Tim O'Leary
Encyclopedia
Timothy "Tinhead" O'Leary is a fictional character
in the defunct Channel 4
soap opera
Brookside
. He was portrayed by Philip Olivier
from 1996 until the final episode of the series in 2003. Tim subsequently appeared in a video spin-off, Brookside: Unfinished Business.
One day Danny gave Tinhead some schoolwork knowing that he was going to take the credit for it, but Danny deliberately made the project complete nonsense so Tinhead was made to look a fool in front of his classmates. Tinhead decided to teach Danny a lesson, so after school he chased Danny and his mate Leo intending to give Danny a good beating, but when he escaped it was Leo who was left battered and bruised.
Leo tried later to become part of Tinhead's gang by helping him steal a computer from the Simpsons' house on Brookside Close.
Mick Johnson, Leo's dad tried to get Tinhead expelled from school for bullying but came across an unexpected problem when he discovered that Tinhead's mother Carmel O'Leary was one of the school governors. Carmel refused to believe that her son was the ring leader of the gang of bullies.
later became involved in a relationship with Carmel and did his best to help her to try to get Tinhead to change his ways. Tinhead had other ideas and took every opportunity to try and cause trouble between them. Jimmy Corkhill also had a run in with Tinhead when he discovered that he was responsible for bringing alcohol into the youth club .
As tension in the O'Leary house continued to mount with Tinhead and Sinbad still at loggerheads, Tinhead left home having decided to squat in the flat above Mick Johnson's Pizza Parlor. While there he thought he could make some easy money by selling the washing machine that was in the flat. Tinhead's plan backfired when he tried to remove the machine without turning off the water supply which resulted in him flooding the flat and causing extensive damage to Mick's shop below. Both Mick and Sinbad suspected that Tinhead was involved but Carmel refused to believe he was the culprit.
In an effort to make Tinhead a more responsible person Sinbad convinced David Crosby to give him a job at the petrol station, but it's not long before Tinhead, who resented being made to work, caused trouble when he put diesel in Ron Dixon's petrol car.
After this incident Tinhead had a change of attitude and with encouragement from Sinbad tried to join the Army. Tinhead passed the entrance interview and test with flying colours and really looked forward to life in the army, but was very disappointed when he arrived at the training camp only to be told that he could not join the Army after all because of a problem with his hearing.
After this setback Tinhead refused to go out the for weeks feeling very dejected, until he found employment at a builders yard. It was not long before he was up to his old tricks, making money by selling building materials direct to customers and pocketing the cash.
After trying unsuccessfully to run him down in a stolen car Tinhead eventually corners Sinbad near the edge of a lake, with nowhere to run Tinhead bore down on him in the car, but Sinbad jumps out the way just in time. Tinhead unable to stop, ends up in the lake and as the car sinks out of sight Sinbad dives in the lake and pulls Tinhead clear of the car.
Even after Sinbad had saved his life Tinhead still refused to be friends until Ben finally managed to convince him that he should not blame Sinbad for what had happened to him.
At first Tinhead had few friends on Brookside close but later he and Leo Johnson became good friends along with the Leo's cousin Jerome. Since the Shadwick family moved in to No. 6, Tinhead had always shown an interest in Emily but it was some time before he had the courage to ask their out. His first date with Emily did not go as planned as it coincided was his first day working at the New Millennium Club. Lindsey Corkhill his new boss asked him to work late so he was unable to meet Emily at the arranged time. At first Emily refused to accept his excuse but later with encouragement from her friend Kelly agreed to give Tinhead another chance.
While in Blackpool Emily persuaded Tim to help her steal from one of the other guests and later on the way back to set fire to Susannah's car. Tim continued to help Emily with her vendetta against Susannah, but when she turned her attention to other innocent people he began to have doubts about her real motives.
Tim decided he could no longer be involved in her criminal activities after he agreed to help her break into a house only to see her start to wreck the place for no apparent reason. Tim told Emily they were finished, but later had a change of heart after Emily begged him to take her back and promised to change her ways.
Tim and Emily thought they would never be caught for their crimes against Susannah, but their luck ran out after they returned from a camping holiday. While on holiday Emily had accidentally recorded on video a taped confession where she admitted carrying out various crimes during her vendetta against Susannah. It wasn't until they decided to watch the holiday video that they realised it contained their confession. They tried to stop anyone else seeing the tape but Mick picked it up and took it to Susannah's, thinking it was a comedy video.
