Brookside Brookside

[PsychoDrama]

I think the film might have been The French Connection

Oh yes. I think you're right.

(which is also on the iPlayer for the next fortnight, along with another early 70s crime classic, Get Carter starring Michael Caine, Britt Ekland and Alf Roberts. I'm planning to re-watch them both).

Sounds great. I hope you enjoy.

I watched The French Connection for the first time a couple of years ago and, looking back over my comments about it, I had mixed feelings. I've never watched Get Carter, so I might consider watching that at some point.

"They're gay, aren't they?" Heather asks coolly. In that moment, she is too preoccupied with trying to make sense of her own situation to care less about the Collinses and their strenuous efforts at concealment. .Instead, she and Charlie find themselves unintentional co-conspirators, both in on the secret the neighbours are frantically trying to hide.

Because I was so invested and Heather's comment was coming from a valid concern, I don't even think the irony of this dawned on me as I watched.

I could have watched the two of them circling each other forever. But it's Heather's ball-shrivellingly withering "The world is full of I-could-have-beens" speech (written by - surprise, surprise - one J McGovern) that has lingered in the back of my mind for decades.

Oh yes, that was great. And so very Heather considering her experiences with the men in her life on the series.

She certainly exited the series on a high, with some terrific material in her final months. Considering Heather's home life was frequently very little-seen, it could have been tempting for the writers to simply allow her to fade away, and I love that they went the opposite route and reminded the audience just what the series was losing.

Since returning from his summer job with short hair, we've seen a newly mature, sober Damon, which has been both plausible and oddly moving. Gail gets him in touch with his mischievous side again, even if she's far nuttier than he ever was.

Oh yes. The more mature Damon really struck a cord with me, but (once again) it hasn't consciously registered with me how he's got some of that cheeky side back thanks to Gail.

I remember my housemate at the time laughing at Pat and Sandra's overwrought final embrace, saying it looked like they were eating each other's hair.

Ha. Now that's the kind of commentary that could make these scenes tolerable.

With New Gordon, everything's about Being Gay, but it's all external. He gets interviewed for TV about ... Being Gay. He orders a magazine about ... Being Gay. He wears a badge that symbolises ... Being Gay. Tellingly, his reunion with schoolfriend Chris takes place entirely off screen. From the first time we see them together, they are singing from the same Being Gay hymn sheet. Chris works in a gay bicycle shop (or something) because ... well, of course he does. It's another external. From watching these episodes, you wouldn't think that being gay had anything to do with anything internal:, anything to do with emotion or desire or shame.

He even had a line when asked about the badge: "it means I'm gay"... as if he belongs to some kind of organisation or stops being gay when he isn't displaying it.

There's something very simplistic and childlike about the statement which, thinking about it, could almost suggest an extension of original Gordon's naivety which scupper his attempts to be more worldly (his "pint of bitter beer") or trendy (that secondhand coat). Except here the tone of the writing suggests that Gordon is more worldly and knowledgeable on this subject than his parents (or whoever). Paul and Annabel may be horrified now as they were with the oversized coat, but there's no humour or irony because whatever he says is treated by them (and in turn by the series) as fact. And very dry fact at that.

I have rationalised it to a degree. Gordon has spent years living in France where he's essentially "found himself". I can understand his sense of freedom and desire to express himself after this (especially having lived most of his life in an environment where repression and denial are the bywords). I also think the idea of him returning to that environment having changed has potential.

I have mixed feelings on the series avoiding his journey of coming out to himself. Like EastEnders' Colin, it avoids the cliche of the coming out angst which is possibly too obvious a route. But it falls down on instead leaning into a heap of other cliches. As you've pointed out, the most unforgivable is that a lot of what made his character work and endear has been lost.

I was reminded of the OG (Original Gordon) and how, every time he would encounter Damon and his mates on the close, there was always an awkwardness, a tension, about him, even when they were all getting along. It didn't have anything to do with Being Gay, it had to do with smaller, subtler things: upbringing, class, insecurity (all of which were kind of encapsulated in that small but brilliantly illuminating conversation between him and his dad where he admitted to resenting Heather for being so beautiful.) Now all those quirks and idiosyncrasies have been ironed out. As well as being recast, Gordon has been reprogrammed.

The Gordon scene that's worked the best for me since his return was the one in the last episodes I watched where he spoke to Annabel about his envy at Chris going skiing with friends instead of spending Christmas with him. Even though it was still essentially about "being gay" it still felt the closest we've got to seeing him displaying insecurity or vulnerability.

as Dot is Dot, her reaction is 100% in character and the Square (and the soap itself) is big enough to accommodate both Colin and Dot until such time as he can get through to her and they can become friends again. In comparison, I felt Carol was used - as a sacrificial lamb, yes, but also as a kind of scapegoat .

Yes. It felt a wasted opportunity.

that wouldn't have given Paul and Annabelle anything to react to, and they seem to be the only prism through the show can confidently deal with anything to do with Gordon's sexuality.

This has nailed it, I think. I realise the Grants have a lot going on at the moment, but there wasn't any kind of "behind closed doors" discussion about Gordon's badge. Barry was visibly unsettled in the scene itself, but would he have had anything to say about it afterwards. How would it fit with Sheila's strict Catholic faith? I can't imagine Bobby and Damon would have nothing to say about it (remember the fun "pirate" material OG's earring gave them).

Of course, had any of these scenarios taken place, they would still have been about Gordon "being gay", but at least there would have been a change of narrator.

Going back to Paul's zebra-crossing campaign storyline, which I didn't hate but didn't love, I think my main problem was there wasn't really anything emotionally at stake. Somehow, the heart of the story was missing. Perhaps logically, that heart should have belonged to the woman whose son had been killed in the first place, but I can't even remember her name.

Reading this, it occurred to me that there are echoes of a similar storyline in Channel 7 Neighbours where Jim went on his own road safety crusade, wanting to give tuition to the boy down the street who was riding his bike dangerously (which all came to naught when said boy was killed from his lack of road sense). In both cases, the victim and the parent(s) were never really anything more than "them", which gave the main ("us") characters a storyline. Once the stories were over, little had changed. I suppose we did at least get scenes of Paul being the rebellious activist (mileage may vary, but I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect, at least).

(I'm aware I'm being more picky here than I would be about another soap but really it's Brookie's fault for setting such a high standard for itself!)

Very true. It has a lot to live up to and always feels that much more disappointing when it doesn't meet the standard.

Rod and Billy's homophobic reaction to it felt refreshingly honest. (That said, it's funny how their - completely believable - prejudices surface for that one scene and then completely disappear again. It's a bit like the episode of Friends where they've managed to to secure a brief cameo by a big rock star at the end and so for the duration of that one ep, everyone's the biggest fan of Sting in the world, and then he too is never mentioned again).

The "I'm Sting's biggest fan" syndrome manifests itself here too, with Annabelle's otherwise kindly instructor making an out-of-the-blue homophobic jibe about his bitchy helper.

The casual homophobia has felt truthful. Even Annabelle's colleague's throwaway comment worked because it felt authentic and echoes similar out-of-the-blue jibes I'd occasionally hear colleagues drop into conversation in the Nineties (sometimes about another colleague, but often more generalised).

I agree, it's a real shame it's been so short-lived, which all makes it seem a little too convenient.

Two minor discrepancies I noticed: everyone involved in the story insists on calling Gordon's publication a paper when it's clearly a magazine (even when they're holding it in their hands), and when Billy and Rod are tussling over it, they manage to pull the cover off, yet when Billy subsequently hands it to Paul, it's miraculously intact again. In and of themselves, these fluffs are totally unimportant -- I mean, who cares? -- but it's kind of emblematic of the disconnect between the subject Brookside purports to be tackling and the way it's presented on screen: unconfidently, from a distance, with kid gloves.

I love this kind of observation. The Devil's in the detail, after all.

I think it’s probably fallen off the iPlayer by now.

It’s back on the iPlayer.

Till Friday!

Oh yikes. This has reminded me I have a number of things lined up to watch on the various channels' streaming services. I'd better get my skates on (if they're even still available).

Boys From the Blackstuff is on there, and that’s full of Brookside-adjacent stuff:

Oh, I hadn't realised this. For some inexplicable reason I always get BFTB mixed up with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (even though I've watched neither of them).

Coincidentally, I’m planning on rewatching Letter to Brezhnev tonight.

Hope you enjoyed it. I just took a peek and it doesn't appear to be streaming (free) anywhere round these parts, but I've been curious about it since it came up earlier in this thread.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Hope you enjoyed it. I just took a peek and it doesn't appear to be streaming (free) anywhere round these parts, but I've been curious about it since it came up earlier in this thread.

