Brookside Brookside

[Carrie Fairchild]

Another two returning characters announced, this time from the latter end of the show’s run

Spoiler

Two beloved Brookside fan-favourites confirm return for special Hollyoaks crossover episode

"I feel like I'm going home."

www.radiotimes.com

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

A sixth character return has been confirmed

Spoiler

Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson to reunite in Brookside special

The pair will once again play Sheila and Bobby Grant when the soap returns in a Hollyoaks special.

www.bbc.com

while a seventh character

Spoiler

Sinbad

has yet to announced but

Spoiler

Michael Starke

has reportedly been spotted on set.

 

[Spells & Karma]

A sixth character return has been confirmed

Funnily enough, I've just watched a couple of 1990 Brookside episodes, and as I watched I found myself thinking - not for the first time - that his departure from the series has the biggest blow to the series at this point. Nothing's felt entirely "right" for me since.

It's mind-boggling to think this appearance will be the first time these characters have been on screen together since 1988!

 

[Angela Chilling]

I've never watched Hollyoaks but I'm pretty sure Michael "Sinbad" Starke played a character in that show so will he be back as Sinbad or as his Hollyoaks character? Perhaps they will merge both characters into one and claim they were always the same person.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I've never watched Hollyoaks but I'm pretty sure Michael "Sinbad" Starke played a character in that show so will he be back as Sinbad or as his Hollyoaks character? Perhaps they will merge both characters into one and claim they were always the same person.

There’s been a number of cast crossovers between the two, including three of the returning Brookside cast. The most notable crossover is probably the late Kristian Ealey, who played Matt Musgrove on both shows between 1998 - 2004. Of the current Hollyoaks cast, Alex Fletcher (Diane Hutchinson) previously played Jacqui Dixon* on Brookside for 13 years while Louis Emerick (Donny Clark) played Mick Johnson for 12 years.

As Donny is a more recent addition to Hollyoaks, there’s been some online chatter about him really being Mick with a new identity, and that being the connection between the two worlds. I know that Hollyoaks can be OTT but I don’t know if they’ll pull something so convoluted for the sake of linking the two shows for an episode.

*Jacqui technically exists in the Hollyoaks universe, as per the first crossover that I posted a video of previously.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Louis Emerick (Donny Clark) played Mick Johnson for 12 years.

As Donny is a more recent addition to Hollyoaks, there’s been some online chatter about him really being Mick with a new identity, and that being the connection between the two worlds. I know that Hollyoaks can be OTT but I don’t know if they’ll pull something so convoluted for the sake of linking the two shows for an episode.

I’ve just seen that Louis Emerick was filming on the Close, so make of that what you will. Rita Simons (Marie) was also pictured filming on location.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 678 - 695
26 April - 26 June 1989​

The Rogerses are officially living at Number Five, though nothing’s really changed. Chrissy - who demanded and got a bigger house after deciding the previous house she had demanded and got wasn’t large enough - is on Frank’s case about the increased overheads.

Seeing them ensconced here hasn’t really been a good thing. All it does is sledgehammer home that they’re intended to be Grants Redux, and I find myself comparing them unfavourably (and probably more harshly than I would if the parallels weren’t so obvious). One scene during these latter episodes featured them round the dinner table with three conversations taking place simultaneously, so there was overlapping dialogue and a general sense of family chaos. I got the sense the actors had worked hard at it (though the fact that this was noticeable is not a good thing) and it was fairly well executed. But I just found myself thinking the Grants would have done it better and feeling sad that era is over.

Of course it doesn’t help that The Unbearable Chrissy Rogers is at the centre of things, complaining left, right and centre, defined by bouts of intolerable self-righteousness and flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. In one of the last episodes, she found out Sinbad had paid Sammy and Katie to make jewellery which he was supposed to do in order to help out her new neighbour Caroline Choi. It was clearly explained to her, but she still went over to lash out at Caroline, until Caroline told her exactly what Chrissy had already been told. It was partly a failing in the writing, of course, since it felt like situation-driven manufactured drama (generously, it could be viewed as the writing deliberately making Chrissy an unbearable Karen, manufacturing drama so she can raise her voice). But the fact that there’s no real depth to the performance makes her a trial to watch. Her pushing Sinbad into a huge steaming pile of dung and then laughing wasn't the lighthearted catharsis it would have been elsewhere. Just another example of a ghastly insufferable woman doing ghastly insufferable things.

Despite the bigger dramas happening elsewhere in their households, the trials and successes of two of the Close’s teenagers have proved among the more watchable things. Growler had unsuccessful tryouts for Liverpool F.C. but did better with Tranmere Rovers. I don’t care a jot about football, but it is nice to see a little win for Growler eliciting a smile from him after all the hardships over the dyslexia (I’m also enjoying the challenges that have come from this with his Grange Hill-esque bullying storyline). Then came Tracy’s win at the hairdressing competition. Again, it’s nice to see her succeeding after a rocky time with Gerrard, and it felt more hard won because of new boss Anthony giving her a tough life lesson beforehand. Soap characters shouldn’t really be too successful or too happy, but intervals like this can be gratifying.

Speaking of characters that are too happy… Sheila and Billy making goo-goo eyes at one another just feels completely off to me. A character being hypocritical - as Sheila’s new, relaxed outlook towards sex outside of marriage feels - but it’s getting dangerously close to feeling out of character for her. I also feel Tracy’s acceptance of the situation has come too easily, though granted this would be exacerbated by watching episodes at a rate of two or three per night rather than two per week. On the plus side, little scenes such as Sheila wistfully watching Growler putting his football cards in his bedroom window or kick the ball about outside Number Five are nice, and I also enjoyed her interaction with the hearing impaired girl on her first day as a dinner lady.

Sheila, incidentally, has become the series’ official agony aunt. In addition to the girl in the canteen and Paul Collins uncharacteristically opening his heart, there’s been a literal over-the-fence discussion with Sue who whined about Terry’s marriage proposal (omitting the fact that she’d invited this by pretending she was pregnant with his baby). Then Harry Cross burst in on Sheila and burst into tears over not seeing his grandchild. And each time I’ve thought of James’s “drop of a hat” observation.