Susannah was horrified when she saw the video which confirmed her suspicions that Emily had been behind the hate campaign. Although furious with Emily Susannah decided not to involve the police and just tell Jessie instead, as she thought Emily had suffered enough with the deaths of her father and brother. However when she called round to see Jessie she was out, so Susannah told Nikki about the video but said she wouldn't be reporting it to the police. Nikki immediately called Emily home from college and told her about the tape. Emily panicked by the thought of Susannah seeing the tape sought reassurance from Tim.
Tim and Emily returned to the bungalow but when they arrived a police car was parked outside of Susannah's house, and thinking that the police had been called they decided to run away, stealing Ray's car to make their escape. After they were well clear of Brookside Tim tried to persuade Emily to return to the close letting him take the blame for her crimes, but Emily was determined they should go on the run together.
Tim thought Emily had gone too far this time and decided they should both return to Brookside and confess to the police. Emily agreed to do this but just as Tim was confessing to stealing Susannah's car, Emily discovered that Susannah hadn't reported them after all. It was too late though, as the police then ask to see the video and as a result they were both charged. Tim and Emily were both released on bail with Tim staying at Micks house and Emily with Jessie. As if this wasn't bad enough for Tim he discovered that while he was away, his best friend Sinbad had left the close.
Tim couldn't stand the thought of Emily going to prison, so he persuaded her to let him take all the blame when they appeared in front of the magistrate. Although Emily agreed to this she was distraught when Tim pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, although he was allowed home on bail pending his appearance in court.
Tim became depressed while waiting for his trial as he and Emily were kept apart by Mick and Jessie. The night before he was due in court his mates took him for a night out at a club in an attempt to cheer him up. While at the club Tim saw Emily flirting Carl a photographer and in a jealous rage attacked him. Later Tim stole Carl's car as an act of revenge, and with Robbie, Clint and Mike as passengers he was soon racing round the streets at high speed. Mike was concerned for his safety and told Tim to slow down, but his plea was ignored until eventually their car crashed. Tim, Robbie and Clint escaped but Mike was badly hurt and ended up in hospital with serious back injuries.
Meanwhile Emily wanted to earn extra money so that she and Tim could get married after his release. Carl took advantage of this and persuaded her to pose topless for some magazine photos. Emily had second thought afterwards and with Nikki's help called on Carl to demand the negatives.
Although Emily thought she had all the photos, one still found its way into a girlie magazine. It was not long before a copy of this magazine arrived at Tim's prison, and the other prisoners took great delight in tormenting Tim about it. Tim was furious with Emily and told her they were finished, but later forgave her.
On the day of the wedding Emily only just made it to the registry office in time after being held up at the hair salon. While Tim wore a traditional suit, Emily opted for something a little different and got married wearing a white boob tube, mini skirt, white fur coat and a cowgirl Stetson.
Jessie found out about the wedding but was too late to prevent them getting married. She argued with Tim outside the registry office, but he ignored her and drove away with Emily in a stretch Limo, to spend their first night in a hotel. The next day they returned to the close, but Jessie refused to allow Tim to stay with Emily in the bungalow. It seemed the newly weds would have nowhere to live until Mick agreed to let them stay at No 5 while he and Yvonne were away on holiday.
Emily persuaded Tim to hold a party at the Johnson house while Mick was away, and although this seemed a good idea, things turned nasty after Sotto ( one of Tim's ex gaol mates ) turned up. He overheard Emily boasting that Tim had set him up for a beating while he was in prison, so in an act of revenge Sotto and his mate smashed Mick's wide screen TV.
Despite this Mick allowed Tim and Emily to continue living at No 5, until he decided to move away from the close after splitting up with Yvonne. Luckily Jimmy
took pity on them and offered to let both Tim and Emily stay at his house.
Tim almost ended up in prison again after supplying Ron Dixon with the gun used to shoot Clint Moffat, but Jimmy persuade Ron to tell police he got the gun from Sotto. Jimmy encouraged Tim to stay away from crime, but he found it impossible to get a good job with a prison record.
Undeterred Tim persuaded Christy to let him take part in another heist on a lorry loaded with booze. Although they managed to steal the lorry, they were caught by the gang. Tim ended up in the Mersey while Marty was given a beating.
Christy was forced to give the gang all the booze from Bev's Bar while Tim ended up in hospital after being washed up on the banks of the Mersey. Christy was terrified of the gang, so when Tim pressured him for the information about them, he ran off. Later he enlisted Steve Murray's help and together they managed to steal a van full of booze from the gang without being seen.
