Louis

There was more to the much-hyped return to Brookside Close than pure nostalgia, as the special crossover with Hollyoaks for its 30th anniversary revealed an almighty twist that uncovered an epic plot with decades of dramatic backstory.

Detective Donny Clark, who arrived in Hollyoaks village 18 months ago to reconnect with long-lost daughter Vicky Grant, has actually been Mick Johnson from Brookside all along. If this audacious development has shocked the audience, imagine how Louis Emerick felt when he was told he’d been playing his most famous role in plain sight, and didn’t have a clue?

“I was summoned by our executive producer Hannah Cheers for a meeting, but she wanted to walk and talk in the park, not in her office,” recalls Emerick, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the day he was let in on one of the biggest soap secrets of the year.

“It was all quite covert, like a spy film. She pitched the whole thing: the Brookie crossover, the storyline that connected it, and Donny turning out to be Mick. I was waiting for her to say it was an April fool, only this was July!

“Before she actually told me, Hannah was going round the houses trying to explain it and seemed to be soft soaping me, to prepare me for what she was about to say. I wondered whether Donny was going to turn gay in his middle age or something unexpected – I was ready for anything! The whole idea was so far out of left field, but I was really excited.”

Explanatory dialogue tells us that 20 years ago, in the shared Brookie-Oaks universe, Mick Johnson had an ill-advised affair with gangster Froggy Black’s wife. Vengeful Froggy planned to have Mick murdered, so to protect his family, Mr Johnson faked his death and made a fresh start under the new identity Donny Clark.

With Froggy now living in the same village as ‘Donny’ – what are the chances? – the detective’s past has come back to haunt him and his identity has been compromised. This forced a return to Brookside Close to warn daughter Gemma, along with assorted old pals including Sheila Grant and Billy Corkhill, who took in orphaned Gemma, that they could be in danger from Froggy’s criminal empire. The story continues in a hard-hitting edition of Hollyoaks Later, but where does this leave Donny/Mick in the main show? And what should we call him now?

“Initially they wanted the character to be known as ‘Mick’ from this point, but I thought that was a step too far and went against it,” explains Emerick. “Hannah went with it too. There’s more drama in as few people as possible knowing the truth.

“So Mick is gone and he’s still Donny, but trying to keep his past a secret. Donny has been a police officer for years, how will he explain he used to be someone else? And will those who know use it to their advantage? There are threats against him and his loved ones. And you’ve got to ask yourself, Donny’s kept all this hidden for 20 years – what else is he hiding?”

Emerick confirms Mick’s grown-up daughter Gemma, played by ex-Coronation Street star Tisha Merry, will be sticking around in Hollyoaks wanting answers from the father she grieved for. Brookside viewers, and Emerick, remember Gemma as a sweet little kid – to say she’s changed is an understatement…

“I think my Gemma has been substituted by an alien! The sweet girl Mick left is like the lead character in The Devil Wears Prada times 10! Gemma is a scheming baddie and the brains behind some terrible things that happened in the Later episode. And she’s dating Warren Fox!

“Gemma wants to punish her dad. Tisha and I have spoken about this and I think it’s a bit harsh. Her dad went out of her life for 20 years but for the right reasons – Gemma’s life was in danger. We’ll see Gemma trying to get at Donny’s fiancée Misbah, and even have a go at Mercedes McQueen! Vicky likes the idea of having a big sister, and her and Gemma seem to have a good relationship. But Gemma’s not to be trusted so I’m sure somewhere down the line that’s all going to change…”

Hollyoaks was conceived in 1995 as a younger-skewed spin-off from Brookside, and there were occasional crossovers and Easter eggs in the early days that acknowledged it occupied the same fictional world. Over time, and once Brookside was axed in 2003, that aspect was discarded – until now.

Respectfully paying tribute to its parent show is a master stroke on Hollyoaks’ part, and has seen a wave of nostalgic appreciation for the groundbreaking Brookie, which changed the face of television drama when it was launched back in 1982. It’s also got Johnson recalling his journey to the show, and how he has an old neighbour to thank for helping him on his way.

“It was 1989, I was a jobbing actor but was out of work at that time. An old lady who lived opposite called Rita knocked on my door one day, because she knew everyone else was out at work, saying she had a leak in her house and water was coming through the ceiling. I’m to DIY what an elephant is to hang gliding so I didn’t have a clue, but I knew to turn the stopcock off! So the water stopped and she got a plumber.

“Rita was so grateful. My phone had been cut off, because I couldn’t pay the bill, so she offered to pay it as a thank you. I said there was no need, but asked if I could give her phone number to my agent – this was before mobile phones – so they could get hold of me. Two weeks later I got the Brookside audition, and Rita’s coming back and forth with my schedule and call time written on a sheet of A4. She was the go-between with my agent! It was a domino effect from there, one ep of Brookie led to a BBC film with Miranda Richardson and Zoë Wanamaker, then I went back into Brookside and the rest is history.”

Emerick’s blend of roguish charm and air of authority has seen him work constantly since he quit Brookside in 2001, with recurring roles in Coronation Street, Casualty and Last of the Summer Wine, along with numerous guest appearances in everything from New Tricks to Vera and on stage.

The charismatic actor is full of stories from his early days on Brookie, where he got his big break alongside seasoned performers who were experiencing soap fame in their later years. “Bill Dean, who played Harry Cross, was in Scum which was a huge, groundbreaking film in the 70s, and also in Dennis Potter’s TV drama Pennies from Heaven. I was already starstruck, and being a Brookside fan before I was in it, I couldn’t believe I was working with Harry Cross! I used to go down the corner shop near the Close to get Bill’s ciggies.

“Another one I remember was Gladys Ambrose, who was Billy Corkhill’s mother-in-law, Julia Brogan. She and her husband were in the circus back in the day as a comedy acrobatic act, then she went on the variety circuit. She was wonderful and so glamorous, always in ridiculously high heels. When they made her a regular after years of guest stints she burst into the green room saying: ‘I’ve waited 45 years to become an overnight success!’

Hollyoaks inherited Brookside’s mantle of tackling taboo topics no other television show will touch, highlighting incel culture two years before Adolescence, and recently exploring sibling sexual abuse with unflinching commitment. As a final reflection on the impact of Sir Phil Redmond’s creations, Emerick says he is proud to have been a part of both shows that have broken so many boundaries, and praises the genre’s ongoing efforts to shine a light on uncomfortable issues.

“For the audience, seeing characters on a soap go through what they’re going through in real life enables them to reach out and get help. They can relate to it. Soaps are very much still a vital part of our lives, and will continue to be for some time.”

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Episodes of Brookside are available to watch on STV player. Hollyoaks is available to watch on catch-up on Channel 4.

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