Brookside rerun for STV Player
It’s been two decades since the 13 houses on Britain’s most famous cul-de-sac were boarded up, and iconic families such as the Corkhills, Dixons and Grants said their last goodbyes. But fans of Britain’s most daring and dramatic soap need wait no longer, as original episodes of Brookside will finally return to screens – on free streaming service, STV Player – next week.
Dean Sullivan, who as Jimmy Corkhill between 1986-2003 was the soap’s longest-running character, said:
“It’s fantastic news for all loyal Brookside fans that they will have the chance to watch the show again from the start on STV Player. It’s also great that this will give a whole new generation the chance to enjoy the show and even binge watch if they wish! I’m sure many storylines will still feel as relevant today as the day they were written.
“Brookside has played a huge part in my life and it was a real privilege to portray Jimmy Corkhill. The role was every actor’s dream, as the character had so many superb storylines. Jimmy spent 17 years on the close and appeared in more episodes than any other character!
“I remain very proud of the legacy this ground-breaking soap still has to this day, and I was humbled to receive two British Soap Awards for the role. The awards were a real nod from the fans, and people on the street ask me about the show every day which is testament to how well-written it was.”
Brookside aired for the first time on Channel 4’s opening night, November 2nd 1982 and instantly changed the soap opera landscape thanks to airing on the ‘fourth network’ that wasn’t as regulated as the BBC and ITV. This enabled the show to break new ground – something it did across its 21 years on air.
The production, based in Liverpool, was devised by former ATV and Southern Television script writer Phil Redmond who along with Brookside also brought to life Grange Hill for the BBC and Hollyoaks for Channel 4. Early storylines were a social document of the 1980s as the well-to-dos were downscaling while the working class were moving up – all mixing together on a close in Merseyside.
As the series went on the plots became more explosive as rape, kidnap and murder found their way into the cul-de-sac, all thrilling, shocking, entertaining and informing a regular audience of nine million.
By 2002 however Channel 4 was changing its focus and primetime slots were fast becoming a place of reality and lifestyle programming, Brookside fell out of flavour with the top bosses and was shunted around the schedules to an ever-dwindling audience before the plug was pulled on the show in 2003.
In the storyline the close was to be demolished to make way for an incinerator. In real life, after many years a derelict building site, the actual Brookside Close was transformed into a housing estate.
Sunetra Sarker, who played Nisha in Brookside between 1988-1991 and 2000-2003, said:
“I owe a lot to Brookside as I was lucky enough to have been spotted at a bus stop when I was 15 and given the role of Nisha. Had I known then that Brookside Close would be the road that led me to my surprising and eventful career, I would never have believed it! I am thrilled that STV Player is airing Brookie again after all these years. I never fail to hear fans tell me how much they still miss the show. Get streaming and see just how ground-breaking this Liverpool-based soap opera was all those years ago.”
STV Player has struck a major deal with distributor All3Media International, allowing the fondly-remembered soap to be streamed for the first time ever. LivingTV previously repeated the soap from the very first episode until the mid-1990s.
Now, devoted fans, as well as new viewers, can relive and enjoy Brookside’s most memorable storylines – many of which were defining moments in British TV history, such as the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss between characters Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) and Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson).
STV Player will drop the first 10 episodes of Brookside on 1 February, and five new episodes will land each week thereafter.
Richard Williams, Managing Director of Digital, STV said:
It may have been two decades since Brookside drew to a close, but the love for the show from its passionate army of fans has never waned. We’re so pleased to be the first streaming service to bring this legendary piece of TV history back into viewers’ living rooms for free, and I hope superfans and new audiences alike enjoy all the nostalgic drama that Brookside has to offer on STV Player.”
A spokesperson from Lime Pictures – successor of Redmond’s production company Mersey TV which produced the show – noted that the show is still held in “deep affection”. They added: “We are delighted that audiences will be able to revisit or enjoy investing in this era of ground-breaking television that put Liverpool into the television landscape.”
