Brookside child star unrecognisable 22 years after soap exit and where you have seen him recently

Channel 4 soap Brookside is finally returning to television screens twenty years after the show was axed, but there is a totally unexpected twist.

As part of Hollyoaks' 30th anniversary celebration this year, there'll be a special episode combining with Brookside. Running from 1982 to 2003, Brookside was Sir Phil Redmond's first soap and laid the foundation for the kind of storytelling Hollyoaks would later adopt.

Brookside star Jack McMullen made his name over two decades ago when he played Josh McLoughlin in the soap. The character was famously born after a one-night stand between Mike Dixon (Paul Byatt) and his stepmother, Bev (Sarah White).

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The messy situation escalated when Ron Dixon (Vince Earl) wanted to adopt the youngster, but his son Mike prevented it.

Eventually, Ron and Bev got married, and Josh took the Dixon surname, before the trio moved away to start a new life.

After waving goodbye to Brookside in 2003, child star Jack went on to carve out a very successful acting career in television.

The actor, now 34, landed the role of Tigger Johnson in the iconic kids' show Grange Hill, which he starred in for four years.

Two years later, he landed another regular part in a major drama, this time as Finn Sharkey in the BBC's Waterloo Road.

In more recent years, he's bagged a number of hard-hitting roles, including jail drama Time, and the dramatisation of real-life tragedy Little Boy Blue.

Most recently, he starred as Jamie Phelan in the hit BBC drama This City Is Ours opposite Sean Bean and James Nelson-Joyce. In 2023, Jack starred as Lewis in the Apple TV series Hijack, which stars Idris Elba in the main role.

Jack's has also starred in The F1rst Team, The Souvenir, Le Mans '66, Screw, and Dead Shot. Will Jack return to Brookside for the forthcoming Hollyoaks crossover?

The special episode of Brookside will be filmed on location at what used to be Brookside Close in Liverpool, a residential area.

It's not just the location making an appearance; some classic characters are set to return.

It's currently unconfirmed if Jack will step back into Josh's shoes 22 years leaving the show.