Brookside Brookside

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes 81 - 96
9 August - 28 September 1983​

As we approach the final month of Brookie’s inaugural year, there’s a sense of the old order changing. Several long-term residents are either gone or on the verge of going, though at this point doors are being left open. Household structures are changing and it’s slowly changing the dynamics of cross-household interactions.

First to go was Petra, who simply walked out and closed the door before disappearing off the face of the series. This left Michelle as the sole resident of No. 10, with bossy Marie dropping in regularly to bitch about the neighbours and fill the house with smoke. In the latest episodes, Marie - to the horror of Michelle and everyone on the Close - has moved George and their two brats in. And she had the chutzpah to invite herself to the 25th wedding anniversary party of her mortal nemesis Sheila, where she got drunk, smashed glasses and loudly blamed Barry for Petra’s disappearance. And we’re only just getting started. On the bright side, George is a really amiable character.

Over at the Collinses, Lucy - having finished school - has gone to stay with family friends in France. While it’s ostensibly for six months, I fear this is the last we’ll see of Katrin Cartridge for a long time. The fact that her final scenes had more sense of finality than any other exiting character suggested that this could be it. I’ll greatly miss Lucy who, for me, has been one of the series’ unexpected wild cards. Funnily enough, of all her latter scenes, the one that sticks in my mind is a simple one of her bumping into Karen Grant on the corner of the street and both chatting about exam results (Karen had done well. Lucy not so much) and plans for the summer as they walked.

With Annabelle accompanying Lucy for a week or two, Paul and Gordon got to interact a bit more not just with one another but with the neighbours.

Gordon’s need for scaffolding posts to make himself a cabin bed got him integrating a little more. He and his friend Mark approached Damon, Ducksie and Gizzmo to get them, leading to some fast negotiating between Mark and Gizzmo, then comic scenes of visiting policemen watching the disembodied scaffolding on the other side of the fence before Damon and his crew legged it. This led to some nice scenes (presumably filmed on the River Alt at the end of the Close) where the five lads just hung about aimlessly, some on Alan’s boat and some at the waterside. Something about these scenes evoked The Wind In The Willows or Last Of The Summer Wine.

Paul, meanwhile, had a nice scene with the Huntingtons at the end of the first day of Paul’s new job. As he approached their drive to say hello, Roger simply blanked Paul and walked inside, while Heather - furious at Roger - asked about his day and said he must come round to dinner with them. There was another great Paul scene with Alan Partridge and Val, Barry Grant’s Asian girlfriend, who was dolled up in full Miss Saigon garb for Alan to take some photographs of his new zen garden. Paul ended up getting carried away with the fun of it all and the three chased each other round the garden with Paul giving a maniacal Charles Hawtrey laugh as Barry watched the spectacle from the side of the house, equal parts perplexed and amused.

On this note, I have to say I bloody love Val and her cheeky face. She’s not a character I remember at all, but she had me from her introductory sitcom plot where Barry persuaded her to pretend she couldn’t speak any English in order to avoid awkward questions from his family. A knowing Sheila soon called their bluff by setting Alan on Val, proclaiming he could speak fluent Chinese, resulting in Val breaking out in her broad Scouse accent.

In the period where Val was pretending to be Mai Ling, there were many laughs to be had from her smiling knowingly, trying to suppress a laugh or biting her tongue in annoyance at something that was said. There was also a running gag with her constantly eating food to Sheila’s annoyance. The first time this happened, Sheila nodded at “Mai Ling”, shovelling down another meal and said “Just as well she likes English food. I’m all out of bamboo shoots”.

After outstaying her welcome at the Grants, Val went next door and talked Alan into allowing her to stay with him for a few days while Sam was away. Something that’s just come to light when Sam returned for the Grants’ anniversary bash.

Things have become explosive over at the Huntingtons with Roger’s affair with Diane coming to light. This love triangle feels like possibly the most conventionally soapy arc of the entire first year, certainly by 2023 standards since this scenario is now the meat and potatoes of so many soaps. I have to remember that this was a time when such a scenario was the exception rather than the rule. And whatever the case, it’s certainly done well.

With Roger regularly gaslighting her with denials and guilt trips, viewer sympathies have increasingly shifted towards Heather. But there’s still a nice balance in showing both perspectives. It all escalated to the inevitable conclusion, with Heather hearing Roger professing his love to Diane over the phone, giving him a sharp slap in the face and literally throwing him and his briefcase out of the house.

If I have a criticism, it’s that Roger’s karma was just a little too instant. In Roger’s very next scene, he’s getting it in the neck from Diane for taking too long in the bath. By episode’s end, she, too, has evicted him. And while that outcome seems equally inevitable, I didn’t easily buy that it would happen quite so quickly after all the effort she’d gone to when pursuing him. Diane, too, was a little too arch and unlikeable for this to feel fully balanced. This was amped up to the Nth degree in the last episodes, with her virtually gloating over her rich husband’s death and newfound wealth. But this isn’t really Diane’s story, and since there’s still some ambiguity around Roger’s feelings about his affair there’s some life left in this story still.

The prosaic stuff is what’s really giving this series its heart. I could watch the business with the Grants’ broken dining chair, or Barry roping in Annabelle to help him find a silver wedding present all day long.

Eight episodes remain of the first year and I’m looking forward to seeing how the first anniversary is marked.

 

[Ome]

I somehow stumbled upon this interview with Mark Burgess on his Brookside days.

Thanks for this and it gave me a new unseen picture of the cast which is always a bonus.

I think I became less interested around the time Brookside Parade came along

I didn't mind the parade too much, though I am curious how I will feel about it this time.

I was very disappointed at losing Shiela and Billy and felt it was never the same once the Grants and Corkhills were no more. I never cared for the Rogers, the Dixons or the Fanhams. That said, I enjoyed some of the big stories in the early 90s the Jordache saga, Terry & Sue and all that went on, Sinon and the cult story. I did think it lost the plot when it introduced the tropical (?) killer virus, however, now we have had our own taste of a virus, I'm wondering just how much of that story might be interesting now.

This causes him to leave almost backwards, tripping over a sun lounger as he exits. I’m not sure if this was by design or an accident, but either way it was really funny.

I laughed when Gizmo said, "Is Damon coming out to play?"

 

[Ome]

I can't remember the timing, but I loved the Kathy Roach era from teh wonderful Noreen Kershaw. I'm a little confused because I remember her being the mistress to Jimmy and living with Jimmy, but she was Sheila's friend and involved in the brilliant story 'Sheila's Night Out' with Zak Dingle. a yellow ribbon and Bobby slapping Sheila who lost an earring and then in the next scene it was back in her ear.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Thanks for this and it gave me a new unseen picture of the cast which is always a bonus.

Fancy Madge the conwoman (AKA Hyacinth Bucket's sister) allowing herself to be photographed like this.

I was very disappointed at losing Shiela and Billy and felt it was never the same once the Grants and Corkhills were no more.

