|
Brookside was conceived by producer and Grange Hill (BBC, 1978-) creator Phil
Redmond as a twice-weekly window on to reality. Set on a new housing estate on
the outskirts of Liverpool (purpose-built at a cost of £1 million), the soap
aimed for a level of realism long since abandoned by Coronation Street (ITV,
1960-): 1980s storylines confronted such contentious issues as unemployment,
poverty, industrial disputes and rape. Redmond's simple concept provided the
fledging Channel 4 with its first real hit, and its success undoubtedly helped
ease the way for EastEnders (BBC, 1985-).
Redmond's original plan for the programme included 'naturalistic' dialogue,
but this was soon dropped because of audience complaints about bad language.
However, a group of largely unknown and inexperienced actors helped breath a
freshness in to Brookside's everyday characters. At the centre of the original
cast were Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, later reunited in the BBC sitcom The
Royle Family (1998-), as husband and wife Bobby and Sheila Grant. Amanda Burton
and Katrin Cartlidge also went on to greater fame, while Jimmy McGovern, Frank
Clarke and Frank Cottrell Boyce were among the writers who can thank the soap
for their career breaks.
The emphasis on realism suffered in the pursuit of ratings, and before long
Brookside Close had become one of the most dangerous places to live in the UK.
Rapes, a seige, fatal car accidents, several explosions, incest, a religious
cult, euthanasia, violent murders, child abuse, mental illness, drug abuse and
even a plague were all visited on the unlucky residents of this tiny
community.
The soap scored a massive hit with a 1994-5 storyline featuring the Jordache
family: Beth and her mother Mandy kill the violent and unbalanced Trevor, whose
regular beatings of his wife and the sexual abuse of his daughter finally drive
them to murder. The discovery of his body - buried under a new patio - and the
ensuing trial were both exceptionally given five nightly episodes, culminating
in Beth and Mandy's prison sentences, which drew protests in the press. Further
tabloid outrage greeted Beth's lesbian affair with Margaret Clemence, but
Channel 4's decision to cut their notorious first kiss from the weekend omnibus
edition infuriated gay campaigners.
Critical and ratings decline set in from the late 1990s, with increasingly
desperate storylines featuring drug dealing and gangsterism failing to stem the
tide, and the soap was cancelled in late 2003.
Anthony Clark
|
1. Title sequence (0:34)
