Gordon Collins is a character in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

soap-opera ''

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Broo ...

''. He was portrayed by Nigel Crowley from the show's debut in 1982 until 1984 and later on by Mark Burgess beginning in 1986 and ending with his departure in 1990. Gordon is notable for being the first openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

character on a British television soap opera.

Storylines

Background

Gordon Collins moved to Brookside Close aged 15 with his family in 1982 after his father,

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

( Jim Wiggins) loses his job. While Lucy (

Katrin Cartlidge Katrin Juliet Cartlidge (15 May 1961 – 7 September 2002) was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1983), before going on to win the 1997 Evening Standard Film ...

) struggles to fit in on Brookside Close (which she refers to as 'purgatory'), Gordon settles in quicker. Gordon is seen by Paul and his mother Annabelle (

Doreen Sloane Doreen Sloane (24 February 1934, in Birkenhead – 8 April 1990, in Liverpool) was an English actress, best known for playing Annabelle Collins, one of the original characters in the soap opera '' Brookside'' on Channel 4 between 1982 and 1990. ...

) as having better prospects than Lucy and so when they can only afford to allow one to remain at independent school, Gordon stays while Lucy has to attend the sixth-form college at Brookside Comprehensive, where she is bullied.

Arrival

After the Collins' arrival, Gordon begins writing computer software, a hobby shared by

Alan Partridge Alan Gordon Partridge is a comedy character portrayed by the English actor Steve Coogan. A parody of British television personalities, Partridge is a tactless and inept broadcaster with an inflated sense of celebrity. Since his debut in 1991, h ...

( Dicken Ashworth). For sometime he gave his parents little cause for concern, unlike Lucy who was having an affair with a married man much to Annabelle and Paul's disapproval. Gordon also provided a contrast to

Damon Grant Damon Grant is a fictional character in the defunct British soap opera ''Brookside'', played by Simon O'Brien. The character was part of the initial cast, appearing from episode one in 1982 until 1987. At the time of the soap's inception, Damo ...

( Simon O'Brien), who was his counterpart in the Grant family. While Damon was hot-headed, often skipped school and spent his time on the football terraces and getting into scrapes with his friends, Gordon was quiet, studious and appeared to have few friends.

Homosexuality

In 1985, Gordon came out as being gay after Annabelle found out about the homosexual relationship he had been having with Chris Duncan (Stifyn Parri). While Annabelle and Paul eventually accepted his homosexuality, it was a source of embarrassment for them. In 1986, Gordon leaves to live in France with Lucy who had been living there with

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' ...

(

Paul Usher Paul Usher (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Barry Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' and Des Taviner in the ITV drama ''The Bill''. In 2019, he began appearing in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnd ...

) for some time. He returns with a girl, prompting Paul and Annabelle to assume he is now straight. This however is not the case and it transpires that the girl is the sister of a lover Gordon had in France. In 1987 Gordon and Chris come into possession of a stolen car with which they run over the dog that Paul saved from drowning. Paul however assumes that Terry Sullivan ( Brian Regan) killed the dog and photographs him and Pat Hancock (

David Easter David Easter (born 11 November 1959) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Pete Callan in ''Family Affairs'', Gil Keane in ''Emmerdale'', Mac Nightingale in ''Hollyoaks'' and Frank Fisher in ''The Bill''. Early life Easter ...

) working, and sends the evidence to the DSS. In 1988 the Collins' house is attacked by 'queer-bashers', who graffiti 'If AIDS don't get you - we will' and 'shirtlifters live here' on the garage door.

Reception

Geoffrey Phillips of the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' branded the character "Gordon the glum".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Gordon Brookside characters Fictional gay males Television characters introduced in 1982