"Brookside" is a British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982 and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003. Originally intended to be called Meadowcroft, the series was produced by Lime Pictures (then called Mersey Television) and was conceived by "Grange Hill" and "Hollyoaks" creator Phil Redmond.

The show had a smaller ensemble cast than other soaps, eventually focusing on six households. The early cast featured just 16 characters and it would be a full 12 months before the six houses in Brookside Close became fully occupied. This was intentional, as Redmond wanted to reflect the pace of real life 'new-build' estate occupancy.

Brookside became very successful and was often Channel 4's highest rated programme for a number of years in the mid-1980s, with audiences regularly in excess of nine million viewers. It is notable for its realistic and socially challenging storylines.

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