Barry Grant
Barry Grant is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Paul Usher. The character debuted on-screen during the first episode of Brookside, broadcast on 2 November 1982. Barry is one of the show's original characters and the only character to appear in the first and final episodes of Brookside. Usher decided to leave Brookside in 1984, but returned the following year and remained a regular cast member until 1995. He then returned for guest stints in 1997 and 2003. Actor Joe McGann was originally cast as Barry, but when McGann failed to gain an actors equity card, producers decided to recast the role to Usher. Barry is characterised as a "hard man" and constant law breaker. Writers transformed Barry into Brookside's long-standing villainous character. Despite his hard man characterisation, Barry has a special relationship with his mother Sheila Grant. He would do anything to protect Sheila and to the extent that it created problems with his father Bobby Grant.
In his early years, writers portrayed a close friendship and double-act between Barry and Terry Sullivan. Writers ended this when they created an affair between Barry and Terry's wife, Sue Sullivan. Producers then turned Barry into a murderer when he kills Sue and her young son Danny, by pushing them off a scaffolding. The story helped celebrate Brookside's 1000th episode and was played out as a "whodunit" story, with viewers initially unaware that Barry was responsible. Another notable plot included scenes in which Barry threatens to kill a dog. The story created controversy with viewer complaints and news stories. Other stories include his association with gangster Tommy McArdle, his relationship with Tracy Corkhill and her subsequent pregnancy. The character has proved popular with television critics and journalists, who often commented on Barry's numerous crimes and "bad boy" persona. Usher's performance was so memorable that Barry was still critiqued twenty years after Brookside was cancelled by Channel 4. Usher will reprise the role of Barry in a 2025 Brookside and Hollyoaks crossover episode as part of latter's 30th Anniversary.
Casting
Actor Joe McGann was originally chosen to play the role of Barry. Brookside creator and executive producer Phil Redmond began workshopping the original cast, to see which actors built a rapport and could work well together on-screen. Only Sue Johnston was informed in advance of other cast members that she had secured a role but remained unaware as to which character she would play. All successful actors were invited to another audition on the Brookside set to perform improvisations in familial groups. McGann, Johnston, Ricky Tomlinson, Simon O'Brien and Shelagh O'Hara were grouped together and informed they were successful and would portray the Grant family. McGann was refused an actors equity card and producers had to recast the role with Paul Usher.Usher received a letter inviting him to audition for the role of Barry. He attended three auditions and was successful in gaining the role after McGann could not continue. Usher was unemployed at the time of his audition. He told Richard McLaren from TV Guide that he was "desperate to work" and "went a bit over the top" in his first audition. Usher did not know anything about the role but they told him to sit down and talk about "thieving and robbing gear". Usher found the subjects easy and he won the role. On his first day of filming he feared that producers would drop him from the show. He told McLaren "I didn't really know what the part was about." Usher was the only cast member to appear in the first and last episodes of Brookside.
Development
Characterisation
When the series begins, Barry is in his mid-twenties and lives with his family consisting of his mother Sheila Grant, father Bobby Grant and his two younger siblings Karen Grant and Damon Grant. Prior to the series' debut, Channel 4 publicity described Barry as a twenty-three year old "football fanatic and a carpenter on a building site. He has a reputation as a hard-man." Barry is portrayed as different from the rest of his family. Early on in his story Barry gets involved in law-breaking scams, yet his mother, who is a devout Catholic is willing to ignore his behaviour. In the book Brookside: The Official Companion, show creator, Redmond explained that there was a special relationship between the two. Barry would do anything for Sheila to the extent it creates conflict with his father, Bobby. Writers portrayed Barry helping Sheila overcome her rape ordeal. He takes her shopping and encourages her to be brave. Bobby becomes more jealous of their bond because he had failed to help Sheila deal with her attack. Barry and Bobby find it difficult to tolerate one another and the latter views his son as a jobless "layabout". He believes that Barry has succumbed to Conservative propaganda and should find work and stop gallivanting. Barry rarely speaks to his father unless it is to argue with him. Bobby is a socialist and thinks that Barry's generation lack commitment. They are both jealous of one another's relationships with Sheila and writers often used it to create tension between them. Redmond wrote that "Sigmund Freud would have had a field day" studying the dynamic between the three characters. Barry is characterised as a "nihilist" and the type to start a fight with anyone who questions his behaviour.Barry's association with gangster Tommy McArdle during 1984 created problems for the Grants. Barry had nearly been caught committing crimes and his deals with Tommy brought his family "pain and despair". After five years on-screen, writers began to humanise Barry more. Redmond described a more "thoughtful and conscience" Barry, who had "mellowed with age". The change did not last as Barry became a source of evil in storylines. Originally depicted as Sheila's protector and a "Jack the lad" type character, with money making scams alongside his best friend Terry Sullivan. Barry viewed himself as a "hard case" always willing to defend his family using violence. Stories which involved Barry with serious gangsters such as Tommy and Sizzler transformed the character into a sinister one. Usher was delighted with the changes and thought it made the character more complex. He told Geoff Tibballs, author of Brookside - The First Ten Years, that "I'm glad we're seeing the nasty side of Barry Grant, I wanted to make him more evil. He's a more interesting character than just a Mammy's boy." Writers had made him a "man of power" and to facilitate this they made him a property owner, purchasing the shops on Brookside Parade. The power Barry gains corrupts him and with stories involving shot gun toting threats and murder, they showed he was unpleasant and nasty. Barry became self-serving and bitter towards Sheila for moving in with Billy Corkhill. Another showing of his newfound wealth was having a celebrity opening of his restaurant. Producers hired Paul O'Grady for a cameo appearance as his drag queen persona Lily Savage for the opening.
