One of the most famous storylines in British soap history is to air in full for the first time in 38 years.
STV Player has been working with Lime Pictures to remaster thousands of episodes of Brookside and they’ve reached the harrowing rape storyline of much-loved character, Sheila Grant.
Played by Sue Johnston, it was one of the first depictions of a brutal sexual assault in a British soap, when it first broadcast in 1986. It also brought conversations around the devastating impact of rape and sexual assault to the mainstream.
“Brookside was, and remains, renowned for its gritty realism and for not being afraid to shine a light on issues that were so often ignored on television when it was first shown forty years ago,” said Richard Williams, Managing Director of Digital, STV.
“The rape of Sheila Grant was a landmark moment – not just in Brookside, but in British TV itself. The wider conversations the storyline provoked at the time were testament to Sue Johnston’s powerful performance, as well as the sensitive scripting of the Brookside writers. Four decades on, we’re pleased to be giving a platform to this significant storyline and the important issues it highlights.”
A trio of suspects are quickly put in the frame: former friend Matty Nolan, who’s furious with Sheila for telling his wife about his affair; neighbour Pat Hancock, who was drunk on the night in question and can’t remember his whereabouts; and lecturer Alun Jones, who recently failed in his attempts to start an affair with Sheila.
The storyline is the first landmark Brookside plot to air on STV Player since the platform became the first streamer to show the iconic Merseyside soap from the very start in February 2023.
Since then, 5 new episodes have been released on STV Player each Wednesday.
It’s been a surprise hit for STV Player, becoming the fastest show to ever reach one million streams on the platform – in just one week – and receiving more than 14 million streams in its first year.
