The Magic Rabbits appear again in episode 814, watched this time by Barry.

The storylines:

This is a time of change for “Brookside”, as the series goes thrice-weekly, yet there will be little or no opportunity after this season to see again the Collins family, Harry Cross, or the Chois. While Jonathan moves back in with Terry, Sue moves out after her secret is revealed; Mick’s wife Josie and his children arrive to join him; and there are some early glimpses of the next family that will be coming to live on the Close…….the Farnhams!

Elsewhere, Frank parts company with the co-operative, and loses another job due to his references, resulting in money problems for the Rogers family; Tracy becomes pregnant, has an abortion, witnesses a suicide, and is one of a few guests not provided with a dinner suit for the wedding of Bobby and Sheila. However, the release from prison of the killer of Jimmy and Billy’s older brother leads to a series of violent confrontations. Will the last of these result in Sheila becoming a widow?

The dates:

It is Monday in episode 790 (wholly set in the late evening / night) and, based on dialogue in episode 786, 14th May 1990; and it is a bank holiday in episode 794. It is June 1990 in episodes 802 and 803, and, based on dialogue in episode 802, it is Wednesday in episode 803. It is the middle of summer in episode 804, and the 90’s in episode 818. Based on dialogue in episode 819, it is Friday in episode 818, when the wreath is delivered; and based on dialogue in episode 814, it is Friday 10th August in episodes 820 and 821. There has been a (football) World Cup this year (822), and it is summer (824). Frank’s new job is meant to start on Tuesday 28th August 1990 (827). As it is Saturday and a bank holiday weekend in episode 828, and the job is now due to start “on Tuesday”, this must be Saturday 25th August 1990. It is Friday in episode 830.

Name-checks:

Rambo (790, 815); David Bellamy (798); Gary Packer (798); Laurel and Hardy (799); Del Shannon (803); Eddie Cochrane (803); Eric Clapton (803); Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas (803); the (Silver/) Beatles (803); Bros (803); the Pet Shop Boys (803); Terry Waite (803); Emlyn Hughes (804); Einstein (805, 823); “Match of the Day” (805); The Lone Ranger (806); Tonto (806);Mr Micawber (812); Goldilocks (814); Perry Mason (814); Baron Hardup (816); Jeffrey Archer (819); Boadicea (821); Julie Andrews (810); (Rogers and) Hammerstein (811); the virgin Mary (811); “Hamlet” (812); Elvis Presley (814); Les Dawson (814); Paul Simon (814); Perry Mason (814); “Death Wish” / “Death Wish 2” (815); “Neighbours” (815); Arnold Schwarzenegger (815); Charles Bronson (815); Clint Eastwood (815); Nelson Mandela (815); Noah (816); The Singing Nun (817); Ali Baba (817); Chechescu (817); Tom Jones (818); the Rothschilds (818); Plato (819, 827); “Gone With The Wind” (819); Liz Taylor (819); Richard Burton (819); Busby Berkeley (819); “Come Dancing” (820); Greta Garbo (821); “The Godfather” (821); Atilla the Hun (821); Miss World (822); the Queen (823, 827); “Antiques Roadshow” (825); Wyatt Earp (825); Popeye (826, 827).

Locations:

All of the action in this season is set in Liverpool.

Births:

None. In episode 792 Tracy reveals that she is pregnant, but in episode 803 she announces that she has had an abortion. Sammy is 17 in a fortnight (797), after the weekend (800). She is 17 (808), and 18 in less than a year (809). Danny, born last September (809), is 10 months old (801, 804) / less than a year old (806) / one year old (823); Katie is 12 (807, 808); Frank is 42 (814), then 43 (825, 826); Rod is 22 (827); Barry is 11 years older than Tracy (794); and Sheila was 17 (813) / 18 (795) when she became pregnant with him. It is Barry’s birthday in episode 796, Growler’s on the 22nd of next month (825), and Daniel’s on the 6th (831).

Marriages:

One – Billy Corkhill marries Sheila Grant in episode 821, which is in August/a few weeks away (798), the week after next (813); and Friday 10th August (814). We are also told in episode 790 that Ralph and Lana’s marriage has taken place in America during the six weeks that Harry has been there, with him as best man; Max and Patricia have been married for a year (808); Cousin Don has been married for 20 years (821); and it would have been Jonathan and Laura’s wedding anniversary in episode 824.

