Hardly a week used to go by in the '70's without some comedian taking a pot shot at 'Crossroads'. Ernie Wise said the soap opera had all the entertainment value of 'a cemetery with lights', and Benny Hill did a very funny lampoon with himself both as 'Benny' and 'Meg Richardson'. Noele Gordon publicly complained that the show was the target of 'destructive, rather than constructive criticism'. She was right, but was this hostility deserved?
It was a terrible show, no doubt about it, but I think most of its fans probably knew that already. It seemed to exist in some strange parallel universe with its own laws. To give an example, in 1975, Meg Richardson ( Noele Gordon ) married Hugh Mortimer ( John Bentley ). A.T.V. milked maximum publicity from the occasion; hundreds of people lined the streets of Birmingham to get a glimpse of the happy couple. It was like a Soap version of a Royal Wedding. Even Larry Grayson acted as chauffeur! Watching this, I remember thinking: "Why would an entire city grind to a halt just because a motel owner marries a businessman?". The marriage was short-lived; poor Hugh was later kidnapped and killed by international terrorists ( ! ). Other outrageous plots included Benny ( Paul Henry ) being suspected of murder, and Arthur Brownlow ( Peter Hill ) suspected of being a sex pest, an allegation he endured without once managing to change his expression. Then there were grotesque characters including the legendary 'Amy Turtle' ( Ann George ) and 'Wilf Harvey' ( Morris Parsons ).
On the plus side, the show did have some decent performers, such as the late Roger Tonge ( who played Meg's crippled son Sandy ). I also liked the guy who played 'Vince Parker' the postman. My grandmother was a huge 'Crossroads' fan, and was the first in line when in 1971 'The T.V. Times' brought out a souvenir tie-in magazine. She had a crush on the late Ronald Allen ( David Hunter ), an actor so wooden you could smell Cuprinol every time he was on screen.
When Noele got the sack in the early '80's, the writing was on the wall for the motel. Incoming producer Phil Bowman tried to make it more upmarket by bringing in sexy Gabrielle Drake to play 'Nicola Freeman', but it did not work out, and when in 1985, Victoria Wood savagely lampooned it on her 'As Seen On T.V.' show, that was it.
It ended in 1988, but was revived a few years back on I.T.V. The new-look show initially attracted good reviews and ratings, but then interest waned and - after a shake-up in which Jane Asher was brought in as the motel's new owner - the doors were closed once again.
I very much doubt whether 'Crossroads' will be revived a second time. With soap operas clogging up channels like cholesterol in the arteries, there just is no room for it to stand out.
I will leave the last word to Jane Rossington, who as 'Jill' closed the last edition of the original series by saying: "Crossroads! What a great name for a motel!".
It was a terrible show, no doubt about it, but I think most of its fans probably knew that already. It seemed to exist in some strange parallel universe with its own laws. To give an example, in 1975, Meg Richardson ( Noele Gordon ) married Hugh Mortimer ( John Bentley ). A.T.V. milked maximum publicity from the occasion; hundreds of people lined the streets of Birmingham to get a glimpse of the happy couple. It was like a Soap version of a Royal Wedding. Even Larry Grayson acted as chauffeur! Watching this, I remember thinking: "Why would an entire city grind to a halt just because a motel owner marries a businessman?". The marriage was short-lived; poor Hugh was later kidnapped and killed by international terrorists ( ! ). Other outrageous plots included Benny ( Paul Henry ) being suspected of murder, and Arthur Brownlow ( Peter Hill ) suspected of being a sex pest, an allegation he endured without once managing to change his expression. Then there were grotesque characters including the legendary 'Amy Turtle' ( Ann George ) and 'Wilf Harvey' ( Morris Parsons ).
On the plus side, the show did have some decent performers, such as the late Roger Tonge ( who played Meg's crippled son Sandy ). I also liked the guy who played 'Vince Parker' the postman. My grandmother was a huge 'Crossroads' fan, and was the first in line when in 1971 'The T.V. Times' brought out a souvenir tie-in magazine. She had a crush on the late Ronald Allen ( David Hunter ), an actor so wooden you could smell Cuprinol every time he was on screen.
When Noele got the sack in the early '80's, the writing was on the wall for the motel. Incoming producer Phil Bowman tried to make it more upmarket by bringing in sexy Gabrielle Drake to play 'Nicola Freeman', but it did not work out, and when in 1985, Victoria Wood savagely lampooned it on her 'As Seen On T.V.' show, that was it.
It ended in 1988, but was revived a few years back on I.T.V. The new-look show initially attracted good reviews and ratings, but then interest waned and - after a shake-up in which Jane Asher was brought in as the motel's new owner - the doors were closed once again.
I very much doubt whether 'Crossroads' will be revived a second time. With soap operas clogging up channels like cholesterol in the arteries, there just is no room for it to stand out.
I will leave the last word to Jane Rossington, who as 'Jill' closed the last edition of the original series by saying: "Crossroads! What a great name for a motel!".