Brookside reruns

[Redglitter]

Has anyone else been watching today? I've watched 4 episodes so far. Dated, but loving it

Interesting to see the scenes in Belfast with the shoppers having to be bag searched before entering the gated shopping area

Yes @VanillaImpulse, we were just there and it looks quite different now. Infact, we sat in the booth that Charlie from Casualty had his meeting in the pub 😃

I’m 39 and used to love Brookside! I only remember watching it from the early 90s onwards. I’ve seen the early repeated episodes on UK living many years ago in the 90s when they repeated it from the start.

It started in November 1982 and the whole close was built especially for the show, which was probably quite a rare thing to do in those days. I believe the houses were sold off eventually and people now live in them! I stand to be corrected!

Phil Redmond created the show about showing how Liverpool was under Thatchers government.You had a new close with different types of people, Bobby Grant the Union man , Paul Collins who had been made redundant from his management role and down sized. It was a social experiment showing how people’s livelihoods had been changed or lost.
Liverpool is obviously a Labour city.

It was political at the time atleast in the early years. Booby Grant, played by Ricky Tomlinson was a union man in real life and still attends trade union speeches now.

Yes they are lived in now. It's a shame that Google street view won't let you go there

worth a watch brookside close then and now

What sort of food was it that was horrible ? Lots of fatty foods in the 89s probably!

80s not 89 !

I remember watching a repeat many years ago on sky.Bing Cosby featured as a head teacher , in a cameo role , when the Jackson boys were about to start secondary school.
This was long before he reappeared as ‘Bing Cosby’.

It's starting to get better now, bit more involved with the storylines. Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson are outstanding actors.
Absolutely loved Heather's line in these episodes - "Are you the solicitor's wife?"
"No, he's the accountant's husband."

💪

The teacher at Damon's school is later to come back as Billy Corkhill.

I remember those deer woolly jumpers like Sheila had in the 80s. Been trying to Google them, not sure if they had a specific name?

Yes the houses are definitely lived in now. As far as I know they are all owned by a landlord and he rents them out.

There were lots of videos on YouTube of people going and looking around them when they were empty and run down.

I tried to visit there once years ago, think it was around 2004, but they were using the houses for Hollyoaks at the time and wouldn't let us in.

I'd love to go and have a look although I think the houses and street look quite different now.

There was something about Brookside I think, that felt different from the other soaps. It felt very real, can't put my finger on it but I bet if you were to go into the houses you could feel the characters that lived there.

@Summerdressjellyshoes I posted a link to a video from YouTube a bit further up thread of how the close is now in 2023. it's shows a few pics from 2008 aswell from when it was quite derelict looking.

love Sheila grants jumper I want one too! I was trying to figure out what the animal was I thought it was a llama. maybe it is a deer.

And I've got a bit of a crush on Barry grant! was to young to notice how good looking he was first time around🤣

It's a fab video thanks

Sheila and Bobby are just wonderful. Fantastic actors.

I've got a tiny bit of a crush on Bobby Grant. Will definitely need to name change after admitting to that 🤣

🤣🤣. Bobby grant reminds me a bit of John Bishop in these early episodes I think he's got a bit of a look of him but with more facial hair.

Does anyone remember the late 90s when Mr Moore was Sinbad’s lodger? They thought he was a serial killer because he was a bit odd. Turned out he wasn’t !
Random memory from about 25 years ago !

Sheila and Bobby are going to be doing the latest celebrity goggle box! Just like the Royle Family again

They are really well cast as Sheila & Bobby. I'm well behind so have only just seen the 25th anniversary party but love the way their wedding pictures were mocked up. I've just seen Harry & Edna so I'm getting to the point where I remember watching it first time round.

Someone upthread mentioned 'Letter to Brezhnev'. Did you notice that Lucy's CND friend with the red hair was played by Margi Clarke, who played Theresa in LtB alongside Alexandra Pigg (Petra).

I used to love Margi Clarke. I googled her when Brookie came back, and apparently she works behind a bar somewhere!

Does anyone know if they are going to continue releasing just 5 episodes every Wednesday for the next few years? It will surely take forever, and I don't know/understand the rationale behind it.

I think it is going to be like this for the foreseeable unfortunately. I did read the reason somewhere (possibly on digital spy) but can't actually remember what it was!

Thanks. It is incredibly frustrating if you are an impatient soul like me!