Absolutely. I'm curious how I'll feel about the Sheila/Billy coupling this time round. I struggled with it the first time as it seemed out of character for Sheila and it felt like too much of a soap cliche for her to pair up with a neighbour this way. I always felt if she moved anywhere at that point it would be far away from the Close.

I did think it lost the plot when it introduced the tropical (?) killer virus

Yipes - I can't even remember that.

I can't remember the timing, but I loved the Kathy Roach era from teh wonderful Noreen Kershaw.

She'll always be "her from Albion Market" to me.

she was Sheila's friend and involved in the brilliant story 'Sheila's Night Out'

So iconic, it made it onto The Sheila Grant Years VHS.

Bobby slapping Sheila who lost an earring and then in the next scene it was back in her ear.

Oh - I'll have to look out for that earring. I've never noticed before.

This week I've been (re-)reading up some stuff on Brookie and one of the things of which I was reminded was that Bobby's increased boorishness was a result of Ricky Tomlinson's frequent disagreements with Phil Redmond. All of which led to Ricky's infamous walking out on the series without even staying to film an exit.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes 97 - 104
4 - 24 October 1983​

And this is it… the final episodes of Brookie’s first year. Marked with some location work, a bring and buy sale and Sheila appearing on television.

Amanda Burton was at the heart of the location filming. When Heather said she was off to visit her family in Belfast, I assumed she would be off-screen for a couple of weeks, winding down from the intense scenes around the Huntington’s marriage breakdown. It was a nice surprise to find ourselves on the plane with Heather and Polly and arrive in Northern Ireland where we met Jack and Gill(!!). We also caught up with old friend Will, a familiar face thanks to being played by Derek Thompson (post-The Gentle Touch and pre-Casualty). Incidentally, when Heather mentioned she'd like to bring Lucy back a souvenir, Paul Collins quipped "Shrapnel?"

Even returning to British soil, there was more location work when Roger’s dad drove Heather and Roger to Southport, dumping them there to sort out their differences in a pleasant environment. All to no avail, since Heather returned from Ireland having decided she won’t be taking Roger back.

If Heather walking away from him at the end of episode #104 is the last we see of Roger, that would mean Rob Spendlove’s stint in the series lasted exactly one year. I looked this up and found it to be exactly the case. Rob had wanted to leave, and Phil Redmond wanted it all done within Rob’s original one year contract in case he was unavailable for reshoots if it went beyond (it was interesting, too, to read that two scenes from this final arc are personal favourites of Phil Redmond: Heather chucking Roger out of the house; and his father Sydney admitting that he doesn’t love Roger’s mother but stays with her because he’d committed to it).

Very early Roger was a top tier character for me. I’d forgotten all about him and loved how hapless he was, where anything that could go wrong for him, did. In his rebellion, that aspect of his character got diluted (though, of course, the outcome of his affair was also worst case scenario for him). It was a really nice touch that in his final visit to the house, he cast a meaningful look and touch over the shelving unit which was the bane of his life for what seemed like about a month. I probably won’t miss him quite as much as I’d have thought a short while ago, but I certainly will miss him all the same.

It’s been a busy time for Sheila, which is good news for viewers. Her Fairbanks WAGs action group has been gathering attention. Their picket brought the media, leading to a terrific sequence where Sheila and fellow wife Maureen Lomax were thoroughly miffed when Sam arrived to (in their eyes) steal attention and pose for photos, undermining their cause. Adding insult to injury, the newspaper added ten years to Sheila’s age and gave descriptions of the “headscarved housewives” to which Sam was lending her support.

Sheila’s second chance was appearing on live TV. This time her thunder was almost stolen by Maureen herself (I love how Maureen - played by Jimmy Nail’s sister - is shown to enjoy the spotlight Sheila herself finds unattractive) but she found her voice in time to get her point across. Sue Johnston did some nice “awkward acting” where Sheila was just that bit more hesitant and tripped over her words just a tad more than usual though self-consciousness over speaking on TV.

The bring and buy sale is also related to stopping the Fairbanks closure, with Annabelle helping out greatly. This, too, has been a goldmine of light entertainment. Like Marie believing Sheila has stolen the £20 note George believed to be in the trousers Marie donated. George later found the note stuck in the washing machine causing a furious Marie to have to back down:

Oh Sheila. What can I say?

Not a lot, love.

And off she walks. The growing enmity between the two is hugely enjoyable. I love how spiky Sheila is towards her. She simply doesn’t want to give Marie the time of day.

Also relating to the bring and buy sale, we’ve had Annabelle becoming a scratchcard junkie having bought a load herself to support the cause. There’s a hilarious scene where Paul arrives home and he, too, starts scratching away at a card enjoying himself… until he discovers it’s related to the Grants and then immediately does an about face, tutting at what a waste of time it all is.

There was an episode or two where Paul kept putting his foot in it with Sheila. In one scene, he arrived home, commenting to Annabelle that the Grant lad was “up to no good” outside. But what he didn’t realise was Sheila was present, having been visiting Annabelle at the time. In another (either later in the same episode or in the next), a visitor to the Close asks if the lad outside (Barry) is Paul’s son. He replies that no, he isn’t, thank goodness. This time he knows Sheila is there, but has apparently briefly forgotten himself. One again, Sheila quickly leaves having given Paul a frosty look and a sharp line or two.

Sheila’s at odds with Paul for the same reasons she is with Marie: both have dared to criticise her family. She knows Barry in particular is a player, and she gives him a hard time, but if anybody outside the family makes the same observation, she’ll cut them down to size on the spot.

Barry is indeed “up to no good”, with he and Terry involved in selling designer jeans that fell of the back of a lorry. Damon gets involved when he removes one pair from each bundle and sells them at school until he’s caught by Billy Corkhill, which means he’s in trouble at school, with Sheila and with Barry.

Another thing I’ve read on refreshing myself on some background is that Phil Remond enjoyed suggesting the high degree of everyday crime going on in the Close. The dodgy jeans saga has certainly delivered on this front. On a less everyday level, there’s also a protection racket going on with Val’s father and his restaurant. Until they were literally put on ice by Alan Partridge and his friends who locked them in the fridge (for good measure, Alan also threw a friend in with them on realising he’d bitten his bum during a rugby match).

Harry and Edna Cross have already appeared, having come to view the house in episode 98. I’m looking forward to them becoming regulars for Year Two.

 

[Ome]

I struggled with it the first time as it seemed out of character for Sheila and it felt like too

I agree it felt very out of character, but I also remember thinking I would accept if happening if it meant Sheila would stay in the show.

I found a few interesting old pictures from this period and I always enjoy looking at them more so when I think they are new to me.







I’m guessing this is a script reading






Also, in old Corrie, Tommy McArdle arrived as an uncle to Shelly Unwin.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I agree it felt very out of character, but I also remember thinking I would accept if happening if it meant Sheila would stay in the show.

Oh God, yes. Losing Bobby and Sheila at once would have been awful*, so I understand why it was written this way.