Deaths:

One – Liam Riley commits suicide by jumping off a roof in episode 793. Unseen characters mentioned who are no longer alive are: Mei Lin (790); Billy and Jimmy’s older brother Frankie (794, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 811, 812, 813, 818, 820, 821, 825, 826, 832), who died 15 years ago (800, 825, 832) when Jimmy was 19 (804); Billy and Jimmy’s mother (800, 811, 819); Frank’s father (822) – Private Jeffery Rogers, who died in 1954 (803) / on 17th October 1954 (804) aged 35 (803, 804) when Frank was 8 (803); Frank’s mother (803); Sheila’s mother and father (813); Jackie’s father, who was drunk at Jimmy’s wedding (820); and Sinbad’s father (825).

Characters mentioned, so far unseen, but who will be appearing later:

Sinbad’s mum (792, 816, 825, 826); Aunty Lou (796, 828); Owen’s mother (797, 819); Susannah (808); Thomas (808); Margaret (808); Owen’s dad (819); Jackie (820, 825); Siobhan (822, 824); Josie’s mother (822, 823); Marcia (822); and Terry’s mum, who died when he was a lad (827, 830).

Gone but not forgotten – seen previously and still mentioned occasionally, but not reappearing in this season:

Louise (790, 793); Ralph (790, 793); Lana (790, 791, 793); Edna (790, 791);Sally (790, 793); Mona (790, 793, 794); Gerald (790, 793, 794); Sarah Townes (792, 802); Caroline (792, 800, 810, 817, 828); Tim (793, 800); Lucky (793); Kevin (793, 802, 810); Bobby Grant (794, 796, 813, 818, 820, 821, 830); Susan (794, 796); Doreen (795, 799, 802, 815, 818, 820, 821, 824, 825); Teresa (795); Melanie (795); Guy (795); Cheryl (795, 806, 814, 826, 829); Gerrard (796); Peter Montague (796, 797); Chris (796); Keith (797); Sean (798); Sue’s mum, Mrs Harper (798, 801, 807, 811, 822); Chrissy’s father (800, 805, 814, 820); Marsland (799, 800, 830, 831, 832, 833); Shelley (800); Simon (801); Laura (802, 814, 824, 826); Damon (805, 807, 817, 831); Debbie (812); Nisha’s dad (814, 816); Tommo (814, 827, 829); The Pope (815); Margaret – who can’t be at Sheila’s wedding because she has booked a holiday in Florida (815); Kirsty (820); Jonathan’s father (824); and Eileen (827, 829).

And those that are also mentioned, but are destined to remain unseen forever:

Tony Saunders, a colleague of Paul who set up in business in the States (790); Jed and Carter Junior, Lana’s sons, who each have three kids (790); Luis, a one-legged Frenchman (790); Pierre, Gordon’s French ex-boyfriend (794); Tony, Josie’s boyfriend (795, 796, 824, 828, 830), who she has been seeing for over a year (830); Jack Connell, a client of Davies-Townes (795); Birchwood, another client (795); Tom Llewellyn at Warrington, and Mr Witherspoon, contacts of Viv (795); Linda Stone, Josie’s very young babysitter (795); Maddox, who might give Viv a job (795); Billy Pinder, plasterer (798); Gay Ray and Grisley Risley, who aren’t involved with Barry’s shopfitting (798); Dave, Kathy’s husband (798); John, for whom Barry is working (798); Georgie Marks, shop owner (798); Jen, Kathy’s sister (800, 801); Janice, Martin’s wife, (802, 823) and their girls, who have moved back to Sheffield (802); Tony and Danny, band members (806); “Dello”, a mate of Owen (806); Kevin, a member of Nikki’s family (806); Mr Steve Molineux, Katie’s science teacher (807, 808) who is 22, and will be 23 on 14th October (807); Brian Denes, whose wedding Barry is going to on Saturday (808); Danny, on the phone to Frank (808); Don, whose chainsaw Barry borrows (808); Jean at Chrissy’s work (810, 818), who has eczema (818); Sister Ryan at the hospital (811); Sinbad’s possibly fictitious auntie in St Albans (813); Stevie Mac and Tommy, who wrote songs for Frank’s band (814); Sexy Rexy, tailor (818); Freddie Carter, who Jimmy gets sandwiches from (819); Owen’s sister (819); Louis, who owes Jimmy cheap wine (819); Eddie, a married relative of Sinbad (820); Cousin Don’s mother and mother-in-law (821); David Cheese, schoolboy (822); Old Tommy Davis, the night-watchman where Mick used to work (823); Josie’s sister and her four kids (824); Markie, whose wedding Josie and Mick were at a couple of years ago (824); Charlie Hogg, Frank and Eddie’s former site manager (826); Eddie’s teenage children – two sons, one daughter (826); Peter, a workmate of Rod, and his brother, who is done for receiving (827); Dominic Cairns, aged 7, and his 3 year-old sister Teresa, subjects of a radio dedication (828); Ian, a lad on Sammy’s course (828); Eddie’s mother and mother-in-law (828); Bill, who was leaving Lichem (828); Chris Malcolm, who plays for Tranmere’s first team (830); Stottie, who will provide bouncers for Barry (831); Richie Green, in jail, and his wife, long known to Barry (831); and Joey’s wife (833).

