The program is now undoubtedly the crème de la crème in the UK when it comes to showcasing gay plotlines. Thankfully, the award-winning UK teen drama earlier this year introduced a storyline that saw John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) come out as gay, and also had him fall in love with his best friend Craig Dean (Guy Burnet). However, the show has had a poor record when it comes to gay storylines. The show has never been shy when it comes to controversial storylines, which is particularly noteworthy since it airs well before the 9:00PM watershed (the cut-off point for UK programs intended for family viewing) and reaches a younger audience than do other soaps. One of the most popular gay storylines of late has been on Hollyoaks which differs from its competition both in the time it is broadcast and, until recently, its gay content. (Unlike US daytime dramas like ATWT, the majority of British soaps are broadcast at night.) In fact, from EastEnders to Emmerdale, gay characters have been a fundamental part of UK soaps for the last two decades. In the UK, however, gay storylines in soap operas are nothing new. US television has never seen anything quite like the fan reaction Luke and Noah’s teenage romance has produced on ATWT, the first American soap opera to depict a fully realized romantic gay male coupling as an integral part of the show. 2.While American daytime TV audiences have been avidly following the ground-breaking romance between gay teenagers Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann) on As the World Turns, and night time audiences have cheered the out Kevin Walker’s (Matthew Rhys) relationships on Brothers & Sisters, across the pond British soap fans have been following their own gay storylines for much longer. In the end, the Ebola-like illness killed off a number of characters including George (Brian Murphy) and Audrey Manners (Judith Barker), and garage owner Gary Salter. There was even a fallout between those observing social distancing rules and the disbelievers running wild in scenes eerily predicting the Covid pandemic. The Close even went into 'lockdown' as fearful residents attempted to shield themselves from the highly contagious mystery bug. Years before anyone had heard the word coronavirus, Brookside dared to imagine what would happen if a deadly virus swept through an urban town. The soap will be added to the SoapBox section of the service in July, along with Crossroads and Take the High Road.īefore the reveal we take a look back at some of Brookeside's most bonkers moments. This week it was announced that fans will be able to relive the drama all over again with episodes available to stream on BritBox. Prior to its sad demise, Brookside led the way in tackling challenging and shocking storylines that positioned the show as must-see TV with episodes regularly drawing in eight million viewers. The Liverpool-based soap was a ratings smash in the 1980s and 1990s before things took a downward turn and bosses eventually pulled the plug in 2003.
Throughout its 21 year run, writers at the Channel 4 soap had a blast dreaming up a seemingly endless slew of dark and bonkers storylines to keep viewers glued to their screens. From incest, murder and a history-making snog, Brookside was never afraid to go where rival soaps refused to tread.