Looking back on it, though, the whole scenario reminds me of what Melrose Place was doing half a decade later: pairing up random characters and shuffling them between different houses like chess pieces. I think that kind of thing is easier to buy with characters like Barry or Terry - and even Billy - but Sheila's so intrinsically connected to No. 5 as the series' heart for me that everything felt a bit off kilter for me once she was transplanted. It's especially hard for me to contemplate it watching these early episodes as it would be unimaginable for her to cross that threshold. Still, at least the series acknowledged this with (if I'm remembering correctly) Sheila struggling with the new setup for a while.


* Actually, part of me feels that both Bobby and Sheila going would have helped give The Golden Years an even more clearly defined ending.

I found a few interesting old pictures from this period

Oh, great stuff!!

This is intriguing. I really want to know why Shelagh O'Hara is hiding here. Has she had enough? Is she not ready? Is it just larking round?

This set of shots always feels really special to me. There's something very wintry and otherworldly about them... especially the ones that are taken from above. They also really capture a time and place really well. Danny Webb's presence almost certainly helps since he was only there for a couple of months.

I’m guessing this is a script reading

Oh my.. on first glance I thought Gizzmo was on the right. It took me a few moments to realise it was Phil Redmond. And while I was processing this, it was only afterwards that I finally noticed that Gizzmo is there on the left!

Yes - that has to be a read-through, but I wonder where they are?

As far as I know, the production offices and conference suites were in the houses to the left of the Taylor house so that's where I'd have assumed these things would happen... certainly by the time Michelle was on the series. Or if not there, in the canteen, which I believe was the house to the right of the Grants' house. But this is clearly neither of those.

It looks like a school hall or old community centre. Or could it be the working men's club they featured a few times? I suppose if they're hiring a larger space to film a few scenes with a lot of the cast, it makes sense that they'd make use of it to get some business done. Looking at the decor, it's around Christmas time, and Tracy Jay being there puts it at 1983 or 1984. I'm in November 1983, so I'll keep an eye out to see if I spot this hall in the next couple of months. I do like a good mystery.

 

[Ome]

Looking back on it, though, the whole scenario reminds me of what Melrose Place was doing half a decade later: pairing up random characters and shuffling them between different houses like chess pieces. I

Ah, yes. Now I think about it, similar things have happened in both Corrie and Emmerdale. It’s obvious a trick of the trade.

This set of shots always feels really special to me

Yes, I feel the same and this chat has reminded me that Brookie always had a big cast/production gathering to wave to the viewers at the end of each year. I always assumed it was done from the start, but apparently not. So I am on the lookout for the first time it happens.

Oh my.. on first glance I thought Gizzmo was on the right. It took me a few moments to realise it was Phil Redmond. And while I was processing this, it was only afterwards that I finally noticed that Gizzmo is there on the left

It’s a great picture and I’m hoping more will appear as we continue watching the early days.

so I'll keep an eye out to see if I spot this hall in the next couple of months. I do like a good mystery.

It’s new to me, so I wouldn’t have noticed if we’ve had a scene in there, so if you do spit it, don’t forget to mention it.

Here’s a shot from an episode this week that I loved.



But what is the story behind this………

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Now I think about it, similar things have happened in both Corrie and Emmerdale. It’s obvious a trick of the trade.

Having not long finished ATV-era Crossroads, this musical properties/jobs thing is really on turbocharge there. Diane's tiny flat alone has had most of the cast living there at different times. I find it both funny and charming at the same time, but somehow there's that nagging voice in me that says it's too conventionally soapy for Brookside because they did such a good job of keeping a realistic distance between the neighbours in the earliest days.

But I suppose there's only so long they can do that before things grind to a halt. Even in 1983 episodes, Val moved next door from residing with the Grants to stay with Alan for a few days. And of course I know there's a significant move next door for another resident before too long.

this chat has reminded me that Brookie always had a big cast/production gathering to wave to the viewers at the end of each year. I always assumed it was done from the start, but apparently not. So I am on the lookout for the first time it happens.

Oh yes. I remember those. This means there's not one at the end of 1983 then? It can't be too long.

On an end titles related note, I noticed that the new credits with the outline text and the sunset image of the Close began on the week of the first anniversary, so that's a nice little marker of the milestone. These are the credits I remember the best from my early days of watching, so they hold far more nostalgia for me than the electric blue background of the first year. And it's a bit more up-to-date than the opening titles with the cars on the drives. Which reminds me...

I know opening titles are iconic and probably expensive and time intensive to shoot and put together, but it bothers me that the opening titles still have Gav's 3-Series, and the Collinses' Rover SD1 on the drives when they haven't been seen in the series for quite a while now.

It’s new to me, so I wouldn’t have noticed if we’ve had a scene in there, so if you do spit it, don’t forget to mention it.

Oh Lord. With my memory I can't promise I won't forget. But I'll do my best.

Here’s a shot from an episode this week that I loved.

Oh - that's great. I'll look forward to seeing what it's all about.

Am I making this up, or did Knots once do a similar setup with these poses? I'm thinking Mack and Karen and someone else, but my memory is notoriously foggy these days (knowing me I'm probably misremembering and it happened in Will & Grace).

 

[James from London]

The Chandler reference has made me wonder if there was ever any speculation about Gordon's sexuality from viewers in the early years?

Not that I recall. If Gordon was regarded as a poof it was in the same way as any boy who didn't conform to the football-playing norm. It really had nothing to do with sex.

I'm also thinking that for Brookie's first few years there was no plan for Gordon to be gay.

It certainly never felt as if that it was being set up, or that hints were being knowingly dropped. That wasn't really Brookside's style. It's funny: when Karen was spending a lot of time with one of her teachers when she was campaigning against school dinners, I remember my dad saying they're were obviously going to have an affair -- but even back then, I intuitively knew he was wrong. On any other soap maybe, but that wasn't what was going on here. (When Brookie does do such a storyline a few years later, it comes at it from a completely different angle.)

I agree it's a shame, and it would be interesting to know more about his reasons, such as whether it was because he simply didn't want to play a gay character or because he felt it wasn't true to the character. I'll have to dig those book out and see if there's any more insight there.

I recently read that Nigel Crowley quit the show when they discussed his character coming out.

Hmm, I can't say for sure but I reckon that that might be a bit of tabloid speculation. (I realise that means I'm speculating about a possible speculation.) Ironically for a series that championed the working man, Brookside apparently didn't treat its actors very well. Gordon 1 was only the first prominent cast member to leave abruptly -- Bobby Grant, Anna Friel and the fantastic Sean McKee who played Tracy Corkhill's boyfriend Jamie all snapped and walked out over some supposedly minor matter, which suggests some sort of pattern. All I'm saying is I'd wager there's more to the story than we know.

When did you stop watching the show ?

After you stopped watching, did you ever tune back in to see if it had improved or worsened?

