Brookside on Channel 4 was a groundbreaking series unafraid to push boundaries – so what were its most controversial storylines?
The soap ran for 21 years, from 1982 until 2003, and it’s about to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The soap – which starred cast members including Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston, Claire Sweeney and Simon O’Brien – was perhaps most famous for its shocking and explosive storylines.
Here’s a rundown of the top 10 most controversial, taboo-breaking storylines to ever appear on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.
Brookside’s most controversial storylines: Sheila Grant’s rape
One of the stand-out Brookside episodes included the horrifying rape of Sheila Grant.
An unknown attacker raped and beat Sheila, leaving Brookside fans sickened.
The storyline highlighted the issue of sexual assault in 1986 – something that affects at least one in four of us to this day.
This was well before EastEnders’ depiction of Linda’s chilling rape at the hands of her brother-in-law Dean in October 2014.
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