Bring Back Brookside

[Ian Phillips]

Hi all. I'm the guy behind the Bring Back Brookside campaign. Before I go on as it's a constant thing I keep having thrown at me: there are real people living in the Close now. It wouldn't actually make sense for them to be on the Close as it was due to be demolished in the final episode and to be back there would only make a mockery of that spectacular exit in 2003.

I'm talking about specials catching up with some of the most-loved characters and hopefully that may lead to a series or two. It would be unrealistic now to try and get it back as an all-year-round soap. Brookside always proved it could thrive in other mediums. Anybody remember the Video specials 'The Lost Weekend' and 'Friday the 13th'. It actually felt as though they were in their natural element. For all those interested in signing, here's the link and if possible please share: https://www.change.org/p/ralph-lee-bring-back-brookside

 

[Ian Phillips]

If you'd like to see Brookside back on screens either in form of re-runs or even the odd Brookside special catching up with some of the old characters, please sign and share the Bring Back Brookside petition: https://www.change.org/p/ralph-lee-bring-back-brookside

A pioneering drama serial that should never have been axed and in its time was innovative, groundbreaking and powerful stuff. The first soap to tackle taboo issues. The first soap to ever feature a gay character and even the first gay kiss on primetime TV. So many new boundaries broken down in Brookside and it easily stood out from other soaps.

There have been a lot of articles in the press recently speculating about a comeback - there's a LOT of interest out there. In a recent poll in The Mirror, readers were asked to vote whether or not Brookside should be brought back - 87% voted YES!

Let's BRING BACK BROOKSIDE!

While I understand bringing the series back as an all-year-round soap is highly unlikely, what I'm hoping to achieve with this petition is a series of Brookside specials - finding out where some of the characters are now in their lives. If this were to be successful, which i strongly believe it will be as it's still such a well-loved show, then this would hopefully lead to more. There are even some unresolved storylines, such as Barry Grant avenging his brothers killers (a reference was made about this in the final episode and a DVD trailer was shot but never filmed). So much potential still.

Obviously real residents occupy the Close now but as I've pointed out to many; in the final episode the characters departed after having sold their properties as the Close was due to be demolished, so it wouldn't make any sense anyway for them to all be living back on the Close.

After 14 long years of being off our screens, it's time to catch up with some of the Brookside legends. Many other TV shows have been revived successfully in recent years, which includes Cold Feet (after a 15-year hiatus) and Birds of a Feather. When those two series' returned after years and years off screen, it was like just picking up where it left off and I firmly believe Brookside would be exactly like that too, being such a character-driven show.

To catch up with some of the Brookside legends (should they be willing to return) like Dean Sullivan, Paul Usher, Sarah White, to name just a few, in the form of perhaps one-off specials would be a roaring success and would be a nod of acknowledgement to its (deserved) place in British TV history, and how it was a forerunner to other Channel 4 dramas that also adopted that gritty, naturalistic feel. So much potential.

BRING BACK BROOKSIDE!