Brookside returns to screens in Hollyoaks crossover as creator slams bosses who took it off air
Iconic soap Brookside is set to return to screens after 22 years away, as its creator calls the management that scrapped it "philistines"
Brookside returns to our screens tonight after 22 years - and the trailblazing soap’s creator says it never should have been taken off air. At a special screening of the much-anticipated episode, Sir Phil Redmond took a pop at Channel 4, calling the management at the time “philistines”.
“They needed a much more enlightened, visionary management at Channel Four…” he mused about the show’s axing in 2003 after falling viewing figures.
Tonight we’ll see the return of Brookside greats like Sue Johnston as Sheila, Ricky Tominlison as Bobby, Michael Starke as Sinbad and Philip Olivier as Tinhead back on the iconic Close for the special crossover episode with Hollyoaks, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Faces past and present from both soaps descended on Liverpool St George’s Hall on Tuesday night for a screening of that much-anticipated ep.
Louis Emerick, who’s appeared in both shows, is instrumental in events which brings them both together. Donny tells Sinbad that he has stop running from his demons – before travelling to Brookside Close. Louis said: “It was brilliant. And then when I saw Sue Johnston, I thought, ‘Yeah, it's happening.’”
Sue reunites with Royale Family co-star Ricky and their chemistry is undeniable. Asked if the special could lead to a full Brookside return, Sir Phil said: “My personal opinion is they should never have stop it.”
Creator of both soaps, Sir Phil Redmond, who even makes a cheeky cameo this week, said he’s always strived to make “great drama for young people”.
“They kept saying, ‘teenagers don’t watch telly and they can’t concentrate,’ and we said, ‘well if you make it, they will’ — so we did,” he told host and Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard.
Tonight’s episode of Hollyoaks will leave fans on the edge of their seats as a plan crashes into the Chester village on Tony and Diane’s wedding day, leaving two people dead and more fighting for their lives.
Hollyoaks has seen 57 births, 88 marriages, 51 broken engagements, 294 deaths and 13 serial killers
Jennifer Metcalfe looked back at her time playing Mercedes McQueen, and which storyline has had the biggest impact on her, “It would be the latest cancer storyline,” she explained. “It was the one that really took home with me because my dad died when I was 15. In some weird, I felt connected to him through it. I loved the awareness that it raised. It was such a big challenge.”
Playing feisty Mercedes for 19 years, Jen said she’s like her character in some ways but definitely not others. “She's pretty scatty and I can be pretty scatty. But she's taught me what not to do in life… like the Richard (Blackwood) and Jamie (Lomas) storyline!” Talking about when she gave birth to twins - and Warren (Lomas) and Felix (Blackwood) fathered one each.
Jorgie Porter let her hair down at the afterparty on the first proper night out since becoming a mum of two. “This is like my first time out without babies, so I've gotta be careful,” she laughed. Worried she might get a bit too overexcited, Jorgie shared: “I’m not going back to them. I’ll have a drink and be like ‘Ah!’. She was having the time of her life, as she was one of the first to hit the dance floor.
Keiron Richardson hailed Hollyoaks for making him a leading gay man in a soap. Praising ex-boss Bryan Kirkwood for taking a chance on him, the Ste Hay actor said: “He put me at like the forefront, which he didn't really see on television.”
Gary Lucy has a fruity party trick which he was very keen to show everyone at the after afterparty. The cast, crew and me moved on the Hope Street Hotel to carry on the celebrations, where Gary, who played heartthrob Luke Morgan, wanted to show everyone what he had up his sleeve.
“I can peel an orange in one go,” he proudly boasted. “My parents worked on a fruit stall and I honed the talent when I helped out.” Cue several peeled tangerines on the reception desk…
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