(Picture: Channel 4)
It’s been over two decades since Brookside last aired, but fans may be shocked to see how much one of its most memorable child stars has changed.
Jack McMullen, who played Josh McLoughlin on the Channel 4 soap, is now 34 and looks completely unrecognisable from his early days on screen. He first appeared in Brookside in the early 2000s as Josh Dixon, who was at the centre of a famously messy family storyline.
His character was born following a one-night stand between Mike Dixon (Paul Byatt) and his stepmother, Bev (Sarah White), creating chaos in the Dixon family. Things escalated when Ron Dixon (Vince Earl) tried to adopt Josh, but Mike intervened. Eventually, Ron and Bev married, and the trio left Brookside Close together, with Josh taking on the Dixon surname.
After leaving the soap in 2003, Jack swapped Liverpool’s drama-filled soap for an impressive TV career.
He went on to star as Tigger Johnson in Grange Hill, before landing the role of bad boy Finn Sharkey in BBC’s Waterloo Road.
In recent years, Jack has taken on grittier and more mature roles. He appeared in Jimmy McGovern’s Time, the true-crime drama Little Boy Blue, and the acclaimed BBC series This City Is Ours, where he starred alongside Sean Bean and James Nelson-Joyce.
In 2023, he appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller Hijack opposite Idris Elba, playing the role of Lewis. His film and TV credits also include The F1rst Team, The Souvenir, Le Mans ’66, Screw, and Dead Shot.
Now, with Brookside making a shock return as part of Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary celebrations, fans are speculating whether Jack could reprise his original role.
The special episode will be filmed at the original Brookside Close in Liverpool, with several classic characters tipped to make an appearance. Whether Jack is among them remains to be seen, but fans would love to see Josh Dixon back on the Close.