Rod’s man-slut ways caught up to him when Kirsty sneaked onto his 21st Birthday coach party to surprise him, only to find him lip-to-lip with that one from Heartbeat. It’s all dramatic, but Billy suggesting this surprise, Sheila encouraging it and Kirsty playing along by pretending she was unable to attend all smacked of soapy contrivance (also, I know there are people who get off on these kinds of things, but I view pretending to let someone down in order to make a surprise more impactful as emotionally abusive). Unfortunately, the revelation has meant the return of Histrionic Kirsty: all sniffs and shrieks. I feel my sympathies should really lie with her as the injured party but each time she sweeps back in for yet another dramatic scene, I find myself siding a little more with Rod. Kind of a shame, as in more everyday scenes she’s been an asset to the series.

In semantics, the series first utterance of “bullshit” surprised me as I didn’t recall this. If I’d had to guess where it would be heard first, I’d have thought one would be sneaked into early Eighties or early Noughties Brookie. The bigger surprise was that it came from Jonathan’s mildly antiseptic business partner, Sarah Townes. Along with this, Sarah ripped up Jonathan’s passport, protecting their venture by preventing him from flying to Canada in pursuit of Cheryl who, very sensibly, has had enough of the dysfunction and non-communication. I’d have expected Jonathan to be furious enough at Sarah’s reckless move to call off the partnership, but instead he invited her into his Citroën BX GTi where he proceeded to monologue at length about his childhood messages of keeping a stiff upper lip and how saving face caused him to watch one of his friends almost drown. Even though I feel it didn’t fully pack the intended punch. It’s an interesting character moment, injected into an unexpected scene, and is a nice reminder of who Jonathan is as a character. The fact that he’s saying this to Sarah, rather than than Cheryl, is also quite telling.

Before this came a welcome moment of levity for Jonathan with his pitch-perfect imitation of receptionist applicant Coral’s Scouse accent. There was also a recurrence of an imitation we last saw him do in a moment of anger towards Barry Grant, when Jonathan was leaving to find Cheryl, Terry asked him "when, like?" and Jonathan replied "Now, like." Snobbery brings out the scathing best in him.

Jimmy McGovern gave us a winning scene in which Jonathan gratifyingly knocked Sue down from her high horse, calling her a “schemer” and a “liar” before telling her he knew she was playing Terry with her lie about the baby. It was interesting because it was these Karen videos one sees on YouTube where she toyed about with lots of different responses - incredulity, feigning ignorance, victimhood, projection, anger - hoping one would effectively stick. Sue is so very self-centred and manipulative that I feel all her scenes should be this entertaining. It remains a source of frustration that, far too frequently, the opposite is the case.

If Chrissie and Sue are two of the new breed of Brookside’s “strong” women, it’s a little difficult so far to place Caroline Choi on this scale. It’s a little unfortunate for her that she’s arrived at a time of stress and tension, meaning that many of her initial scenes were nagging her brother David to lighten her childcare duties. It wasn’t a good look for her, though she did win me over a little with a little dig at Chrissy (which predictably elicited a volubly shrill reaction). Now things are settling down, it’s clear Caroline isn’t as whiny as feared, though I fear she may not be terribly interesting either.

If there is such a thing as a main character in this household, it feels like David. While Caroline has Sinbad drooling over her, David has a backstory of recent widowerhood and has been given an honest to goodness love interest, complete with a meet cute involving CPR in a supermarket car park.

The arrival of General Practitioner David would seem to be an indicator of increasing gentrification of both the Close and the series. I have no idea how the Chois managed to get the entire house painted and papered, as well as a wall knocked through within the space of days but it’s interesting to note where the decor sits. It’s neither as traditional as the Collinses, nor as trendy as Jonathan’s home, and seems to fill the gap between the two, feeling established and homely, while at the same time fresh and ready for the upcoming decade (seeing their decor, I can practically smell my old neighbour’s home which was styled almost identically).

In the series overall, there is a sense that middle class is on the rise. Jonathan’s Sarah is practically Avril from Howards’ Way, while I recall I used to struggle to tell apart the middle class redheads who were David’s lover and Harry Cross’s daughter-out-of-law (as he called her)… the latter of whom also reminds me a little of Chrissy Rogers in features. In fact all three of these appeared in one episode, and I realise they’re actually quite distinguishable. Kind of.

I’ve always enjoyed the relationship between Harry and his son’s lover, Sally. We haven’t seen her in probably years of screen time, and the fact that she reappeared with an apology for their latest off-screen disagreement just felt right. It’s also a nice reminder that Harry fares well when not part of a predictable and safe double act. Ralph’s been absent for a bit recently, and it hasn’t been a bad thing at all for Harry.

Geographical trend of the month: Rod receives a 21st birthday card from Doreen with a Bristol postmark around the time that Michael Choi is looking into contacting a specialist centre in that same city to get support around Jessica’s bedwetting. Meanwhile, in a Soapy Reflections Through The Window doubler, Sinbad catches a glimpse of the naked Caroline getting out of the shower and enquires about her origins:

You, uh, not from Liverpool, then?

Hong Kong.

Really? I’d ‘ave said Bristol, meself.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 696 - 722
28 June - 27 September 1989​

It could be viewed that the Collinses are on somewhat the rise again, as demonstrated by Annabelle treating herself to a new car (another Maestro, naturally), and her almost childlike glee when Paul suggests she should get in a dressmaker: something I suspect she did regularly back in their “posh house on the Wirral”, but which no doubt went by the wayside when they tightened their belts and downsized.

Gordon is suddenly a wine connoisseur, which perhaps makes some sense given his background and time spent in France. And he’s had a crush on his boss who is already involved with someone. It’s perhaps a little contrived, but at the same time this story, too, makes sense for Gordon. He’s single and he has a young, attractive, gay boss inviting him out to dinner. There’s an interesting little moment during that first meal where Gordon reflects how he “used to” be interested in computers but how it got pushed aside when he ran away to France. It’s a somewhat successful concession towards bridging the gap between the two very different Gordons. At the very least, I appreciate the acknowledgement that there’s still a sense of where Gordon came from… even if it also renews my curiosity about the direction of the character had he not been recast.

