Brookside (Brookside)

Member Name: polydeuces

Product:	Brookside
Date:	09/08/08 (5 review reads)
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I find Brookside to be absolutely impenetrable. It takes long enough to understand what they are saying what with 'Go ead yur divvy' whatever that means but even when you can understand them the storylines are so extreme there is just no credibility.

I know its a soap and they have to compress everything into a small location but the amount of things which have happened in the Close are incredible. You have the usual mix of improbable marriages and relationships seemingly only set up so you can see how they fail. Completely implausible situations such as Jimmy Corkhill becoming a teacher and going off his head. There have been gangsters, stalkers, rapes, drugs, lesbian affairs, 'ordinary' affairs but with big age differences. Of course as there are a limited number of characters for you theoretically to get interested in they always seem to get involved with each other.
The programme has been going since Channel 4 started and was the brainchild of Phil Redmond who also developed Grange Hill. I have to say the programme needs rethinking. There used to be a spoof soap from America called 'Soap' in which completely outrageous things happened but I think even they would have rejected some of the Brookside plots.

Brookside is quite well produced and well acted but without the credibility in the story it is just a waste of talent. Some good actors like Kenneth Cope, Anna Friel and Bernie Nolan have been in it and it was where Amanda Burton first came to prominence.
Ultimately though I can leave it alone, it just doesn't grip me. Its just too ridiculous. There are occasionally some 5 programmes a week special story lines but it all getting too predictable. You just have to imagine the most improbable thing the could happen and it probably will.

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