Brookside is back! (Picture: STV) Brookside set to continue on STV Player into 2029 as streamer signs new deal to air iconic soap Fans of Brookside have plenty to celebrate this week, as it’s been confirmed that the iconic Liverpool-set soap will continue streaming on STV Player until at least 2029. The news comes as part of a brand new three-year deal between the Scottish broadcaster’s free streaming service and distributor All3Media International, extending the show’s successful second life on the platform. The announcement follows a surge of renewed interest in the groundbreaking soap, which originally aired on Channel 4 from 1982 to 2003. Just weeks ago, cameras returned to Brookside Close for the first time in over two decades to film a special one-off revival celebrating the show’s legacy, and now, the nostalgia wave continues. Brookside’s streaming revival STV Player became the first streaming platform to bring Brookside back to audiences when it relaunched the series in January 2023. Since then, the soap has become one of the service’s biggest success stories, racking up an astonishing 33 million streams. New episodes drop every Wednesday in batches of five, allowing viewers to relive the show’s early years from the very beginning. Fans currently find themselves watching episodes from December 1989, which marks seven years into Brookside’s original run, an era widely regarded as the show at its creative and cultural peak. The extended deal will ensure that viewers can continue to follow the residents of Liverpool’s most famous cul-de-sac as the show heads into the early 1990s, a period remembered for bold storytelling and major social change, both on-screen and off. A soap that changed British TV Created by Sir Phil Redmond, who would later go on to launch Hollyoaks and Grange Hill, Brookside became a defining part of British television history. Known for its realism, working-class setting, and willingness to tackle taboo issues, the soap broke new ground throughout its 21-year run. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the show regularly drew audiences of up to 8 million viewers, thanks to gripping, sometimes controversial storylines that reflected real social and political tensions of the time. Among them was the infamous Trevor Jordache murder plot, which saw the abusive husband killed by his wife, Mandy and daughter Beth, his body later discovered buried under the patio in one of the most iconic and shocking moments in soap history. Fans are buzzing from the nostalgia (Picture: STV) That storyline alone cemented Brookside’s reputation as a fearless drama unafraid to challenge conventions and push boundaries. The golden era continues With the newly extended streaming deal, Brookside fans will soon reach what many consider the soap’s ‘golden era.’ Upcoming episodes on STV Player will include some of its most memorable and progressive storylines, such as the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ plotline featuring Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) and Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson), which made TV history with the UK’s first pre-watershed lesbian kiss. The episodes will also introduce key figures who would go on to become Brookside legends, including Alex Fletcher as Jacqui Dixon and Claire Sweeney as Lindsey Corkhill, both of whom helped carry the soap into its later years. Claire Sweeney has stayed in the soaps world now starring in Corrie (Picture: ITV) A modern platform for a classic series STV Player’s revival of Brookside has been hailed as one of the smartest nostalgia-driven streaming successes of recent years. Available for free across the UK, the service is accessible via Sky Q, NOW, Virgin Media, Amazon Fire TV, and Freeview Play, helping to bring the soap’s legacy to both long-time fans and new viewers discovering it for the first time. Explaining the decision to extend the partnership, Richard Williams, STV’s Managing Director of Audience (Video & Technology), said: ‘Brookside regularly dominates STV Player’s most-watched list, and with some of the show’s most memorable storylines just around the corner, it’s a no-brainer to extend our partnership with All3Media International and Lime Pictures and continue to give fans their Brookie fix right through to 2029. The phenomenal response we’ve had since relaunching Brookside proves that it’s an integral piece of British TV history with an enduring impact, and we’re proud to be able to call STV Player its long-term home.’ Meanwhile, Gary Woolf, EVP Strategic Development at All3Media International, praised the show’s continued success: ‘We’re thrilled to extend the Brookside partnership with STV Player. Fans up and down the UK have embraced having the soap available weekly on STV Player, with social media buzzing each week around the regular Wednesday five-episode drop. It’s fantastic that we’re able to continue with that experience as we hit a real ‘golden era’ for the soap over the coming few years.’ John Whittle, Managing Director of Lime Pictures, the production company behind both Brookside and Hollyoaks, also welcomed the news, saying: ‘Lime Pictures are delighted that fans of Brookside can continue to enjoy original episodes for years to come. As shown by the success of the recent Brookside crossover episode, the demand is there for these much-loved, familiar characters and soap archetypes to be back on our screens.’ Back to the Close (Picture: TV Times via Getty) Last month’s Brookside revival saw cameras return to the famous cul-de-sac for the first time since the original series ended in 2003. The short special, created to coincide with Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary, reunited several Brookside cast members and paid tribute to the shared legacy of the two Phil Redmond-created dramas. For fans, it was a nostalgic return to the world of Brookside Close, a reminder of how the soap changed the landscape of British television with its unflinching realism and regional identity. Still breaking boundaries Even two decades after it left the air, Brookside continues to resonate with fans. Its themes, domestic violence, unemployment, social class, sexuality, and politics, remain startlingly relevant, and its influence can still be felt in modern soaps from EastEnders to Hollyoaks. With STV Player’s deal ensuring access through to 2029, a new generation now has the chance to experience the show’s groundbreaking stories from the very beginning, while long-time fans can revisit the moments that made Brookside essential viewing. As the platform prepares to enter the show’s defining early ’90s run, one thing’s certain: Brookside may have left Channel 4’s schedule two decades ago, but on streaming, it’s found a whole new life, and it’s only just getting started again.