"Brookside" (1982)TV series 1982-2003

Creators:

Colin McKeown
Phil Redmond

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

2 November 1982 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The everyday life and times of the residents, friends and enemies who live in a suburban street in the city of Liverpool in the north of England.

Plot Keywords:

Family | Friend | Liverpool | Real Life Situations | Human Relationship

Awards:

7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Marcus Hutton	...	Nathan Cuddington (24 episodes, 1998-2000)
Suzanne Packer	...	Brooks / ... (15 episodes, 1990-2000)
Lynda Thornhill	...	Janice Evans (12 episodes, 1995)
Gabrielle Glaister	...	Patricia Farnham (10 episodes, 1990-1996)

Also Known As:

Meadowcroft (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min | UK:90 min (2002)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Benidorm, Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company:

Mersey Television

Trivia:

In the final few episodes a drug dealer named "Jack Michaelson" moved into Brookside Close. This is a play on the name Michael Jackson, the Channel 4 controller who had canceled the soap.

Quotes:

Beverly 'Bev' McLoughlin Gonzales Dixon: [making fun of Lindsey] She's gone from stealing pesetas to peeling potatoes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Gadget Show: (#5.9)" (2006)

Gimmicks And Quick Fixes Over Characterization

I started watching Brookside in 1982. I last watched it at the end of 2001. I don't know what is has been like in 2002 but I can tell you how I felt about it from 1982-2001.

My favourite soap was always Emmerdale Farm (now Emmerdale). I liked it because it didn't need fancy gimmicks to gain temporary ratings increases. Emmerdale had good characters which made the soap what it was.

Brookside was a different kettle of fish. To be fair, some of the characters were good but Brookside preferred gimmicks such as explosions and shootings.

In it's favour, there were some good stories for Brookside. Two of my favourite ever characters were Sinbad (real name Thomas Sweeney) and Mick Johnson. Sinbad left the show a couple of years ago. His last storyline had him accused of child abuse and it was powerful stuff. Mick Johnson also had some great stories, particularly one where he was in court for euthanasia.

Jimmy Corkhill was also a good character but by the time I stopped watching Brookside, he had lost all credibility. He had been a drug addict, a schizophrenic, a crook and a fake teacher-there was nowhere else for him to go really.

A couple of things I didn't like about Brookside were it's long drawn out stories and gimmicks. Some storylines lasted for an eternity, especially the one where Nikki Shadwick was raped by a mystery suspect. It lasted just over a year. As I stated earlier, Brookside seemed at times to rely on gimmicks such as explosions, plagues and the like. I feel it could have done more to develop characters because in a lot of cases, some characters became caricatures after awhile.

As I write this, Brookside may be axed in 2003. I know the show has a lot of fans and I thank Brookside for providing some entertainment and addressing a lot of taboo issues but maybe it has run it's course and 2003 will be the right time to lay it to rest.