It’s been 4o years since Channel 4 launched the soap Brookside on its launch night on November 02 1982, before ending 21 years later.
Brookside became one of the most groundbreaking soaps on TV, which tackled (almost) every taboo there was at the time.
Yes, we’re talking minors killing minors, incest between brother and sister, and THAT lesbian kiss.
So why and how did the Channel 4 soap end? And will it ever return?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Read more: Brookside fans think soap predicted Coronavirus
Brookside ending: Why did the C4 soap come to an end?
Brookside first aired on Channel 4 in 1982, and ran for 21 years – and it’s about to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The soap opera, produced by Mersey Television, was created by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond.
Sadly, the series was axed due to a decline in viewing figures.
In its 80s heyday, the soap had around 8 million viewers per episode.
However, viewing figures dropped to just half a million in the noughties.
Therefore, Channel 4 made the difficult decision to axe the soap.
Creator Phil Redmond blamed the drop in ratings in part for the soap being shunted around in the TV schedule.
How did Brookside come to an end?
The final episode saw the return of iconic characters Barry Grant (played by Paul Usher) and Lindsey Corkhill (Claire Sweeney).
They returned for the soap’s momentous swan song.
Drug dealer Jack Michaelson (Paul Duckworth) had been terrorising the Close for weeks.
A lynch mob – including Tim O’Leary, Steve and Marty Murray, and Dean Sullivan’s character Jimmy Corkhill – decided to deal with him in a very Brookside way.
By murdering him!
Meanwhile, Barry dealt justice to the two men who had killed his brother Damon 15 years earlier.
He was waiting for them on their release from prison…
The final poignant scenes saw Jimmy Corkhill leaving the close, which had been bought by a company building an incinerator.
He was the last resident to leave Brookside Close.
He added the letter ‘d’ to the word ‘Close’, symbolically signalling the end of the soap.
Scriptwriters named drug dealer named Jack Michaelson, as a play on the name Michael Jackson, the Channel 4 controller who had axed the soap.
Read more: Brookside fan launches petition for the release of classic episodes
Brookside ending: When did it finish?
The final episode of Brookside aired on Channel 4 on November 4, 2003.
At least 1.9million viewers tuned in to bid the soap farewell.
The series had run for 21 years, since November 02, 1982.
Over the course of 22 series, there were 2915 episodes in total.
Stand-out episodes include the rape of Sheila Grant, the murder of Trevor Jordache, Beth and Margaret’s lesbian kiss, and Sue and baby Daniel’s deaths.
Of course, later viewers will remember the 1996 incest storyline involving brother and sister Nat and Georgia Simpson.
There was also a deadly virus – sound familiar? – and the Millennium Club explosion of 1999.
Will Brookside ever return?
There is some hopeful news for fans, although it’s far from confirmed.
Brookside creator Sir Phil Redmond recently teased some form of comeback as the show approaches its 40th anniversary.
The iconic series celebrates four decades since it first started on November 2 this year, and Phil has hinted at a possible film.
Phil is currently working on a Grange Hill film and teased a similar project for Brookside in an interview with BBC Breakfast.
He said: “I’ve also got all the old Brookie crew and the Hollyoaks gang saying they would love to be in it so who knows?
“If we’re going to do Grange Hill this year, perhaps we’ll go to Brookie next and Hollyoaks the year after that.”
When asked directly if Brookie is coming back, he replied: “The whole world seems to be going back to the 80s so why not?”
He added: “One of the things I’ve learnt in my career is that, if you really want to do something, you can have it up and running in the next couple of months.”
Watch this space!
Brookside is available to watch on All 4, and BritBox.
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