EXCLUSIVE: Filming for Brookside will take place in September
Brookside will make a one-off comeback later this year (Image: Channel 4)
Two decades after Brookside disappeared from our screens, one of its best-known stars is heading back to cul-de-sac where it all began. Channel 4 has confirmed that the iconic Liverpool soap will make a one-off comeback later this year and the first returning cast member has now been revealed.
Sue Johnston, who became a household name as matriarch Sheila Grant, will reprise the role in a special crossover episode with Hollyoaks to mark the latter’s 30th anniversary. Filming is set to begin this autumn on the original West Derby street.
Sue, appointed OBE in 2009 for services to drama and charity, first rose to fame as Sheila in 1982 and went on to become a household name.
Outside of Brookside, she is best known for her role in The Royle Family and was BAFTA-nominated in 2025 for her performance in Channel 4’s Truelove.
Of her return, Sue said: “It’ll be so lovely to go back and be Sheila for a day as it was such big, enjoyable part of my life.”
Brookside, Channel 4’s first soap, ran from 1982 until 2003 and earned a reputation for tackling hard-hitting, socially relevant storylines.
Sue Johnston who played Sheila Grant. 6th October 1982(Image: Mirrorpix)
Sue’s character was central to many of its biggest plots. In 1986, her character was attacked, raped and beaten by a taxi driver, then in 1987, her youngest son Damon was stabbed to death in London.
Sheila later found love with Billy Corkhill (John McArdle), and the pair left Brookside in 1990.
Her return marks the first time Brookside Close will appear on screen since the soap ended, when Jimmy Corkhill (the late Dean Sullivan) altered the street sign to read ‘Brookside Closed’.
Hollyoaks, which began filming on part of the former Brookside set after the soap ended in 2003, will pay tribute to its predecessor in the anniversary special in October.
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.
“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.
Actress Sue Johnston celebrates after receiving her OBE from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on November 5, 2009(Image: Ian Nicholson / WPA Pool / Getty Images)
“As a lifelong soap fan who grew up watching with my mum, I was passionate about revisiting Brookside for the anniversary. 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.”
Brookside creator Sir Phil Redmond added: “It is always bitter sweet 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 cross over 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.”
Filming for the crossover will take place in September with special permission granted by the residents of the West Derby cul-de-sac where Brookside was originally filmed.