I have it on DVD but I’ve seen it’s on You know where too, although I’m unsure of the quality. I really like it. It’s one of those late night films that I enjoy on a night where I haven’t dozed off on the couch by midnight. I mentioned on a thread on the movies forum, that it feels like it’s been forgotten in the mists of time. Letter to Brezhnev, Rita Sue & Bob Too and My Beautiful Launderette were all released by Channel 4 Films in the mid-80’s and are each great time capsules of life in “Thatcher’s Britain”. And while the other two are still trotted out on Channel 4 and streaming services on a regular basis, Letter hasn’t (to my knowledge) been seen on TV in years, never mind a streaming service.

 

[PsychoDrama]

I’ve seen it’s on You know where too, although I’m unsure of the quality.

Thanks. I have seen it's on Prime, but it's currently not free to watch. I'll add it to my watchlist and watch it either when it becomes free or (as with My Beautiful Laundrette) just cough up and dive in when I can't wait any longer.

It’s one of those late night films that I enjoy on a night where I haven’t dozed off on the couch by midnight. I mentioned on a thread on the movies forum, that it feels like it’s been forgotten in the mists of time. Letter to Brezhnev, Rita Sue & Bob Too and My Beautiful Launderette were all released by Channel 4 Films in the mid-80’s and are each great time capsules of life in “Thatcher’s Britain”. And while the other two are still trotted out on Channel 4 and streaming services on a regular basis, Letter hasn’t (to my knowledge) been seen on TV in years, never mind a streaming service.

I just took a peek at that thread and it's a fascinating topic. I'll probably dip into it in the coming days but in the meantime:

Is there any reason you can think of why Brezhnev might be the one of those three that became forgotten? Or is the randomness of its absence (i.e., not being able to understand why it's forgotten) what makes this so intriguing? I know almost nothing about the film so don't know if there's anything in its themes or content that might have not dated well. I imagine the fact that it's on Prime means that it hasn't fallen victim to cancel culture (unless it's heavily censored or something).

And this has given me a good reminder that Rita, Sue & Bob are also on my viewing bucket list.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I have seen it's on Prime

I’m glad to hear that it’s available somewhere.

Is there any reason you can think of why Brezhnev might be the one of those three that became forgotten? Or is the randomness of its absence (i.e., not being able to understand why it's forgotten) what makes this so intriguing? I know almost nothing about the film so don't know if there's anything in its themes or content that might have not dated well. I imagine the fact that it's on Prime means that it hasn't fallen victim to cancel culture (unless it's heavily censored or something).

I don’t really know. It seems to have been a regular fixture on Channel 4 schedules in the 80’s and 90’s but as the thread in the movie forum shows, there’s a lot of other films that have gone the same way too.

Of the three that I’ve mentioned, Rita Sue & Bob Too is probably the one that you’d expect to have been cancelled, given that it’s essentially a comedy centring around a middle aged man having a fling with two schoolgirls. But I think it’s accepted as “of its time” and still airs uncut on Channel 4 and recently on Mubi. Letter just seems to have been mostly forgotten.

 

[PsychoDrama]

Of the three that I’ve mentioned, Rita Sue & Bob Too is probably the one that you’d expect to have been cancelled, given that it’s essentially a comedy centring around a middle aged man having a fling with two schoolgirls.

After you mentioned it in your previous post, I thought I'd take a peek at a clip since it's another one of those films-I-haven't-seen-but-feel-I-need-to-watch, and thought exactly this.

But I think it’s accepted as “of its time” and still airs uncut on Channel 4 and recently on Mubi.

It's refreshing to know that there are still films that can be viewed with the context understood and without overreacting to it.

Letter just seems to have been mostly forgotten.

This is the kind of puzzling stuff that investigative documentary series are made of.

 

[James from London]

One thing that can be said for Amanda Burton’s final arc is that she was given great material. There’s a part of me that wants to say it was her best work on the series, while another feels to say this would diminish the other great stuff. It’s quite obviously dramatic material, where she can take off the makeup and smart suits and show us Heather more dishevelled and slowly falling apart because she’s completely out of control of a situation. But her work here is a standout not because of the melodrama but because throughout her entire run she’s so consistently been able to communicate what Heather thinks and feels without having to say the words. That remains true here, and it’s what gives this story its real punch.

I think what's so striking is that everything that defines Heather as a character -- her calm, her poise, even her career -- are all eroded, but gradually* rather than in an overtly dramatic way. ("I don't even know if I still have a job," she says towards the end, almost as an afterthought). She slowly becomes this fearful, hunched, suspicious, haunted figure and that's the version of the character who leaves the close forever. There's no final, head-held-high glimpse of the old Heather and no guarantee that she will ever be that person again.

*There's a small but very telling moment where she surreptitiously sniffs a carton of milk while making Annabelle a cup of coffee to check it hasn't gone off. That's how far the graceful, elegant Heather has fallen!

Of all the residents, Heather appears the least likely to get involved in such a storyline (with the possible exception of Harry and Ralph). Even the Collinses would seem a more obvious choice given their two rebellious offspring. But this is exactly why the story works so well.

I vaguely remember some criticism at the time about the farfetchedness of Nick being a junkie in the first place, and of his ability to conceal it for so long. It perhaps seems more plausible now than it did then, but that doesn't really matter to me. It's about the believability of the characters. Once that's in place, you can put them in almost any situation, no matter how extreme, and it becomes about their reaction to it. The comparison that springs to mind is Ben Gibson's activist past coming back to haunt him on Knots. I know most people hate that story, but it totally works for me because everything about the character works for me. Same applies to Heather -- and Nick, really. As ultimately unknowable as he is, he feels fascinatingly real.

The duality of Nick’s personality is shown and makes sense of why Heather would choose to believe him. When he’s not on the smack, he’s kind and thoughtful and vulnerable, which makes the blasé, reckless Nick he becomes all the more disappointing and frustrating.

From a C21st perspective, we're familiar with the concept of gaslighting and the kind of manipulative, controlling behaviour in relationships that qualifies as emotional abuse. There are elements of that in Nick's conduct towards Heather, in the way he lies to her and makes her doubt herself, but messing with her head isn't an end in itself. She isn't his obsession; heroin is. So what does he want/need her for exactly — to enable his addiction (both financially and by creating a smokescreen of respectability) or help him overcome it (the love of a good woman etc)? Did he marry her genuinely hoping for a happy ever after or was she just a refuge from the mess he'd gotten himself into, only for her to become part of that self same mess and so something else to escape? I guess the answer is: all the above.

There’s barely any sign of it until her last couple of scenes when she tells Barry she’s going, hops in her Scirocco under cover of night and speeds away (while the lingering angst of her husband’s betrayal and the high emotion of the moment evoke Valene’s departure at the end of Knots Landing’s third season, the staging of this has always reminded me more of Richard’s similarly covert-and-bittersweet departure the following year).

I love — if you can love something that gives you a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach — the abruptness of Heather's departure. The Knots exit it brought to my mind was Laura's (the wordless goodbye to Barry/Greg, then driving away in tears), but whereas Laura, and Richard before her, had put careful thought into their departures, Heather just kind of stumbles blindly out of the show. She's still in shock. There's no emotional catharsis for her or us: nothing's resolved. That's what makes it so haunting.

I remember reading that, like Doreen's departure the following year, all of Heather's scenes in her final episode were filmed in chronological order, which rarely happens. Because it's all on location, they would have had to wait until it was dark to film her last scene. So it's almost as if it were happening in real time.

The other surprising thing is that, once Nick has left, the interpersonal drama that’s mined from Heather’s exit is almost exclusively with Barry. There are a couple of nice scenes with Annabel while Nick is missing - and it’s a nice touch that the historically-guarded Heather withheld the truth of the cause of the marital rift from Anna - and a couple of looks or nods across the the cul-de-sac whenever she’s had to go outside. But the only person she’s truly spoken to has been Barry.

I find the connection between Heather and Barry really powerful, especially in that last episode. She’s so distant, refusing to let him in emotionally, yet there’s a strange intimacy between them. I noticed she keeps touching him on the arm, even as she fails to meet his gaze. There's so much unspoken between them, but I'm not sure what it is. I'm not sure even they know what it is.

There is sound reasoning behind this, since Barry has personal experience of being in deep with someone who is addicted to heroin (a number of times when watching scenes relating to Nick’s addiction I’ve found myself reflecting that this story is so much more satisfying and substantial than the brief business with Barry and Jane last Christmas… because we’ve been able to see it progress and evolve, and we got to know Nick rather than the character being defined by his drug addiction in the way Jane was. It makes me so much more appreciative of the Heather/Nick arc). So it’s natural that Heather would approach Barry once Sheila had told her.

There’s been good stuff to seeing Barry in this position. In one scene of him comforting the distraught Heather on her sofa, I kind of flashed back to the scene on the very same spot where he’d comforted Petra after Gavin’s death. Then I remembered them discussing how Heather was “not like us”, and that backstory added layers to the story

In way, the Nick/Heather story feels like a continuation of the Barry/Jane one. One could view those final scenes between Heather and Barry, where she challenges his assertion that cutting an addict adrift is the right thing to do, as the long-awaited emotional pay-off for what took place the previous Christmas. It retroactively gives those scenes more meaning, a bit like how New Dallas finally resolving the mystery of Pam's disappearance gave more substance to the original storyline.

