There was murder and mayhem, an explosion and incest, a spot of drug smuggling and even a siege or two – action-packed to say the least for a suburban cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Liverpool.
This week marks 40 years since legendary soap Brookside hit screens across the UK during Channel 4 ’s first night on air back in 1982, and the impact it made on the telly landscape was huge.
One of the first programmes to share helpline details on screen as ground-breaking storylines played out, it grabbed headlines for everything from British TV’s first lesbian kiss to the ‘body under the patio’ storyline which aired the same year real-life serial killer Fred West committed suicide on remand.
At the height of its popularity the show, created by legendary TV producer Phil Redmond, had massive audiences of 8 million viewers, peaking at 9 million in January 1995 when Trevor Jordache’s body was discovered at the back of Number 10 Brookside Close.
But by the early noughties numbers had plunged to less than a million and Brookie’s final episode went out in 2003, almost 21 years to the day since it started.
“As far as I’m concerned, it should never have been cancelled,” says actress Claire Sweeney, who’s gone on to star in everything from Benidorm and Scarborough to Strictly Come Dancing and Chicago in the West End. She’s currently filming for a top-secret British drama. "All shows have their ups and downs, and Brookside was brilliant.”
Claire, 51, joined the soap in 1991 and starred as the iconic Lindsey Corkhill, daughter of Jimmy and Jackie, chip shop worker, accidental drug smuggler and gun-toting gangster. Growing up in the programme’s home city, she was a lifelong fan and like millions across Britain tuned in every week for the latest gobsmacking tales to come out of the Close.
“I had a ritual with my mum where we’d go to the market and come home to watch the Saturday omnibus every week,” she recalls. “We loved it.”
After studying at the famous Italia Conti School in London Claire, who was working as a singer on a cruise ship at the time, landed an audition for Brookside on her 20th birthday.
Claire recalls: “The character was a right scallywag, not what I was looking for, but it was a chance for me to meet everyone and ask them to consider me for the other part. I remember it so well because it was April 17, my birthday, and there was something very empowering about going for a part I didn’t want.”
The part, of course, was Lindsey Corkhill – and accepting the role of the famous “scallywag” would go on to change Claire’s life.
“I just did a couple of episodes to begin with,” says the star, mum to eight-year-old son Jaxon. “Then I was back on the cruise ships for four years.”
But by 1995 Claire was back on dry land and wrote a letter to Brookside producer Mal Young saying she’d love to come back to the Close.
They agreed and from that point on Claire’s part in Brookside, which also starred massive names like Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Amanda Burton and Jennifer Ellison, was full on for six years, making the actress a household name and her character Lindsey a key player in the Close.
“I had some brilliant storylines,” recalls the star. “One of the biggies was the drug smuggling. I remember being so excited when I heard Lindsey would be arrested at Bangkok airport with drugs stuffed into her daughter’s teddy bear, I couldn’t wait to get to Thailand and film the whole thing.
“It’s hilarious now to look back at that, because the reality was we filmed at Liverpool Airport. I remember doing the big climactic scene on a travellator when Lindsey was getting arrested.
"There was the crying and the teddy bear and all the drama and emotion, and when we were done with it, I was so happy with how it had gone.
“But we had to do it again. It turned out there was a big sign behind me on the travellator saying something like, ‘Welcome to Liverpool Albert Dock’.”
Working in a tight-knit unit with her onscreen parents, played by Dean Sullivan and Sue Jenkins, Claire, who had never worked on TV before, learned the tricks of the trade on set.
“When I started I was so starstruck by everyone, I had to take Kalms on the first day, those herbal tablets that calm you down,” she laughs. “Jimmy Corkhill was such an iconic character and for him to be my dad was unbelievable. But it was Sinbad, played by Michael Starke, that had me really starstruck in the early days. He was absolutely massive in Liverpool back then, a proper legend.”
