Bobby Grant is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Ricky Tomlinson. One of the show's original characters, Bobby debuted on-screen during the show's first episode broadcast on 2 November 1982. Tomlinson attended a series of auditions in Liverpool after being invited by his friend Tony Scoggo. Various actors were invited back and auditioned in different groups to observe who worked well together. Bobby was cast by show creator and executive producer Phil Redmond and production team member Janet Goddard. The latter expressed her interest in Redmond meeting Tomlinson, as she believed him best suited to the role aesthetically. Tomlinson performed an improvised monologue in front of them to secure the role.
Bobby is portrayed as a staunch socialist and trade unionist. He is the patriarch of the Grant family, which originally consisted of Bobby, his wife Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) and their children Barry Grant (Paul Usher), Damon Grant (Simon O'Brien) and Karen Grant (Shelagh O'Hara). His characterisation is etched into his working-class background. When the series starts, the Grants have moved from a council housing estate to Brookside Close, where they own their own home. This was a contradiction to Bobby's socialist characterisation and he feels remorse for betraying his working-class background.
Much of Bobby's dialogue and political storylines were written by Jimmy McGovern. He enjoyed writing for Bobby and often expressed his own leftist views via the character. Bobby featured in Brookside during the early 1980s, a time British politics were right-leaning and feminist groups were popularised. McGovern stated that this challenged Bobby's stories and made the character feel under attack from different institutions. His early stories revolved around his career at Fairbanks Engineering and involvement in a trade union. Bobby attempts to save jobs by leading an industrial strike. He is later promoted to a foreman role but the company is closed down regardless. Writers used Bobby's leadership characteristics to propel him forward in the series, following a bout of unemployment and his subsequent appointment to district secretary. Other storylines for the character include exploring Sheila's geriatric pregnancy and later in life fatherhood to Claire Grant. He also has a vasectomy in a privatised hospital, which writers used to play him at odds with his Catholic religion and support for the welfare state.
Tomlinson left Brookside abruptly in 1988 following disillusionment regarding Bobby's changing characterisation. A series of disagreements regarding contracts and writers' changing attitude towards Bobby culminated in Tomlinson walking off set. The dispute was widely publicised. Tomlinson and McGovern claimed that management were already planning to terminate his contract. Three months of storylines originally intended to feature Bobby were rewritten. Production were puzzled by his departure and decided to convey their own feelings via writing Bobby's departure. He disappears midway through an episode, leaving Sheila feeling the same about her husband's sudden departure. Redmond later recalled his regret had not acted differently to change Tomlinson's mind. He noted that failings to consult Tomlinson on changing Bobby's characterisation during the aftermath of Sheila's rape played into his decision to leave.
Bobby is one of Brookside's most iconic characters and his trade unionism has generated numerous positive reviews from television critics and authors. Tomlinson's portrayal and McGovern's writing has also garnered positive comment. The on-screen partnership between Bobby and Sheila proved favourable with critics and viewers alike. Bobby's later characterisation found criticism from journalists who believed Bobby abused alcohol and behaved like a bully.
Creation and casting In March 1982, eight months prior to Brookside's television debut, Brookside's creator and Executive producer, Phil Redmond revealed details about the show in an interview with Roy West from Liverpool Echo. He named a selection of characters he envisioned appearing in the series and named Bobby Grant. Actor Ricky Tomlinson learned about auditions for Brookside from his friend Tony Scoggo, who invited him along.Tomlinson 2004, p.270. Scoggo also auditioned to play Bobby but was later cast of Bobby's best friend, Matty Nolan.Tomlinson 2004, p.280. Redmond was looking for someone with trade unionist experience to play Bobby, which Tomlinson had.
In his autobiography, Tomlinson recalled attending his first casting session in Liverpool. Tomlinson was paired with actress Eileen O'Brien and asked to improvise a scene about shopping in a supermarket. He recalled more than 300 other hopefuls auditioning and he faced some "pretty strong opposition". Tomlinson recalled receiving a backhanded compliment from Redmond. After the audition O'Brien stated her belief that Tomlinson had secured the role but she had not.Tomlinson 2004, p.271. Tomlinson was called back for a second audition and this time was given a new scene partner, Sue Johnston, who would eventually be cast as Bobby's wife, Sheila Grant. A report in the Daily Post revealed Tomlinson was one of thirty candidates who auditioned to play Bobby.