After Heather's gone, it's Barry we're left with in the close looking through her old window. It feels like she's become one more ghost he's haunted by, along with Jane, Nick and maybe even Petra, who, as you pointed out, is the other widow he suddenly found himself burdened with, in the very house he's now looking through the window of. I guess that's the thing about a soap: when it works well, it all feels like one great big story.

Still, it did feel there was a degree of soapy contrivance. After Nick’s death Barry seemed to be conveniently around whenever he was needed, and Heather leaning on him so heavily seemed a little out of character, even given the circumstances

I totally bought it. Barry's reason for being around is to look after his mother so it makes sense he'd stick close to home. And I suppose this is one of those times where Brookside uses a more traditional soap trope to its advantage. For the purposes of this storyline, Heather is hemmed in by the confines of the close the way an Enders or Corrie character would be by the square or the street. Barry feels like her only option. It doesn't seem to occur to her that she should seek guidance from some external organisation, in the same way that Sheila nodded politely when the Rape Crisis Centre was mentioned, but didn't (as far as we know) make any attempt to contact them. To go outside the close for help would risk weakening the claustrophobic intensity of these two storylines. (I vaguely recall this was one of the reasons Alan Bleasdale gave for disliking Brookside so much, that it needlessly isolated its characters from the wider world in times of crisis, preferring to revel in their misery. But that's a dim and distant memory which I could have got completely wrong.)

One recalls Heather and Barry's shared history on the show: all those lighthearted instances of one-sided flirting where she invariably got the upper hand before sending him away with a flea in his ear. Now the tables are turned and it's she who needs him. As brilliant as Amanda Burton and Alan Rothwell are, I think Paul Usher's performance as Barry is this storyline's secret weapon. It's Barry who, based on his relationship with Jane, sets out the premise of this particular drug addiction storyline, which is that anyone who loves a junkie and/or tries to pull them out of their addiction is in very real danger of being pulled in by them instead. We accept this premise because we believe in Barry's off screen history with Jane, even though the show and the character don't go into any great detail about that history, which means it's all down to the strength of his performance, which feels real and intense but never showy or "actorly".

The lack of interaction is hugely disappointing in one sense. I missed the closure with Annabel or Sheila or even Harry. I also feel we’ve been deprived of seeing the fallout with Nick’s children. But it’s a reminder that this isn’t about them. It’s Heather’s journey. At this point Heather has ostensibly simply gone to visit her parents while she recovers, so perhaps hindsight influences how I view it and the low key exit is fine. Besides, it’s all perfectly true to her fierce independence. This angle of her character means Heather is one of the characters who has stayed truest to the original vision of the series in which each home is an island. I’ll miss her a great deal.

Heather's exit feels cruelly uncompromising but absolutely right. This isn't Laura saying goodbye to Karen over the phone on Knots. It's not even Marie saying ta-ra to Sheila. It's not that Heather's friendships with Annabelle and Sheila weren't genuine, but despite their occasional heart to hearts, they were "only" ever neighbours.

Running parallel to Heather grappling with Nick's heroin addiction on Brookside '86, I've been watching Dot do the same with her Nick's heroin addiction on Enders '91. Whereas Heather throws Nick out, Dot goes the opposite route and keeps Nick under lock and key in his bedroom, forcing him to go cold turkey. Both approaches end in death: Nick's own on Brookie, while Enders' Nick manages to escape his prison, shimmy down a drainpipe and get into a skirmish with Vic landlord Eddie Royle whom he then stabs to death. We don't know Nick's the killer straightaway as the murder is played as a whodunnit, leading to an unexpected one-episode-only appearance by the first Lucy Collins as a no-nonsense detective. You can see her here 13-14 mins in if you're curious:

Bobby is jealous that Barry has been able to do what he hasn’t and restore some of Sheila’s confidence. While Bobby has been over-protective, ensuring one of the family members is always present, Barry has encouraged Sheila to push her comfort zone and get outside - even going as far as travelling in a taxi. But this is Brookside and these are the Grants, so there’s a lot of complexity going on beneath the surface.

Sheila's line to Barry about how the rape was in some ways even harder on Bobby than it was on her is really interesting. My Enders re-watch has now reached the point in '92 where Kathy's rapist crawls out of the woodwork, and she says pretty much the same thing about her (now ex) husband Pete: "I think he’s probably the one who’s been hurt the most out of this whole thing."

The favour Barry now owes Tommy has been called in and spilt over to Number Seven when Terry and Pat were roped into the Barbados trip which has meant, unfortunately, much screen time has been devoted to this. While the scenery was beautiful, now that it’s over I find myself questioning what the point of the trip was.

I wonder if the production company got some sort of cheap offer to film in Barbados, like a tourist board promotional thing, and then fitted the storyline around it.

Gill has moved out, but not before fending off Tommy McArdle who was making romantic overtures (Tommy seems to be getting put in his place left, right and centre at the moment. I can’t help feeling it’s somehow symbolic of the hard edge which gives the series its USP gradually softening).

I don't find the newly wacky, slightly eccentric Tommy McArdle very interesting. Even Barry becomes a far less compelling character in their more lighthearted scenes. Of course, that immediately changes as soon as they set foot inside the Grants' house and Sheila starts screaming, "They've stopped the trial! They've stopped the trial!"

God in Heaven… Pat trying to be one of the lads with “Tez” and “Baz” is so awkward it’s painful

Ha!

Harry’s had some strong material in this run, with the loss of his granddaughter, born prematurely following a row between Harry and Sally. I do love the tragic element to this character which is frequently hidden from most of the other residents.

Before events take a turn for the tragic, Harry reacts to the news of the baby the way he reacts to everything else: by being miserly and boastful and self-involved. However, because it's do with family, the stakes are higher than when he's just having another trivial spat with Ralph and so it's a lot more involving.

Meanwhile at the Collinses', there have been some watchable time-passers with Paul’s new video cameral, Annabel’s food going missing after being looked after by the neighbours (followed by a food poisoning scare after the food was served at a party).

If the video camera "storyline" (if you could even call it that) had happened on Neighbours, it would have led to an enjoyably silly incident involving Des or Clive or Scott or some other lovable idiot accidentally filming a mortified Mrs Mangle in her dressing gown. (In fact, I'd be surprised if that didn't happen). If it had occurred on Enders, it would have been about an inadvertent recording of some illicit affair, which would have then gone unseen until such a time as it could cause the maximum emotional carnage, most likely Christmas Day. (In fact, that did happen in 2007, to gut-wrenchingly devastating effect). Here, however, it doesn't really do anything at all except fill up a couple of scenes. I guess the nearest it comes to serving any dramatic purpose is when Heather helps Paul into the house with the camera when he first brings it home, thereby creating an opportunity for her to learn about the cheque Annabelle cashed for Nick.

The missing food/food poisoning thing was really fun. A bit like Doreen's clothes party or even the proposed halfway house, It's a chance to involve all the neighbours in one story in a way that manages to be soapy, funny and specific to the characters. Plus, having the comedy of Anna's food poisoning scare rub up against the death of Harry's grandchild when she misunderstands the reason why he's gone to hospital worked very well.

The Corkhills have been smashing it in this run. Financial problems agree with them: there’s been the loss of Billy’s job and the repossession of his company car (I love that Doreen was the one to tell Billy’s boss to take a running jump, after her endless insistence that Billy should do what he needs to do to keep the job and their security), a fiddled ‘leccy meter, credit card debt, a repossessed telly and endless digs from Billy over her fancy dresses and indulgent fantasies of being a model. And all while Rod is on the verge of joining the force. It’s great stuff

Yeah, it all feels effortlessly great. It's interesting how sometimes Billy and Doreen take it in turns to fall apart while the other one puts them back together, while at other times they're kind of united in despair. Tracy's really funny -- she's as far as you can get from the industrious Karen -- but you never feel like the programme's making fun of her, even when her brother and father are. In Heather's last ep, the emotional coldness of that story was contrasted beautifully with a very tender but understated scene between Billy and Tracy where he managed to convey how much he feels for her without actually saying the words.

 

[PsychoDrama]

She slowly becomes this fearful, hunched, suspicious, haunted figure and that's the version of the character we leaves the close forever. There's no final head-held-high glimpse of the old Heather and no guarantee that she will ever be that person again.

Heather just kind of stumbles blindly out of the show. She's still in shock. There's no emotional catharsis for her or us: nothing's resolved. That's what makes it so haunting.

Yes. As a viewer it feels unsatisfying... but in the best kind of way.