Speaking of recast Collins children running off to France, Lucy has had a mention when a letter Annabelle sent her has been returned with the information that Lucy is no longer at her French address. Adding another layer, it seems the letter had apparently been informing Lucy of Annabelle’s relationship with Brian Lawrence.

Paul’s vocational work with SSAFA is nice in principle, and it’s certainly good for his character for him to want to do something to give himself some purpose. In practice, though, it quickly feels rather too episodic. Someone with ongoing difficulties comes in from outside and it ends up looking outwards rather than inwards. This isn’t good for the Collinses, where there’s already a sense that some writers don’t know what material to give them with the result they can seem to operate in a vacuum that is entirely dependent on outside forces or circumstances in order to keep moving.

I appreciate that Irish woman fleeing her husband was meant to be frustrating, with her chaotic intrusion into the Collinses usually-calm household, demanding cups of tea and whatnot. Indeed, I couldn’t fail to miss this, as she was written without any subtlety in this area. And yes, I was glad to see the back of her for reasons no doubt intended. But frankly, too many recent female additions to the cast seem to be defined by their whiny self-interest, and this was one too many.

This was one of several characters shoehorned into Number Eight in order to generate storylines. Number Eight now seems to have a revolving door. The most notable addition is Louise, a young girl who lives in a children’s home, with Annabelle evidently having been involved in the legalities around this situation at some point. She’s a likeable enough young woman, and there’s been a little amusement in watching Paul awkwardly coping with her forward manner. Still, though the story just feels forced. Annabelle’s responses in particular feel uncharacteristic. First she reacts quite nonchalantly to Louise’s stalking. Then she enables it by taking her in to stay with them. There have been no mentions of the blatant conflict of interest that arises from her personal and professional lives overlapping this way, and not even considering this ends up diminishing the character of Annabelle who is, after all, a Magistrate. Instead, she mostly smiles in whimsical resignation as this young girl run rings around her. And that’s not even getting into the very idea of Annabelle Collins bringing home sloppy takeaway pizzas. There was a bit of promise with a scene where Annabelle lost her temper when Louise rummaged through her old letters from Brian, but really the scene is just a means to an end, with Annabelle guilty enough to feel even more than before that she owes Louise.

Considering Brookside’s incest story of the Nineties seems to be widely referenced in articles about the series, it’s perhaps a little surprising that Louise’s arc has been forgotten (even by me, who watched these episodes back when they first aired). Perhaps it’s because it’s alluded to rather than shown, but it certainly doesn’t help that, like most of the Collins story, the characters feel somewhat orbital and not grounded in the roots of the series.

The most recent character to arrive on the Collinses doorstep was Lana Costello, a (stereo)typically forthright American, ostensibly there to pay a spontaneous visit to Mona and Gerald, but In Real Life here to whisk another resident away from the series in the months to come. And so she is quickly ushered across to Number Six where she is charmed by Ralph and butts heads with Harry. Up to this point, Ralph has been conspicuous by his absence for some months’ worth of screen time, something I’m guessing was necessitated by Ray Dunbobbin becoming unavailable for some reason, and would further guess that his return is specifically to give some kind of closure, which is why it coincided with Lana’s arrival. As he’s dating, Ralph has once again reverted to his “posh” voice, pronouncing all his “t”s and whatnot. Still, knowing it’s finite is helping.

Ralph also helped Harry get some kind of closure, around the “grave robbing” storyline which saw Edna’s body exhumed and moved without his knowledge of permission. This story has been one of Harry’s better ones, and truthfully I feel that Ralph’s absence is one of the reasons for it being so. I don’t know if his almost-daughter-in-law, Sally Haynes, was standing in for Ralph in scenes where Harry realised Edna’s body was missing, but I’m glad she was there, planned or unplanned as the dynamics were far more interesting, real and human than would have been the case with the safe, somewhat one-note predictability that Ralph would have brought. I thoroughly enjoy the sometimes difficult relationship between Sally and Harry (somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to write “Harry and Sally” as it immediately bought coffee house orgasms to mind), and especially the moments of warmth that come through when one of them is having a challenging time. That was present here, but felt more practical than sentimental, which is perfect.

There’s been some crossover between lodgers, with Terry’s colleague Mick moving in with Harry (with Harry motivated in part by wanting to punish Ralph for devoting his attentions towards Lana rather than Harry). Mick has also bought into Terry’s taxi, so it’s evident even at this point he’s intended to stick around for a while.

The storyline with Sue’s bloody baby has dragged on. I know they’re going for the “ticking time bomb” thing with the Big Secret, but really it feels old at this point, and it frustrates that she’s selfish and manipulative and shrewish (all of which show promise, since many of Brookie’s best have had these qualities) while simultaneously rather dull and lacking anything to interest the viewer beyond what is plotted for her. The lack of rapport with the viewer arguably helps those scenes when she’s being more self-centred (because I can tell myself I’m supposed to dislike her in these moments), but plays completely against moments where it’s felt one is supposed to feel some kind of sympathy for the situation she’s created for herself with her web of lies, such as her almost-miscarriage.

I’ve noticed character’s responses to her are often to their own detriment. Take Cheryl, who is dynamic and assertive when it comes to her relationship with Jonathan or wanting her independence. When she interacts with Sue, she mostly melts and ends up white knighting (which I suppose is sadly representative of many people’s blind spots). An example of this is Sue using Cheryl to persuade Jonathan not to increase the rent (something Sue achieved by being terse with Cheryl, then segueing into hand-wringing concern over her baby’s future when Cheryl bit and asked what was wrong). In her time on the series, Cheryl has surprised me by being a character with great potential, but somehow she loses a great deal of her intelligence when it comes to interactions with Sue. And I suppose the frustrating part is that it feels this happens because it’s convenient for the plot (perhaps the same could be said for Annie Miles’s accent in which she increasingly attempts Scouse inflections).