Bobby is one of Brookside's original characters and all actors playing these roles were cast by Redmond and production team member Janet Goddard.Kibble-White 2002, p.34.Kibble-White 2002, p.14. In the initial casting process, Goddard was keen for Redmond to meet with Tomlinson. She believed that Tomlinson was ideal for the role judged on appearance alone.Redmond 2012, p.218. Brookside writer Andy Lynch had also watched Tomlinson in a theatre production and wanted him to be cast as Bobby. Tomlinson was an ideal candidate because he had already gained an actors equity card. Redmond recalled that upon first meeting Tomlinson, he thought he was perfectly suited to his own ideas of who Bobby should be. Tomlinson attended wearing his working clothes and thought his attire could have ruined his chance of success. However, Redmond liked Tomlinson's attire and explained that "he looked like Bobby Grant should look with his unkempt hair, beard, and what from memory I think was the classic working-class attire of a donkey-jacket."
Redmond conversed with Tomlinson and gave him Bobby's backstory and characterisation a trade unionist official. Redmond then asked Tomlinson to perform his improvisation skills.Redmond 2012, p.219. Tomlinson was given the context of a scene that would feature Bobby missing his family Christmas lunch in favour of a union meeting on Christmas Day. He then began to perform a monologue in front of Redmond and Goddard detailing his love and respect for his wife and how he did not want to let them down. Tomlinson continued to detail how the union meeting was of greater importance to secure his family's future. After Tomlinson finished, they complimented his performance and sent him away. Redmond recalled being "transfixed" by the performance and that he and Goddard quickly agreed that Tomlinson should receive the role. They chose not to inform him immediately because they wanted to cast Bobby's wife first. Redmond also recalled that unlike other actors auditioning for the role, Tomlinson remained calm and casual during his audition.
Redmond began workshopping the original cast, to see which actors built a rapport and could work well together on-screen. 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.Johnston 2012, p.160. Tomlinson, Johnston, Joe McGann, Simon O'Brien and Shelagh O'Hara were grouped together and informed they were successful and would portray the Grant family. Writers created Bobby as the patriarch of the Grant family. It originally consisted of Bobby, his wife of twenty-four years Sheila (Johnston) and their two sons Barry Grant (McGann) and Damon Grant (O'Brien), and their daughter, Karen Grant (O'Hara). McGann was refused an actors equity card and producers had to recast the role with Paul Usher.
Tomlinson had limited acting experience whilst at school and later worked in the construction industry. Like his character, Tomlinson was a flying picket and trade-unionist. He had been charged with conspiracy following a building industry workers dispute, where the case was dubbed the Shrewsbury Two and spent two years in prison.Redmond 1987, p.102. From his own experiences with work place disputes, Tomlinson was able to draw a parallel between his and Bobby's lives. This shared experience aided his portrayal of Bobby. Johnston recalled Tomlinson's identity during auditions because she took part in a nationwide protest to free him.Johnston 2012, p.158. Redmond was unaware of Tomlinson's involvement in the union strikes during the casting process and only found out when the programme was transmitted. The show received some telephone calls for Tomlinson to be removed from the show and he was branded a "Marxist agitator". When Redmond learned the extent of Tomlinson's past he fully understood why he resonated so well with Bobby's characterisation.Redmond 2012, p.220. Redmond claimed had he have known, he still would have cast Tomlinson. Channel 4 executives took a similar stance and supported the casting. Brookside had a stance of left-wing politics and portrays with social issues in depth. Speaking of his involvement, Tomlinson stated "I wouldn't be doing this if it didn't face issues. People are going to find themselves confronted with all kinds of things that they never expect to see on Coronation Street".Root 1987, p.73.
On 2 October 1982, ahead of Brookside's television debut a report in the Sunday Mirror publicised Tomlinson's casting. On 5 October 1982, Tomlinson's role as Bobby was announced alongside the casting of the show's other original characters. Geoff Baker from Birmingham Mail revealed that Bobby would be the head of the Grants, a Catholic family who have "socialist roots". Of his casting, Tomlinson told Baker that "there is very little difference between me and Bobby." Ken Irwin from the Daily Mirror reported that the Grants would be "practising Catholics and readers of the Daily Mirror" who move to Brookside Close from a council housing estate. The cast of Brookside watched the first episode debut on Channel 4 at a party in Liverpool. Tomlinson told Roy West from Liverpool Echo that "I was concentrating too much on my performance, looking for ways it could be improved." Bobby was the first main character to appear and deliver dialogue in Brookside's first episode and was used to open the show's storyline.
Development Characterisation Trade unionism and appearance