Former Coronation Street star Tisha Merry ‘loving’ being in Liverpool as she lands exciting Brookside role
Soap star Tisha Merry returned to screens last night as part of an epic Brookside and Hollyoaks crossover episode. Earlier this year, Channel 4 confirmed they would be bringing back the iconic Liverpool soap for a one-off special to mark the 30th anniversary of Hollyoaks.
Filmed and set on Brookside Close in West Derby, the show ran from 1982 to 2003. As Channel 4’s first soap, it was pioneering and tackled important social issues in the community in which it was based.
Fans of the show were thrilled to hear Channel 4 were allowing viewers back into the close after over two decades. Filming took place in one day and the jam-packed episode aired last night to honour Sir Phil Redmond, who created both shows.
The 30-minute broadcast saw Louis Emerick return to the famous L12 cul-de-sac in character as Hollyoaks’ Donny Clark. However, the 65-year-old actor is also renowned for his role as Mick Johnson in Brookside and fans were wondering how writers would merge the two storylines.
It was dramatically revealed that Donny had been living a new life for the past 20 years. Midway through the episode, Donny took a trip down memory lane to Brookside Close after faking his own death as Mick Johnson 20 years ago.
As he pulled up on the street, he was greeted by Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) and explained he wanted to see his daughter Gemma, played by Tisha Merry.
Tisha Merry made her debut as Gemma Johnson during the Brookside crossover episode(Image: E4)
Gemma had not seen her dad in over 20 years after he supposedly died. So it came as a real shock to see him return under a new persona.
Viewers were quick to recognise Tisha, as the soap star played Steph Britton on Coronation Street from 2013 until 2018. She had a whirlwind time on the cobbles, first appearing as a friend of Katy Armstrong.
She later landed a regular role on the soap as Steph was the sister of Luke Britton. She also worked at the Bistro and had a relationship with Andy Carver, who was murdered by the villain Pat Phelan.
She has now traded the Manchester soap for Cheshire-based Hollyoaks and made her debut as Gemma Johnson on Wednesday.
Stars headed to the red carpet at St George’s Hall to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hollyoaks on Monday night. The Brookside cast arrived in style at the star-studded event for the premiere of the long-awaited episode.
The ECHO spoke to Tisha Merry who was keen to express her excitement after joining the cast of Hollyoaks back in July. She said: “It’s been absolutely amazing, it’s been chaos. There’s been so much that’s gone on. I don’t want to ruin anything but you will be shocked.”
Comparing the Channel 4 soap to her time on Coronation Street, she said: “It’s similar in the sense that everyone is gorgeous and lovely but Hollyoaks is different though it is very fast-paced, the storylines are crazy but it’s fun I’m having the best time.”
The 32-year-old actress has also been spending more time in Liverpool since joining the show and is excited to see more of our wonderful city. She said: “I’m loving it here. My very first acting job was here when I was about 17.”
When she joined the cast back in July, she shared with Channel 4 some teasers about what viewers can expect from her character. She said: “Gemma is flirty, feisty, and the kind of woman you’d want as your best friend… but never your enemy. She’s bold, unpredictable, and trust me when I say, she’ll be entering with a bang. I can’t wait for you all to meet her.”