Incidentally, one of Sue’s almost laughably self-indulgent moments came when Jonathan and Cheryl were arguing and on the verge of splitting up, and Sue whined and pleaded her to consider their friendship, all but saying that if Jonathan was angry enough to tell Terry the truth it would be Cheryl’s fault. Cut to a couple of episodes later where Sue herself deliberately provoked Jonathan with bitchy comments about him not leaving her his telly when moving into the flat to give them the space she’s demanded. Yet even this is preferable to that awkward and fake garden barbecue scene with the four of them where they were suddenly meant to be having a good time because that week’s script demanded it.

continued…​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 696 - 722
28 June - 27 September 1989

continued
​

Then, just as I was feeling Brookie’s glory days were well and truly behind it, Doreen contacted Billy out of the blue to announce she was coming home, giving Brookside a number of consecutive episodes that delivered the most exhilarating and raw material in some time. There’s an argument for this being the best the series has been since Bobby’s exit over a year earlier, but it’s certainly the best we’ve had since the episodes in January where Sheila and Billy overcame some of their reservations and got together.

Since then, there’s been too much happiness in Number Ten. Billy and Sheila have been happy and lovey-dovey, threatening us with burgeoning mediocrity. When the rest of the series is already hurtling headlong into the mediocre, it’s vital this is challenged, and Jimmy McGovern does this wonderfully with the two episodes focussing on Doreen’s return.

Something of note is that these initial episodes use only long-term regulars. We’ve got Sheila, the Corkhills, the Collinses and Terry. Not only does this mean a hypothetical viewer who hadn’t seen a single episode in several years would still know who was who, it more importantly keeps a purity. I hadn’t quite realised how much dead wood makes up newer additions until there are no Rogers or Choi families and the episodes just feel that much more sparkly and enjoyable. OK, the Collinses aren’t exactly being given top-notch stories, but there’s a familiarity and continuity that gets them through. In her second episode, Paul gets a mouthful from Doreen when he’s taking in the milk bottles as Billy and Doreen’s heated discussion spills into the road (involving some stunt acting from Kate Fitzgerald as she stands next to Billy’s open car door as he reverses the car into the close, the open door pushing her along with him as she continues mouthing off). As Paul tuts to Annabelle:

Doreen Corkhill’s back. Give her a week, he’ll be driving over our lawn again.

Meanwhile, Terry is written as a peripheral supporting character with no reference to the tiresome baggage that defines most of his scenes of late. His brief scene mostly involves him talking to Sheila about contacting Barry, unaware how preoccupied she is with Doreen’s arrival. This is where he works best.

While I watched Doreen’s return back in 1989 and I can recall finding it exciting even then, I remember surprisingly little, other than the Patricia Hamilton platinum hairdo and the fact that she no longer took sugar (in fact, a scene of her taking a sip and complaining there was sugar is my only specific memory). Besides that… the passing of time means that I couldn’t even remember the reason for Doreen’s visit, and I’d convinced myself that there was a partner in Bristol who was still in the picture and perhaps enough to warrant her wanting a divorce. Also, I’d remembered it as something like a two to four episode visit, but it seems we’re going to get quite a bit of Doreen, which is the best of surprises.

The speed with which things escalated within moments of Doreen’s arrival was impressive, more so because it felt completely organic. Not a moment is wasted, and it’s pure undiluted goodness. I absolutely loved the way Doreen's implicit entitlement over her return was wordlessly shown, first through her leaving her two suitcases on the kerb as she entered the house, fully expecting Billy to dutifully retrieve them (which he did, watched with horror by Sheila from inside Number Nine), then by sparking up a cigarette as soon as she was inside. The latter feels especially significant given the titbits on this thread about Phil Redmond’s attitude to smoking, and the kind of character he feels would light up without asking. To Doreen, this is still the home where she is queen, reigning over the children and husband over whom she has influence.

Except this is only half true now. Tracy is terrified of Doreen leaving again and claws defensively at anything that will undermine this. Rod, too comes down on the side of giving Doreen a fair chance. But to Billy she’s an unwanted intruder who has forfeited her right to being part of the family, and he won’t make it easy for her to get a hold again.

His first strike is a silent one. In reply to Tracy pointing out she’s been vacuuming, Doreen comments she’ll “have to go away more often”, earning her a filthy glare from Billy which clearly takes her by surprise. He asks what happened to her hair, and when asked if he likes it he snaps “no”. Regarding her smoking, he observes critically that she’s still “using those things” and when she asks for an ashtray says there isn’t one (he doesn’t add “for you”, but since there’s one right in front of him it’s implied). From there, it’s only seconds before Rod tells Billy he’s getting on his nerves, and the whole family begins shouting over one another as ugly truths are spoken:

Mother? She didn’t even say “ta ra” to ya. She just packed ‘er bags an’ did the off. She went out the door and that was it. She never even picked up the phone. An’ now you’re saying that she’s your mother…. You went on and on about love, but you went out the door an’ that was it. We were scouring the country for ya. We were worried sick about ya. We were breakin’ our hearts over ya. But you, ya selfish bitch, ya couldn’t even pick up the phone.

I very much appreciated the “real time” feeling that came from these episodes, such as the overlap between the Corkhills arguing and Sheila and Terry silently sitting in Jonathan’s living room on the other side of the wall, hearing every word. Then there’s he kinetic angle of Billy and Doreen’s discussion moving to the back garden as one goes for air and the other follows:

I’ve never laid a finger on ya, but right now I wanna kill ya.

You laid a finger on me once. I sat in front of a mirror; chopped off me hair; went an’ got it done proper; went out; met Peter; went to bed with him that night… That’s what it took. I had to prove to myself that it was all over. That there was no goin’ back to you. That’s what it took…I left because I loved you.

You left because you loved me. You screwed some fella, but that’s all right, ya love me. You disappeared off the face of the earth, but never mind, eh? You loved me… You didn’t. I loved you. I loved ya. I wanted to be near you, not just walk away. I wanted to touch ya. I wanted to make love to ya. I wanted to give you everything I ‘ad. Anything you wanted I wanted to get for ya. I worked every minute of the day for ya. When there was no work I stole for ya. I woulda killed for ya. So don’t give me anymore of your crap about love. Cos I know all there is to know about it. A lot more than you’ll ever know… A one night stand, was it?

