Classic soap Brookside is set to make an epic TV return, 20 years after it was last broadcast.
Eager fans of the Liverpool-based drama can catch up on all the cul-de-sac happenings as episodes of the soap will be made available on free streaming service STV Player next week.
It’s the first time ever the soap will be available to stream right from the beginning.
READ MORE: Brookside original stars now – dying during show, tragic septicaemia battle and prison
Though it isn’t a renewal of the classic soap opera, it could be the closest thing fans can hope for after Brookie was cancelled in 2003.
With dramatic episodes covering everything from sexual assault to incest, viewers will be able to relive a series of soap firsts, which Brookside welcomed even before the likes of Coronation Street and EastEnders.
(Image: Channel 4)
In 1985, we saw the first ever openly gay character in a British TV series when teenager Gordon Collins came out to his family.
The show also aired the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss between Beth Jordache and Margaret Clemence in 1994.
And who could forget the iconic scenes where the body of abuser Trevor Jordache was found buried under the patio in 1995?
Brookside wasn’t without its backlash, however, as in 1996 fans were left fuming as the focus turned to an incestuous sexual relationship between siblings.
Things only got wilder from there. From religious cults blowing up No. 5 in a suicide pact to a killer virus loose on the street, Brookside was renowned for its rather improbable storylines which sadly led to its eventual decline from 2000 onwards.
At the end of its life, the houses on Brookside Close were boarded up ready to be sold, with the families each moving on with their lives and Jimmy Corkhill famously breaking the fourth wall to wink to viewers.
Now the first 10 episodes of the soap will land on STV player next week, with five new episodes landing each week after that.
Sunetra Sarker, who played Nisha Batra in the programme, is just as thrilled as fans to have the show back on air, as she confessed: “I owe a lot to Brookside as I was lucky enough to have been spotted at a bus stop when I was 15 and given the role of Nisha.
(Image: Channel 4)
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“Had I known then that Brookside Close would be the road that led me to my surprising and eventful career, I would never have believed it!
“I am thrilled that STV Player is airing Brookie again after all these years. I never fail to hear fans tell me how much they still miss the show. Get streaming and see just how ground-breaking this Liverpool-based soap opera was all those years ago.”
Jimmy Corkhill star Dean Sullivan added: “It’s fantastic news for all loyal Brookside fans that they will have the chance to watch the show again from the start on STV Player.
“It’s also great that this will give a whole new generation the chance to enjoy the show and even binge watch if they wish! I’m sure many storylines will still feel as relevant today as the day they were written.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
