The soap is reaching a climax

The Channel 4 soap leaves TV on 4 November but two weeks later a DVD, Brookside: Unfinished Business, will go on sale.

If successful, the soap could be resurrected as a series of new programmes for sale in shops.

"I'm looking forward to seeing if we can maintain the programme as a standalone video/DVD project," Brookside creator Phil Redmond told the Media Guardian website.

The Brookside special will feature a final showdown from a drugs siege storyline which finished at the end of last year.

The soap on TV is now building to a climax on Brookside Close as a new character, Jack Michaelson, terrifies the residents.

The character is reported to be based on the former chief executive of Channel 4, Michael Jackson.

The end of the Liverpool-based soap was signalled last year when it was moved from its peak-time slot.

Brookside creator Phil Redmond said at the time the decision was made: "Everything comes down to the fact that Channel 4 changed - and Brookside didn't fit the mix."