corkhill, Shelley Bowers (
Alexandra Wescourt) and Lindsey's mother Jackie, were poorly received by viewers, and Redmond spoke out again: "
NHS and childcare - these are the things that engage and worry people now. [...] I'm giving up the lesbian-affair-with-the-mother-in-law syndrome". One of the more successful plotlines was the death of
Susannah Morrisey (Karen Drury) in a "Whodunit?" storyline that pushed viewing figures back over 6 million. The ratings boost from Susannah's death did not last and by 2001, the programme was again in dire straits. Ratings dropped back below 5 million viewers, long-running characters Lindsey Corkhill, Mick Johnson, and Jackie Corkhill were written out, and producer
Paul Marquess left to produce ITV's
The Bill.
Brookside had been renewed for four years in 1997, but by the time this contract ended in 2001 the show was far less important in Channel 4's programming. After a failed attempt to lure back Mal Young, Phil Redmond resumed total control shortly before
Brookside 20th anniversary, and marked the occasion by pledging to return the ailing programme to its former glory at a meeting attended by the cast and crew. The exteriors of the houses on Brookside Close received decoration, four members of the cast were axed, and several new directors and writers were hired. A new focal family, the Gordons, were introduced, and characters returned to discussing current political and environmental issues, but Redmond's grounded new-look approach did little to stop declining ratings. The Gordons were considered miscast and unlikeable, and were unfavourably compared to the original Grant family. As
Brookside approached its twentieth anniversary in November 2002, ratings dropped below 1.8 million. In response, Channel 4 announced that the programme would be withdrawn from its
prime-time evening slots on weeknights and instead be broadcast only in its Saturday omnibus slot. Channel 4 was contractually obligated to
Brookside until November 2003, and the move was seen as damage limitation, hoping that the move would cease the dwindling audience share and let it die quietly. This announcement coincided with the programmes twentieth anniversary, which was unfortunate as the show celebrated the milestone with an updated theme tune, new opening credits and a
post-production film effect to update visuals. The twentieth anniversary storyline in November 2002, which also featured the return of Claire Sweeney as Lindsey Corkhill, involved four armed
drug dealers ending up on Brookside Close after taking a wrong turn during a
police chase. Finding themselves cornered, they raided the houses and took several residents hostage in their homes. The scenes featured graphic violence, profanity and
cocaine consumption, and culminated with a police helicopter crashing and exploding onto the car park outside Brookside Parade. The storyline drew comparison to
a similar 1993 storyline from
Emmerdale, which had also been devised by Phil Redmond to save the flagging soap. Unlike
Emmerdale, which was saved by its storyline,
Brookside faced criticism for the unrealistic premise and unsuitability for pre-watershed viewing, especially as the
omnibus had been broadcast at 4.30pm on Saturday. A lack of promotion from Channel 4 meant that there was little change in the ratings. The final year of
Brookside began with a reduced budget and the programme's shift to one 90-minute episode on Saturdays. Episodes now only featured a small cast and in only one location, and the inclusion of gimmicks such as
flashbacks,
dream sequences and
split screen were unsuccessful. Storylines followed the most popular characters in more self-contained episodes, while some were written out without on-screen departures. This included Max and Jacqui Farnham (
Steven Pinder and
Alexandra Fletcher), who were dismissed as having moved to
Woolton with a scripted offhand comment made by Jacqui's father
Ron Dixon (
Vince Earl). With viewing figures now at around just 400,000,
Brookside was officially cancelled by Channel 4 on 11 June 2003.
