Beloved soap Brookside is set to make a major TV return as part of Hollyoaks’ 30th-anniversary celebrations later this year. The series, which ran from 1982 to 2003, was a Channel 4 flagship and known for tackling controversial subjects, including the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on UK television.
The special one-off episode will see Brookside characters return to screens, written by Hollyoaks’ Steve Hughes, who began his career on Brookside. Executive Producer Hannah Cheers described it as “a love letter to both Hollyoaks and Brookside,” highlighting the shared history between the two soaps.
According to Channel 4, the episode will imagine where Brookside residents are 20 years after the show’s cancellation. Filming is set for September on the original set in West Derby, Liverpool, now a residential area, with permission from the owner and Liverpool Film Office.
Brookside creator Sir Phil Redmond expressed bittersweet feelings, remembering cast members no longer with us, but added: “I can’t wait to see how all the gardens are coping in the heatwave and, who knows, what might pop up if someone decides to re-lay their patio. I know we left something else down there.”
The cancellation of Brookside in 2003 remains controversial, with fans attributing declining viewership to increasingly sensational storylines, such as cults and helicopter crashes, rather than the grounded issues that made the show popular.
