Iconic Merseyside soap, Brookside, is returning to TV screens for the first time in 20 years.
It’s been two decades since the 13 houses on Brookside Close were boarded up, and families such as the Corkhills, Dixons and Grants said their last goodbyes. Now, all the original episodes of Brookside will finally return to screens – on free streaming service, STV Player.
Set in a Liverpool cul-de-sac, the soap was created by Phil Redmond, who was also one of the people behind Grange Hill and Hollyoaks. Brookside drew audiences of nine million viewers at its peak.
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Fans will now be able to stream the soap from the start for the first time ever, after STV Player struck a major new deal with distributor, All3Media International. Across its 21-year run, the show became renowned for tackling challenging social issues, such as rape, bullying and incest.
In 1985, teenage character Gordon Collins came out to his family – making him the first ever openly gay character in a British TV series.
Sunetra Sarker, who played Nisha Batra in Brookside, said: “I owe a lot to Brookside as I was lucky enough to have been spotted at a bus stop when I was 15 and given the role of Nisha. 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!
“I am thrilled that STV Player is airing Brookie again after all these years. I never fail to hear fans tell me how much they still miss the show. Get streaming and see just how ground-breaking this Liverpool-based soap opera was all those years ago.”
Richard Williams, Managing Director of Digital, STV said: “It may have been two decades since Brookside drew to a close, but the love for the show from its passionate army of fans has never waned. We’re so pleased to be the first streaming service to bring this legendary piece of TV history back into viewers’ living rooms for free, and I hope superfans and new audiences alike enjoy all the nostalgic drama that Brookside has to offer on STV Player.”
STV Player will drop the first 10 episodes of Brookside on February 1, and five new episodes will land each week thereafter.
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