Goofs:

In episode 792, Liam refers to the “Empire StateS Building”.

Paul has forgotten that the dog he briefly looked after was female in episode 793: “Not very lucky, was he?”; and in episode 797 he tells Lucy that “Your mother and I are very fond of Judith”. But when could Annabelle ever have met her?

According to Billy, when speaking to Kathy in episode 798, “You’re not the blushing bridegroom yet, you know.”.

At one point in episode 799, Lenny says they are in a “corporate” when he means a “cooperative”.

Frank misses out a word in episode 805: “I’ve still got footy programmes when I was his age.”; he uses a curious phrase in episode 819: “stamped addressed letters”; and may mean “references” when he says “satisfactory circumstances” in episode 830.

Sheila’s revelation in episode 819 that Barry’s real father is called “Paddy” contradicts a considerable amount of previous dialogue dating all the way back to the beginning of the series – including some very specific comments to the contrary. And that’s even before we find out who this “Paddy” actually is…

Trivia:

The postcode on the package that arrives addressed to Michael Choi is L43 (798). His “for sale” sign bears the name “G. Samuels” and the telephone number 051 259 6971 (822, 826). The Collins’ sign bears the name “Assurance Trust” (797, 800) and the telephone number 051 259 9180 (799, 825). Paul’s removalists are Fleet Removals of Liverpool (802). Judith lives at number 6 (796). Gordon doesn’t like carrots (796), and meets a man, who he eventually realises is a hooker, with a flat in Drake Street (796).

Chrissy earns £2.50 per hour when working for the estate agents’ (802), and £2.10 per hour for temp work (816). Frank was a steel erector when he met her (816). The first record he ever bought was “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” by Eddie Cochran (803). Frank got a parking ticket about four years ago (826), he previously worked at National Chemicals Transport (825), and acts as a roadie for the West Coast Riders (813). He has an audition at the Marias Club (813, 815). There were originally four Scotty Dogs (813). Seen in episode 804, the full text of Frank’s father’s gravestone reads: “Pte. Jeffrey Rogers, Died 17th October 1954 aged 35 years. Veteran, Burma Campaign 1941-45. When you go home, tell them of us and say for tomorrow we gave our today.”. Owen lives in Queens Drive (797).

Sheila has known Terry for about 20 years (809). The telephone number on the door of the cab taking her to her wedding to Billy is 537777 (820). There were 60 at Sheila and Bobby’s wedding (813), and Doreen and Billy were married in the morning, with Frankie as best man (820). Cousin Don, who has a dry-cleaning van, hasn’t seen Julia for twelve years (821). Joey Godden, who never knew his mother (832) was sentenced to 14 years in prison (804), and served 11 years for the killing of Frankie (826, 832, 833). His locals are “The Swan” and “The British Lion” (832). The bracelet Liam gives Tracy is inscribed “To Tracy, I love you, Liam” (791). Jimmy, who has gone to “The Swan” since he was 15 (832), is left-handed (815, 817); and so is Barry (831).

Jonathan’s phone number seems to have changed to 259 5490 – Barry asks to be called back on that number, and the call later comes through (798). According to Martin, Jonathan used to work at “Gilchrist” (802). Sue speculates that Terry and his father may be in the “Red Lion” pub (795). There is a book, “The Essential Henry Longhurst”, on her bedside table (791). Later, Sue goes to stay with a mate at 1 Cherrytree Drive, Childwall (831). Josie was working at a shoe shop when she first met Mick (795), who likes spinach (808). She was pregnant with Gemma at the time of the Chernobyl disaster (823).

“Blink-and-you-miss it” moment:

According to Jimmy, the cake he has picked up cheaply for Bobby and Sheila was originally ordered by a couple who called off their wedding at the last minute. The icing on its top tier, seen briefly in episode 819, reads: “CONGRATULATIONS, MAVIS AND DEREK” – a reference to a storyline that was going on at the same time in Coronation Street.