Glowing Brookside legends reunited after 23 years and they're looking great
All aboard for an epic soap reunion! The cast of Brookside took to the water this weekend to celebrate the beloved Channel 4 Soap.
Brookside went off the air in 2003, and fans have been clamouring for its return ever since.
The Liverpool-based soap made a name for itself a cast of outstanding Scouse performers and hard-hitting, memorable stories that were ahead of its time. Who could forget the infamous body under the patio story, where Mandy Jordache (Sandra Maitland) stabbed her abusive husband Trevor (Bryan Murray) to death and buried him outside her house? Or the history-making first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British TV between Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) and Margaret Clemence? (Nicola Stephenson) Then there’s the gripping hostage situation at a local hospital which arguably earned the show its cult status – the siege.
Then Brookie saw a triumphant return to our screens last year with the soap’s one-off crossover episode with Hollyoaks on October 22. Since the worlds of the two soaps collided, Philip Olivier and Suzanne Collins have continued their respective Brookside roles as Tim “Tinhead” O’Leary and Nikki Shadwick.
Hollyoaks even turned actor Louis Emerick’s former Brookie role as Mick Johnson into a shock twist, retconning that the character had started a new life as Dee Valley police officer Donny Clarke.
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The residents of Brookside Close got back together again about the the MV Royal Daffodil on Saturday night (June 27th), with more than 100 guests gathering to celebrate the iconic Liverpool soap, created by Sir Phil Redmond – and they’re all looking better than ever.
They guests included Louis Emerick and Michael Starke, who has also reprised his Brookie role in Hollyoaks as Thomas “Sinbad” Sweeney. The reunion is the second to take place after the first party, hosted in January by Sir Phillip, who owns the MV Royal Daffodil, which he purchased in 2018 and turned into a bar and restaurant.
The private reunion was an unforgettable evening of live music, food, and memories, as many of the actors came together again along with fans, includingBrookie-lover Lee Brady.
The 39-year old super-fan from Huyton described described the evening as ‘fantastic’. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Lee waxed lyrical about the party: “It was brilliant. I loved it. It’s very rare we get invited to things like that, so it was really nice.”
“Everyone was coming in, all in good spirits, hugging each other and just having a laugh. They probably don’t see each other that often nowadays because they’re all doing different things.”
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Lee was invited after years of campaigning to keep Brookside’s legacy alive. He previously helped with the show’s DVD campaign and has continued supporting fan efforts in recent years, including those surrounding the soap’s return to streaming on STV Player.
The star-studded celebration featured live entertainment, food, and drinks, with guests remaining on board from around 6.30pm until after 11pm. Lee shared some of the most touching moments, as cast members who had spent years working together on the legendary close embraced once again.
‘There were a couple of emotional reunions. When the Dixon family cast members got together, that was really nice. You could see everyone laughing, taking photographs, and catching up. It was lovely to see.’
The reunion welcomed a host of familiar faces from the Channel 4 soap, including Jennifer Ellison, Suzanne Collins, Sarah White, Louis Emerick, Philip Olivier, Robert Beck, and Robert Smith, alongside many other former cast members.
For Lee, the event highlighted why Brookside continues to hold a special place in Liverpool’s heart more than two decades after it left television screens.
He said: ‘It’s a big part of the history of the city. It tackled real issues and spoke about what was happening in the country. Shows aren’t really like that anymore.’
“I think because it’s such a big part of Liverpool’s heritage, people still want to see something happen with it. It’ll always mean a lot to fans.’
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