Perdita
17-08-2025, 06:02
https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/hollyoaks/a65795910/brookside-return-hollyoaks/
Axed Channel 4 soap Brookside is making a return, in a totally unexpected way.
As part of Hollyoaks' 30th anniversary celebration this year, there'll be a special episode crossing over with Brookie, as fans like to call it.
Running from 1982 to 2003, Brookside was the first soap created by Sir Phil Redmond (Grange Hill came first, but not technically counted as a soap) and laid the foundation for the kind of storytelling Hollyoaks would later adopt.
The special episode will be filming on location at what used to be Brookside Close in Liverpool, which is now a residential area. The locals will be invited to share lunch with the cast and crew while filming is taking place.
It's not just the location making an appearance, as some classic characters are set to make their return. We don't know who yet, but with filming set for September, it won't be too long before we find out.
"This episode is a love letter to both Hollyoaks and Brookside," said executive producer Hannah Cheers.
"Brookside gave birth to Hollyoaks ? it grew up on the same site and eventually took over its sets. For everyone at Lime Pictures (originally Mersey TV), Hollyoaks' history is deeply rooted in Brookside, and its legacy lives on through our crew and, of course, some of our cast.
"This special feels like both a moving and fitting tribute to our origin story and a chance for fans to revisit much-loved Brookside characters in honour of that legacy.
"These iconic Brookside characters are soap archetypes that helped define British TV; soap archetypes that new generations are still discovering now through Hollyoaks."
"As a lifelong soap fan who grew up watching with my mum, I was passionate about revisiting Brookside for the anniversary," she continued. "With Sir Phil's blessing ? after I had the privilege of pitching the idea to him ? and the support of Channel 4, we're able to make it happen.
"Writer Steve Hughes, who began his career on Brookside, has reimagined where these characters are more than twenty years on. We hope audiences will enjoy welcoming these old friends back into their homes once again."
Redmond added: "It is always bittersweet thinking back to Brookie, the reminders of its success and impact, but the thoughts of many, like Dean Sullivan and Bill Dean, who are no longer with us.
"But it is great that Lime Pictures are paying homage in their Hollyoaks anniversary crossover episodes.
"I can't wait to see how all the gardens are coping in the heatwave and, who knows, what might pop up if someone decides to re-lay their patio. I know we left something else down there..."
Brookside started to get added to the STV Player streaming service in 2023, right from the very beginning.
The reruns have set multiple records on the streamer, and it even added a Brookside spin-off at the start of this year.
These aren't the only two soaps set to cross over, as ITV's Coronation Street and Emmerdale will kick off the new 2026 schedule with a special episode of their own.
Axed Channel 4 soap Brookside is making a return, in a totally unexpected way.
As part of Hollyoaks' 30th anniversary celebration this year, there'll be a special episode crossing over with Brookie, as fans like to call it.
Running from 1982 to 2003, Brookside was the first soap created by Sir Phil Redmond (Grange Hill came first, but not technically counted as a soap) and laid the foundation for the kind of storytelling Hollyoaks would later adopt.
The special episode will be filming on location at what used to be Brookside Close in Liverpool, which is now a residential area. The locals will be invited to share lunch with the cast and crew while filming is taking place.
It's not just the location making an appearance, as some classic characters are set to make their return. We don't know who yet, but with filming set for September, it won't be too long before we find out.
"This episode is a love letter to both Hollyoaks and Brookside," said executive producer Hannah Cheers.
"Brookside gave birth to Hollyoaks ? it grew up on the same site and eventually took over its sets. For everyone at Lime Pictures (originally Mersey TV), Hollyoaks' history is deeply rooted in Brookside, and its legacy lives on through our crew and, of course, some of our cast.
"This special feels like both a moving and fitting tribute to our origin story and a chance for fans to revisit much-loved Brookside characters in honour of that legacy.
"These iconic Brookside characters are soap archetypes that helped define British TV; soap archetypes that new generations are still discovering now through Hollyoaks."
"As a lifelong soap fan who grew up watching with my mum, I was passionate about revisiting Brookside for the anniversary," she continued. "With Sir Phil's blessing ? after I had the privilege of pitching the idea to him ? and the support of Channel 4, we're able to make it happen.
"Writer Steve Hughes, who began his career on Brookside, has reimagined where these characters are more than twenty years on. We hope audiences will enjoy welcoming these old friends back into their homes once again."
Redmond added: "It is always bittersweet thinking back to Brookie, the reminders of its success and impact, but the thoughts of many, like Dean Sullivan and Bill Dean, who are no longer with us.
"But it is great that Lime Pictures are paying homage in their Hollyoaks anniversary crossover episodes.
"I can't wait to see how all the gardens are coping in the heatwave and, who knows, what might pop up if someone decides to re-lay their patio. I know we left something else down there..."
Brookside started to get added to the STV Player streaming service in 2023, right from the very beginning.
The reruns have set multiple records on the streamer, and it even added a Brookside spin-off at the start of this year.
These aren't the only two soaps set to cross over, as ITV's Coronation Street and Emmerdale will kick off the new 2026 schedule with a special episode of their own.