Brookside continues to be loved by fans old and new – and it’s not going anywhere!
Just weeks after TV cameras returned to Brookside Close for the first time in 22 years for a one-off revival episode, now fans are in for another treat – as STV Player has confirmed the iconic soap will continue to air on the platform into 2029.
STV Player became the first streaming service to relaunch Brookside in January 2023. The streamer – which is available for free across the UK – has signed a new three-year deal with distributor All3Media International after Brookside became one of its most-watched titles, amassing an enormous 33 million streams since first landing on the platform.
With five new episodes dropping every Wednesday, STV Player viewers have now reached episodes of the show from December 1989, meaning they’ve watched the equivalent of seven years of the soap’s original timeline.
The new deal will ensure that viewers can continue to follow their favourite characters as they move into the 1990s – a fascinating transitional period marked by the end of the Thatcher era and major culture shifts.
The period is also widely recognised as one of the show’s most successful era in terms of ratings and cultural relevance, regularly reaching 8 million viewers and producing defining storylines such as the murder of abusive Trevor Jordache, who was famously found buried under the patio of number 10.
Upcoming episodes on STV Player will also follow the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ storyline which featured the UK’s first pre-watershed lesbian kiss between characters Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) and Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson). Plus, viewers will be introduced to linchpin family, the Dixons – including Alex Fletcher as Jacqui Dixon – and Brookside legend Lindsey Corkhill (Claire Sweeney).
Last month, a one-off special episode to mark the 30th anniversary of sister series Hollyoaks brought a number of cast members back to the Close for the first time since 2003. Both of the much loved shows were created by Sir Phil Redmond and produced by Lime Pictures (formerly Mersey Television), part of All3Media.
