Tracy Corkhill is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Justine Kerrigan. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 10 September 1985. Tracy was introduced as part of a new family, the Corkhills, which also includes her brother Rod Corkhill (Jason Hope) and their parents Doreen Corkhill (Kate Fitzgerald) and Billy Corkhill (John McArdle). Kerrigan had previously appeared as a guest character, Pat in 1984. She auditioned for the role after her grandfather and actor Peter Kerrigan encouraged her. Kerrigan was aged fourteen and still attending school when she took on the role. Tracy is characterised as brash and headstrong. She has aspirations of becoming a model but settles for a hairdressing career. Kerrigan disliked Tracy's style and early persona. Tracy transformed into a more adult character over time and Kerrigan admired her newfound attitude.
Writers often created controversial storylines for the character. The first notable instance was Tracy being sexually abused by her geography teacher Peter Montague (Mark Draper). Her later relationship with Jamie Henderson (Sean McKee) proved equally as controversial. Writers included a scene in which Billy discovers Tracy and Jamie's contraceptives, which conveyed the pair were practising safe sex. Brookside's producer Phil Redmond was forced to defend the show against complaints raised by the British regulatory body, Independent Broadcasting Authority. They accused the show of showing the product for too long but Redmond convinced them it was educatory content. Thames Television commissioned a spin-off series titled South, which focused on Tracy and Jamie's attempts to live in London. It was broadcast in March 1988 and lasted two episodes. In 1989, writers used Tracy to explore the issue of work place sexual harassment.
Tracy's later involvement with her stepmother Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) and her relationship with Barry Grant (Paul Usher) were some of Kerrigan's favourite stories. She relished working with Johnston and Usher, which in her opinion created her best acting performances. Writers continued to give Kerrigan dramatic stories. In 1990, Tracy meets Liam Riley (Adam Sunderland) who becomes besotted with her, eventually committing suicide when she rejects him. Kerrigan assessed that the story helped Tracy grow up and become likeable. Another issue lead plot featured Mark Potter (Paul Crosby) attempting to rape Tracy. In 1992, the character was written out of Brookside and Kerrigan was upset because writers failed to create a prominent departure story. Kerrigan later reprised the role during the episode broadcast on 4 January 2003.
Casting On 21 August 1985, it was announced that Kerrigan had joined the cast of Brookside, playing Tracy Corkhill. She was part of a new family being introduced into the series. Kerrigan had previously appeared in Brookside during 1984 as the guest character Pat, who was a girlfriend of established character Damon Grant (Simon O'Brien).Hayward 1991, p.13. Prior to this, Kerrigan had no previous acting experience and did not attend drama school. She was informed about the role from her grandfather, the actor Peter Kerrigan. She recalled not being nervous during the audition process because acting was not something she wanted to pursue when she was young. Producers liked Kerrigan and believed she was ideal to play Tracy, which made Kerrigan happy as she disliked school. She later told Karen Swayne from Chat that joining Brookside "did not seem that brilliant" because "it all went over my head at first." She added it took one year for her to really enjoy the experience.
Joining her on-screen was Jason Hope playing her brother Rod and Kate Fitzgerald and John McArdle, as parents Doreen and Billy Corkhill respectively. Roy West of Liverpool Echo announced their casting alongside Kerrigan's and Tracy was described as an "attractive, headstrong girl". West added that the Corkhills had previously lived in a council housing estate and consider their move to Brookside Close as an ascent up the social class hierarchy. Rod was the final member of the Corkhill family to be cast. After a successful audition, he was required to do a screen test with Kerrigan to assess their compatibility in the sibling roles.Tibballs 1992, p.51.
Kerrigan was age fourteen when she took on the role.Redmond 1987, p.94. Brookside producer Stuart Doughty revealed that Kerrigan and Hope were only allowed to film a limited number of episodes because they were still at school. Working alongside adults pressurised Kerrigan to grow up quickly and she quit her studies to accommodate filming commitments. Kerrigan later told Nick Fisher from TV Guide that she did not understand what working with adults entailed or how her personality would change. She added that "I kept behaving in the way I thought was expected to behave because otherwise I wouldn't have got any respect from the cast." Kerrigan made her first appearance as Tracy on 10 September 1985 during the show's 300th episode.