Although they had a few problems finding buyers, they eventually sold all the booze around different pubs in the area. Tim was elated by his success and eager for another heist.
driver. He remained friends with Jimmy throughout the series. After speaking to Barry Grant
, Tim was involved in a the vigilante killing of drug dealer Jack Michaelson
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the defunct Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
. He was portrayed by Philip Olivier
Philip Olivier
Philip Olivier is an English actor, model and stage performer best known for playing the role of Tim O'Leary in the soap opera Brookside.-Early life:...
from 1996 until the final episode of the series in 2003. Tim subsequently appeared in a video spin-off, Brookside: Unfinished Business.
Introduction
Tinhead made his first appearance in Brookside as a school bully at Brookside Comprehensive in 1996. Danny Simpson was Tinhead's main target, as he tried to bully him into helping him with his schoolwork. Tinhead was the leader of a gang of boys who continued to terrorise other pupils despite protests made to the head teacher by their parents.One day Danny gave Tinhead some schoolwork knowing that he was going to take the credit for it, but Danny deliberately made the project complete nonsense so Tinhead was made to look a fool in front of his classmates. Tinhead decided to teach Danny a lesson, so after school he chased Danny and his mate Leo intending to give Danny a good beating, but when he escaped it was Leo who was left battered and bruised.
Leo tried later to become part of Tinhead's gang by helping him steal a computer from the Simpsons' house on Brookside Close.
Mick Johnson, Leo's dad tried to get Tinhead expelled from school for bullying but came across an unexpected problem when he discovered that Tinhead's mother Carmel O'Leary was one of the school governors. Carmel refused to believe that her son was the ring leader of the gang of bullies.
Tim, Sinbad and Carmel
SinbadThomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney
Thomas Henry Edward Sweeney , commonly known as Sinbad is a character in Brookside from 1984 to 2000 played by Michael Starke.-Character:...
later became involved in a relationship with Carmel and did his best to help her to try to get Tinhead to change his ways. Tinhead had other ideas and took every opportunity to try and cause trouble between them. Jimmy Corkhill also had a run in with Tinhead when he discovered that he was responsible for bringing alcohol into the youth club .
As tension in the O'Leary house continued to mount with Tinhead and Sinbad still at loggerheads, Tinhead left home having decided to squat in the flat above Mick Johnson's Pizza Parlor. While there he thought he could make some easy money by selling the washing machine that was in the flat. Tinhead's plan backfired when he tried to remove the machine without turning off the water supply which resulted in him flooding the flat and causing extensive damage to Mick's shop below. Both Mick and Sinbad suspected that Tinhead was involved but Carmel refused to believe he was the culprit.
In an effort to make Tinhead a more responsible person Sinbad convinced David Crosby to give him a job at the petrol station, but it's not long before Tinhead, who resented being made to work, caused trouble when he put diesel in Ron Dixon's petrol car.
Change in ways
Tinhead only started to see the error of his ways when he nearly killed his younger sister. While playing with fireworks he caused a lorry to swerve, and crash into his house where his sister Melanie was sitting watching television, luckily she was not badly hurt.After this incident Tinhead had a change of attitude and with encouragement from Sinbad tried to join the Army. Tinhead passed the entrance interview and test with flying colours and really looked forward to life in the army, but was very disappointed when he arrived at the training camp only to be told that he could not join the Army after all because of a problem with his hearing.
After this setback Tinhead refused to go out the for weeks feeling very dejected, until he found employment at a builders yard. It was not long before he was up to his old tricks, making money by selling building materials direct to customers and pocketing the cash.
Feud with Sinbad
The bad feeling between Tinhead and Sinbad got worse after Sinbad was found to be partly responsible for an explosion at Brookside Parade which resulted in Tinhead's brother Ben being crippled for life. Despite Ben not blaming Sinbad for his injuries, Tinhead could not forgive him and started to seek revenge.After trying unsuccessfully to run him down in a stolen car Tinhead eventually corners Sinbad near the edge of a lake, with nowhere to run Tinhead bore down on him in the car, but Sinbad jumps out the way just in time. Tinhead unable to stop, ends up in the lake and as the car sinks out of sight Sinbad dives in the lake and pulls Tinhead clear of the car.
Even after Sinbad had saved his life Tinhead still refused to be friends until Ben finally managed to convince him that he should not blame Sinbad for what had happened to him.
