Brookside

[ReggieKrayDoYouKnowMyName]

Unashamedly uncool thread.

Was in Liverpool for a few days last week and fulfilled a long held ambition to visit Brookside Close. Husband and kids didn’t get it, but it made my week.

Anyway, had an afternoon to myself today and have been watching old episodes on YouTube and wondered if there are any fellow former Brookie fans on Mumsnet who wanted to chat about it.

My favourite era was mid-nineties with the body under the patio and all of that, I LOVED Anna Friel and definitely had some confusing feelings about that lesbian kiss (I was about 10 at the time).

I also had a long time crush on Max Farnham and was very happy when he married Jacqui Dixon in the early noughties. The peak of my young life was when the actor who played Max was appearing in a play in London and I happened to be on the same tube as him one evening. He was with a fellow actor and I plucked up the courage to speak to him. He was very charming and kissed me on the cheek, was marvellous! Sadly it was before camera phones, so this thrill of my girlhood exists only in my memories 😆

What are your favourite Brookside memories?

Miranda, I cried my eyes out at that! She got electrocuted by a faulty light switch and was thrown down the stairs by the shock. Then she was in a coma for weeks.

I think Laura fell down the stairs. No idea how I know that though, must be lots of Brookside info lurking in my mind...

It is a real street and houses have recently been for sale so you could live on brook side close !! Loved the Saturday omnibus

Anyone remember the siege?

Remember Pat, Sandra and Kate (I think?) they were nurses?
And Harry Cross and his friend Ralph- I loved them!
And when they filmed an extra scene and added it to an episode when Diana died, to make it more current?
The Grants. Bobby, Sheila, Karen, Barry and Damon. I wanted to be in their family (it seemed less dysfunctional than mine )
Oh and Heather Haversham. I remember when she ended up with a bloke who she met when their cars crashed? I used to watch it with my dad and I remember him saying "I bet that's all going to go wrong " and sure enough it did as he was a secret functioning () heroin addict. My dad died before it all went wrong and I was really sad he never lived to find out he was right!!!

Can you tell Brookie was my favourite programme?! I could go on and on....

Oh and when terrys wife and son got pushed of the scaffolding. That bastard Barry even though he was fit
I remember the siege too.
And I remember finding the scene where Shelia told Her husband about the rape so upsetting.

The siege was my favourite - Pat, Sandra and Kate. Karen Grant was a major role model! Was Gordon the first openly gay mainstream soap character? I liked that it was set up to be political with Paul Collins being management versus Thingy Grant who was solidly worker and a Union man.

OP I did the same a couple of years ago when on a day out in Liverpool. It was such a small street in real life!!!

Also remember The Magic Rabbits were on whenever anyone watched TV

Just googled it and read an article from the guy who now lives at no. 10.

I loved the intrigue of Billy Corkhill and Sheila.
I thought Barry Grant was gorgeous

Karen grant I thought she was so cool 😎

Does anyone remember sammy Rodgers? I used to think she was very cool.

Loved it. Wish they would put some repeats on. My dad lives just opposite the close I think (realise I should know this but now I'm writing it on here I'm questioning whether it is there). If it is near my dads then Hollyoakes is filmed next to there now. (Hollyoakes is definitely filmed near my dads house!).

Used to fancy Damon like mad

What was the old man called that was really grumpy and always arguing with the grants was it Harry something?

That was Harry Cross.

Great thread, loved Brookie! As it was known in our house, the whole family used to watch. Loved Damon had a poster of him on my wall

That was it Harry Cross.

We saw the actor who played Pat in a local restaurant and my kids were wondering how he'd escaped the siege. The actor who played Barry Grant was lovely in real life, I met him when he was playing golf.

Used to love watching brookie it was filmed on our estate, used to spend hours watching them film and then location spotting. Debbie’s house where Damon hung round and got yelled at by her dad was in my mates road. Simon O’Brien would sit on the wall gabbing to us between filming. Pity at the time we all fancied Paul Usher.. aka Barry.

Susannah Farnham also died falling down the stairs, though I think if I remember correctly either Jacqui or Max may have pushed her, I think it became a bit of a whodunnit.

SallyCinnamon3009 it’s tiny isn’t it? Yes, for people asking it’s a real street. Phil Redmond apparently had it built especially for the soap and said to the builders “give me one of every house you can do” so that he could have all kinds of different people living there on screen. The houses were rigged up inside so for the first time in British soap there was no studio, the whole thing was filmed on the street and in the houses. When the show was axed in 2003 it was left to fall to bits but was brought by a local businessman in 2011 and the houses were restored. This is my photo of the close last week. So small!

holycityzoo Sammy Rogers was very cool. She came back right at the end before it got axed. I liked her, she was ballsy.

Can’t remember which poster mentioned this back on page one but yes, Mick Johnson was in Corrie earlier this year. And he hasn’t aged. It’s phenomenal!!

I also enjoy that Jacqui Dixon- who was one of the “kids” of Brookie- is now one of the mums of Hollyoaks.

Marie and George Jackson. Can remember her fighting with Sheila Grant.

Every time I hear Moby's Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad I think of Susannah Farnham falling down the stairs