*There's a small but very telling moment where she surreptitiously sniffs a carton of milk while making Annabelle a cup of coffee to check it hasn't gone off. That's how far the graceful, elegant Heather has fallen!

Oh, that's nicely spotted. I clocked the moment but didn't really think about its significance in relation to Heather's character.

It's about the believability of the characters. Once that's in place, you can put them in almost any situation, no matter how extreme, and it becomes about their reaction to it.

Now this is an interesting thought. I get the sense we're in agreement that the sensationalised years were inferior, but now wonder if you feel this is due to the characters as much as the plot-driven angle. Could the presence of old-timers like Sheila and Bobby have elevated things when helicopters started dropping on the Close?

it totally works for me because everything about the character works for me. Same applies to Heather -- and Nick, really. As ultimately unknowable as he is, he feels fascinatingly real.

Very true. I remember commenting how much I adored his dialogue in his early days. It just all felt very spontaneous and natural but also specific to the character. It would probably have been quite easy to recognise a Nick line if taken out of context. I'm sure you're right that this was key to the storyline working.

I remember reading that, like Doreen's departure the following year, all of Heather's scenes in her final episode were filmed in chronological order, which rarely happens. Because it's all on location, they would have had to wait until it was dark to film her last scene. So it's almost as if it were happening in real time.

Coo. I didn't know this. I know a couple of decades later, Corrie and 'Enders would start doing some live episodes, and from your description this is as close as Brookie got to being live.

I guess that's the thing about a soap: when it works well, it all feels like one great big story.

Oh yes. A little bit like real life.

Barry's reason for being around is to look after his mother so it makes sense he'd stick close to home. And I suppose this is one of those times where Brookside uses a more traditional soap trope to its advantage. For the purposes of this storyline, Heather is hemmed in by the confines of the close the way an Enders or Corrie character would be by the square or the street. Barry feels like her only option.

I can get on board with that. My feelings about the contrivances weren't much of a barrier to me investing as I watched, so I think the writing and performances sold me.

(I vaguely recall this was one of the reasons Alan Bleasdale gave for disliking Brookside so much, that it needlessly isolated its characters from the wider world in times of crisis, preferring to revel in their misery. But that's a dim and distant memory which I could have got completely wrong.)

Oh my. I hadn't realised he'd any opinion at all on Brookside, so just the idea that he probably said that is a bit of a revelation.

I think Paul Usher's performance as Barry is this storyline's secret weapon.

it's all down to the strength of his performance, which feels real and intense but never showy or "actorly".

That makes sense. I certainly get the real and intense part, and now I read your comment about him not being showy I'm feeling sure that I probably don't give his performance its due because it often feels as though he's just wandered in off the street and is kind of playing himself rather than a character.

We don't know Nick's the killer straightaway as the murder is played as a whodunnit, leading to an unexpected one-episode-only appearance by the first Lucy Collins as a no-nonsense detective. You can see her here 13-14 mins in if you're curious

Oh, that's great. I hadn't realised she'd appeared. And it's still in my head that you compared Michelle and Lucy recently (albeit nuLu rather than original recipe).

Her accent sounded pretty good to me as well.

I wonder if the production company got some sort of cheap offer to film in Barbados, like a tourist board promotional thing, and then fitted the storyline around it.

That would make some sense of what looked to be quite an indulgence of some less-key cast members.

I don't find the newly wacky, slightly eccentric Tommy McArdle very interesting. Even Barry becomes a far less compelling character in their more lighthearted scenes. Of course, that immediately changes as soon as they set foot inside the Grants' house and Sheila starts screaming, "They've stopped the trial! They've stopped the trial!"

Agreed on all counts.

If I'm not mistaken that stint also marked the last appearance of McArdle in the series. .

Before events take a turn for the tragic, Harry reacts to the news of the baby the way he reacts to everything else: by being miserly and boastful and self-involved. However, because it's do with family, the stakes are higher than when he's just having another trivial spat with Ralph and so it's a lot more involving.

I absolutely love Kevin and Sally, who bring out good things in Harry, but it was especially nice seeing Harry interact on a one-to-one basis with Sally without Kevin present.

I guess the nearest it comes to serving any dramatic purpose is when Heather helps Paul into the house with the camera when he first brings it home, thereby creating an opportunity for her to learn about the cheque Annabelle cashed for Nick.

Another thing that's occurred to me is that the sequence also lays the groundwork for some filming Paul will do involving his neighbours some months later.

It's funny you mentioning the more traditional soap route with such scenes, because something about it felt anti-climactic. But this in turn made it feel somehow more ordinary and real.

The missing food/food poisoning thing was really fun. A bit like Doreen's clothes party or even the proposed halfway house, It's a chance to involve all the neighbours in one story in a way that manages to be soapy, funny and specific to the characters.

Oh yes. Very much so.

Tracy's really funny -- she's as far as you can get from the industrious Karen -- but you never feel like the programme's making fun of her, even when her brother and father are.

Funnily enough, I've been writing up on some recent episodes and made a similar comparison with Tracy and Damon. He was working all those extra hours back when he was doing his YTS, and slaving in the hotel in Torquay just so he could feel he was doing something. And then there's Tracy sauntering in and out of the hairdressers at her convenience, and even then skiving off and eye-rolling for Liverpool.

In Heather's last ep, the emotional coldness of that story was contrasted beautifully with a very tender but understated scene between Billy and Tracy where he managed to convey how much he feels for her without actually saying the words.

That was a really nice scene.

 

[PsychoDrama]

Episodes 431 - 445
15 December 1986 - 2 February 1987
​

In the space of just fifteen episodes, there’s been a fair degree of change to the cast, regular and recurring.

Karen returned briefly for some closure before departing more permanently. While low-key and not unexpected, Karen’s final arc did feel like a last hoorah for the Grants. I’m fairly sure this is the final time we’ll see the entire Grant family together, a feat which has become increasingly difficult to achieve now all (with the exception of Claire, of course) are adults, and with the benefit of understanding this whilst watching I’ve been able to bask in the warmth of the sparks flying between them which has felt like quite a luxury.

While I’ll miss Karen, the time also feels right for her to move on. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why this is, but I’m sure hindsight factors into this as well. I thought it sweet that she trusted big brother Barry with her secret plan to move to London, and that her final scene was a heart-to-heart with Sheila, since there have been a number of these over the years. It was a nice touch, too, that Guy came back for some final scenes as the two officially broke up. This feels like the kind of detail that could potentially have been dealt with off-screen and relayed to the viewer after the fact, which makes me appreciate his return all the more (incidentally, it appears Ian Michie has since become a psychotherapist in London, which is something I could very much envisage Guy doing today).

Barry, too, is back on the road, but not before tying up - to lesser or greater degrees - loose ends of storylines in which he’s been involved. His confrontation of Charlie with the news of Nick’s death gave another character a parting shot. And there’s a détente of sorts for Barry and Bobby when the latter confesses that he was indeed jealous that Barry did for Sheila what Bobby had wanted to. The Bobby/Barry relationship is one of the most complex on the series and never fails to compel. I vacillate between thinking they will never truly understand one other or that the conflict is there because they do understand one another.

Despite his confession to Barry, Bobby still finds himself taking the wrong approach with Sheila. It seems his version of not wrapping her in cotton wool is poo-pooing her desire to visit Rome at Easter, and giving her a hard time over returning to education. Sheila’s desire to spread her wings isn’t confined to herself. It was Sheila who convinced Karen to fly the nest and follow her dream, despite her fears, and Sheila herself is now living this. There’s an undercurrent of defiant rebellion, Sheila’s determination to make her pilgrimage driving her to take a part time job as a barmaid at The Swan in order to fund this.

Clearly there’s a lot to this, some of which raises eyebrows for all kinds of reasons, but the series hasn’t shied away from addressing twists which could be viewed as contrivances or even poor continuity. First, Sheila’s arguable restructuring of her priorities by handing over a degree of parental responsibility to others could be viewed as uncharacteristic - certainly of the Sheila of earlier years (this is the thrust of Bobby’s problem). In large part, though, the uncharacteristic nature of this is the point. Sheila has been changed by her experiences. Her education may have been interrupted, but up until that point the scales were falling from before her eyes. She understood there was a big world out there that, despite its societal problems and injustices, offered her potential to affect some change on her own life and possibly others. Now she is finding her drive again, it feels as though she is picking this up and running with it, spurred on by the fact that the trip to

Sheila’s recovery from the rape is another force driving this. Barry’s philosophy of tackling things head-on - as demonstrated by taking her out of the house and bringing her home in a taxi - seems to have made such an impact as for her to embrace it. At the risk of broad generalisations which polarise things into “Brookside” and “other (lesser) soaps”, most such series probably have a more confining social structure, with communal spaces such as pubs being important hubs into which characters pretty much have to gather regularly to be part of the ensemble. Brookie isn’t a slave to such necessities. The Swan is seen only infrequently and I’m fairly sure there are characters who have never set foot inside. By virtue of Brookie’s own setup, Sheila never needed to cross its threshold again. Which is exactly why her doing so feels like a statement. This isn’t a case of the writers being forgetful or contradictory. It’s an important step in Sheila’s recovery. And it’s acknowledged as such.