No… We were together for over a year.

Why? Why didn’t ya just die?

It’s perfect. There’s so much history there. The one we’ve seen, and the one we are hearing about for the first time.

continued…​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 696 - 722
28 June - 27 September 1989

continued
​

Sheila and Doreen’s first ineraction was another nice surprise, with Sheila coming round to find Billy and Doreen still in the garden, talking more calmly by then, and in a way that - especially from Sheila’s observation point - could be read as intimacy. At this point, Doreen has no idea, and greets Sheila warmly, even hugging her tightly after a faux pas when she asked after Damon only to be met with the news that he’s dead.

While there’s lots to love about this scene in terms of event, it’s the way its staged and the attention to detail with the dialogue that really makes it fly. After long scenes where actors are given pages of dialogue at a time, there’s something subliminally important about the shift to scenes such as this where exchanges are characterised by brevity. Sometimes a response is just a singular word, but even in sentences characters are speaking a fragmented sentence structure that in black and white reads like a kind of telegraphese. This jumps out in that first scene with Sheila, Doreen and Billy:

I tried the front. There was no answer.

Surprise.

I heard you were comin’. Staying long?

Don’t know yet. How are you?

Fine.

Family?

Fine. (She pauses) There’s only Claire at home now.

Damon’s spread his wings as well, has he?

Damon’s dead.

Oh, Sheila. Sheila. Oh, love. Shall we go in an’ sit down, eh?

There’s one winning little detail around this point that’s so fleeting it’s barely noticeable. As they enter the kitchen though the back door, Doreen gets to work in the kitchen and again invites Sheila to “go through and sit down”. It’s a throwaway line, almost lost with what goes on immediately either side of it, but it sets things up so perfectly. It’s even more powerful because as far as Doreen’s concerned it’s just a comment. There’s no subtext for her beyond establishing that the status quo is resumed, which she would do with any visitor. If I remember, Sheila visibly tenses for just a second when this is said, because of what it means to her.

The kitchen is the symbolic heart of the home, and Sheila made herself at home there just as quickly as Doreen does now. It’s where they feed and care and make themselves indispensable to Billy and the family. It partly speaks to both Sheila and Doreen as people who thrive when caring for others - albeit perhaps with varying degrees of manipulation attached, just as Kathy, too, tried to fry her way into Billy’s heart. Now the kitchen becomes a territorial stage (this will later be extended to the entire home when Doreen attempts to claim her territory and her man by throwing Sheila and Claire’s belongings out onto the street and changing the locks).

We shift into it with two different conversations taking place. Sheila comments to Billy that he hasn’t told Doreen. Doreen still thinks he’s taking about Damon until Billy tells her Sheila’s been staying there and looking at their faces, the penny drops:

[to Sheila] And where do you sleep?

Where d’ya think she…

I’m askin’ ‘er. Where do you sleep?

With Billy

An’ Bob? He’s tucked in with Annabelle Collins, is he?

Who can blame Doreen.?The line might be dripping with sarcasm (and very funny) but underneath it all is a continuation of the theme that she has a lot of catchin up to do. And with the series operating in more of a bubble than when she left - with musical houses and unexpected pairings, not to mention Annabelle’s affair with Brian - it wouldn’t be entirely beyond the realm of possibility.

Most impressive with this storyline is how balanced sympathies towards characters have been. Billy and Sheila’s pairing feels hard-earned, and they’re often quite sweet together, so there’s a feeling I should be rooting for them. At the same time, I can completely see things through Doreen’s eyes and view their actions as a betrayal.

It’s so very Doreen to choose the moments after the discovery to unpack her things and claim back her half of the home, throwing in regular little digs about Sheila’s age (“so you wanted a mother too, did ya?”) and faith (“Some kind of Catholic thing, is it?” she sneers at Billy, as Rod and Tracy rush off without breakfast. “Everyone fastin’?”).

With Doreen living with Billy again, Sheila removes herself. At different points in the storyline, she returns to those supporting players who have been continuous threads in her journey on the series. Much later in the run, Matty talks about blaming himself for Theresa’s death and how Sheila has the opportunity to not push someone away. More immediately, though, comes a very revealing heart-to-heart with her sister, Margaret:

I know what I’d have done twenty years ago. I’d ‘ve pulled out every hair in her ‘ead. I know what I’d ‘ve done a year ago. Offered up a prayer. Left it all to God. Whatever will be will be. But now, well, I don’t feel like battlin’ in the street anymore. An’ I’m not gonna leave it to God. Because to tell you the truth, I’ve quite enjoyed wallowing in a bit of sin. After thirty years on the straight and narrow I think he owes me a bit of indulgence.

I envy you, ya know. I’m twenty years married, and every time I talk about Tony I always make it clear I love him. ’S automatic. Just comes out. But do I? I’m not so sure. Oh, I’m fond of him. Know him inside out. But it’s not exactly a marriage seething with passion. Not after twenty years. Sex every Sunday morning. But only after he’s read the sports page. Now an’ again I find myself thinking “if only his boss’d phone and tell me he’d been in an accident. Then I’d know, just by the way I reacted. Then I’d know whether I loved him or not… Sheila, here’s a man that makes your stomach turn over. Go out and grab him.

There’s just so much information about both women in here. I’ve commented a number of times that I’ve felt the new, freer Sheila is unfamiliar and feels almost uncharacteristic. That hasn’t changed, and it’s not really explained here. Somehow, though, bringing it out into the light through Sheila’s own acknowledgement somehow makes it feel a little more acceptable.

Likewise, Margaret’s inner world is revealed more than ever before. She’s always made sense to me as a character, and her appearance here - as usual - is to facilitate Sheila’s current storyline. Even her dialogue here does that, since it’s really about giving Sheila permission to follow her heart (understandably, almost none of Sheila or Doreen’s scenes in this run would pass the Bechdel test). Still, it resonates and feels like a little reward to long-time viewers, as well as to Barbara Marten who is consistently reliable.

continued…​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 696 - 722
28 June - 27 September 1989

continued
​

Taking heed of Margaret’s words, Sheila returns to the Close for a one-to-one discussion with Doreen to ask - yet again - why she has come back.

