Brookside Is Coming Back & Soap Opera Fans Are Going Wild

Following the return of the iconic Australian sudser Neighbours, another much-loved soap opera is set to return to our screens in 2023. Yes, as of February 1, the Liverpool-based drama Brookside will be broadcast from the very beginning on the STV Player streaming service, introducing the fondly-remembered series to a whole new generation.

Set on a fictional Liverpool street, Brookside first began airing in 1982 and enjoyed a hugely-successful run — attracting nine million viewers during the height of its popularity — before wrapping up for good in November 2003.

As per the BBC, the long-running series was created by the man responsible for Grange Hill and Hollyoaks, and became known for its groundbreaking storylines and characters. Including the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television, and the first openly gay character in a British soap opera, Gordon Collins.

The likes of Anna Friel, Jennifer Ellison, Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, and Claire Sweeney appeared in the series throughout its two-decade run, as did Sunetra Sarker (aka Nisha Batra) who said she was “thrilled” to learn Brookside will be enjoyed by a whole new audience “after all these years.”

Fans of the beloved soap were quick to express their joy at “Brookie’s” streaming debut. “I've driven all my friends mad on WhatsApp. Brookside is back. So excited,” one fan wrote on Twitter, while another user joked: “Just seen that all Brookside episodes will be available to stream soon ... You will never see me again, I’m busy.”

Find some of the best memes and tweets reacting to the return of Brookside, below.