Traumatic association aside, Sheila taking a job as bartender does seem a little questionable, but I appreciated the effort put into highlighting the limitations as Sheila read the cards in the jobcentre (or shop) window and realised she was unqualified for the few available. Damon’s envy at how easily she walked into a job was a further timely reminder of the crushing unemployment of the times (1987 would see Thatcher win a third consecutive election). Her interview at The Swan showed a pleasingly forthright - almost sassy - side to Sheila that I associate with the Sheila of earlier times. With the most nerve-racking part over by entering, she seemed to grow in confidence and be comfortable not taking any stick as she drew on her personal and professional background to handle it efficiently, promoting her own strengths at the same time:

I was really thinkin’ of someone younger.

What’s age got to do with serving drinks?

People just don’t come into a pub for the drink, you know? They come for the atmosphere. For the company. Bit of a chat.

I’ve got a tongue in me ‘ead.

Aye. I can see that.

I’m good with people. I’m used to handlin’ money as well. I’ve worked in a shop.

The rest of the scene, in which Sheila is put to the test with questions about various combinations “brown mixed” and “brown bitter” and asked to pull a pint of mild feels genuinely anxiety-provoking, but she takes the fails in her stride and gets the part. She even does homework before her first shift by having Damon test her on the ingredients of drinks from snakebite to snowballs (a favourite of Gail’s, he explains with a weary sigh at the thought).

continued…​

 

[PsychoDrama]

Episodes 431 - 445
15 December 1986 - 2 February 1987

continued
​

It is noticeable that Bobby has become increasingly boorish and unreasonable at home recently. I realise this is possibly in part a response to behind-the-scenes friction between Ricky Tomlinson and Phil Redmond, but it’s played for complete truth and so feels authentic as Bobby’s response to the trials and traumas of the past year. At work he’s involved in flagging up an asbestos scare and under great pressure from high ups who want it forgotten, which - apart from being very watchable in its own right - adds further weight to his short sightedness and shorter fuse at home, even if i could be viewed that we’re right back where we were a hundred episodes and a calendar year earlier, with Bobby objecting to Sheila’s course in the first place.

Damon’s still consistently being Damon, which is no bad thing. Recent episodes have focussed on his romantic life with possessive Gail being literally shown the door as Damon booted her out of his life to make way for Debbie McGrath. I hadn’t realised (well, remembered) that there was a soapy overlap between Gail and Debbie.

Debbie’s presence gives me mixed feelings since it means the first Brookie “bubble" is on the horizon. This knowledge added an unexpectedly poignant layer to a typical Damon scene where, with year’s end approaching, he calculated his age in the year 2000, being horrified at the thought of being old (on another note, he also calculated how old Barry would be, which immediately made me realise that Brookie would still be running past this point).

Damon’s current bezzie mate is Mark. There’s a very natural spark between them, and it feels such a comfortable and established friendship it got me wondering if Mark had appeared before, and while he hadn’t, actor Dean Williams has appeared in the series in two previous roles: Mike Hughes in some early 1985 episodes, and someone called George way back in December 1982. Neither of these rings a bell, and episode synopses tell me nothing, but perhaps the subconscious familiarity has eased his way in. Of course, it’s difficult not to compare with Gizzmo, Ducksie and Neil. Mark is probably less quirky and more conventional than the earlier friends (a little ironic given 1987 Brookie has some far broader characters than it did in 1982), but as mentioned, the energy is good, and from what I’ve seen I’d say Dean is a better actor than the other three, which may explain his post-Brookie filmography, including - among other things - seven episodes of this thread’s regularly-referenced Making Out. My only (arguably less positive) observation is that Mark is very similar in character to Damon. Nothing wrong with this, really, but it could explain his apparently relatively short lifespan on the series. Even his comic turn of phrase is similar, with him describing Debbie’s friend as having “a face like beans on toast”.

Damon’s also had some golden moments teasing his frenemy Rod, who has now officially become Rod The Plod. It’s so very Damon to always get the last word in their jibe matches, and always with an insouciant air and a wide grin. It’s plain that Rod being offered a well-paying job which will give him the means to impress Rod’s new girlfriend Kirsty is something that stings Damon, still struggling to find employment… but he’ll never let Rod know that. And the funny thing is, Rod would probably have empathy for Damon if he did.

Kirsty, by the way, is a very familiar face. She’s one of those secondary characters I’d forgotten but who I remember well as being part of the fabric of the series for a length of time. This time round - having watched chronologically from the beginning - she reminds me greatly of Michelle Jones, back in her early days. Physically they’re not unalike, and she also seems to share early Michelle’s chirpy, romantic optimism. There’s a really sweet moment for her when Billy has cut off their stolen leccy and stormed off after a row with Doreen. Doreen is feeling very low about not being able to cook dinner and Kirsty, intuiting this, sends Rod out for pies and offers to stay and chat with Doreen.

The fiddled electric meter has been another example of the Corkhills trying to scrape by until circumstances get better, and it’s been almost painful to watch Billy suffering the brunt, with the bank’s increasing stranglehold on him (and the entire family’s assets) while Doreen is returning home, credit card smoking hot, after a shopping spree with Julia.

The friction in the family has been great. Rod returns with the pies to find the leccy back on, which is something he frowns upon given it could jeopardise his new job. Billy is quick to tell Rod that the pies are the entire family’s and it’s time to start chipping in rather than taking.

Meanwhile, Tracy’s spending her entire life with a face like a slapped arse over having to go into her training scheme at the hairdressers. She’s stropping round the place, talking back to owner Shelley, leaving and arriving when she pleases and making up stories to justify it. Telling Shelley that Doreen was waiting for some results from a cancer scare was a low point, but gave the chance for a minor farce when Doreen visited and Shelley thought she was coming to celebrate the good news of being cancer-free. Tracy got away with it - this time - but it doesn’t feel as though she is long for the hairdressing world. Her attitude is certainly poles apart from Damon’s eagerness when he did his YTS.

continued…​

 

[PsychoDrama]

Episodes 431 - 445
15 December 1986 - 2 February 1987
continued

​

Doreen, too, has found things weighing on her and, after the phone is cut off, has to swallow her pride and approach Sheila while trying to save face:

Our phone’s gone on the blink. I mean, we’ve reported it an’ that, but no-one seems to take any notice…You see, Billy needs a telephone number where people can reach him to ask him to do jobs, like, an’ at the moment he can’t ‘cause of our phone on the blink, you see. So I was wondering if we could, you know, give this phone number, like.

Who to?

He’s got a couple o’ cards in the shops. Only, he’s losing work left, right and centre because no-one can ring ‘im. It’d only be for a few days. Just until we got our phone fixed.

You havin’ a bad time?

Since he lost his last job.

All right.

Thanks Sheila.

Fancy a brew?

Doreen accepts and it seems an understanding is reached, but by the time she’s walked across the Close it's a different story:

I don’t want her to feel sorry for us. I mean, who does she think she is? …I don’t want charity.

Where’s the charity? It won’t be costin’ her nothin’. Anyway, she’s invited us to that party an’ all. She’s just bein’ neighbourly.

She probably wouldn’t have invited us if I hadn’t gone over there.

You’re gettin’ paranoid. D’you know that?

I’m only getting paranoid because all the neighbours talk about us behind our back all the time. They think we’re common, you know. All of them. Especially the Collinses. At least our son’s not like Gordon.

No, he’s gonna be a copper. That’s almost as bad.

The Corkhills do attend the party, Doreen the worse for wear immediately after a party at the dental surgery, throwing herself on Billy on the sofa to the amusement of the neighbours. It probably doesn’t help her own cause much.

Like Marie Jackson before her, the relationship Doreen has with Sheila is full of layers and undercurrents and as a result never fails to fascinate. I think in both cases, the fact that they’ve come from the same estate is a significant factor. By the time the Jacksons and Corkhills arrive, the Grants are already established on the Close (and in the biggest house of all the regulars). Sheila is liked and trusted by her neighbours which is something to which both Marie and Doreen aspire, and that seems to cause resentment. Perhaps it’s their shared ground and hardships that makes their relationship so difficult. Climbing the social ladder is important to both Marie and Doreen. They’re trying desperately to get away from their old estate and the Grants are in some way a threat to this. People tend to be most competitive with those who have common ground.

It’s ironic that one of the few bright spots for Billy has come from the dodgiest of sources when Jimmy gave him the gift of a brown Datsun Sunny which, for a number of reasons, I remember as one of the series’ more iconic cars.