Development Characterisation In the book, Brookside: The Official Companion, show creator Phil Redmond described Rod and Tracy as appearing "ordinary enough" until viewers learn Rod wants to become a policeman and Tracy has aspirations of becoming a model.Redmond 1987, p.73. The Corkhills are from a council housing estate and this plays into their characterisation. Tracy's mother, Doreen dreamed of a better life for her family and Billy loved her enough to risk financial ruin. They had to save enough money to purchase a house on Brookside Close. Gladys Ambrose also joined the cast as Tracy's grandmother, Julia Brogan. Ambrose had previously worked professionally with Kerrigan's real life grandfather Peter, portraying a married couple.Tibballs 1992, p.49. Julia moves into the Corkhill house and shares a room with Tracy and her presence annoys Billy.Redmond 1987, p.75. Tracy is characterised as "a girl who knows her own mind and likes to be independent". But her family's financial problems prevent her from living her dream of becoming a model.Redmond 1987, p.95. Geoff Tibballs, author of Brookside - The First Ten Years, described Tracy as "wilful, headstrong and downright surly, Tracy was no loss to the diplomatic corps."Tibballs 1992, p.48. Kerrigan agreed with Tibballs' assessment and revealed that Tracy was initially disliked. She explained other characters viewed her as a "little cow" because "she wound people up and managed to fallout with everyone." Tracy's characterisation was owed to being member of the volatile Corkhill family. Tracy had an attitude that annoyed others and she gained Billy's stubbornness. Kerrigan stated that personality wise she understood her character because they both came from a "working class background".
Kerrigan believed that it took five years to fully develop Tracy. She originally disliked Tracy but this changed once Tracy found her independence. In 1990, Kerrigan told TV Guide's Fisher that "Tracy's only just started to grow up. She started to do things off her own bat for once." Had Tracy existed as an actual person, Kerrigan would not associate with her because of her attitude and hair dressing temperament. While interviewed by Tibballs, she quipped "I wouldn't want to meet Tracy Corkhill, and I certainly wouldn't want to have my hair done by her." Despite this, Kerrigan respected certain aspects of Tracy's persona and thought her brashness was desirable. She told Fisher that "I'd like to be able to speak the way she does. She'll say anything to anyone and doesn't care what they say back. She has an attitude of 'I'll say what I like and I'll do what I like!' That's the sort of attitude I want to get." Later that year, Kerrigan had grown to like her character to the extent that she stated "nothing annoys me about Tracy now."
Tracy's style was a particular concern for Kerrigan. She recalled that Tracy had "very stupid hair styles" and was even voted the worst dressed TV character in a magazine poll. She thought Tracy was no trendsetter and said "I hope nobody was influenced as she was so badly dressed." Despite this, Tracy was keen on fashion trends. Kerrigan assessed that Liverpool was one of the UK's best dressed places. Therefore it was "no wonder Tracy is keen on fashion." Kerrigan disliked Tracy's "dead plain" clothing she wore in early episodes. In comparison, writers created a "punk phase" for the character. Tracy was styled with "all mod blond hair and black eyes" via make-up. Kerrigan really disliked this era and called it "awful". By 1989, producers had given Kerrigan more freedom over Tracy's hair styles and fashion choices.
To become a successful hairdresser, Tracy had to overcome much adversity despite not having a genuine interest in the profession. She faces sexual harassment at work and is fired from her job. She wins an industrial tribunal for sexual harassment and returns to work. The stories revitalised Tracy's career and she even entered a hairdressing competition. Off-screen, Kerrigan's mother was a hairdresser, which gave her experience she remembered and applied to the role.
Sexual abuse Writers created a controversial story for Tracy via a romance with her geography teacher Peter Montague (Mark Draper). The story was broadcast during the characters initial months on-screen. Tracy develops feelings for Peter and during a school skiing trip in Switzerland, Peter reciprocates. Upon their return to Liverpool, fellow pupils begin rumours and Rod discovers graffiti disclosing their affair. Billy learns that his daughter is being abused and attacks Peter. Billy is arrested for assault and given a three-month prison sentence, suspended for one-year. At the time, The Guardian journalist Lucy O'Brien described it as the "most dramatic analysis" of child abuse on television. She described it as a "devastating family problem" in which Billy had to grasp the fact his "wayward daughter" was in love with her teacher; the story subsequently played out over a "tense month". Kerrigan later told author Matt Jacobson that despite the abuse story generating tabloid press attention, she never felt pressure at work. During any of Tracy's controversial stories, Kerrigan "just turned up to work, did the job and went home."
The story also attracted criticism of Brookside and accusations of irresponsibility from the British MP Geoffrey Dickens. He claimed producers were using sensationalism to boost ratings and outdo other soap operas. Brookside's press officer, Janice Troup responded to Dickens' accusations directly. She stated that the show's writers were "treating the storyline very sensitively and will do nothing to offend the viewers." She also refuted claims her company was trying to win a ratings competition with Coronation Street and EastEnders. It was also revealed that scriptwriters scheduled a meeting on 6 January 1986, to discuss a suitable resolve to the storyline. Tracy's story was also ridiculed by school teachers. McArdle defended the story's realism and applauded Brookside for tackling a current social issue, noting that there had been many instances of school based sexual abuse reported in the news.
Writers used the story to create additional subplots for Tracy which linked to her modelling aspirations. Tracy pursues the career until a female photographer tries to scam her.Redmond 1987, p.77. The photographer believes she can make money selling Tracy's modelling photos to tabloid newspapers, who were interested in her relationship with Peter. She attempts to convince Tracy to pose topless but Tracy refuses and gives up modelling. She later takes a job as a tea-maker at a hairdressing salon via a Youth Training Scheme.
Jamie Henderson