I heard he wanted a divorce. All your doing is it?

No.

You’re a liar.

I’m a Catholic. I’m not free to marry, divorce or no divorce.

Listen, love. Religion wouldn’t stop me. Wild horses wouldn’t stop me. I’d cut my throat for that man and I’d cut yours a damned sight sooner. If I told you some of the things I’d been through for that man and his kids if I told you some of the things I’d done for that man and his kids, you wouldn’t have the cheek to stand there spoutin’ religion. So just do one, will ya? Go an chew the altar rail or somethin’, ‘cause you’re not in the same league, love.

That’s all right because there’s certain things about you I’ll never understand. You see, I’ll never understand how you can walk out on your kids - two years without a word - an’ then come back and start lecturing me about love.

Look, love, he told me he had someone else an’ I was ready to walk out that door. A new start. A new woman. A new life. Fine - I had no right to come back an’ spoil all that. But then I found out it was only you: a bit of spare from across the road. For God’s sake, grow up, will ya. You’ve kept my side of the bed warm. I’m very grateful, but I’m back now an’ I’ve gotta go a meal for me husband an’ kids, so do us a favour, eh? Walk.

You’re a nasty, scheming, connivin’ little bitch really, aren’t ya?

You haven’t got a hope love, because I know things about that man. I know things that’d make ya hair curl. Things that’d get him a bit more than three Hail Marys off Father Bunloaf, d’ya know what I mean? I’ll tell you one day, if I have to, an’ that’ll be the end of it.. But I don’t think I’ll have to, because if he throws me out, d’you think Rod an’ Tracy’ll be in this house five minutes? No. An’ he’s not gonna risk that, love. Not for a bit of spare across the road, middle aged and desperate.

We’ll see about that, cow.

Doreen’s “bit of spare” line is one of several I noticed that was repeated several times in Jimmy McGovern’s episodes. Other recurring lines included Billy (and later Sheila) asking Doreen “How long ya stayin’?” and “Why are you here?”. Doreen’s “You know why I left”, and Rod and Tracy’s refrain of “She’s stayin’”. Incidentally, with Doreen’s “bit of spare across the road” line, I thought it a nice little touch that Doreen broke her own rule of calling it the “Close”, such pretensions lost in the primal heat of battle.

Perhaps it’s the hairdo, but I kept seeing Patricia Hamiltonisms in Doreen’s interactions. Scheming to win her old lover back from his more mumsy current love. In place of Charlie Bartlett, she’s colluding with her own daughter Tracy, abetted at times by Julia. I don’t believe Sheila has been called a “bitch” as frequently and as casually as she was in these few episodes.

As mentioned, the length of Doreen’s stay was longer than expected, and it was so nice to see her back in the fold, particularly when Billy ran off to Ireland with Sheila for a few weeks, giving Doreen the opportunity to have deep conversations with Rod and Tracy (though Rod to a lesser degree, as it feels he’s been less immediately involved in this storyline).

There was a sense of event about Billy and Sheila’s return from Ireland. We all knew a confrontation was coming, and it was satisfying that it managed to be both highly soapy while harking back to the series’ roots. Doreen did make good on her promise, but it was done indirectly with her shouting at Billy about his involvement in the crime, both knowing that Sheila, standing outside would hear.

Her youngest son was stabbed to death, and you were in a robbery where a man was knifed.

It escalated into chaos, with raised voices, smashed belongings and windows and Billy and Sheila trying to escape in his Datsun Sunny while spectators from other homes flocked upon the scene, some with a stake in things. Barry’s fury at Billy was just one layer in the busy tableau of chaos that this series does so well.

The bittersweetness of Doreen’s departure this time was very effective, and the quiet, intimate one-to-one between her and Billy felt almost cathartic, with Doreen’s admission that she knew Sheila would hear her and she wanted to hurt them both by spilling the truth.

So, what happens now?

Divorce?

Is that what you want? [he nods] You want to marry Sheila?

She’s a Catholic. She wouldn’t marry me now. Not after she knows the truth.

I’ve ruined it every way for you, haven’t I?

You didn’t ask me to go on a robbery with a gang of nutters carryin’ a knife, did ya?

Not in so many words.

Yeah. Well everyone does one stupid thing in their life, an’ that was mine.

You married me.

That was the good bit. We got two smashin’ kids out of it, didn’t we?

I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

No. Neither would I.

So why does it have to end?

It’s difficult watching her put herself through the torture of pressuring Billy into saying he doesn’t love her, and then pushes him to repeat it while looking into her eyes.

I don’t love ya anymore.

You always were a lousy liar, Billy.

Even in defeat, Doreen asks Billy to kiss her goodbye. He refuses, which I found interesting, because he was willing to experiment with that before Doreen knew about Sheila. But as she leaves he follows her out onto the Close and stops her.

Doe? [she pauses] D’ya want us ta get yer a cab?

[She turns and continues walking away as he talks to her back]

No, I’d sooner get the bus.

Keep in touch with the kids, eh?

Yeah. I’ll write, tell ‘em.

Ta ra.

T’ra.

And then she’s gone, and it feels the temporary breath of fresh air leaves with her.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Next week is the week! Based on the episode synopses on the Channel 4 website, it’ll start with the 7pm episode on E4 on Wednesday 22nd and then continue into the Hollyoaks Later episode at 10.05pm the same night (synopses below). I’m unsure of the show’s online schedule, so these episodes may drop earlier in the week on the app/YouTube. Similarly, I’d forgotten that Hollyoaks only airs three days a week now, so I’m presuming there may be some crossover into the following week’s episodes.

7pm: After Clare's deadly scheme, a resident's hunt for answers takes them to Brookside Close, where they're met by someone who's not afraid to speak her mind: Sheila Grant.

10.05pm: Hollyoaks Later collides with Brookside as residents escape the Close for Liverpool's luxury suburbs, where old secrets ignite new betrayals when a party turns deadly.

 

[James from London]

7pm: After Clare's deadly scheme, a resident's hunt for answers takes them to Brookside Close, where they're met by someone who's not afraid to speak her mind: Sheila Grant.