Staying with Sinbad
When Sinbad offered to let him stay with him in Brookside Close, Tinhead agreed to put the past behind him and make a fresh start. To help him achieve this Sinbad persuaded Mick Johnson to give Tinhead a job at his chip shop.At first Tinhead had few friends on Brookside close but later he and Leo Johnson became good friends along with the Leo's cousin Jerome. Since the Shadwick family moved in to No. 6, Tinhead had always shown an interest in Emily but it was some time before he had the courage to ask their out. His first date with Emily did not go as planned as it coincided was his first day working at the New Millennium Club. Lindsey Corkhill his new boss asked him to work late so he was unable to meet Emily at the arranged time. At first Emily refused to accept his excuse but later with encouragement from her friend Kelly agreed to give Tinhead another chance.
Tim and Emily's vendetta against Susannah
Since Sinbad had decided to look after him Tinhead tried to stay out of trouble with the police. Emily after death of her brother Jason and Father Greg had a change of character, and began to steal from her neighbours particularly Susannah who she blamed for her father's death. Tinhead he was infatuated with Emily agreed to help her seek revenge on Susannah, first by entering her house while she was out and later stealing her car so that he and Emily could go to Blackpool.While in Blackpool Emily persuaded Tim to help her steal from one of the other guests and later on the way back to set fire to Susannah's car. Tim continued to help Emily with her vendetta against Susannah, but when she turned her attention to other innocent people he began to have doubts about her real motives.
Tim decided he could no longer be involved in her criminal activities after he agreed to help her break into a house only to see her start to wreck the place for no apparent reason. Tim told Emily they were finished, but later had a change of heart after Emily begged him to take her back and promised to change her ways.
Tim and Emily thought they would never be caught for their crimes against Susannah, but their luck ran out after they returned from a camping holiday. While on holiday Emily had accidentally recorded on video a taped confession where she admitted carrying out various crimes during her vendetta against Susannah. It wasn't until they decided to watch the holiday video that they realised it contained their confession. They tried to stop anyone else seeing the tape but Mick picked it up and took it to Susannah's, thinking it was a comedy video.
Susannah was horrified when she saw the video which confirmed her suspicions that Emily had been behind the hate campaign. Although furious with Emily Susannah decided not to involve the police and just tell Jessie instead, as she thought Emily had suffered enough with the deaths of her father and brother. However when she called round to see Jessie she was out, so Susannah told Nikki about the video but said she wouldn't be reporting it to the police. Nikki immediately called Emily home from college and told her about the tape. Emily panicked by the thought of Susannah seeing the tape sought reassurance from Tim.
Tim and Emily returned to the bungalow but when they arrived a police car was parked outside of Susannah's house, and thinking that the police had been called they decided to run away, stealing Ray's car to make their escape. After they were well clear of Brookside Tim tried to persuade Emily to return to the close letting him take the blame for her crimes, but Emily was determined they should go on the run together.
Trouble with the law
Tim managed to find a job working in a bar, but they had to leave after Tim fought with the owner who had attacked Emily. By this time they were running out of money so Emily decided they should call on Brian a gay salesman they had met previously in Blackpool. Emily planned to blackmail Brian by threatening to tell his family that he was gay. Brian refused to hand over any money , so Emily who was in a vindictive mood told Brian's family about him being a homosexual. Brian's wife was disgusted by this revelation and decided to leave him, taking their children with her.Tim thought Emily had gone too far this time and decided they should both return to Brookside and confess to the police. Emily agreed to do this but just as Tim was confessing to stealing Susannah's car, Emily discovered that Susannah hadn't reported them after all. It was too late though, as the police then ask to see the video and as a result they were both charged. Tim and Emily were both released on bail with Tim staying at Micks house and Emily with Jessie. As if this wasn't bad enough for Tim he discovered that while he was away, his best friend Sinbad had left the close.
Tim couldn't stand the thought of Emily going to prison, so he persuaded her to let him take all the blame when they appeared in front of the magistrate. Although Emily agreed to this she was distraught when Tim pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, although he was allowed home on bail pending his appearance in court.
Tim became depressed while waiting for his trial as he and Emily were kept apart by Mick and Jessie. The night before he was due in court his mates took him for a night out at a club in an attempt to cheer him up. While at the club Tim saw Emily flirting Carl a photographer and in a jealous rage attacked him. Later Tim stole Carl's car as an act of revenge, and with Robbie, Clint and Mike as passengers he was soon racing round the streets at high speed. Mike was concerned for his safety and told Tim to slow down, but his plea was ignored until eventually their car crashed. Tim, Robbie and Clint escaped but Mike was badly hurt and ended up in hospital with serious back injuries.
