Street to Close

Calm down! Calm down! Don't worry, we're talking about Brookside Close. Last week we received a request from the Brookside DVD campaign asking us to publicise their attempt to get Liverpool soap, Brookside, released on DVD. My first thought was, 'nice idea but what's it got to do with Corrie?' I was a big fan of Brookside in its heyday in the late 80s and through the 90s, though it did seem to lose its way a bit in later years and my first love was always Corrie. So I got to thinking and figured it would be nice to remember all those actors who have appeared in both programmes and help publicise the campaign at the same time.

In the very first episode of Corrie were two actors who went on to star in Brookie. Betty Alberge appeared in the first scene as Florrie Lindley who took over the corner shop from Elsie Lappin. In Brookside she played the role of Edna Cross, long suffering wife of the curmudgeonly Harry. Alan Rothwell played Ken Barlow's brother David and went on to become heroin addict and boyfriend of Heather Haversham, Nick Black.

Other actors who made the move from Street to Close are: Kenneth Cope, who played Jed Stone (aka Sunny Jim) and Ray Hilton; Sue Jenkins, Gloria Todd and Jackie Corkhill; Roberta Kerr, Wendy Crozier and Sally Haynes; and Kazia Pelka, Linda Jackson and Anna Wolska, she also returned to Corrie in 2002 as Hazel Wilding who had a fling with Vikram.

Many more actors have come the other way down the M62, giving up life on the sensational Close for a slightly more sedate life in Weatherfield. The most recent of these is that old Brookie stalwart Sinbad, played by Michael Starke for 16 years, who turned up recently as kebab shop owner Jerry Morton.

Others who have made the move include: Gabrielle Glaister was Patricia Farnham in Brookside and Debs Brownlow (sister of Natalie Barnes) in Coronation Street; Dicken Ashworth, Alan Partridge and Jeff Horton; Cliff Howells, George Jackson and Terry Seymour; Sam Kane, Peter Phelan and internet stalker, Gary Adams; Geoffrey Leesley, John Harrison and the latest incarnation of Gordon Clegg; most recent of all was, Robert Beck (real life husband of Jane Danson) who played rapist Peter Harrison in Brookie and mechanic and killer of Liam Connor, Jimmy Dockerson in Corrie.

That's quite a list but are there any others that you can remember?

Click here to find out more about the Brookside DVD Campaign or join their Facebook group.