That kind of reminded me of when everyone came back for the "last" episode of Neighbours: completely daft and genuinely very sweet. I guess that makes Bobby, Sheila and Billy the Jason, Kylie and Guy Pearce of Liverpool.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

That kind of reminded me of when everyone came back for the "last" episode of Neighbours: completely daft and genuinely very sweet. I guess that makes Bobby, Sheila and Billy the Jason, Kylie and Guy Pearce of Liverpool.

It was quite like that in a way. A bit of a whistle stop tour with a good few Easter eggs thrown in. Some of the storyline connections may be a bit questionable in terms of history but it was fun to see them all back onscreen.

 

[James from London]

And seeing other actors I recognised from Enders, Emmerdale and Brookside, only now playing different parts (well, mostly), just added to the surreality of it all -- Roxy Mitchell in Brookside Close!

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Roxy Mitchell in Brookside Close!

I was a bit confused by this because in Hollyoaks, Rita Simons plays a character named Marie but when she met Tinhead on the Close, she said her name was Pauline.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

10.05pm: Hollyoaks Later collides with Brookside as residents escape the Close for Liverpool's luxury suburbs, where old secrets ignite new betrayals when a party turns deadly.

After the mini nostalgia-fest of the 7pm episode, I’d recommend avoiding this Later episode because if you’re expecting to see more throwbacks, you’ll be disappointed. The only continuation of the crossover is the inclusion of

Spoiler

Mick/Donny

and apart from the opening scene, none of the action takes place on the Close.

I’m presuming that the remainder of the crossover will involve the fallout back in Chester from the

Spoiler

Mick/Donny

reveal and possible appearances from the younger new Brookside characters who’ve been introduced. That, and an explanation as to why the soon to depart Marie is starting a new life on Brookside Close under the pseudonym of Pauline.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 723 - 737
2 October - 20 November 1989​

After the thrill of Doreen’s return, these episodes have been a mostly disappointing return to recent form.

It’s a funny old time. There’s a sense of transition, but little sense that any of it will be for the better - particularly with the benefit of hindsight.

It’s the absences, though, that feel as though they telegraph the changes of priorities. Certain characters have been rested for long periods. Billy and Sheila, for example, didn’t show up until the last few episodes in the run, the actors presumably taking a breather after the high profile story from the previous run. Other than letter from Doreen’s solicitor agreeing to accept her share of the house, it feels they’re starting over. Sheila’s interview at the school for hard of hearing children was watchable enough, but it’s difficult to see much storyline potential in her new job in the way that, say, her job at The Swan offered.

Annabelle hasn’t been seen at all. Presumably this was a period where Doreen Sloane was undergoing cancer treatment, or not well enough to work. If things have been hurriedly repurposed to work around this, it doesn’t show. Annabelle not being around has forced Paul and Louise into dealing with one another in such a way that it could well have been planned this way all along. Gordon, now that I think about it after the fact, is probably taking the Annabelle role as the peacemaker who liaises between Paul and Louise and challenges each of them in turn, but this has had the surprising effect of showing a different side of Gordon that feels more purposeful and interesting than anything he’s done for quite some time. Not only have I enjoyed the protective older sibling energy he puts across to Louise, he and Paul are speaking adult to adult and listening to one another in a way that feels organic and truthful. Gordon now being the only family member around in Paul’s eyes, it seems natural that he would talk over his concerns to Gordon. Incidentally, Paul has spoken the quiet part out loud by again highlighting how wrong it was of Annabelle to take Louise in despite the conflict of interest with her professional life. Even though it’s kind of working, the whole storyline feels too forced and plot-based and not very Collins. And the less said about Gordon’s industrial espionage relating to bad wine the better.

Growler has also been absent until the last episode or so, which I’m guessing might have to with Kevin Carson’s schooling. Perhaps he was undertaking GCSEs or something. Now he’s back, he’s in the midst of little Katie’s Grange Hill bullying saga, which has continued the repetitive and dull theme of little girls stealing. Katie; Louise; I think even little Jessica Choi stole something at one point.

Sammy has bagged most of the series’ drama and budget with the car chase and crash that left Owen in a coma (I remember this being heavily-promoted at the time). Somehow here the focus on the younger characters has felt as much as anything like Keeping Up With The Ramsays And The Fletchers (I recall seeing parallels between Sammy’s reliance on alcohol with that of Home and Away’s Carly Morris, which was playing out on British screens some months ahead of these episodes).

Meanwhile, Frank has had a lot of dull and dry union scenes that make me pine for Ricky Tomlinson’s passion for and understanding towards the material. And Chrissy is as self-righteously strident as ever.

Mercifully, Sue has been seen very little, and Terry’s scenes have mostly been with others such as Jonathan or Cheryl. The latter two’s removal from the Close, as realistic as it might be, makes me feel less connected to them, but their material has at least been relatively engaging.

Rod’s been mostly holding the fort for the Corkhills with the triangle between him, Kirsty and Tommo. Kirsty has felt like rather like the rash that keeps coming back, and her natural departure point was a long time ago. Still, it seems I’ve watched her last episode, even if it wasn’t acknowledged as such. Tommo, it seems, will be back for a while, so that’s something good.

Ralph has left the series after a final “drama” where he and Harry weren’t speaking to one another. It was all predictable and safe in the end, but that’s appropriate for this character.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 738 - 761
22 November 1989 - 12 February 1990
​

With a new decade being a time of reflection I found myself attempting to look at things objectively as I watched the first Brookside episodes of the Nineties, trying to imagine how I would feel if I were watching these episodes for the first time in isolation, without having reached this point organically. It’s hard to say how successful I was in my experiment, but the overall feeling was that the series doesn’t have any kind of wow factor at this point. There’s little to set it apart from any other early Nineties drama, and the me that couldn’t detach completely is also aware that the things present which do set the series apart - particularly business stories and Trade Union material - are left wanting when compared with the way these themes have been approached earlier in the series.

There are signs of things to come. The Christmas period saw a protracted “comedic” storyline with Sinbad and Jimmy obtaining a tree and struggling to get a lorry started at a rubbish tip. One’s loins are girded for this kind of fare once a year - in the same way teeth are firmly gritted to get through the gaudy excesses of the season.

