Channel 4's Brookside is returning to our screens for the first time in 20 years - and who could forget the soap's iconic couple Damon Grant and Debbie McGrath.
TV
Monde Mwitumwa and Jess Molyneux
16:55, 01 Jan 2025
The iconic Merseyside soap Brookside, fondly dubbed 'Brookie', is making a sensational comeback to our screens after two decades.
Launching over 40 years ago on November 2, 1982, the Liverpool-set drama became an integral part of viewers' lives, captivating up to nine million fans at its height.
Despite being shelved in 2003, the soap is set for a revival, with every episode since its inception soon to be available for streaming. Thanks to a fresh deal between STV Player and All3Media International, audiences will have the chance to binge-watch 'Brookie' from the very beginning.
With a staggering 2,915 episodes under its belt, Brookside delivered countless unforgettable plots, but none more so than the romance of Damon Grant and Debbie McGrath. Portrayed by Simon O'Brien and Gillian Kearney, their storyline propelled Channel 4 into new territory as they featured in the UK's inaugural mini-series spin-off from a soap opera.
In November 1987, the three-part saga, Damon and Debbie, graced our screens, hailed as television's original "soap bubble."
Penned by Frank Cottrell Boyce, it chronicled the couple's departure from Brookside Close and their impulsive decision to elope, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The pair made their home in York, with Debbie exploring the local university during an open day and Damon securing a job at a burger restaurant named Dick Turpin's. However, their journey was far from smooth - Debbie kept her diabetes a secret from Damon, leading to panic when their barge accommodation disappeared along with her insulin supply.
Their tale, reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedy, ended on a sorrowful note. Following a pretend wedding in a hotel room, Damon is fatally wounded by an unidentified attacker on the streets of York, dying in Debbie's arms.
Following the spin-off, both actors continued to build successful careers in showbiz and started families. Gillian Kearney, who had been part of Brookside since she was 14, completed her O and A levels post-Brookside and pursued drama school.
A past member of the Liverpool Playhouse Youth Theatre, she accumulated numerous television credits. Her TV portfolio includes Casualty, Clocking Off, Shameless, Lilies, The Forsyte Saga and daytime courtroom drama Justice, partially filmed at the ECHO'S Old Hall Street offices in November 2010.
She also showcased her talent on stage in productions like Hedda Gabler, King Lear, The Flint Street Nativity at the Playhouse and A Midsummer Night's Dream in the West End. Many will also remember Gillian for her role as young Shirley Valentine, starring in Suspects and later joining the cast of Emmerdale.
In December 2014, the ECHO revealed that the Liverpool-born actress had bagged the role of Finn Barton's estranged mother, Emma. This performance earned her a nomination for Best Serial Drama Performance at the 2016 National Television Awards.
In 2019, Gillian took on the directorial reins for the 5Star women's prison drama Clink. In 2010, she and her husband welcomed their first child.
Simon O'Brien embarked on his acting journey in 1982 with the inaugural episode of Brookside, aged just 16. Post-Brookie, he has maintained an active acting career while also making a name for himself as a radio presenter and property developer.
He has hosted his own children's TV shows, starred in films like Willy Russell's Dancing In The Dark, and fortuitously secured the presenter's spot on BBC 2's The Rough Guide travelogues alongside Magenta Divine. As per his website, he also traverses Europe "seeking out derelict properties to renovate: all done from an ecological perspective."
After hosting the football show Standing Room Only on the BBC in the 90s, Simon gained recognition in the US through his role in the American sitcom Out All Night and presenting on BBC Radio Merseyside. He even opened a vegetarian cafe and cycle shop in Liverpool, before making a comeback to acting post a career hiatus, featuring in Grange Hill.
In December 2014, the Liverpool-based actor and environmentalist was appointed as the chair of the Green Strategy Group to oversee the city's green spaces. The married father-of-one, serving as the cycling and walking commissioner for the Liverpool City Region, is a prominent figure in advocating active travel throughout the region.
In 2022, viewers were delighted when Simon made a guest appearance on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, playing the character Frank Bardsley. At that time, the ECHO reported that Simon was introduced to The Rovers as a potential new romantic interest for Sean Tully (Antony Cotton).
In recent years, we've seen a Brookside reunion. In January 2015, Gillian Kearney made her directorial debut with a film for the Sunday ECHO, which quickly went viral online.
Brookside's Damon and Debbie reunited on screen as an upscale couple who "turn Scouse" after relocating to Liverpool and reading the ECHO seven days a week. The film, created to commemorate the anniversary of the first Sunday edition, was produced by Colin McKeown and penned by Echo columnist Gary Bainbridge.
In April 2018, the actors who helped Channel 4 make history by starring in Britain's first mini-series spin-off from a soap opera also encouraged the broadcaster to relocate to their city. It is now possible to revisit the Brookside drama and stream the soap from the beginning for the first time ever on STV Player.
:quality(85):upscale()/2024/04/24/878/n/3019466/36c5693c662965c5d1ce91.72473705_.jpg)
English (US) ·