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?
“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.”
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?
“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…
“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…”
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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