Sue Johnston to reprise her role in Brookside as Shelia Grant

Lauren HirstBBC Information, LiverpoolLime Footage/Rex FeaturesSue Johnston first appeared as Sheila Grant in 1982 alongside Ricky TomlinsonActress Sue Johnston is about to reprise her position in Brookside for the TV cleaning soap’s long-awaited return.Digital camera crews are set to return to the well-known cul-de-sac as a part of a one-off particular episode to mark Hollyoaks’ thirtieth anniversary.Johnston, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009, will return to the character of Liverpudlian matriarch Sheila Grant, later Corkhill.”It will be so beautiful to return and be Sheila for a day because it was such huge, pleasurable a part of my life,” mentioned Johnston, who can be well-known for taking part in Barbara Royle within the award-winning BBC comedy The Royle Household.After a quick stint on Coronation Road, this was Johnston’s first main position on the cleaning soap, which first aired on Channel 4 in 1982.The acclaimed actress is the primary forged member to be introduced as returning for the episode, which will probably be filmed on Brookside Shut.Conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Sir Philip Redmond, the present drew in audiences of 9 million viewers at its peak earlier than ending on 4 November 2003.The present, set in Liverpool, was recognized for its hard-hitting storylines and took on points like rape, bullying and incest.Lime Footage/Rex FeaturesBrookside was filmed on an actual cul-de-sac from 1982 to 2003Viewers fell in love with Sheila as she battled with the household funds and her husband Bobby, performed by Ricky Tomlinson. In 1986, Sheila was attacked by a taxi driver, discovering herself pregnant and her marriage falling aside from the pressure.One yr later, Sheila’s youngest son Damon was stabbed to loss of life in London.Shelia later discovered love once more with Billy Corkhill, performed by John McCardle, and the pair left Brookside for Basingstoke in 1990.Lime Footage/Rex FeaturesSue Johnston acted alongside Ricky Tomlinson as husband and wifeThe crossover episode will see the return of different fashionable Brookside characters, which have but to be introduced. It will likely be the primary time that Brookside Shut has been on air, because it led to with Jimmy Corkhill, performed by the late Dean Sullivan, daubing a “d” onto the signal, leaving it as “Brookside Closed” earlier than driving out of the cul-de-sac.Filming is about happen in September on the shut which is predicated within the West Derby space of Liverpool.