Original episodes of Brookside will start airing on STV Player next week, the free streaming platform has announced. The soap, set in Liverpool, chronicled the lives of characters living in 13 houses on a cul-de-sac called Brookside Close before it ended 20 years ago.
Conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator, Sir Philip Redmond, and produced by his company, Mersey Television, now called Lime Pictures, the soap drew in millions of viewers. The first episode aired on Channel 4 on November 2 1982 and, at its peak, the show drew in audiences of nine million viewers before it came to a close on November 4 2003.
Sunetra Sarker said she "owes a lot" to the beloved soap after she was given the role of Nisha Batra after being spotted at a bus stop at 15. The Ackley Bridge and Casualty actress added: "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.
