Brookside return 'weird but nice' for stars

It was all smiles as Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson returned to the Brookside set

As the rain poured down on Brookside Close, nothing could dampen the spirits of the familiar faces whose characters once resided on the famous cul-de-sac.

TV royalty Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson were among the cast members to be reunited on set as they reprised their roles in the popular soap Brookside for a one-off special, which will air later.

The pair have stayed closely connected over the years, having gone on to star together in the BBC sitcom The Royle Family and more recently watching the Reds at Anfield together.

But it was still a trip down memory lane as they became Sheila Corkhill and her ex-husband Bobby Grant once more, returning to the close that captured the hearts of so many viewers.

So how did it feel after all those years to revisit the characters?

"Weird," Johnston joked as she awaited her next scene.

"My head's buzzing."

"Strange," Tomlinson added.

"But it's nice to see some of the old faces."

Filming took place on the close over the course of one day in early September, with Tomlinson's return still under wraps at that time.

Ricky Tomlinson reprises the role of Bobby Grant for the special episode

Earlier this year, the pair had got the call about potentially reviving the soap opera, which aired its final episode on 4 November 2003.

"I couldn't persuade him to do it," Johnston said.

"He wouldn't do it, would he?"

"Not at first, no," agreed Tomlinson, who played Bobby between 1982 and 1988.

"And then I thought, because we've both [been granted] freedom of the city of Liverpool, I thought we've got a duty really to promote Liverpool, get more young actors and people into the business working.

"I'm delighted I decided to do it."

While the storyline for the special episode was a close-kept secret, they knew it would be a crossover with Hollyoaks to mark the soap's 30th anniversary.

Both were conceived by Grange Hill creator Sir Philip Redmond, with Brookside later paving the way for the creation of Chester-based Hollyoaks.

Old photographs were amongst the props spotted inside some of the homes

Also joining Johnston and Tomlinson back on the famous close was Paul Usher, who played the couple's son and Brookside's villain Barry Grant.

"It feels a bit weird but I'm starting to feel at home again," he said after filming his first scene back.

John McArdle, who played Sheila's second husband Billy Corkhill, never thought he would have the opportunity to play the character again.

He said the "only doubt I had was 'would I remember how to play Billy?'."

For Michael Starke, who played Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney and also appeared in Hollyoaks as a taxi driver named Benny, it felt like he had "never been away" from the close.

"It's a bit like the Twilight Zone but we've had such fun," he said.

However, it was clear that the moment was bittersweet - a reminder of the death of their friend and fellow cast member Dean Sullivan, who played Jimmy Corkhill.

"He's never far from our minds, particularly today," Starke said.

"As soon as we all got together, he was the first person we spoke about."

There was excitement on set as filming took place on Brookside Close

Suzanne Collins, who played Nikki Shadwick, echoed the same sentiments.

While filming her scenes, she kept a note in her pocket that read: "Suzanne, Love ya!". It had been written by Sullivan.

"Dean would absolutely love this. He would just be in his element," she said.

"He would have been the first call they would have made to say come back."

Philip Olivier, who played Timothy 'Tinhead' O'Leary, was just about to jet off on holiday when he got the unexpected call.

"I started this job in Brookside when I was 15 years old," he said.

"If someone would have told me that in 30 years' time, I'd still be getting called Tinhead every single day of my life and I'm not getting paid for it any more, [I wouldn't believe them].

"But let's just add fuel to the fire and let's go back and do it."

Collins and Olivier said they were excited to reprise their roles for the revival

The set where Brookside was filmed was a real cul-de-sac in the West Derby area of Liverpool, made up of what were then newly-built houses.

After the final episode aired, the properties were sold and new residents moved in.

Wendy Rust has lived in the close for 16 years.

Her house, or more specifically its back garden, was famous among Brookie fans after Trevor Jordache's body was buried there in one memorable storyline.

"We get a lot of interest in the house and people trying to climb over, taking pictures," she said.

"They forget that it's our home, so that's a little bit hard.

"There's definitely no body under the patio, although there's been a few threats to my husband from time to time that he might join Trevor if he carries on."

Wendy Rust gave the BBC a tour of the famous garden where Trevor Jordache was buried in the soap

Further down the street, a number of fans had gathered in the hope of catching a glimpse of the characters they grew up watching.

They included Colin Savage, from Knotty Ash, who started watching the Channel 4 soap in 1982.

He has collected the autographs of many of the stars on a Brookside Close road sign.

Colin Savage spent hours waiting to see the cast and crew of the popular soap

He said he hoped the special episode was just the start of a Brookside revival.

"I'm definitely hoping it is going to come back," he said.

"I watched it on STV and I've watched all the old episodes."

Only time will tell if Brookside becomes a permanent fixture on the small screen once again.

The episode will air on E4 at 19:00 BST.