Rod leaving for his police training is one of a number of significant changes over at Number Five. Billy’s now been forced to take a job in Tunbridge Wells for three months. Cash in hand, of course. This leaves Number Five an all-female household for a while, with Doreen and Tracy, no doubt with regular visits from Julia and Tracy. I’m not quite sure how it will look, but I’m hoping we see some more of Doreen’s mischievous side which has surfaced a number of times during these episodes. There was a nice, comedic moment for her when Harry Cross came over to announce Ralph had abandoned him, and to ask (as he was all the neighbours) if she would keep an eye on him, perhaps with some food parcels thrown in. Doreen relished in meeting Harry’s request immediately, by calling down Julia from upstairs and telling her of Harry’s predicament. Then she gleefully watched as Doreen leapt into action… to Harry’s horror.

Ralph was leaving Harry for a holiday with Ralph (a “mucky weekend”, to Harry’s mind). This is just one in a series of what Harry perceives as red flags, and I very much enjoyed that things came to the surface during an ostensibly B-story sitcom arc where Harry pretended to have lost his voice to gain Ralph’s sympathy. Ralph mentioned that Madge’s birthday was approaching. Harry recalled her mentioning her birthday during their trip to Torquay and there was a vast discrepancy in the date. Which he then had to relay to the disbelieving Ralph using a pen and paper.

At the moment, it could be read that Madge is simply a bit of skirt coming between two friends, with Harry the jealous party. And it’s easy to understand both Harry and Ralph’s frustrations on this point. But I remember well where this story is going and I’m looking forward to revisiting it.

One place where Harry has been conspicuous by his absence is Number Seven. In recent weeks, Terry and Pat have sub-let a room to two friends - Mick and Mike - who are in the area to do some work. Since they work opposite shifts, one takes the bed during the day, the other at night. Which effectively means simply living there is impossible because someone’s always asleep. Not that this stops Mick from creating noise and air pollution with his loud music, demanding parrot, pipe smoking and slovenly ways. The writing does effectively show the challenges of this kind of communal living, and the actors playing Mick and Mike are good enough but - because it’s happening to Pat and Terry - it’s a complete trial to watch. As expected, there’s an abundance of Pat’s petulant “awwwwww?”s, tuts and sighs. Despite these kinds of attempts to change the dynamics, I still find it very puzzling that with few exceptions (not least the siege) Number Seven has mostly delivered banality since Harry and Edna moved out two-and-a-half years ago now. Not only this, it’s progressively got worse and worse as its roster has changed. Some great writers seem to give up when it comes to this house, yet there’s no sign of any desire from on high to remove the real rot. It’s mind boggling considering the high quality output from the other homes.

Back at the plot, the timing of the parrot arriving coincides with Paul Collins rescuing Lucky the puppy from her watery fate. Which in turn got me thinking that pets haven’t really been a thing in Brookside. Did I imagine the Jacksons had a dog at one point? I half suspect I did.

 

[James from London]

Get Carter starring Michael Caine, Britt Ekland and Alf Roberts.

... and, of course, Paul Collins' Petrochem nemesis Nigel as an undertaker with three lines and Marie, Michelle and Petra's dad as a shifty chauffeur who comes to a horrible end.

original Gordon's naivety which scupper his attempts to be more worldly (his "pint of bitter beer")

I was actually wondering what it might have been like had we seen the "pint of bitter beer" Gordon returning from France a few years older, but not necessarily any wiser, and walking into his first Liverpudlian gay bar.

the tone of the writing suggests that Gordon is more worldly and knowledgeable on this subject than his parents (or whoever). Paul and Annabel may be horrified now as they were with the oversized coat, but there's no humour or irony because whatever he says is treated by them (and in turn by the series) as fact.

Yes, that's it exactly. It's as if the writers are as intimidated by Gordon's sexuality as Paul and Annabelle are so they daren't get under his skin in any real way. I guess they just couldn't find "a way in" to the character the way Jimmy McGovern would eight years later by creating a character who was not just gay, but also a Catholic priest. Hey bingo: instant inner conflict!

I have mixed feelings on the series avoiding his journey of coming out to himself. Like EastEnders' Colin, it avoids the cliche of the coming out angst which is possibly too obvious a route. But it falls down on instead leaning into a heap of other cliches.

I guess coming out is a bit of a cliche in drama but it had never been done on a soap. It's interesting that when Colin first appears in Enders, he's half in and half out. The first time he talks about a previous relationship in the Vic, he self-consciously changes the pro-noun to "she". Aside from Dot's belated discovery, there isn't a grand moment of revelation for the locals. They just gradually twig as they go along and more or less accept him while continuing to make low level homophobic jibes behind his back. Even shortly before he leaves, the otherwise completely likeable Frank Butcher is casually referring to him as Clause 28.

Coming out's a bit like grief, in that it's an internal process which can be difficult to dramatise in the context of a soap. Enders (and other soaps) would find a way round this by co-opting the traditional love triangle as a way of externalising that inner conflict -- torn between two lovers, torn between two worlds. In '90s Enders, Kathy's nephew finds himself falling in love with his pregnant girlfriend's brother; in the '00s, a guy is having a secret relationship with another man while preparing for a marriage arranged by his devout Muslim family. The tug of war both experience with relation to the people around them mirror what's going on inside themselves. Then, about ten years ago, you finally get a scene as straightforward but strong as this:

Could the presence of old-timers like Sheila and Bobby have elevated things when helicopters started dropping on the Close?

On one hand, the awful straight-to-video Brookside thing in which Sheila acts as Jimmy Corkhill's getaway driver would suggest not. On the other, I think my favourite episode of Coronation Street is the one in '79 that takes place after a lorry crashes into the front of the Rover's and deals with how the characters respond in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. If (and it's a big if) the writing is truly committed to the characters and the characters are great as Bobby and Sheila, then in theory it shouldn't matter if it's a lorry or a helicopter that's just landed on them.

I probably don't give his performance its due because it often feels as though he's just wandered in off the street and is kind of playing himself rather than a character.

Which I sometimes think is the best kind of acting -- so believable you don't even notice it. It's there to serve the story rather than call attention to itself. Of course, it's not the kind of "Look, Ma, I'm Acting!" acting that wins awards, but who cares about awards?

it's still in my head that you compared Michelle and Lucy recently (albeit nuLu rather than original recipe).

Oh yes, that was in relation to Michelle's affair with a married man. The man in question has just turned up as one of Terry and Pat's new housemates (the less slobby one).

I absolutely love Kevin and Sally, who bring out good things in Harry, but it was especially nice seeing Harry interact on a one-to-one basis with Sally without Kevin present.

I never particularly look forward to Kevin and Sally's appearances. I think it's because those initial scenes with Sally's daughter Jessica were a bit overwrought, but now you come to mention it, yes they always turn out to be really good!

the sequence also lays the groundwork for some filming Paul will do involving his neighbours some months later.

Which means I was bit hasty in dismissing the whole video recorder thing as a non-event.

Funnily enough, I've been writing up on some recent episodes and made a similar comparison with Tracy and Damon. He was working all those extra hours back when he was doing his YTS, and slaving in the hotel in Torquay just so he could feel he was doing something. And then there's Tracy sauntering in and out of the hairdressers at her convenience, and even then skiving off and eye-rolling for Liverpool.

Such an interesting comparison. Funny that Damon comes from the far more politically clued-up family yet was naively optimistic about his YTS scheme, whereas Tracy is savvy enough to know the whole thing's a con. Despite that, the real irony is that she'll end up benefitting from the scheme far more than Damon did. In the meantime, she's hilarious. Her scenes with Shelley are properly funny in a way that some other Brookie attempts at comedy (usually involving Ralph) just aren't. Maybe it's an accent thing, but Shelley could easily be Mo (off of Matty and Mo)'s comedy sister. You can imagine her driving Mo mad by offering her unsolicited advice about her complicated love life. "... that's what I always say."

 

[PsychoDrama]

Paul Collins' Petrochem nemesis Nigel as an undertaker with three lines

Oh, I didn't spot him....

and Marie, Michelle and Petra's dad as a shifty chauffeur who comes to a horrible end.

...And while I knew Ian Hendry, I actually forgot about him on Brookie.

I was actually wondering what it might have been like had we seen the "pint of bitter beer" Gordon returning from France a few years older, but not necessarily any wiser, and walking into his first Liverpudlian gay bar.

Yes, there's definitely some gold that could have been mined there.

It's as if the writers are as intimidated by Gordon's sexuality as Paul and Annabelle are so they daren't get under his skin in any real way. I guess they just couldn't find "a way in" to the character

"A way in" is a good way to put it. I've been bearing in mind your earlier comment about Gordon II not having an inner life, and most of the scenes I've watched add weight to this.

I guess coming out is a bit of a cliche in drama but it had never been done on a soap.

Funny, really, to think even Dynasty had a go at this before any of the British soaps. And the Aussies were probably more pioneering still, with Don coming out back in 1972 (like Colin, he was half in/half out when we first met him).