It's hard to pinpoint exactly. It was only really Billy and Sheila I was tuning in for by the time they left. Shorn of his family context, Barry became a generic soap gangster and Tracy was given nothing to do so there was nothing left for me to be invested in. I stopped watching religiously, but still followed the Trevor Jordache story which is when the series finally took off, but for me it was becoming more and more fake and empty. I think it was when it became the Jimmy Corkhill Show that I jumped ship for good.

(somehow I just can’t see Damon lying on his bed with a book

Kids read books in those days - they just did. There wasn't much else to do! Out of necessity, they also wrote letters and consequently developed their handwriting in a way practically no-one does anymore. I remember a few years ago reading a book containing a letter that Sid Vicious -- no-one's idea of a brain box -- had written in prison and being surprised at how literate and eloquent it was, especially by today's standards. You kind of had to be back then because there was no other way to communicate.

There was some Corrie-esque business with Damon and Roger competing to replace a pane of glass in Alan’s front door in a bid to impress Sam, with Roger initially winning but botching it so badly he has to go to Damon, cap in hand, to ask for the correctly-cut glass Damon has.

There was a straight to video thing called Brookside: the Teenagers released in the 90s, I think, where Phil Redmond chatted with younger members of the cast and asked them what their favourite scenes were. Your Beth Jordaches and Sammie Rodgers were all about the big histrionically emotional stuff like when they nearly suffocated their baby or dug up their abusive dead dad, but Simon O'Brien chose the scene with Roger and the pane of glass because he said Rob Spendlove played it so seriously and that made it brilliantly funny. I loved him for that. It's very much like Ted Shackelford choosing the moment where he first sees Lisa Hartman as Cathy and just stares at her open-mouthed as his favourite scene in Knots Landing.

First to go was Petra, who simply walked out and closed the door before disappearing off the face of the series.

I'm not sure any soap storyline got under my skin as much as Petra's disappearance. I dreamt about it for months!

Marie - to the horror of Michelle and everyone on the Close - has moved George and their two brats in.

Aww, Gary and Little George and Cindy the dog. I love them.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It certainly never felt as if that it was being set up, or that hints were being knowingly dropped. That wasn't really Brookside's style.

Spookily enough, last night I watched a scene between Gordon and his friend Mark which kind of addressed Gordon's lack of sexuality up to this point. Gordon had a crush on the woman at the recording studio and wanted to ask her out. Mark commented that he'd never seen Gordon take any interest in girls. As he started to tease Gordon, it felt as though it might just have gone the "poof" route, but Mark instead deduced that Gordon was too chicken.

That wasn't really Brookside's style. It's funny: when Karen was spending a lot of time with one of her teachers when she was campaigning against school dinners, I remember my dad saying they're were obviously going to have an affair -- but even back then, I intuitively knew he was wrong. On any other soap maybe, but that wasn't what was going on here.

And another Jimmy McGovern scene I watched last night seemed to poke fun at soap cliches when Karen mentioned she'd been with her boyfriend Mike to see the priest. Sheila asked why, and Karen gravely announced that she was pregnant. She kept her poker face just long enough for her parents to choke on their tea before scoffing at the very idea.

Hmm, I can't say for sure but I reckon that that might be a bit of tabloid speculation. (I realise that means I'm speculating about a speculation.)

That makes sense. If Nigel Crowley hadn't gone on record, I'm sure the tabloids wouldn't have been slow to fill in the gaps.

Ironically for a series that championed the working man, Brookside apparently didn't treat its actors very well. Gordon 1 was only the first prominent cast member to leave abruptly -- Bobby Grant, Anna Friel and the fantastic Sean McKee who played Tracy Corkhill's boyfriend Jamie all snapped and walked out over some supposedly minor matter, which suggests some sort of pattern.

Reading some stuff about the series this week, it seems an awful lot was demanded of the actors on an extremely miserly budget. Which is fine when it's enjoyable for them, but probably makes it very tempting to just walk away when it's less enjoyable or there are differences of views.

Even where the parting is amicable, politics seem to have been a factor. Amanda Burton was said to have left on good terms with cast and crew but may well have stayed longer if there was agreement over the direction Heather took.

And yet another thing I watched yesterday touched on the atmosphere behind the scenes. It's just after the 8 minute mark here:

It was only really Billy and Sheila I was tuning in for by the time they left.

It's quite eye-opening how many long-term key characters left in 1990 in addition to Billy and Sheila: Karen and Claire Grant; the Collinses; Harry Cross; Doreen Corkhill; Jonathan Gordon-Davies... Looking at it from a late-1983 vantage point it feels there's very little reason to watch beyond that point.

Kids read books in those days - they just did. There wasn't much else to do!

Very true - I know I certainly did, and I'm a bit younger than Damon. I suppose I just see Damon as someone who'd read a few paragraphs at the most before getting bored and deciding to go out and make his own entertainment. But then I suppose that's exactly what might have led to his Mickey Spillane homage, so if anything it makes more sense now.

Your Beth Jordaches and Sammie Rodgers were all about the big histrionically emotional stuff like when they nearly suffocated their baby or dug up their abusive dead dad, but Simon O'Brien chose the scene with Roger and the pane of glass because he said Rob Spendlove played it so seriously and that made it brilliantly funny. I loved him for that.

Oh - that's great.

Aww, Gary and Little George and Cindy the dog. I love them.

In the last few days I've watched them break up the fence for bonfire kindling and break Harry Cross's gnomes while running away with them. Marie's defiant response to the latter was wonderful. She all but told Harry to sod off. She's a current favourite for being so fiery and antagonistic.

 

[James from London]

I'm curious how I'll feel about the Sheila/Billy coupling this time round. I struggled with it the first time as it seemed out of character for Sheila and it felt like too much of a soap cliche for her to pair up with a neighbour this way. I always felt if she moved anywhere at that point it would be far away from the Close.

To me, the coupling of Billy and Sheila felt like a "What if ...?" challenge for the writers. On paper (and when I first heard it rumoured), it made no sense: both are in strong(ish) long-term marriages, she's a staunch Catholic, he's ethically dodgy and not to mention a fair bit younger than her. But "what if ... we make it happen anyway: what would be the most plausible, believable way to make these characters fall in love, without irreparably damaging the credibility of either? And once it happens, how would they then truthfully react?" (And it is very much something that happens to them.) So a huge amount of time and care and detail was taken in getting them to where they needed to be for it to happen. Spoilers weren't what they are now and I still couldn't quite believe they were going to get together until they finally did, and then it just felt inevitable. But it was real nail-biting, edge of the seat stuff! The week leading up to it was, I think, the first time any soap had gone five nights a week.

Looking back on it, though, the whole scenario reminds me of what Melrose Place was doing half a decade later: pairing up random characters and shuffling them between different houses like chess pieces. I think that kind of thing is easier to buy with characters like Barry or Terry - and even Billy - but Sheila's so intrinsically connected to No. 5 as the series' heart for me that everything felt a bit off kilter for me once she was transplanted. It's especially hard for me to contemplate it watching these early episodes as it would be unimaginable for her to cross that threshold. Still, at least the series acknowledged this with (if I'm remembering correctly) Sheila struggling with the new setup for a while.