Time in prison
When Tim appeared in court he pleaded guilty to all charges and was sent to prison. Later Emily was sentenced to community service by a juvenile court. At first Tim found it difficult to adjust to prison life and soon had a confrontation with another prisoner Sotto who tried to intimidate him. Tim soon made Sotto realise he couldn't be bullied and before long he had gained the respect of many of the prisoners.Meanwhile Emily wanted to earn extra money so that she and Tim could get married after his release. Carl took advantage of this and persuaded her to pose topless for some magazine photos. Emily had second thought afterwards and with Nikki's help called on Carl to demand the negatives.
Although Emily thought she had all the photos, one still found its way into a girlie magazine. It was not long before a copy of this magazine arrived at Tim's prison, and the other prisoners took great delight in tormenting Tim about it. Tim was furious with Emily and told her they were finished, but later forgave her.
Marriage with Emily
Soon after he was released Tim and Emily decided to get married, although the ceremony was held in secret to prevent Jessie trying to stop them.On the day of the wedding Emily only just made it to the registry office in time after being held up at the hair salon. While Tim wore a traditional suit, Emily opted for something a little different and got married wearing a white boob tube, mini skirt, white fur coat and a cowgirl Stetson.
Jessie found out about the wedding but was too late to prevent them getting married. She argued with Tim outside the registry office, but he ignored her and drove away with Emily in a stretch Limo, to spend their first night in a hotel. The next day they returned to the close, but Jessie refused to allow Tim to stay with Emily in the bungalow. It seemed the newly weds would have nowhere to live until Mick agreed to let them stay at No 5 while he and Yvonne were away on holiday.
Emily persuaded Tim to hold a party at the Johnson house while Mick was away, and although this seemed a good idea, things turned nasty after Sotto ( one of Tim's ex gaol mates ) turned up. He overheard Emily boasting that Tim had set him up for a beating while he was in prison, so in an act of revenge Sotto and his mate smashed Mick's wide screen TV.
Despite this Mick allowed Tim and Emily to continue living at No 5, until he decided to move away from the close after splitting up with Yvonne. Luckily Jimmy
Jimmy Corkhill
James 'Jimmy' Corkhill is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Dean Sullivan. He joined the series in 1986, originally arriving in a recurring basis appearing along side his on-screen brother, Billy Corkhill, he then became a regular, remaining in the...
took pity on them and offered to let both Tim and Emily stay at his house.
Tim almost ended up in prison again after supplying Ron Dixon with the gun used to shoot Clint Moffat, but Jimmy persuade Ron to tell police he got the gun from Sotto. Jimmy encouraged Tim to stay away from crime, but he found it impossible to get a good job with a prison record.
Return to crime
Tim approached Christy Murray, in the hope that he would offer him some work, but Christy just laughed at him. Furious at being made to look foolish, Tim wanted revenge, so after gaining information from Lance about one of Christy's scams put his plan into action. He followed Christy to where he collected some stolen booze, and waited until Christy left the van unattended. Tim jumped in the van and drove off, but when he later tried to sell Christy back the booze at a profit, he was forced to give it back when Christy turned up with two mates.Undeterred Tim persuaded Christy to let him take part in another heist on a lorry loaded with booze. Although they managed to steal the lorry, they were caught by the gang. Tim ended up in the Mersey while Marty was given a beating.
Christy was forced to give the gang all the booze from Bev's Bar while Tim ended up in hospital after being washed up on the banks of the Mersey. Christy was terrified of the gang, so when Tim pressured him for the information about them, he ran off. Later he enlisted Steve Murray's help and together they managed to steal a van full of booze from the gang without being seen.
Although they had a few problems finding buyers, they eventually sold all the booze around different pubs in the area. Tim was elated by his success and eager for another heist.
The end
Towards the end of the series, Tim worked as a limousineLimousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
driver. He remained friends with Jimmy throughout the series. After speaking to Barry Grant
Barry Grant
Barry Grant is a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He was portrayed by Paul Usher and was in the series from episode one in 1982 until 1995 with several sporadic guest appearances in 1997, 1998 and the final episode in 2003....
, Tim was involved in a the vigilante killing of drug dealer Jack Michaelson
Jack Michaelson
Jack Michaelson is a character in Channel 4 soap Brookside played by Paul Duckworth for the final three episodes in October and November 2003...
.