Simply A Masterpiece

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

When it first aired in 1982 Brookside was clearly different to what had been on UK TV. Swearing and scenes like Karen Grant being threatened by her boyfriend with a pot of hot tea into having sex drew criticism from the press to Mary Whitehouse. They toned the swearing down but delivered great plots some of which had good social comment like Damon's spell on the YTS. There was some fun moments too like Sheila and Marie's slanging match on the close. By the 1990s plots like the body under the patio and the religious cult siege took the show to a new and far-fetched low. The Nikki Shadwick rape whodunit was too overdrawn whilst the Nat and Georgia incest storyline could have been interesting but due to tabloid outrage was quickly wound up. By the 2000s channel 4 started airing Big Brother and Brookside found itself playing second fiddle in the prime time schedules and got a weekly Saturday afternoon slot. And in 2003 Brookside went out without as much as a bang.

The (not so) everyday life of the residents of a Liverpool Close. Brookside has been known to break the 'taboos' of life and include stories that no other soap had been brave enough to do before. Throughout the 80's and early 90's, stories of rape, domestic violence, homosexuality, incest and murder earned the soap high ratings. This was because Brookside wasn't afraid to push the barriers of soap stories. In fact, most people would say that Brookside helped pave the way for other soaps to be so extreme. In it's heyday 10 million viewers regularly tuned in. This was in 1993, with one of the most controversial storylines to be on TV at the time. From that point on things began to go downhill. Though remaining popular, the 10 million viewers gradually decreased to around 1.5 million. Thus, in 2002, Brookside was moved to a Saturday afternoon slot, then to a late night Tuesday slot. It was eventually axed, and the last episode runs tonight.So what went wrong? I was a fan up until around 2000. Up until this point the stories had been as exciting and controversial as ever, but maybe it was so exciting that it was unbelievable?Most soaps have long, drawn out stories that gradually develop, and these are few and far between. While this is dull for some, it can at least relate with the everyday life of people. These long stories allow for character development, so people will become familiar with people on screen and feel as if they 'know' them. Brookside had none of this. Within the space of a few years we had a virus that killed off half the cast, the incestuous relationship of a brother and sister, a man killing his mother-in-law to get rid of her cancer pain, a drug-rape (which did drag for over a year, but became boring), a man purchasing a shotgun and killing a burglar, a couple of bombs/explosions, racist thugs that came from nowhere, a schoolboy killing and, to top it all off, a seige that trapped the close for three weeks.Whilst these all sound good on paper, most of these characters and stories came and went in the space of a year, hauling tonnes of emotional baggage (that we hadn't seen develop) with them. Viewers didn't feel as though they knew the characters.There was also no continuity. With other soaps, they all have at least one character that has been there all along, and most have lasted the majority of the show's life. Brookside has just one remaining character that has made it past the fifteen year mark. The rest have came and gone in very little time. Other soaps have familiar pubs and shops (ie the Cabin, Queen Vic, Woolpac, Rovers Return) Brookside has no familiar 'mascot' as such.So it ends tonight. The thing is, since it was moved to a late night slot, it has became brilliant viewing. I have since heard that this was the way it was supposed to be as of last year, but the movement to an afternoon slot made it impossible to show what they wanted to.I'll be watching tonight, as will the 1.5 million left. Maybe more since the final episode has had some surprisingly good news coverage."Brookie"-1982-2003

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsAnd this show's end is next week,hah hah hah hah.Well,it's had a pretty long run.I must confess,I've only really started watching it and showing an interest in it these last few weeks as it tick tocks toward it's final episode.Bloody hell,they don't half overact in this show though,don't they?That and some utterly sensationalist storylines make it a show I don't think I could ever have made a permanent fixture in my life,i.e. East Enders or,more regrettably nowadays,Coronation Street.Having said that,weirdly enough,a lot of the characters are pretty believable for a Liverpool set soap,with names like Sinbad,Bazza and Jordache,as well as an impressive regional dialect.From what I've seen of it it's never been a brilliant show in my eyes but I'd certainly watch it over Emmerdale or,perish the thought,Hollyoaks.**

Like so many people I eagerly waited for the 1st episode on the new TV channel 4. Quickly I became a fan of the great story-lines and strong characters. "Brookside" boasted a number of fantastic soap characters (Barry Grant was my favourite). It even had a "Hollyoakes" like ability to attract some good-looking female actresses. But what I really liked was the realistic stories and the way "Brookside" was so different to the much more camper offerings like "Eldorado" offered by other channels. It pushed boundaries and broke new ground. However by the late 90's the soap was a pale shadow of its former self. Gone were the interesting, likable characters and compelling stories and in were boring irritating families with completely stupid plots. I no longer watch "Brookside" and will not miss it when it ends this year.