Again, the implausibility, the awkwardness and the complications of Sheila and Claire moving across the road were factored into the story, and that's what made it work. Conversely, Terry moving where he moves after leaving No 10 killed his character stone dead for me. He became bland by association and never recovered.

Very early Roger was a top tier character for me. I’d forgotten all about him and loved how hapless he was, where anything that could go wrong for him, did. In his rebellion, that aspect of his character got diluted (though, of course, the outcome of his affair was also worst case scenario for him). It was a really nice touch that in his final visit to the house, he cast a meaningful look and touch over the shelving unit which was the bane of his life for what seemed like about a month.

Those final two appearances of Roger -- the visit to the house while Heather's away, the meeting with Heather arranged by his dad -- are part of a mini-trend on Brookside. I can think of three more occasions where major characters are written out with hugely satisfying final episode ... only to unexpectedly pop up again a few weeks later. It almost feels like a deliberate attempt to undermine the convention of "the farewell episode", as if the show were saying, "LIfe's not really like that. People don't always disappear forever in a nice, tidy, emotionally cathartic way."

Sheila’s second chance was appearing on live TV. This time her thunder was almost stolen by Maureen herself (I love how Maureen - played by Jimmy Nail’s sister - is shown to enjoy the spotlight Sheila herself finds unattractive) but she found her voice in time to get her point across. Sue Johnston did some nice “awkward acting” where Sheila was just that bit more hesitant and tripped over her words just a tad more than usual though self-consciousness over speaking on TV.

Maureen is Jimmy Nail's sister -- I never knew that, but of course she is! Sheila being so visibly nervous on TV was a wonderfully naturalistic touc, kind of the opposite of Karen Mackenzie proving to be a natural born talk show host on Knots.

The bring and buy sale is also related to stopping the Fairbanks closure, with Annabelle helping out greatly. This, too, has been a goldmine of light entertainment. Like Marie believing Sheila has stolen the £20 note George believed to be in the trousers Marie donated. George later found the note stuck in the washing machine causing a furious Marie to have to back down:

And off she walks. The growing enmity between the two is hugely enjoyable. I love how spiky Sheila is towards her. She simply doesn’t want to give Marie the time of day.

It's very interesting how chummy Sheila and Annabelle become, and how they enjoy looking down their noses at Marie together. It feels very real, but it's also quite a soap trope, where the introduction of the Jacksons and later the Corkhills, like Ogdens and Battersbys on Coronation Street and their "white trash" equivalents on the other soaps, present the existing working class characters (and possibly the audience at home) with someone "even worse" than themselves to look down on. We all get to be snobs by proxy.

Harry and Edna Cross have already appeared, having come to view the house in episode 98. I’m looking forward to them becoming regulars for Year Two.

First Alan, then Marie, now Harry and Edna: each new arrival becoming that much more larger than life, that much gobbier and nosier, that much more conventionally soapy.

It's quite eye-opening how many long-term key characters left in 1990 in addition to Billy and Sheila: Karen and Claire Grant; the Collinses; Harry Cross; Doreen Corkhill; Jonathan Gordon-Davies...

Strictly speaking, Karen and Doreen had already left a few years before and were just back for brief visits. But yes, 1990 was a real turning point: the series going to three episodes a week and clearly a conscious effort being made to turn it into more of a conventional soap. Perhaps the most telling departure of all that year was Jimmy McGovern's.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Spoilers weren't what they are now and I still couldn't quite believe they were going to get together until they finally did, and then it just felt inevitable. But it was real nail-biting, edge of the seat stuff! The week leading up to it was, I think, the first time any soap had gone five nights a week.

Even though I was watching at the time, I didn't recall there being such a sense of event around it, so this is fascinating.

Conversely, Terry moving where he moves after leaving No 10 killed his character stone dead for me. He became bland by association and never recovered.

Absolutely.

Those final two appearances of Roger -- the visit to the house while Heather's away, the meeting with Heather arranged by his dad -- are part of a mini-trend on Brookside. I can think of three more occasions where major characters are written out with hugely satisfying final episode ... only to unexpectedly pop up again a few weeks later. It almost feels like a deliberate attempt to undermine the convention of "the farewell episode", as if the show were saying, "LIfe's not really like that. People don't always disappear forever in a nice, tidy, emotionally cathartic way."

Interesting. I feel like I must know at least one or two of the others, but I'm struggling to place them, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for them.

It's very interesting how chummy Sheila and Annabelle become

It certainly is. It goes back to the very beginning, of course, with them having some kind of awkward understanding immediately while Bobby and Paul are at it hammer and tongs. I really like that this dynamic is still being revisited, with Sheila still making time for Annabelle (and accepting a driving lesson from her) despite Paul's regular criticisms of her kids.

and how they enjoy looking down their noses at Marie together. It feels very real, but it's also quite a soap trope, where the introduction of the Jacksons and later the Corkhills, like Ogdens and Battersbys on Coronation Street and their "white trash" equivalents on the other soaps, present the existing working class characters (and possibly the audience at home) with someone "even worse" than themselves to look down on. We all get to be snobs by proxy.

Ooh yes - what a great observation.

First Alan, then Marie, now Harry and Edna: each new arrival becoming that much more larger than life, that much gobbier and nosier, that much more conventionally soapy.

With Harry and Edna's initial appearances I was rather taken aback with how laid back Harry was compared with Edna who seemed the more critical and cranky.

Strictly speaking, Karen and Doreen had already left a few years before and were just back for brief visits.

Oh yes. And also some who left in 1990 (I'm thinking Harry) would later return.

Perhaps the most telling departure of all that year was Jimmy McGovern's.

Oh yikes. Another reason to check out of the series at that point. His writing always makes the series crackle.

The last episode I watched was the Jimmy Mac penned one where Bobby threw Jack Boswell out of the house and then practically assaulted Karen after they came home late. Then it turned into this tragic tableau where Sheila called Bobby a hypocrite for treating Karen differently to the boys. And then he found out Sheila had kept him in the dark about Karen's bingo winnings. And Sheila blurted out (in front of Karen) that it was because she was ashamed of Karen for not offering them anything despite their current financial hardships. It's one of those winning Grant scenes that's gut-wrenchingly raw and quite painful to watch because you can feel the damage being done with each line spoken.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

my all time favourite episode (so far) from January’84 with Sheila and Marie.

Which I watched 3 times already.

I watched this last night, and I share your view of it being a top tier episode and a contender for my favourite to date as well. It's the first episode I've watched more than once this time round.

I have a lot to say about it. But...

One of the remarkable things about the Sheila/Marie showdown @Ome mentioned is the rhythm of it (or lack thereof): it builds, explodes, dies down, reignites, changes configuration, continues ... before ending on an oddly melancholic note. At the time, it felt totally unpredictable, even disorientating: this isn't how TV was supposed to work!

