Liverpudlian actress Claire Sweeney told Lorraine Kelly she thought Brookside should “never have been axed as it was so gritty”.
Host Lorraine began: “Now that you mention you got the role on Brookside on your birthday, you were only 19!”
“Yeah, I was just 19 when I first started,” Claire replied as Lorraine noted how classic episodes of Brookside are now airing on STV Player.
Lorraine continued: “Now Brookside, there are so many unfinished stories, there and so many stories still to be told. Is it something maybe in the distance which might come back?”
When Lorraine asked Claire how she would feel if the iconic soap returned, she exclaimed: “I don’t think it should ever have been axed because it was so gritty.”
The actress continued: “I don’t know what happened, and it was a shame, such a shame.
“Hollyoaks kind of took over that place really and that got a lot more gritty.”
The final episode of the Channel 4 soap Brookside aired on November 4, 2003, after a 20-year run.
The soap became known for its dramatic storylines, which covered rape, drug abuse, racism and domestic abuse.
Brookside also made history by featuring the first openly gay British television character and the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss.
Claire became a household name during her time on Brookside when she portrayed Lindsey Corkhill who got involved in an organised crime circle.
The actress made her Coronation Street debut last month as Cassie Plummer who is Tyrone Dobbs’ (played by Alan Halsall) real mother.
Speaking about ditching her usual glam to play the dishevelled character, Claire told Manchester Evening News: “With my hair, [the make-up team] oiled it down and sprayed black on the roots.
“Also, I had to get my nails off. Being a scouse and getting my nails and lashes off, that’s quite traumatic you know.
“She’s really stripped back and the makeup design team have done such a good job making me look as rough as anything and working with what’s there with the rosacea and everything.”
Claire’s character is a drug addict who has rocked up in Weatherfield looking for support from her family – but will she be able to get clean?
Lorraine airs on weekdays at 9am on ITV and Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