Brookside producer Mal Young revealed that Usher was vocal about Barry's transformation into a "shady businessman". They changed his appearance opting to dress him in suits rather than jeans. However, Young was careful not to lose Barry's early characterisation entirely. He added "we've done it without losing the heart of Barry Grant. He's still Sheila Grant's son, the lad from Liverpool." Usher too was still wary of not losing Barry's conscience and wanted writers to showcase it more often. He explained that Barry is "very lonely and I reckon he goes through hell." Usher also believed that Barry "suffers" emotionally when he commits serious crimes. In 1994, Young said that Barry represented ten years of Margaret Thatcher's Britain. At time's Barry's characterisation made him Brookside's "hate figure". Usher told Jane Cameron from TV Quick that "at least it shows the audience think about him. Barry succeeds because he provokes a negative reaction."
Departure (1984)
In November 1984, Peter Holt from the Evening Standard reported that Usher had decided to leave Brookside to concentrate on his music career. They added that he would depart during the following Christmas episodes. Usher had also tired of the role and the public thinking he was similar to Barry. Usher told an Eleanor Levy from the Record Mirror that "I think I've just exhausted the character, the part's already there, it's written for you and there's nothing really to test your acting ability." In an interview with McLaren, Usher stated that he was exhausted because of the role and would not bother changing out of Barry's costumes when he got home. Barry's departure storyline featured Barry moving to live in the city of Wolverhampton. However, the actor returned to filming and re-joined the cast within one year. Usher later revealed that he had negotiated his contract with producers to include more holiday time. Each year Usher was allowed to have three months off and writers would send Barry overseas on a "dodgy business trip". Usher later stated that "it's hard work playing Barry and without taking a break each year, I wouldn't have been able to carry on for as long as I have."Dog threat controversy
Brookside's creator and producer Phil Redmond wanted the show to include dramatic and controversial content. He also wanted a new story to get the public talking about Brookside again. He made a conscious effort to transform Barry from low level crook to full time gangster. Redmond decided a good was to portray Barry's descent into serious crime was to have him kidnap a pet dog belonging to an amusement arcade owner, Ma Johnson. She owed money for protection and Barry kidnaps the dog with a sinister threat. Sizzler forces Barry to threaten to decapitate the dog unless Ma Johnson pays the money.Redmond wanted the storyline to show that Sizzler was evil and out to hurt people. He believed that viewers found Sizzler comical and entertaining and that the dog scenes would rectify that. Redmond explained that it was controversial because animal abuse is frowned upon in British society. It was so controversial that most of those at Mersey TV fought with Redmond over the issue. When Redmond pitched his idea at a storyline conference, his team of writers rejected it and claimed it would not be possible to show a dog being killed on television. Redmond ignored their protests and went ahead with his plans. He added that writers just wanted to frighten the dog instead. Redmond said the plot was inspired by the film, The Godfather, which includes an infamous scene a gangster removes a horses head in revenge. He believed that Sizzler would own the film on video and think it was a brilliant idea to copy in his own revenge plan. Barry Woodward was tasked with writing the scenes and included the discussion of the gruesome act in his draft. When admin typed the episode up, they were unhappy with it and complained to Redmond. He told them to mind their own business. Then at rehearsals, the director tried to remove the scene. The cast then expressed their disapproval but Redmond remained adamant, but they tried again to stop the scene on the day of location filming. Then during the editing process, the scene was deleted. They had to re-edit it in and it was sent to Channel 4, who telephoned Redmond with their worries. He managed to talk them around and the episode was broadcast.
The scene in which Barry threatens the dog formed the cliff-hanger of the Friday night episode and complaints about the show were made. Redmond recalled that it was "expected" from "dog obsessed Britain". However, more people complained about the storyline than they did about Sheila's rape storyline. The next episode was not broadcast until days later, which revealed the dogs fate as Barry spares its life. Redmond recalled that "We showed that even hard-hearted Barry couldn't bring himself to harm a dog." Redmond found it difficult to deal with the fallout from the storyline. He claimed that a woman spoke to Brookside's head of publicity daily following the broadcast. He soon tired of her complaining and asked if she had seen the film, The Godfather. The woman claimed it was her favourite film but refused to accept any comparison between the two. She believed that killing a pet dog was worse than killing a horse. In 1999, Redmond recalled "I will now admit publicly, was a deliberate injection of shock therapy to a storyline chronicling Barry Grant's descent into serious crime. It was designed to remind viewers that although Barry was a loveable rogue and the gangsters he was involved with at the time were an entertaining bunch, he was still about to sell his soul to the devil."