I wrote my thoughts on the episode down before realising James had already said much the same thing, but more succinctly. Much of mine, then, is probably subliminal plagiarism, but here goes anyway...

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes 105 - 124
2 November 1983 - 4 January 1984
​

Well, just Episode 124, really. It’s blown me away so much I can’t think of anything else.

I’ve been re-reading some Brookie books, and in his introduction to the Official Companion, Phil Redmond mentions how impressed he was when Corrie began and shone a light on everyday life and social structures within communities. I don’t think this influence had really struck me until this rewatch because I’ve generally compared early Eighties Brookside to early Eighties Corrie where the longer-running show comes out looking twee and dated, having (as Redmond also observed) got lost in time somewhere down the line. The Sixties Corrie influence, now I’ve finally recognised it, is something Brookside has really nailed. It certainly achieves the objective of giving us a new kind of kitchen sink naturalism and capturing day-to-day life. Much of the first year was practically a celebration of the mundane.

Two months into its second production year, and now entering its third calendar year, Brookie feels as though it’s in a good, strong place. For me, it’s striking a hugely enjoyable balance, with the soapy goodness and increasing sitcom elements informed by the series’ emphasis on character-driven social commentary. As discussed in this thread, it is probably a little more conventional than it might have been in its earliest days - with the newly-arrived Crosses embodying this - but it still feels that bit grittier, cleverer and more real than its contemporaries.

This balance has yielded gold in the latest episode which saw a dramatic (and comedic) peak in the legendary standoff between Sheila and Marie. Having read Phil’s comments about Sixties Corrie earlier the same evening, it was impossible not to draw comparisons between this public tonguefest between two of its strongest women and those which Corrie has done so well throughout its history, not least that early showstopping confrontation between Elsie Tanner and Ena Sharples.

Brookie’s first neighbourhood free for all feels like both a tip of the hat to those Corrie classics, and a game-raising makeover of what was by this time something of a soap opera trope.

There are so many elements which make this clash of the titans succeed.

Firstly, it’s been in the air for many a month. The antipathy between Sheila and Marie has been the elephant in the room, giving no end of entertaining little remarks and quips over months’ worth of episodes. There’s definitely been tension in the air and as the scene was set for the clash, I found myself actually grinning with enjoyment of the anticipation. I honestly struggle to think of a soap confrontation I’ve looked forward to with quite this much relish. And that’s truly saying something.

It’s also worth noting that a lot of my grinning and giggling might actually have been through a kind of nervousness. As things began to escalate towards the inevitable I reacted to it with a rare kind of subjectivity - as though I was physically present instead of just watching a repeat episode on a television set. This speaks either to me having a ridiculous level of suspension of disbelief or (as is more likely) the writing setting things up so perfectly I was swept up in it despite myself.

With the benefit of hindsight (or foresight, since I watched this repeat knowing what was coming up), there’s also arguably been a degree of discreet foreshadowing. Most notably Paul Collins’s recent prophetic observation that the neighbours would be brawling in the street next. Which made his own involvement in the eventual debacle all the more ironic and meaningful.

The combination of character and story is played perfectly. It feels as though the entire social construct of the close is exposed in this scene, along with festering resentments and good old-fashioned personality differences.

We first see the characters in their respective homes, rubbishing the neighbours, which isn’t unusual. The ever safety conscious George has discovered faulty wiring: a result of Barry’s cowboy work when installing the infamous archway for Petra and Michelle. Marie pushes George to get Barry to repair it. Barry is out, but Bobby takes a look and says he’ll ask Barry to pop over when he can.

Over at No. 10, George is trying to persuade Marie not to push things, but she is raring to get stuck in because “that heartless git over there ruined my sister’s life”.

At No. 5, Bobby, like George, is trying to play peacemaker and suggests that Barry should just go and sort it so Marie doesn’t have an excuse to have a go at him. But Sheila backs Barry saying he can do nothing right in Marie’s eyes anyway:

Stay where you are. Let her sweat it out a bit longer.

Typically, these comments would stay in the home, but this time neither Sheila nor Marie is in a forgiving mood so it feels quite different. The first wave of the set to comes when Marie barges into No. 5 demanding Barry trots straight over to repair the wiring. After some lip back, he reluctantly agrees, but Sheila blocks Marie’s entrance, criticising her manners, which Marie brushes off as she exits, leaving Sheila deflated.

Had it ended there, this would have been a satisfying enough little confrontation. I love the touch that fuming Sheila redirected her frustrations towards Bobby for not supporting Barry. Bobby is having none of it and gets to the root of the problem:

I’m not gonna let you fight with me ‘cause you missed your chance to have a fight with her.

The above scene alone would provide a satisfyingly bittersweet epilogue to the argument. But again it’s not the end. The way this disagreement escalates, subsides and then escalates into something bigger still is nothing short of artful. It creates an episode that surprises with its repeated dramatic peaks followed by a fallout and analysis of what’s just happened. Each time it goes that bit harder. That bit deeper.

Brookside has conditioned me to appreciate the smaller scale. The arguments that almost happen, or the cross words that chip away at neighbours’ tolerances. What’s happened so far in the episode is, frankly enough. And just when it feels it’s all over for the time being, Sheila lifts her net curtains and observes Marie shouting at Barry across the Close, casts her eyes back to Bobby as though she’s rising to a perceived challenge he’s set:

Missed my chance, have I? Well here it is now.

It's nothing short of electric.

continued…​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episode124
4 January 1984

continued
​

The real-life homes and cul-de-sac come into their own here, setting this apart from any soap confrontation we’ve seen before. Ena and Elsie’s first big blazing bust up had happened in more or less one location, in front of the cardboard house fronts on the indoor Street set. On Knots, a similar feeling of anticipation to this was set up when Val marched across the moody cul-de-sac to ask Abby the million dollar question. But she’d left one set, crossed a real location and arrived at another set. On Brookie, everything feels tangible, real and full of life.

We see people arguing in the distance, through windows. Or we stand with those arguing and see people emerging from homes in the background, either to join in, to attempt to stop it or simply to enjoy the spectacle. It’s incredibly kinetic, not just because of the animated anger of those at the centre of the powder keg, but because we see that other people are living nearby and can’t help but become somehow involved. Harry and Damon are the observers: transfixed by what’s going on and drawn to get a closer look.

Damon in particular is very much the audience here. When the initial row is going on in No. 5, he lies on the sofa with a magazine, looking vaguely disinterested. Later, when things become physical and it becomes a visual tableau of dysfunction, Damon stands in the background simply taking it all in.

There are those who stumble upon this tableau. At the height of the bilious exhange, with Sheila and Marie raging volubly in the middle distance, there’s a hilarious visual of Edna Cross wandering into frame in the foreground, smiling a cheery greeting at Bobby and Barry as she passes them upon her return to the Close, evidently politely pretending she hasn’t noticed the carnage happening feet away.

