Two iconic soap characters to return in spin-off after decades off air
An iconic three part spin-off from the Liverpool-set soap Brookside is back on our screens, 37 years after it first aired on Channel 4. Damon And Debbie is credited as the first “soap bubble,” and featured two main characters from the show, teenagers Damon Grant and Debbie McGrath, as they fled their disapproving parents and headed to York to be together.
Fans of the soap will remember that Damon, played by Simon O’Brien, was the youngest son of Bobby (Ricky Tomlinson) and Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston). A painter and decorator when he could find work, he fell for underage schoolgirl Debbie McGrath, played by Gillian Kearney and the pair had a romance that was described by the Daily Telegraph at the time as “Romeo and Juliet in trackies.” Her parents did not want them to be together, so in the spin-off episodes the pair decided to elope, heading to York where Damon tried to get work and they squatted on a houseboat.
The mini series, written by current Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce, became famous for its tragic ending, as Damon was murdered in front of Debbie’s eyes after actor Simon asked for his character to be killed off. Brookside later featured his character’s funeral, while Debbie revealed to Sheila that she was pregnant with Damon’s baby, and she would raise his child while attending university.
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Damon And Debbie is now due to be shown on streaming service STV Player on New Year’s Day. Simon, who is now well known for presenting property shows including To Buy Or Not To Buy and Find It, Fix It, Flog It, is thrilled it is available to view once more.
He said: “I’m so chuffed that Damon And Debbie has been found, dusted off and is now going to be aired on STV Player. It was an absolutely groundbreaking format, being the original ‘soap bubble’, and I fondly remember wandering around the north of England with the lovely Gillian Kearney and the rest of the talented team. The nation can get their hankies ready once more for the airing of this rediscovered seminal moment in TV history.”
Co-star Gillian, who is also known for her role as Emma Barton in Emmerdale, added: “Being asked at the age of 14 to join a soap as groundbreaking as Brookside was a dream come true for me, and I was delighted when we were told that the wonderful Frank Cottrell-Boyce was writing a ‘soap bubble’ involving Damon and Debbie eloping from Brookside Close on a romantic adventure.”
“We shot for six weeks in Leeds, Bradford and York, and I will always remember our producer, Colin McKeown, taking the time to visit my school and reassure my teachers that I would continue my studies regardless of the shoot!
"We were like a family, and the atmosphere on set was always full of fun and laughter – largely because of cheeky chappy, Simon O’Brien! I think we all knew we were making something very special, and I will forever be grateful to Mersey TV [now Lime Pictures] for such an amazing opportunity 37 years ago.”
