As many fans of Brookside are aware, this DVD only episode was intended to be a first of a few releases focusing on central characters' lives after Brookside but after the show was cancelled, the idea of a second DVD was not followed through, leaving this a pretty unique installment in the soap's history.
It is a story that relates back to the 2002 drug gang siege when a mob of Manchester gangsters took over the Close and held the residents hostage, injuring some and causing the death of others: Emily O'Leary (nee Shadwick) - Tim's beloved wife, and Diane Murray - Steve's stepmum, being two of them. The foundations for Unfinished Business were laid a few months prior in the regular episodes, when Tim and Steve tracked down Terry 'Psycho' Gibson; the gang leader (and the person chiefly responsible for the deaths) but were unable to even the score in a botched revenge attempt over in Manchester.
As the months pass by Tim and Steve move on with their lives and are running a limousine business when out of the blue Terry ('Bob') sets up a trap for them to drive a pretentious female escort to a remote location in Wales. The trap has been carefully planned by Gibson and Tim and Steve (and the girl) are totally unprepared for what he has in store for them...
Unfinished Business is an excellent Brookside story, that makes full use of its DVD release with elements that would be far too strong for TV. The actor playing Terry Gibson - Greg Wood (as Greg Milburn) - is outstanding in his role as a lunatic bent on revenge and is totally believable, especially if you are familiar with the backstory. Philip Oliver and Steven Cartait (as Steven Fletcher) are excellent carrying on in their familiar roles as scouse buddies and the way they deal with what Gibson throws at them is really good. The cast is small with only two others making up the story. Sarah Jayne Dunn and Claire Harman, who portray two young city working girls. Sarah Jayne Dunn the bigger role and is central to the story.
Unfinished Business is placed in the timeline between the penultimate and final episodes of Brookside in November 2003 and whilst it is not necessary to have to watch it to understand the link, it does set up the final episode nicely if slotted in between them.
20 years after Brookside was axed and now with a public revived interest in the soap, Unfinished Business is well worth a watch.
It is a story that relates back to the 2002 drug gang siege when a mob of Manchester gangsters took over the Close and held the residents hostage, injuring some and causing the death of others: Emily O'Leary (nee Shadwick) - Tim's beloved wife, and Diane Murray - Steve's stepmum, being two of them. The foundations for Unfinished Business were laid a few months prior in the regular episodes, when Tim and Steve tracked down Terry 'Psycho' Gibson; the gang leader (and the person chiefly responsible for the deaths) but were unable to even the score in a botched revenge attempt over in Manchester.
As the months pass by Tim and Steve move on with their lives and are running a limousine business when out of the blue Terry ('Bob') sets up a trap for them to drive a pretentious female escort to a remote location in Wales. The trap has been carefully planned by Gibson and Tim and Steve (and the girl) are totally unprepared for what he has in store for them...
Unfinished Business is an excellent Brookside story, that makes full use of its DVD release with elements that would be far too strong for TV. The actor playing Terry Gibson - Greg Wood (as Greg Milburn) - is outstanding in his role as a lunatic bent on revenge and is totally believable, especially if you are familiar with the backstory. Philip Oliver and Steven Cartait (as Steven Fletcher) are excellent carrying on in their familiar roles as scouse buddies and the way they deal with what Gibson throws at them is really good. The cast is small with only two others making up the story. Sarah Jayne Dunn and Claire Harman, who portray two young city working girls. Sarah Jayne Dunn the bigger role and is central to the story.
Unfinished Business is placed in the timeline between the penultimate and final episodes of Brookside in November 2003 and whilst it is not necessary to have to watch it to understand the link, it does set up the final episode nicely if slotted in between them.
20 years after Brookside was axed and now with a public revived interest in the soap, Unfinished Business is well worth a watch.
