Trevor Jordache

Trevor Jordache is a character played by Bryan Murray in Brookside. The character only appeared in the soap briefly in 1993, but was a feature in the programme until his body was discovered in 1995 in one of the most memorable storylines of its history.

Background

Trevor Jordache had been the head of the Jordache family prior to their arrival on Brookside Close. He worked in a management position for a building society and the family lived a comfortable lifestyle.

Trevor, however, was a bully towards his wife Mandy (whom he'd married in 1973)^[1] and sexually abused his teenage daughter Beth. He served a sentence for assaulting his wife, but he had not been reported for abusing Beth.

Arrival on Brookside Close

In 1993 Mandy, Beth and Rachel Jordache arrived on Brookside close in a 'safehouse' as Trevor was due to be released from prison. The family lived there for a short while before Trevor traced Beth at college. When Trevor approached her, she ran away, however she was followed home by Trevor revealing the family home on Brookside Close.

Trevor then approached his wife Mandy. Mandy refused to take pity on him, however she agreed to meet him at his bedsit. Upon seeing the squalor he had to live in and finding he had been burgled, Mandy naively allowed Trevor to stay at her house, much to the delight of youngest daughter Rachel and the disgust of eldest daughter Beth.

During his stay at the Jordache house, Trevor bullied and beat his wife Mandy, but was more cautious around Beth who showed open contempt for him.

Beth was particularly cautious owing to her father's sexual abuse of her when she was younger. Fearing for her younger sister Rachel's welfare, she kept an eye on her father. When she noticed that Trevor was abusing Rachel, she told her mother Mandy.

When Mandy confronted him, he told her that if she left he would kill her, their daughters and then himself. Later Trevor invited the neighbours around for a drinks party. Most of the neighbours gave false excuses, except for David and Jean Crosbie who turned up out of sympathy for Mandy. During the party Trevor openly belittled Mandy, making the Crosbies feel uncomfortable and making them leave early. Trevor noticed this and was embarrassed. Blaming the incident on Mandy for allegedly badmouthing him to the neighbours he viciously beat her.

Beth's ultimatum

On noticing her mother had been beaten by Trevor, Beth issued an ultimatum, telling her to throw Trevor out. Mandy refused, confessing to Beth that Trevor had threatened to kill them all should she do so. Upon realising this, Beth hatched a plan to kill Trevor involving her reluctant mother.

Failed attempts on Trevor's life and his death

Beth and a reluctant Mandy first tried to kill Trevor using weed-killer brought around by Sinbad. When this failed, Beth started buying large amounts of pain-killers from Ron Dixon's shop and putting them into his food. This however only served to make Trevor ill. The pair persevered with this plan despite its failings, making Trevor more unwell each time.

During their final attempt Trevor caught the pair putting the pain killers into his drink. After confronting them, Beth told Trevor she hated him and wished he was dead. Trevor blamed Beth for turning Mandy against him and beat her in the kitchen. Upon seeing her daughter being beaten, Mandy picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Trevor with it, killing him.^[2]

Trevor's body

Once Mandy and Beth realised Trevor was dead, Mandy became very distant, but Beth hatched a plan to dispose of Trevor's body. When night fell the two wrapped him in bin liners and Beth buried him under the patio. Two years later however, an underground leak forced the area to be dug-up and Trevor's body was found by Eddie Banks and Jimmy Corkhill.^[3]

Reaction to the character

The Trevor Jordache storyline was particularly successful and well received by critics. The story was the main story line during the early to mid 1990s when the soap was at its peak of popularity. Today it is one of the best remembered storylines in the soaps history, along with Beth Jordache's lesbian kiss, Sheila Grant's rape, the murder of Damon Grant, the religious suicide pact involving Terry Sullivan and the incestuous relationship between siblings Nat and Georgia Simpson.

References