Lucy Collins - Collins Family

Collins Family

The Collins family moved into Brookside Close during the first episode, having bought Number 8. From the start, there was conflict between the middle-class Collins family and the working-class Grants; in fact, the conflict between the families provided much of the early storylines. Upon arrival at Number 8, they found house had been vandalised by Damon Grant and his friends, and somebody had stolen the toilet. An indignant Paul confronted Bobby Grant, accusing Damon of being the toilet thief. Damon admitted to the vandalism, but denied stealing the toilet.

Unlike the Grant family, who had come from a run-down council estate to live on Brookside Close, the Collins family had previously lived in a large, comfortable house on The Wirral, but were forced to downsize to something much smaller after Paul was made redundant. In the early days of Brookside, Paul was unemployed and storylines centred around the family's struggle to cope with their new humbler surroundings and financial hardship, along with Paul's discomfort at having to sign-on alongside people he once looked down on. Lucy resented her father for their reduced circumstances, especially after she was forced to swap her public school for the local comprehensive, where her posh accent and privileged background saw her become the victim of bullying. Eventually Paul found another job, and the family's financial situation improved for a while. However, in 1986 he was again made redundant. This time he decided to take early retirement rather than face the humiliation of having to sign-on again.