^ It's just a shame these scenes are so Abigail-heavy since it makes them memorable for all the wrong reasons.

It's interesting that when Colin first appears in Enders, he's half in and half out. The first time he talks about a previous relationship in the Vic, he self-consciously changes the pro-noun to "she".

I hadn't remembered this at all. But then I don't think I've revisited any of those episodes since the mid Nineties (or whenever they made it onto UK Gold). I do hope early Enders gets a Brookie-style renaissance on iPlayer someday.

Then, about ten years ago, you finally get a scene as straightforward but strong as this

Oh, that's lovely. I hadn't seen that before. What a great scene.

the awful straight-to-video Brookside thing in which Sheila acts as Jimmy Corkhill's getaway driver

Dear God. This is another I haven't seen, but I can't help smiling at the unlikely visual imagery this conjures up.

On the other, I think my favourite episode of Coronation Street is the one in '79 that takes place after a lorry crashes into the front of the Rover's and deals with how the characters respond in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. If (and it's a big if) the writing is truly committed to the characters and the characters are great as Bobby and Sheila, then in theory it shouldn't matter if it's a lorry or a helicopter that's just landed on them.

Yes, that makes perfect sense to me. That's one of the first Corrie episodes I remember watching*, and that story was one that had dated extremely well when I've rewatched it on the box-sets.



* One of the details I clearly remember grabbing my attention was Deirdre's pronunciation of "police" which sounded to my young ears almost as though it had two syllables. Which is neither here nor there, really, but there we go.

Which I sometimes think is the best kind of acting -- so believable you don't even notice it.

Oh yes - agreed.

The man in question has just turned up as one of Terry and Pat's new housemates (the less slobby one).

Both actors (Mick and Mike) look very familiar. It looks as though each of them has appeared in quite a number of different series over the years.

Funny that Damon comes from the far more politically clued-up family yet was naively optimistic about his YTS scheme, whereas Tracy is savvy enough to know the whole thing's a con.

Yes. I do love that Damon's sly wit and penchant for practical jokes is balanced by a kind of almost sunny optimism... no matter what life throws at him.

Her scenes with Shelley are properly funny in a way that some other Brookie attempts at comedy (usually involving Ralph) just aren't.

So very true. I don't know how long this lasts, but I'm enjoying it while it's here.

 

[PsychoDrama]

Then, about ten years ago, you finally get a scene as straightforward but strong as this:

Oh - and this afternoon it dawned on me that in terms of content and tone this is pretty similar to a scene in Beautiful Thing.... with Danny's screen mother in the "Mick" role.

 

[AndyB2008]

Thanks. I have seen it's on Prime, but it's currently not free to watch. I'll add it to my watchlist and watch it either when it becomes free or (as with My Beautiful Laundrette) just cough up and dive in when I can't wait any longer.





I just took a peek at that thread and it's a fascinating topic. I'll probably dip into it in the coming days but in the meantime:

Is there any reason you can think of why Brezhnev might be the one of those three that became forgotten? Or is the randomness of its absence (i.e., not being able to understand why it's forgotten) what makes this so intriguing? I know almost nothing about the film so don't know if there's anything in its themes or content that might have not dated well. I imagine the fact that it's on Prime means that it hasn't fallen victim to cancel culture (unless it's heavily censored or something).

And this has given me a good reminder that Rita, Sue & Bob are also on my viewing bucket list.

Ref Brezhnev, Alfred Molina went to Hollywood (starring in films with the likes of Sally Field) and Peter Firth was on Spooks for the entire run (and appearing in the spin off movie).

While Margi Clarke went on to host a tacky TV show (from Carlton, Thames's successor), which while successful, probably ruined her career as all she gets is celebrity reality shows nowadays.

 

[AndyB2008]

Thanks. I have seen it's on Prime, but it's currently not free to watch. I'll add it to my watchlist and watch it either when it becomes free or (as with My Beautiful Laundrette) just cough up and dive in when I can't wait any longer.





I just took a peek at that thread and it's a fascinating topic. I'll probably dip into it in the coming days but in the meantime:

Is there any reason you can think of why Brezhnev might be the one of those three that became forgotten? Or is the randomness of its absence (i.e., not being able to understand why it's forgotten) what makes this so intriguing? I know almost nothing about the film so don't know if there's anything in its themes or content that might have not dated well. I imagine the fact that it's on Prime means that it hasn't fallen victim to cancel culture (unless it's heavily censored or something).

And this has given me a good reminder that Rita, Sue & Bob are also on my viewing bucket list.

To add, Margi's co star in Letter to Brezhnev, Alexandra Pigg, was originally to have played Helen Lyle in Candyman, which was written and directed by her then husband Bernard Rose.

Virginia Madsen was to have played the role of Bernadette, before Bernard Rose rewrote the character as African American and Kasi Lemmons got the role.

Pigg then fell pregnant and so the role of Helen was recast with Virginia Madsen. (TriStar Pictures and Polygram Films probably also had cold feet over Alexandra Pigg in the lead role after Margi's film Blonde Fist flopped).

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

While Margi Clarke went on to host a tacky TV show (from Carlton, Thames's successor), which while successful, probably ruined her career as all she gets is celebrity reality shows nowadays.

I think personal issues rather than career choices were Margi’s undoing originally. When she returned to Corrie in the late 00’s, she spoke about being let go from her first stint on the show. She said she was drinking heavily after the death of her mother and after being fired, work dried up. The only reason they took her back in 2008 was because a producer had spoken up for her to say she was in a better place. The plan originally had been to recast the role of Jackie. Even then, they made her audition again when they agreed to see her.

These days, looking at her Twitter feed, she posts a lot of anti immigrant stuff which probably wouldn’t make her too attractive to casting directors. To be honest, and I know she’s not alone in this on Corrie, I thought her performance as Jackie was quite OTT and only got worse during her second stint. Whereas as Pete’s mother on Family Affairs, her character had layers and wasn’t just the “shouty Scouser” that she seemed to have been typecast as from the 90’s onwards. A few more roles like the one on Family Affairs and she could’ve had a busier career I reckon.

 

[James from London]

Karen returned briefly for some closure before departing more permanently. While low-key and not unexpected, Karen’s final arc did feel like a last hoorah for the Grants.

Because the transition from Karen moving in with Guy to her disappearing from the show is so gradual, I never quite realise she's gone until she reappears at Christmas.

I’m fairly sure this is the final time we’ll see the entire Grant family together, a feat which has become increasingly difficult to achieve now all (with the exception of Claire, of course) are adults, and with the benefit of understanding this whilst watching I’ve been able to bask in the warmth of the sparks flying between them which has felt like quite a luxury.

Yeah, that scene of them all eating chips on the sofa -- Bobby, Sheila and Barry laughing while Karen and Damon try to avoid unwanted phone calls from their soon-to-be exes -- is the last time they're all together on screen as a family. And of course the conversation between Karen and Damon when he complains about being left at home while her and Barry are off living their lives in the big wide world is the last one they'll ever have. So it all feels very poignant in retrospect.

her final scene was a heart-to-heart with Sheila

I know I really, really liked this scene when I first saw it (especially the way it was juxtaposed with the Bobby/Barry conversation in the Swan with all its dark oedipal undertones) but I'm not sure if I found it as moving as I do now. It's become kind of impossible to separate its significance at the time to its added significance in hindsight. With Damon meeting Debbie on the same night, this really is the Grants moving into their final phase as a family.

Guy came back for some final scenes as the two officially broke up

Part of what makes Karen Karen is that, for everything that's cool and great about her, she has a tendency to treat her boyfriends like dirt when she's had enough of them. Everything about her and Guy's relationship rang completely true: from the fun beginning to the serious and sexy middle to the sad and messy end.

Ian Michie has since become a psychotherapist in London

Our very own Constance McCashin!

Barry, too, is back on the road

I really liked the episode that ended with Ralph looking out of the window, seeing Barry leaving and then saying something wistful about a young man off on his travels. It's been one of several low-key, non-cliffhangery episode endings recently that have been quite refreshing.

Despite his confession to Barry, Bobby still finds himself taking the wrong approach with Sheila. It seems his version of not wrapping her in cotton wool is poo-pooing her desire to visit Rome at Easter, and giving her a hard time over returning to education. Sheila’s desire to spread her wings isn’t confined to herself. It was Sheila who convinced Karen to fly the nest and follow her dream, despite her fears, and Sheila herself is now living this. There’s an undercurrent of defiant rebellion, Sheila’s determination to make her pilgrimage driving her to take a part time job as a barmaid at The Swan in order to fund this.

I absolutely loved the scene where Father Gibbons planted the idea of Rome in Sheila's head by recounting his own experience in Lourdes. I really like that character. I once saw the actor who played him years and years later and wanted to say, "You'll always be Father Gibbons to me", but never got the chance.

