Brookside actor Dean Sullivan, who played Jimmy Corkhill, dies aged 68
Actor and director Dean Sullivan has died at the age of 68.
Sullivan was the longest-serving member of the Channel 4 soap Brookside, playing Jimmy Corkhill between 1986 and 2003.
He died peacefully following a short illness on Wednesday, his agent said.
Sullivan (second left) pictured with Brookside co-stars Michael Starke, Claire Sweeney and Sue Jenkins at the BAFTA TV awards in 1999
“To millions he was and very much still is remembered as ‘Jimmy’, to family and friends he was ‘Dino’. Dean’s family wants to thank Arrowe Park Hospital for their unwavering and consistent support. We ask that you respect their privacy in their time of grief,” a statement from Hamilton Management and his family said.
Brookside ran from 1982 to 2003 and followed the lives of the residents of Brookside Close in Liverpool. Stars included Anna Friel, who played Beth Jordache; Claire Sweeney, who played Jimmy’s daughter Lindsey; and The Royle Family’s Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, who played Bobby and Sheila Grant.
Sullivan, from Liverpool, was a graduate of Lancaster University and a primary school teacher before becoming a professional actor. He joined Brookside in 1986 and quickly made Jimmy one of the soap’s best-known characters.
He was involved in many of the show’s most memorable moments – including the discovery of the body of villain Trevor Jordache under a patio with his dog Cracker, two years after Jordache’s murder and cover-up by his wife Mandy and daughter Beth.
Pictured with Coronation street actor William Roache (aka Ken Barlow) with their ‘Soap Oscars’ in 2001
Sullivan played Jimmy until the soap was axed in 2003, winning two British Soap Awards during his time on the show – including a special recognition award. He filmed more episodes than any other actor and went on to narrate a Brookside DVD boxset.
His other TV drama roles included parts in BBC’s Doctors, ITV’s The Royal and ITV’s Crime Stories. In 2022, he appeared in the Netflix short film Wings opposite Emmerdale actor Tom Lister.
Sullivan pictured with fellow Brookside star Sue Johnston at the British Comedy Awards in 2000
The actor also performed on stage, playing Scullery in the North West premiere of Jim Cartwright’s Road in Bolton, and starring in a one-man monologue tour of Chip In The Sugar by Alan Bennett. He also appeared in the world premiere of Stand Up! the Musical with the late Lionel Blair.
In pantomime, he played characters such as Smee in Peter Pan, Abanazar in Aladdin, the Dame in Cinderella, Starkey in Peter Pan, and King Rat in Dick Whittington, in venues around the UK.
Sullivan also had experience in theatre directing and writing, after running his own theatre production company and directing several shows for the National Trust and other clients, his agent Alan Hamilton said.
“Dean gave an immense immeasurable amount of his time over the years to support many global, national and regional charities, too many to mention individually,” he said. “He delivered speeches, took part in charity events and fronted important campaigns live, on TV, radio and in the press.
“The support he has given has helped raise many hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years for various causes and significantly increase awareness of important charitable campaign messages.”
Sullivan was one of seven brothers and sisters “and came from humble, working class Merseyside roots”, Hamilton added.
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A 77-year-old Just Stop Oil protester has been recalled to prison after she was unable to be fitted with an electronic tag.
Gaie Delap was sentenced to 20 months in prison in August for being part of a group that blocked the M25 in November 2022.
The grandmother, from Bristol, was released early on 18 November on a home detention curfew – but the Electronic Monitoring Service (EMS) was unable to attach an electronic tag to her ankle due to a health condition.
They tried to fit the device onto one of her wrists, but they proved too small.
As a result, on 5 December an arrest warrant was put out, and she was recalled to prison, according to Just Stop Oil (JSO).
Her friends and family said in a statement that they were “outraged” by the decision,which they described as “cruel and totally unnecessary”.
They say Delap was “fully compliant with the terms of her release” and was in hospital when the warrant was issued.
“We know there are alternatives to the tag,” the statement read. “We know that if she had been a man, a tag would have been available to EMS.
“Because of medical conditions, Gaie requires a wrist tag or some equivalent. And we know from our own investigations and enquiries there are many out there.”
Gaie Delap (left) with other protesters outside The Royal Courts of Justice in London in November 2022. Pic: PA
Her relatives added that Delap is “absolutely no threat to the community” and her recall will “waste” £12,000 in taxpayer money.
“We cannot believe that there is not an electronic monitoring device that can be fitted at a fraction of the cost,” they said.
“We want common sense to prevail.”
‘Significant mistreatment in prison’
JSO says Delap suffered a stroke in the run-up to her trial and continues to suffer from various medical issues.
It claims she “experienced significant mistreatment in prison, suffering wrist problems after being handcuffed to a bed in hospital”.
She “experienced significant mistreatment in prison, suffering wrist problems after being handcuffed to a bed in hospital” and the warrant for her arrest was reportedly issued whilst she was receiving treatment in hospital.
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JSO’s statement read: “Gaie took action in 2022 after the government announced that it would issue over 100 new oil and gas licences.
“This was despite summer temperatures climbing above 40C (104F), railways buckling in the heat, harvests being decimated, and the London Fire Brigade experiencing the most calls since WWII. There were 61,000 excess deaths from the heat in Europe that year.
“Gaie took this brave action out of a deep sense of duty to protect her children, grandchildren and indeed all of us.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We have a duty to enforce sentences passed down by the independent judiciary.
“The law states anyone released under home detention curfew must be tagged and recalled if no alternative solution is available.”
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