[WillPS]

I think one thing that helped Hollyoaks to survive when Brookside didn't is that it's aimed at a different audience and on in a different timeslot than the other soaps, so it's not competing with them in the way Brookside was.

I think Brookside just made a string of poor storyline decisions in the mid-to-late 90s, trying to follow up the body-under-the-patio storyline with something equally shocking. There were a lot of writing staff changes and it showed, and when things went badly they just knee-jerked their way out of it. 

Continuity was shocking too. The 'who raped Nicky' saga's outcome was a complete insult to anyone who had invested in that storyline, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Characters went from broke to successful with little on screen explanation. Businesses and houses were sold and then seemingly unsold months later.

Characters new and old disappeared suddenly - some didn't even get a proper exit, most notably Barry Grant (the last original castmember) who's exit is represented by a disembodied hand hastily packing a bag. It's difficult to invest in characters and stories when those things are so frequently screwed up. It was a real two fingers to existing viewers as they desperately tried to find new ones.

And this is before they tried to make it all cinematic towards the end.