Princess Di Was A Brookside Fan

by Tom Sykes Sep 21, 2012 8:00 AM EDT

Princess Diana's favourite soap opera character was Liverpudlian chancer Jimmy Corkhill, and she was a bigger fan of Brookside than Eastenders.

She also loved Dallas, according to a HuffPo interview with Paul Burrell, Diana's butler.

Burrell says that although she did tune into Eastenders "at the very beginning…it wasn't something that she would want to watch regularly.

"Brookside was her favourite and she met most of the cast. She went to the set of Brookside and got to know some of the cast very well, especially Dean Sullivan, who played Jimmy Corkhill on the show. He became a friend, who she regularly telephoned."

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Tom Sykes is a writer and journalist, and he edits The Royalist blog for the Daily Beast. Tom has worked for many publications, including a stint as a nightlife reporter and gossip columnist for the New York Post. He has written several books, most recently helping John Taylor of Duran Duran write and edit his autobiography, published by Dutton. Tom lives in London and Ireland.

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About the Author

Tom Sykes

THE ROYALIST, updated several times daily, reports on all aspects of the British Royal Family. With breaking news and the latest gossip, great pictures and informed commentary, the Royalist is essential eyeballing for fans of the world’s most famous family.