Paul Collins, of course, drives into the scene at the height of the chaos and demands to know what’s going on. Marie tells him to keep his nose out, but then informs him it’s due to Sheila and her troublemaking son. Paul harrumphs that he’s not surprised, prompting Barry to lunge at him. Everyone is being held back by someone else, but it’s too late, because Sheila now turns to reign her verbal fury upon Paul. “You’re not in your posh house on the Wirral now, you know”, she bellows as he drives past, Bobby and Barry the only things stopping her from clambering onto his windscreen.

And depressed Annabelle watches this sadly from her doorway.

Nobody’s making friends, and the fallout feels as though it ripples across its three main families. Heather escapes by virtue of being in Ireland for Christmas and New Year. Alan and Samantha are apparently elsewhere (in other words, they've been given the Kenny and Ginger treatment).

In true Brookie fashion, the vicarious soapy fun of the situation is given added weight and balance by the frequent ugliness of the words spoken.

Some lines are just hilarious, such as Sheila telling Marie that if she ever shows her face at her house “I’ll grab your tatty hair out by the roots” (a day later, this one still makes me chuckle just thinking about it. Especially the visual of Sheila smacking Marie's perm mid-line).

While others feel quite shocking. The line that screams “crossing the line” to me was Marie’s opening shot at Barry, made just as Sheila came within hearing distance:

D’you know somethin’? I’m glad our Petra miscarried that child. Yeah - your child, Mr Big Man. I’d rather see it dead than the prospect of havin’ you for its father.

It's one of the ugliest things I've heard in the series, and so had a huge impact. Especially when one considers how important having a baby was to Petra and this is coming from her big sister. In the context of this episode, it was a definite gauntlet thrown down and adds credibility to what follows. It's the perfect example of someone going too far in the heat of the moment (while at the same time leaving some doubt that it wasn't made with deliberation. I'm sure Marie's spent much time over the months thinking about what she'd like to say to get back at Barry). And of course Catholic Sheila would be incensed enough by this comment to see red and go low, matching Marie line for line:

You don’t even live ‘ere. Squatting in your sister’s house like a load of gypsies.

What about you, eh? Lettin’ your girl get stinkin’ rotten drunk on New Year’s Eve. Makin’ a show of herself at her age. An’ where were you, eh? Fillin’ your face with ale. So don’t talk to me. I know your sort. It’s no wonder you’ve reared a family of animals.

I thoroughly enjoyed the hypocrisy of this line since Marie had held a raucous party in the Close on New Year’s Eve, while Karen stayed quietly in alone and sulked over Mike (who had spent most of his home leave from the forces going to matches and pubs with Barry and Terry to Karen’s exclusion) until Lucy Collins (making a visit of her own to the Close) spotted her and dropped in with a bottle of champagne which they polished off while bonding over their respective relationships (Lucy has a French beau, Jean) and the benefits of a good cry (speaking about looking at herself in the mirror and the sight of her puffy eyes making her cry more, Karen wistfully sighed that she could keep herself going for hours that way). A lovely little scene which built on their last one where they’d discussed exam results and summer plans.

Marie’s comment about the Grants’ ale consumption also implicitly served as a reminder to me of a genuinely heartwarming time she, Michelle and George had shared with Bobby, Barry and Terry in The Swan right before Christmas when she’d decided to celebrate after getting a Christmas card from Petra. The evening concluded with the group drunkenly singing carols as they’d walked arm in arm back into the Close. The fact that she invoked the Grants’ ale drinking during the argument felt very much like a fingers up to any progress made in strained relationships that evening. And once again Sheila pushes back:

My family don’t want for nothing and never ‘ave. At least they’re living in an ‘ouse they can call their own. An’ I’ll tell you something else while I’m at it. Your Petra once told me that she couldn’t stand the sight of you. She said you were a nasty, moaning old bitch. And I said “Petra, nobody could be that bad”. But in this case she was right. I’ve never met anyone with such an evil mind as you.

I’m not quite sure if foreshadowing, by its nature, has to be deliberate. If not, this episode has a contender due to almost predicting Brookie’s most widely-known sensationalist storyline which would take place a decade later in the Jacksons’ current home:

When your Petra went missin’, and the police were searching for her, they should’ve dug up your back garden. Because your lot weren’t two minutes moving in ‘ere and taking over like the vultures you are.

The whole blow up ends with a practical free for all, with Sheila dragged into the house by Bobby and Barry while Marie is shocked to her senses by a slap from George.

It’s still not the end. The fallout ripples into Numbers 5 and 10, each of which has a bitter discussion between husband and wife. Marie and George are each furious over the others’ behaviour, while Sheila once again redirects her anger at Bobby, this time for not fighting hard enough to save the factory. Bobby, in turn, tells her she’s become hard and it’s not for the best.

When a police officer arrives in the Close, Sheila and Marie each believe that the other has made the call (it was actually Paul Collins). This leads to them coming together one final time when Marie - still up for a row - knocks Sheila’s door to tell her what she thinks of her for being a grass.

With how explosive this episode has been all bets are off when it comes to this final scene. And here’s where it surprises again: with Sheila wearily telling Marie that she’ll never speak to her again as long as she lives. After the noisy combat, the silence is deafening, and the emotion of the moment hits hard.

 

[James from London]

Lovely stuff, Mel!

“You’re not in your posh house on the Wirral now, you know”, she bellows as he drives past

As you say, there's so many brilliant moments but for some reason, that line is the one that always sticks with me. Maybe because she's been waiting to say it since the series began.

I've been chatting with the formerly dead Sunshineboyuk on WhatsApp about Brookie. He's at a similar re-watch stage to you, Mel, and as his comments are so interesting, I've persuaded him to let me repost them here:

Lucy really looks like Paul's daughter doesn't she? Petra disappeared, its such a delicate detailed portrayal of someone's mental collapse... if you took the scenes you could edit it into a Play For Today. Then Lucy disappears after an afternoon out with Jonah and that's colliding with Marie and Michelle trying to deal with Petra's disappearance which , unbeknownst to them is not going to end well, while Annabel loses the plot over a disappearance that isn't really a disappearance, it reveals how stressed and delicate Anbabel really is. And Sheila being ' disgusted ' at Bobby's inability to fight the inevitable closure of the factory, she's more militant than he is at this point ... a far cry from " spouting his slogans" ... I love what you said about the stillness of Brookside, that's it, it makes it unique, that stillness.

*********
How brilliant is Val? I love this period , they are starting to learn how to interweave the neighbours ,Roger not having any cash for the taxi, Marie and George voyeuristically watching on from behind the window, Sheila being skint cos Barry's stolen the kidney fund money in a desperate escape from his parents and Petra and himself , Alan saving the day and inviting Roger to Rugby training which will crash into Heather discovering the tie pin from Diane..its so intricately and flawlessly done! Lucy's first exit is so poignant and sad and yet upbeat. " Just as I was starting to enjoy it here. .. well not enjoy ...but " Oh we know Lucy, we know! " I never meant to hurt you Dad" she tearfully tells Paul, who has never been more sympathetic than now, his love for his daughter just flows through every scene, I could cry.