While Anna Friel’s ‘Lesbian Kiss’ as Beth Jordache made history in 1994, when Claire’s alter ego Lindsey got a girlfriend a few years later, it was still a big deal in TV terms.
“It actually ended up being one of the hardest storylines for me to deal with because of what happened off-screen,” recalls Claire. “I had all these young women, bless them, writing to me looking for advice. They were struggling with their sexuality, girls were in love with their friends and didn’t know what to do and others who didn’t know how to talk to their families. I didn’t feel equipped at all to deal with it.
“I was an actress, not a counsellor, and other than sending kind words I wasn’t sure what to say. Back then, contact came through fan letters, not social media, so it was a very different backdrop in many ways. Brookside was really pioneering and fearless in what it covered, and we definitely made an impact in the real world.”
As well as performing lots of her own stunts, including whacking co-star Gerard Kelly in the face with a baseball bat in a showdown with villain Callum Finnegan – the gangster who blew up Lindsey’s nightclub – Claire got to show off her singing talents, too.
“There was an episode where the characters did their own ‘Stars in their Eyes’ sort of show, and as Lindsey I got to dress up as Cher and strut my stuff in the black outfit and all that,” she says. “It was fabulous, and I finally got to sing on the show!”
But the personal highlight for Claire came in her very last storyline in 2003 when she made a final return as Brookside wrapped for good, when she was paired up with soap’s original bad boy Barry Grant, played by Paul Usher.
She laughs. “I had grown up a massive fan, and by that I mean I had a massive crush on Barry. It’s amazing that Lindsey ended up marrying him – and I kissed him on screen! The very last shot was us with our lovely big house and our little girl. It was brilliant.
“My days on that show were some of the happiest of my life, and I’ll never forget it.”
Iconic moments from the show
The siege - 1985
Gunman John Clarke, played by Robert Pugh, took nurses Kate Moses and Sandra Maghie (Sheila Grier and Sharon Rosita) hostage at their home in 1985 along with a hospital porter, blaming their hospital for his mother’s death. The Close was evacuated and the gunman killed Kate before turning the weapon on himself.
Sheila Grant’s rape - 1986
Written by Jimmy McGovern, Sue Johnston’s character Sheila Grant was raped walking home from the pub in episodes that aired in 1986. Sheila later discovered she was pregnant
and her marriage to Bobby, played by Ricky Tomlinson, fell apart.
The famous kiss - 1993
The 1994 kiss between Anna Friel’s Beth Jordache and Margaret Clemence, played by actress Nicola Stephenson, prompted plaudits and complaints for the show.
The body under the patio - 1995
It was a slow-burn storyline for the show after Sandra Maitland’s Mandy Jordache stabbed abusive husband Trevor, played by Bryan Murray, in 1993 and hid his body in the garden.
His remains lay undiscovered for two years, when the grizzly find sent shockwaves through the soap and beyond.
The Brookie plague - 1995
The Close was sealed off when a killer virus hit, leaving three residents dead in 1995.
Nat and Georgia’s incest - 1996
In a storyline even loyal fans of the show couldn’t stomach, brother and sister Nat and Georgia Simpson were found to be in a sexual relationship in 1996. The family were later axed from the soap.
Drug-smuggling in Thailand - 1996
Claire Sweeney’s Lindsey Corkhill was arrested as she tried to start a new life abroad with Mike Dixon (Paul Byatt). Ex-husband Gary (Andrew Fillis) had sought his revenge by planting drugs inside the teddy of Lindsey’s daughter.
Tinhead goes to prison - 2001
Much-loved Tinhead, played by Philip Olivier, took the wrap for Jennifer Ellison’s Emily Shandwick when she launched a criminal campaign against her neighbour. Smitten Tinhead took the blame and went to jail in her place.
Little Anthony’s revenge - 2002
Schoolboy Anthony Murray, played by Ray Quinn, fought back after months of bullying by Imelda Clough (Billie Clements). Things took a devastating turn when Anthony killed Imelda.
