Channel 4’s iconic Brookside to return for a special soap crossover to celebrate Hollyoaks 30th birthday
Channel 4’s beloved first soap Brookside is set to return to screens – as part of an historic crossover with Hollyoaks.
Hollyoaks celebrates its 30th anniversary in October and will mark the milestone with a special episode that also honours its predecessor Brookside and their creator Sir Phil Redmond.
Hollyoaks took over as Channel 4’s flagship continuing drama when the Liverpool-based soap ended on November 4th 2003. It started filming on part of the former set of Brookside, where it is still shot today, originally with just nine characters.
Sir Phil Redmond is known for his gritty television dramas, also including Grange Hill, highlighting a wide range of issues in the communities they were based in, often ahead of their time.
Hollyoaks in turn took on Brookside’s ethos of addressing groundbreaking social issues but with a youth-skewed, pacier way of storytelling.
The crossover episode will see the return of iconic, heritage Brookside characters as a treat for the audience and to mark the milestone.
Executive Producer Hannah Cheers said: “This episode is a love letter to both Hollyoaks and Brookside.
“Brookside gave birth to Hollyoaks — it grew up on the same site and eventually took over its sets.
“For everyone at Lime Pictures (originally Mersey TV), Hollyoaks’ history is deeply rooted in Brookside, and its legacy lives on through our crew and, of course, some of our cast.
“This special feels like both a moving and fitting tribute to our origin story and a chance for fans to revisit much-loved Brookside characters in honour of that legacy.
“These iconic Brookside characters are soap archetypes that helped define British TV; soap archetypes that new generations are still discovering now through Hollyoaks.
As a lifelong soap fan who grew up watching with my mum, I was passionate about revisiting Brookside for the anniversary. With Sir Phil’s blessing — after I had the privilege of pitching the idea to him — and the support of Channel 4, we’re able to make it happen.
“Writer Steve Hughes, who began his career on Brookside, has reimagined where these characters are more than twenty years on. We hope audiences will enjoy welcoming these old friends back into their homes once again.”
Sir Phil Redmond said: “It is always bitter sweet thinking back to Brookie, the reminders of its success and impact, but the thoughts of many, like Dean Sullivan and Bill Dean, who are no longer with us.
“But it is great that Lime Pictures are paying homage in their Hollyoaks anniversary cross over episodes.
“I can’t wait to see how all the gardens are coping in the heatwave and, who knows, what might pop up if someone decides to re-lay their patio. I know we left something else down there.”
Filming will take place in September with exceptional permission granted by the owner of the close and the Liverpool Film Office – as the former set and production offices, as the unadopted road in West Derby is now home to residents.
Residents have been invited to share lunch with the cast and the crew from Lime Pictures.
It will be the first time that Brookside Close has been on air, since it ended in with Jimmy Corkhill (played by the late Dean Sullivan) daubing a ‘d’ onto the sign, leaving it as ‘Brookside Closed’ before driving out of the cul-de-sac.
Brookside episodes are available from the start on STV player, after they were digitally restored in a joint project between Lime Pictures and All3Media International.
