Soap fans are celebrating the return of iconic Liverpool soap Brookside via streaming, but what exactly was the show about?
If you grew up in a Liverpool family, you will have heard about the divisive show, which was set in Croxteth. Running for 21 years, the show became renowned for its coverage of social issues, including the first openly gay character in a British TV series and the first ever coverage of dyslexia in a soap.
While some loved it for these portrayals and its unique scouse setting, others were critical of alleged poor acting and sensationalised storylines. The soap ran on Channel 4 from November 1982 to November 2003. It was made by Lime Pictures (then Mersey Television), who still make Hollyoaks today.
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It was announced today that the show's old episodes would be available to stream on STV Player for free, starting from February 1 with the first 10 episodes. Ahead of their release, here is a quick run-down of the show's most iconic features.
The real houses
Much like fellow soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders, Brookside was based around characters living in a single street. In this case, it was Brookside Close, off Deysbrook Lane in Croxteth. However, these houses weren't just a set - they were actual homes, purpose built as ordered by the show's producers to increase the soap's realism.
The soap was set on a new build estate, reflecting the nature of the houses themselves. Again, much like an actual new estate, the houses were not filled until all 'residents' had moved in a year after the show began.
After the show ended, the houses were re-used for Hollyoaks until 2005. After falling into various states of disrepair, the houses were fully renovated in February 2011 and went up for sale and letting.
Star names
The show's initial episodes were based around the Grant family, featuring Bobby and Shelia, played by Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston. They went on to play a couple again in the much loved sitcom The Royle Family.
Ray Quinn, who played bullied school child Anthony Murray in the soap's later years, achieved further fame by finishing as runner-up in The X Factor in 2006 and winning Dancing on Ice twice.
Amanda Burton, who lived through one marriage ended by an affair and another by drug addiction in the show as Heather Black, went on to play one of Waterloo Road's headteachers.
Claire Sweeny, who played the chippy worker-turned gangster Lindsey Corkhill in the show, starred in the first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001. Since then, she has starred as Rita in a UK stage tour of Educating Rita, written by scouse playwright Willy Russell.
The social issues
Many of Brookside's most notable moments came from its willingness to address hard hitting social issues in a way many other soaps did not at the time. From the outset, the Grant family were portrayed as moving up in the world, moving into this more middle class area from their previous council estate home.
Social class and politics remained a prominent theme in the soap. Bobby was a left wing trade union representative, reflecting his real life trade political activism. He often clashed with neighbour Paul Collins (played by Jim Wiggins), who had downsized from his large house in Wirral and held right wing views.
Homosexuality also featured heavily in Brookside, setting a number of firsts in mainstream British television. Paul's son Gordon (played by Nigel Crowley and later Mark Burgess) came out as gay in 1985 when a copy of a gay magazine was accidentally delivered to a neighbouring house by mistake. In doing so, he became the first openly gay character on a British TV series.
Meanwhile, ten years later characters Beth Jordache and Margaret Clemence, played by Anna Friel and Nicola Stephenson, shared the first ever lesbian kiss before the 9pm watershed.
Another landmark featured the dyslexia of Geoff Rogers, played by Kevin Carson. Geoff's struggles with dyslexia at home and in school was the first time the issue had been portrayed in a soap opera.
Criticism
These social issues made the show controversial in the eyes of some viewers at the time who claimed it was portraying bad morals. Mary Whitehouse, a prominent campaigner in the 1980s, criticised a scene of attempted rape in the show and claimed Brookside was "without doubt the worst programme ever transmitted in family viewing time”.
Initial episodes suffered from production issues, such as dialogue echoing and poor acting performances.
Others grew tired of the show overusing sensationalised storylines, which had initially proved popular. High stakes plots included a body buried under a patio and several characters becoming held at gunpoint.
Legacy
Brookside may have been cancelled in 2003 amid declining viewers, but it has retained a loyal fan base to this day. Liverpool, unlike Manchester and London, does not currently have a soap set in the city. Even reality TV is lacking, with the short-lived Desperate Scousewives ending in 2011 after one heavily criticised series.
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