Neil Caple has shared the emotional reason why Brookside will always have a special place in his heart.
The 64-year-old soap star is renowned for his role as Martin Murray in the classic Channel 4 show. Neil joined the cast as the Murray patriarch in 2000 and endured a turbulent time on the Close until the programme ended in 2003.
The actor, who lives in Formby, had enjoyed a successful career in the theatre before he eventually landed the part. Neil told the ECHO he will always treasure how Brookside changed his life as the nature of the job meant he could be there for his three children.
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He said: "I would be able to go home at night to my kids, which is something actors don't get to do. The general rule when you're working is you're away from home. You spend your entire working life wishing you were somewhere else.
"I've thanked Phil on a number of occasions as it was because of him that I got to spend four solid years with my children growing up." Neil channelled his real life responsibilities as a dad into his performance as his storylines often centred around caring for his onscreen son, Anthony Murray, played by Ray Quinn.
Neil heaped praise on the X Factor star as he recalled his favourite scene on the soap when Anthony was taken to a Young Offender's Institution. He said: "It still to this moment sends a shiver down the spine just thinking about it. Ray was an absolute phenomenon. He was aged about 10 then and he could stand next to anybody and look good."
Brookside fever has returned to Merseyside since it was announced the original batch of episodes are finally available to view on streaming platform STV Player. Neil has been caught up in the excitement and told the ECHO why it is "vital" the show can reach new audiences.
He said: "It's just lovely and nice to see that it has a new life." He added: "I think the city missed it, which is another great reason why it's coming back. Liverpool was proud of its soap."
Brookside was never a show afraid to tackle the big subjects and Neil credits the fearless approach to storylines as to why it spawned such a large following. Brookside was originally born in the 1980s and showcased how communities in Liverpool struggled under Thatcherism.
Neil would like to see the current hype around Brookside lead to a full on reboot as the UK now faces a similar political landscape. He said: "I'd love them to tackle those things and Phil could get his teeth stuck into that, no problem at all." He added: "When Brookside finished there was an awful lot of talented people that lost their jobs.
"They had to move away from Liverpool to find similar work or they had to move into different industries instead. I would just love it if, not only if they got the actors back, but all those fantastic people who worked backstage. I think they deserve to be remembered as well."
Neil told the ECHO he would be interested in reprising his role as Martin if the show ever did return. However, he is currently taking a sabbatical from acting as he cares for his mum.
He said: "I can only do one or two days a time at the most because I've got to be there for her. She's in her 90s so I'm making the most of my time with her while I can and then I'll go back to doing what I love to do."
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