There's something contrived about this story, but in the best way. At the risk of diminishing Sheila's belief in the Catholic church, Rome is kind of a Maguffin, something both she and the writers are using to move themselves forward. If it wasn't this, Sheila would be doing something else to reclaim her freedom and independence, something which Bobby would resent just as much. This conflict triggers their unresolved grievances both from before the rape and because of the rape, all of which have become entangled. So when they argue now, it's not really (or not just) about the thing they're arguing about in the present, it's about all the other things under the surface. And again, this is feels very real.

At the risk of broad generalisations which polarise things into “Brookside” and “other (lesser) soaps”, most such series probably have a more confining social structure, with communal spaces such as pubs being important hubs into which characters pretty much have to gather regularly to be part of the ensemble. Brookie isn’t a slave to such necessities. The Swan is seen only infrequently and I’m fairly sure there are characters who have never set foot inside. By virtue of Brookie’s own setup, Sheila never needed to cross its threshold again. Which is exactly why her doing so feels like a statement. This isn’t a case of the writers being forgetful or contradictory. It’s an important step in Sheila’s recovery. And it’s acknowledged as such.

Oh that's so interesting. I'd never thought of it that way: how Brookside uses "the pub" almost in an opposite way to the other soaps. I noticed that the landlord said he'd probably recognise Bobby by sight, but not by name, which would be a treasonable offence for someone working behind the bar on Enders. And "the pub" is very much a male preserve in '80s Brookside. I don't think we've ever seen a woman in the Swan unless she's accompanied by a man. Same with Heather and that wine bar we used to see her in at the start of the series. The only exception I can think of is the pub garden Petra and Michelle are in where they get chatted up by a man and then Petra freaks out.

She even does homework before her first shift by having Damon test her on the ingredients of drinks from snakebite to snowballs (a favourite of Gail’s, he explains with a weary sigh at the thought).

Aw poor Gail. No-one's got a good word to say about her, not even Saint Sheila.

 

[James from London]

Damon’s current bezzie mate is Mark. There’s a very natural spark between them, and it feels such a comfortable and established friendship it got me wondering if Mark had appeared before, and while he hadn’t, actor Dean Williams has appeared in the series in two previous roles: Mike Hughes in some early 1985 episodes, and someone called George way back in December 1982.

I remember Mark as one of Marie's friend Betty's sons who came up with the 'Free George Jackson' song. Yeah, there's a very natural familiarity between him and Damon which made me assume they already knew each other off screen, or maybe that's me selling the actors short.

Damon’s also had some golden moments teasing his frenemy Rod, who has now officially become Rod The Plod. It’s so very Damon to always get the last word in their jibe matches, and always with an insouciant air and a wide grin. It’s plain that Rod being offered a well-paying job which will give him the means to impress Rod’s new girlfriend Kirsty is something that stings Damon, still struggling to find employment… but he’ll never let Rod know that. And the funny thing is, Rod would probably have empathy for Damon if he did.

Damon and Rod are very interesting together. At some points, they behave like two lads who live opposite each other with no particular bond between them, while at other points, they've been more open with each other than two lads living opposite each other would be if they weren't living in a soap opera ... and yet it somehow all combines into a believable whole. I suppose it's an example of the Brookside paradox: these aren't 'soap opera characters", but they behave the way real people might if their lives were as eventful as if they were living in a soap opera.

Kirsty, by the way, is a very familiar face. She’s one of those secondary characters I’d forgotten but who I remember well as being part of the fabric of the series for a length of time.

I'd also forgotten about Kirsty until she first appeared this time around. She'd be easy to dismiss as a needy girlfriend stereotype at this point, but she graudally evolves into a surprisingly three-dimensional character.

she reminds me greatly of Michelle Jones, back in her early days.

Yes, I can see that.

Like Marie Jackson before her, the relationship Doreen has with Sheila is full of layers and undercurrents and as a result never fails to fascinate. I think in both cases, the fact that they’ve come from the same estate is a significant factor. By the time the Jacksons and Corkhills arrive, the Grants are already established on the Close (and in the biggest house of all the regulars). Sheila is liked and trusted by her neighbours which is something to which both Marie and Doreen aspire, and that seems to cause resentment. Perhaps it’s their shared ground and hardships that makes their relationship so difficult. Climbing the social ladder is important to both Marie and Doreen. They’re trying desperately to get away from their old estate and the Grants are in some way a threat to this. People tend to be most competitive with those who have common ground.

Interesting. Substitute the neighbours' acceptance of Sheila for Jock Ewing's approval of his youngest son and I'm reminded of this quote of Miss Ellie's: "Bobby was given everything that JR had to fight for and Gary didn’t care about." Sheila didn't go looking for the neighbours' acceptance but got it anyway, whereas Marie and Doreen want (ed) it too much.

 

[PsychoDrama]

Because the transition from Karen moving in with Guy to her disappearing from the show is so gradual, I never quite realise she's gone until she reappears at Christmas.

Oh yes. It was the same experience for me. Brookie does a nice job of having characters off-screen for quite some time in a way that they still feel part of it, so their absence doesn't really register. Barry coming and going is another example.

While this does soften the blow of more permanent departures, the payoff is that there's less closure. Karen's permanent exit didn't feel that different to me from when she moved in with Guy, so there's a feeling that she could still reappear at any time. And I suppose that's how it really does often feel when a loved one moves away like this.

the conversation between Karen and Damon when he complains about being left at home while her and Barry are off living their lives in the big wide world is the last one they'll ever have. So it all feels very poignant in retrospect.

Because my knowledge of Brookie isn't brilliant, I was really bad at keeping track of all the "lasts" in cases like this. Often it's hard to know this will be X and Y's final scene together until some time later when it's clear there won't be another. I think this can make it more meaningful, especially in a case like the one you're saying where looking back with the benefit of hindsight can change the way it's viewed.

Part of what makes Karen Karen is that, for everything that's cool and great about her, she has a tendency to treat her boyfriends like dirt when she's had enough of them.

Now something inside me wants to analyse why this would be. I'm sure there's a paper in there somewhere.

Our very own Constance McCashin!

Ha. Yes.

It's been one of several low-key, non-cliffhangery episode endings recently that have been quite refreshing.

Oh yes. I've just picked up watching again and the two first episodes had these low-key endings. The latest one ended with a lighthearted moment where Paul locked Annabelle outside to give her a taste of what she had in mind for Lucky the dog (it did make me chuckle. Jim Wiggins is really on impish form at the moment. And I found myself imitating the way he rolled his "r" sounds when saying February).

Meanwhile, more dramatic material such as Bobby's visit to the worker with asbestosis, or Madge pushing Ralph into telling Harry of their change of relationship status is reserved for the End Of Part One point. Refreshing does sum up this creative choice.

I absolutely loved the scene where Father Gibbons planted the idea of Rome in Sheila's head by recounting his own experience in Lourdes.

Same here. It really sold to the audience why the trip has become so important to Sheila, which also helps sell some of the otherwise more eyebrow-raising choices such as deciding to go alone and raise the funds by becoming a barmaid.

I once saw the actor who played him years and years later and wanted to say, "You'll always be Father Gibbons to me", but never got the chance.

Oh, that's a shame. I like to think he'd have been impressed since I'm sure there are very few who would be able to pick him out for this role.

Yeah, there's a very natural familiarity between him and Damon which made me assume they already knew each other off screen

That's interesting, and very much in step with me thinking the (characters') friendship felt very established. Since he appeared early on, it's entirely possible as well.

Damon and Rod are very interesting together. At some points, they behave like two lads who live opposite each other with no particular bond between them, while at other points, they've been more open with each other than two lads living opposite each other would be if they weren't living in a soap opera ... and yet it somehow all combines into a believable whole.

Oh yes. That makes complete sense.

Substitute the neighbours' acceptance of Sheila for Jock Ewing's approval of his youngest son and I'm reminded of this quote of Miss Ellie's: "Bobby was given everything that JR had to fight for and Gary didn’t care about." Sheila didn't go looking for the neighbours' acceptance but got it anyway, whereas Marie and Doreen want (ed) it too much.

I like that.

On the subject of the Grants and Collinses, there seems to be some friction again, which kind of echoes their early days together. It's mainly come out of the device of Lucky leaving deposits on the Grants' path. It's friendly enough, but also enjoyably awkward.

Even though I know this story has to be short-lived much like poor Lucky herself, it's good to be reminded that they're ultimately neighbours whose capacity for tolerance of one another is not bottomless. I thought the conversation between Bobby and Sheila discussing the Collinses new pet really fascinating. Their minds went to the old estate where dogs ran loose and left mess everywhere. At that point, social background and their shared histories didn't come into it for them: the Collinses had simply become dog-owners with all its potential for anti-social behaviour. Sheila and Bobby were looking down on their neighbours from the posh house on the Wirral.