" I know Lucy, I know" he replies.

And as Sheila and Alan joyfully and kindly pull the rug from under Val and Barry's Lost in Translation scheme, Lucy leaves for France and the life she yearned so painfully for since arriving in Brookside.

" We could have made it " she tells Paul.

He's thought of that over and over, giving yet more nuance to his scenes of angst and attitude.
But, as Lucy tearfully sits on the plane, people wave off their loved ones frantically and cheerfully from the now quaint viewing Bridge from another time, we are left with the feeling that the Collins have made it, they are doing OK, they still love each other and Paul and Annabel are making the amends to their daughter who has been sacrificed on the altar of very hard choices. Finally, the little Lady from LadyMount, 16 and in a pretty blue dress, her hair regally up, comes first.

*********

I don't remember Gizmo and Ducksie lasting so long into the run, every scene is a gift...just them walking and talking is mesmerising... Gizmo's just been beaten up by his brother, its really sad and dark, I dont really remember this...Marie and George rock up at Bobby and Sheila's lovely wedding anniversary party, remember when parties happened like this and you sat down at a table all dressed up with a lager in one hand crisps in the other and hope in your heart? Karen and Susie dance like sulky Bananarama and Paul and Annabel bump into Marie and George vigorously spinning each other around in that now forgotten way that couples used to dance in formal contact with each other, devoid of sexuality.
Jonah asks after Lucy and Paul's prickly prejudices resurface, although noticeably milder this time. Heather puts on her war paint, God she's stunningly beautiful, as the ball busting grotesque and sexually charged Diane exits the story with a scene peppered with perfect 1980s Stock Aitkin and Waterman lyrics for the empowered slut with big hair.

Alan hosts the party and we get moving touching moments as old pics of Bobby and Sheila flash up on screen... they really did have a life that led to this one. It's undeniable.

Then there's a truly awful scene where Val pretends to be sleeping with Alan and Sam is so hopeless its hard to watch without laughing, possibly the worst acting I have ever seen, including Grayson Hall on Dark Shadows. This is beyond even that....

As George sings like a professional actor and an annoying busker, a drunken Marie brings the whole party and the show crashing to a dramatic halt with the question that kind of shocks us into our senses.
Where is Petra?
What's happened to the girl?
Why does no-one care?

Everyone cares but no-one knows , and Brookside isn't Peyton Place.

 

[Ome]

I was smiling all the way reading through that Mel. It's such a treat to watch. At this stage in my life, I wasn't familiar with much of Corrie or Crossroads and I can't recall seeing anything like this on TV, so it blew me away and turned the soap into a must-see, must-discuss TV programme.

I didn't remember the after-effects, so I found the scenes with Marie & Shiela after the argument quite emotional. Feeling we got a glimpse of their vulnerability in the privacy of their homes and there was a part of me that wanted them both to know it was Paul who called the cops. Once that settled in with me, I thought it was better they believed it was each other.

Usually, I find when two characters go at each other in a soap, they often try to mix the drama with humour to the point where it starts to feel too far over the top. There was some humour in here, but it felt more weighty than most fights I can remember.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

As you say, there's so many brilliant moments but for some reason, that line is the one that always sticks with me. Maybe because she's been waiting to say it since the series began.

Very true. And she follows it up by saying "You're here - with the rest of us". Those two lines somehow sum up the dynamics of the entire series. They're mostly people from very different backgrounds who wouldn't have chosen to live near one another, but they're stuck with each other and have to learn to tolerate one another (I love the irony that Sheila says this at the height of her own intolerance).

In a following episode, this theme is continued when Edna Cross (I think) says to Marie that neighbours are like family: you can't choose them.

I thoroughly enjoy the "them and us" premise embedded in the series. It's been there all the way through (like Petra's line to Barry about Heather not being "like us"). There's snobbery and inverted snobbery. Sheila's the perfect person to be at the centre of it because she's got some degree of both going on in how she views the Collinses and the Jacksons.

At this stage in my life, I wasn't familiar with much of Corrie or Crossroads and I can't recall seeing anything like this on TV, so it blew me away and turned the soap into a must-see, must-discuss TV programme.

I can only imagine the impact this made the first time round.

I didn't remember the after-effects, so I found the scenes with Marie & Shiela after the argument quite emotional.

I love that this has continued into the next couple of weeks' worth of episodes, with that uncomfortable feeling when they have to pass one another in the Close or when they're interacting with a group of neighbours. Sheila walking away from Alan's engagement celebration because it was at No 10. Marie needing to get her phone repaired finally relenting and asking Sheila if she can use her phone. Sheila responding "Not a chance", then relenting and calling after Marie who walks faster and pretends not to hear. It's so awkward and sad.

there was a part of me that wanted them both to know it was Paul who called the cops. Once that settled in with me, I thought it was better they believed it was each other.

There's a nice moment where Marie has invited herself to help Annabelle clean Heather's house, and Marie mentions how low it was of Sheila to call the police. Annabelle - knowing it was Paul - looks rather sheepish, but says nothing.

Usually, I find when two characters go at each other in a soap, they often try to mix the drama with humour to the point where it starts to feel too far over the top. There was some humour in here, but it felt more weighty than most fights I can remember.

I found myself laughing out loud at some of the lines, but then feeling a bit bad for doing so. It's quite a feat for a series to get into this degree of chaos while still keeping empathy for the characters. I enjoyed the dysfunctional melodrama, but I was also very much aware that what was being said was genuinely hurtful, and it was clear that the characters knew it too, but were too carried away with the emotion of the moment to stop making the low blows.

I've been chatting with the formerly dead Sunshineboyuk on WhatsApp about Brookie.

Oh - that's lovely. I'm glad he's back from the dead and still chatting soaps. I'll never forget his hilarious "By 'eck it's parky out there Ma" Emmerdale Farm thread.

He's at a similar re-watch stage to you, Mel, and as his comments are so interesting, I've persuaded him to let me repost them here

Great to see he's enjoyed Lucy, Val, Ducksie and Gizzmo so much, and I laughed out loud at the remark about Val's acting (for what it's worth, I think either she's improved or I've adjusted).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Random "watching on STV thoughts".

I really appreciate that the episodes appear to be complete and unedited, but the fact that every episode comes with a warning about it containing "language and attitudes of the time" makes me feel like a dinosaur.

Some episodes have the additional warning line: "Contains scenes viewers may find upsetting". Petra's miscarriage was the first time I remember noticing this, but it's also reappeared on some other episodes, which I think includes a lot of the intense Grant family arguments and occasional whacks. I must confess this caveat somehow increases my anticipation as I'm always curious to see what scenes might warrant this.

Curiously, a couple of episodes I've watched this week came with this additional pop-up:

The first time I got this was on the Sheila/Marie Fusegate episode, but it was also included on the following episode which seemed pretty ordinary.

I'm now wondering if I'm completely desensitised or out of touch as I haven't seen anything in these episodes that requires such robust nannying. Gavin's death was far more horrific than anything in these episodes.