After Brookside Following
Brookside removal from primetime in November 2002, Mersey Television began to phase out Brookside Parade from the series; they instead began utilising the set for its other programmes
Hollyoaks and
Grange Hill. Number 7 and Number 8 were used on
Hollyoaks as homes to the Dean and Burton-Taylor families; the interior of Number 8 was not seen again following its repurposing for
Hollyoaks, and its
Brookside resident
Jack Michaelson (Paul Duckworth) only ever appeared at the front door. Although the two houses were dressed with
mock-Tudor cladding for
Brookside and avoided being used in long-shots, viewers frequently noticed props that made their use in
Hollyoaks obvious. After Mersey Television was sold to
All3Media in June 2005, all thirteen of the
Brookside houses were sold to a property developer who attempted to repurpose them for residential living. The houses were listed for sale in January 2007 with asking prices between £199,000 and £295,000, but they were offered in a semi-finished condition and did not sell. The developer went into
receivership soon after, and the properties fell into neglect. In 2008, a local production company was given special permission to use Brookside Close for a low-budget horror film called
Salvage. The film received modest reviews but was not widely distributed. Despite the best efforts of the set designers, some reviewers recognised the location. Auctioneers SHM Smith Hodgkinson announced in February 2008 that they would be taking offers on the houses, considering bids in the region of £2 million. It was later reported in November of that year that the properties would be auctioned off collectively with a guide price of between £500,000 and £625,000. Actor
Dean Sullivan tried to purchase the properties, leading to speculation that
Brookside may be revived, but an unnamed Liverpool-based buyer purchased all thirteen proeprties in December 2008 for a total of £735,000. Restoration of the houses for occupancy was completed in February 2011, with the houses integrated into the estate surrounding them. In 2021, former
Brookside actor
Ray Quinn revealed he had begun a new career
laying carpet during the
coronavirus pandemic, with one of his first jobs being to lay carpet at one of the renovated Brookside Close houses. In 2023,
Ricky Tomlinson reprised his character
Bobby Grant for a promotional segment aired during that year's
Eurovision Song Contest, which was being held in Liverpool. In it, he attached Ukrainian-themed
bunting to the garage of Number 5, the former Grant family home.
Hollyoaks crossover On 16 August 2025, Channel 4 announced that
Brookside would make an on-screen comeback through a crossover episode with
Hollyoaks, as part of the latter programme's thirtieth anniversary celebrations. The episode will be written by Steve Hughes, who worked on both programmes.
Hollyoaks executive producer Hannah Cheers said: "This episode is a love letter to both [programmes].
Brookside gave birth to
Hollyoaks [...] This special feels like a moving and fitting tribute to our origin story and a chance for fans to revisit much-loved
Brookside characters in honour of that legacy.". Filming for the crossover would take place on the original Brookside Close after exceptional permission was granted by the Liverpool Film Office. Subsequent press releases confirmed the returns of
Paul Usher as
Barry Grant,
John McArdle as
Billy Corkhill,
Philip Olivier as
Tim "Tinhead" O'Leary,
Suzanne Collins as
Nikki Shadwick,
Michael Starke as
Sinbad, and
Ricky Tomlinson as
Bobby Grant. It was also confirmed that the episode would feature a tribute to
Brookside longest-serving cast member,
Dean Sullivan, who died in 2023. A broadcast date for the crossover, 22 October 2025, was confirmed on the same day. In the episode, it was revealed that Hollyoaks police detective Donny Clark (played by Louis Emerick) was in fact Mick Johnson from Brookside Close after he had staged his death on
Brookside over twenty years earlier. His daughter Gemma still lived on the Close, and was integral to the crossover story. It became clear that the developers who wanted to bulldoze Brookside Close at the end of the original series never went through with their plans and the cul-de-sac was now once again filled with families living there. These include Sheila and Billy Corkhill, who are now once again living in Brookside Close after living in Basingstoke for several years, but are now living at No. 5 which was Sheila's home in the 1980s during her marriage to Bobby Grant. Sheila was still in touch with Bobby, who ran a local food bank, and it was implied they had recently had a fling. Barry Grant was also seen at no. 5 but it was not clear if he lived there or was simply visiting his mother. At No. 8, Tim "Tinhead" O'Leary and Nikki Shadwick were living together, presumably as a couple. Thomas "Sinbad" Sweeney was also seen in the episode, now working as a taxi driver, and
Brookside and
Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond was also seen as an unnamed onscreen character in the Close whom Sinbad gives a lift to and makes a comical remark about how the story of his life was "jumping from one drama to another". ==Characters==