The popular Liverpool soap will return to screens for a crossover episode with Hollyoaks
Paul Usher played Barry Grant on Brookside(Image: Lime Pictures)
Brookside’s Barry Grant has opened up on having to “vacate the premises” as “blokes went for him” while he was starring in the Channel 4 soap. 64-year-old actor Paul Usher portrayed hard man Barry Grant, the son of Sheila Grant, played by Sue Johnston. The iconic Liverpool soap will return to screens next week.
The show, which was Channel 4’s first soap and ran from 1982 to 2003, will make a comeback as part of a crossover episode with its successor Hollyoaks to celebrate the latter’s 30th anniversary. The episode will air next week and will honour Brookside and its Huyton-born creator Sir Phil Redmond, who is also known for writing Grange Hill.
Filmed and set on Brookside Close in West Derby, Brookside was pioneering and tackled important social issues in the community in which it was based.
Hollyoaks, which began in 1995, took over as Channel 4’s flagship continuing drama when the Liverpool-based soap ended on November 4, 2003. It started filming on part of the former set of Brookside, where it is still shot today, originally with just nine characters.
The crossover episode will see the return of iconic Brookside characters to mark the milestone. It will look at where they are now, more than 20 years on. It will be the first time Brookside Close has been on air since it ended with Jimmy Corkhill (played by the late Dean Sullivan) daubing a ‘d’ onto the sign, leaving it as ‘Brookside Closed’ before driving out of the cul-de-sac.
Executive producer Hannah Cheers said: “This episode is a love letter to both Hollyoaks and Brookside. 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.
Actor Paul Usher in character as Barry Grant in television soap Brookside, circa 1982(Image: Photo by TV Times via Getty Images)
Paul Usher, who portrayed Barry Grant, has shared his view on the crossover episode, as he was quick to sign up when he found out his on screen parents had said yes.
He said: “When they told me Ricky Tomlinson (Bobby Grant) and Sue Johnston (Sheila Grant) were doing it, that made me say yes because we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like.”
Paul continued: “I’ve got a lot of really good friends from Brookside days so to come back and be with them, it puts the bow on top of it. I’m pleased I said yes now.”
Barry Grant made a name for himself as one of the greatest TV villains. He was known as the soap’s “hard man”, going as far as killing his best friend’s wife and child as part of a storyline.
Paul shared his bad boy character was often difficult to play as he said “it could be draining”. He said: “One thing I developed here is how you can be laughing and joking before a take, as soon as they say action you’re in that place – but don’t ever take it home with you. It will fry your brain.
“Playing the intense stuff is good to do, it takes you somewhere else, it’s not often in life you get to be as angry or aggressive as the character allows you to be.”
He opened up on receiving backlash from audiences, who were aggressive towards him due to his character’s intense storylines. The star shared: “I never got knocked out, but I had to duck about 20 times. Blokes went for me, mostly because their girlfriends really fancied Barry.
“Fellas would get wound up after a few bevvies if the girls they were with saw me out somewhere. You ended up having a sixth sense for it, you knew it was coming – so you’d either vacate the premises or run!”
The Brookside and Hollyoaks crossover episode will air on Wednesday, October 22.