But as 1990 commences, Sinbad is featuring heavily in a story where he is exposing Caroline’s slick lover as a seller of disturbing hardcore video nasties with titles like The Mutilator. The worst thing is that even as I watch, I know that Sinbad will be proved right and his earnestness will pay off. And if there are two things that Sinbad should not be, they are “right” and “earnest”.

I find myself wondering how I would feel about the Rogerses if I didn’t look at the layout of the home and find myself missing the Grants. Possibly they would be more enjoyable, though constantly-nagging Chrissy and her “I told you”s are never going to be anything other than a pain in the arse.

With 1990 being a turning point in terms of major cast departures, the writing is already on the wall. Cheryl was gone by the end of 1989, with Jonathan now sidelined in his harbourside apartment. We mostly see him at work in a current arc that is more serviceable then compelling. With Ralph gone, Harry is mostly seen talking to people in the street (his loneliness used to good effect when he was seen trying to wangle an invitation to Christmas dinner with any one of his neighbours). When last seen, he and Paul Collins were pairing off: two old soldiers attempting to rally the reluctant troops against the proposed parade of shops (in itself a signal to any viewer with knowledge of the series that the wheels are about to well and truly come off).

With Doreen Sloane’s real-life cancer battle the Collinses have been seen little other than Gordon’s dull “bad wine” storyline. Annabelle herself returned for just one episode - ostensibly between extended visits to look after Mona in Kendal and to visit Lucy in France - but sadly only really interacted with whingy Louise (who happily, has all but disappeared from the screen herself).

Speaking of whinging, baby Danny’s meningitis has given us a glut of Sue. This time round it feels like the performance and the writing are lacking in these scenes. She’s displayed her angst not just keeping herself occupied, but by doing it with enough fuss that everyone knows she’s busy keeping herself occupied. It’s a typically Sue thing to do: garnering all the sympathy of family and neighbours for herself while Terry muddles quietly through and does all the heavy lifting. And yet it just feels so clunky and obvious. I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to feel about Sue. There’s a lot of furrowed brow and hand wringing and shrieking to convey she’s at her wits’ end, but I find myself feeling I’m wasting my time by watching. “Cold” Jonathan has far more of my empathy and once again, his little knowing looks to Sue regarding Daniel’s paternity have given this arc its only semi-watchable moments.

There is some gold to be mined, though.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce gave a cracking second half to Episode 744. It ended with Sammy’s drunken verbal assault on Alison for her involvement with research, and Alison holding her own and even getting the better of Sammy (I’ve never forgotten her pointing out that most animal experiments involve big black rats rather than fluffy rabbits). Sammy’s alcoholism storyline overall is rather pedestrian, but this exchange added interest in that area, as did the little detail of Michael opening his bottle of whiskey and not even noticing it had gone from full to almost empty over the course of the evening Sammy had been there.

The episode’s peak, though, came with the high stakes card game between Jonathan, Terry and Barry in which the embittered Jonathan started asking for stakes that held potential devastation for his opponents: Barry’s hard-earned £1000, saved to give to Damon’s young son; and Terry’s happy marriage. It was here that Barry twigged that Jonathan knew something about Terry and Sue, and threw that into the mix when Terry was out of earshot, but since Jonathan had the winning hand, Barry has had to remain in the dark about specifics. Jonathan and Barry have one of the most surprisingly interesting dynamics in the series. It goes back over a hundred and fifty episodes at this point, to Jonathan threatening Barry over the trees that appeared in his garden, and it continues to be enjoyably ill-fitting.

Barry’s return is proving rewarding all round. He’s also given the most interest at Number Ten where there have been several run-ins with Billy, including a couple of physical confrontations that have been pleasingly raw and bloody and evoked the Grants of old. Ostensibly the first fight came over money when Sheila loaned Billy money that same money that belonged to Barry, intended to buy a car for Debbie and Simon. Then Tracy moved in on Barry and the two have quickly become a couple, discussing moving in together, and it’s no secret that it was initially driven in large part by a desire to get at Billy and Sheila (which worked, clearly). But it’s also about the Oedipal jealousy previously seen between Barry and Bobby. Amid the carnage at the house, Tracy has shown further growth, with her desire to leave home while minimising the hurt caused to her father, and the result was a scene that showed a quiet dignity as Tracy asked Billy if he would fix a socket at the flat and he said he’d do anything to help.

Sheila giving her Grandchild’s Christmas money to Billy is the tip of the iceberg with her at the moment. With Billy under pressure from Barry to pay back the money she’d given him, Sheila starts looking critically round the house and telling Billy they need to completely redecorate. When Billy protested by pointing out the bleeding obvious, she shrugged it off and suggested he should tell Rod to put enough into the pot for them to do it. Then she lied to Billy about Kathy’s son Sean being AWOL - instead saying he was on leave - so that she could harbour him at Number Ten. The way she’s written at home it’s difficult to feel I know her at the moment. The place where she feels most recognisable is at her place of work, which is odd. Thankfully, things coming to a head with Sean gave some really good Sheila/Kathy material right at the end of the run, and Billy’s discovery of her lie about Sean showed some promise (even though he seemed to forgive her a little too quickly).

It's telling that with twenty five episodes covered, I find myself with almost nothing new to say. There's good stuff, but the scales are tipping in the wrong direction. Increasingly, this feels like a series going through the soapy motions.... and I find myself watching in the same spirit.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Frank Cottrell-Boyce was on a special edition of University Challenge last night, representing Keble, Oxford, where he had studied English from 1979-1985. He was introduced as the current Children's Laureate.

I'd say he was the most impressive player. I didn't watch from the beginning, but certainly for the last two thirds he was the person who buzzed in the most and he was invariably correct. Economist Paul Johnson helped with the heavy lifting and they carried their team who evidently would have struggled without them there.

This was said to be a return visit, with the first being in 2017. I may well seek it out to watch Frank in action again.




Incidentally. STV have dropped ten episodes this week, and will do the same next week. I'll have a lot to catch up on when I get back to it.