| Crossroads | |
|---|---|
 Crossroads DVD cover |
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| Format | Soap Opera |
| Created by | Hazel Adair Peter Ling |
| Starring | Noele Gordon Jane Rossington Roger Tonge Ronald Allen Zeph Gladstone Sue Lloyd Susan Hanson Paul Henry Ann George Tony Adams Kathy Staff Gabrielle Drake Terence Rigby Carl Andrews |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 4928 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | Original Series: 2 November 1964 – 4 April 1988 Revived Series: 5 March 2001 – 30 May 2003 |
Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a fictional motel near Birmingham, England. Originally broadcast on the commercial ITV network between 1964 and 1988, it was produced by ATV until the end of 1981 and then by Central. A byword for cheap production, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, the series was revived in a glossier format in 2001 by Carlton Television, but was finally axed in 2003.
The theme tune was composed by Tony Hatch.
Contents |
Production history
ATV (1964-1981)
Crossroads first aired on Monday 2 November 1964 and was shown five days a week. Although popular, the Independent Television Authority (ITA) decreed in 1967 that the series should be reduced to four episodes per week, to prevent storylines being watered down, and to improve the overall quality. In 1979 the decision was taken to reduce output to three weekly episodes (beginning in April 1980). ATV planned to replace the fourth episode with a spin-off series called A Family Affair,[1] but this idea was dropped.
Despite being critically derided for low production values and far-fetched scripts, Crossroads was popular (fans including Mary Wilson, wife of prime minister Harold Wilson), and maintained high ratings and a loyal audience throughout its original run. However, a number of regional companies (particularly the newer ones) dropped the series because of its poor reputation. For example, the newly-formed Thames Television, the franchise for the London area, decided in 1968 to stop showing the series. This was unpopular with viewers, with complaints reportedly including one from Harold Wilson; six months later the decision was reversed, but, as a result of the gap in transmissions, viewers in the Thames region were half a year behind the rest of the country for several years.
Central Independent Television (1982-1988)
ATV was reformed into Central Independent Television at the end of 1981. Central continued production but the new management decided to make changes; the most notable was the dismissal of Noele Gordon (Meg Richardson), which was thought to be a strategy by Central to get rid of a programme perceived as an embarrassment; without Meg, thought head of programmes Charles Denton, viewers would desert Crossroads and the programme could then be axed.
Further changes were introduced in March 1985, when new filming locations, sets and characters were introduced. Many storylines began to revolve around the new motel owner, Nicola Freeman (Gabrielle Drake). Some long-term characters, such as David and Barbara Hunter, were axed. The theme tune was also updated, and the opening titles replaced with a longer version. Finally, the show was renamed Crossroads Motel.
In 1986, a new producer, William Smethurst, took over following the sacking of his predecessor, Philip Bowman. Smethurst, who had been brought in by Central Television's new Head of Drama, Ted Childs, ordered changes, aimed at creating a wittier, more upmarket serial, and at improving the production values of the show. Smethurst shifted the narrative centre to the nearby village of King's Oak. Yet more long-running characters, such as Diane Hunter and Benny Hawkins, were dropped; as with earlier changes, this was unpopular with fans, who telephoned Central in protest. Smethurst gained the nickname "Butcher Bill" but was unfazed; he had, after all, reversed the declining fortunes of the BBC radio soap The Archers. Smethurst insisted he only got the flak because his was the name the public knew.[2] The last 18 months of the show saw vast improvements in terms of production values, more outside location work, better direction, wittier, funnier scripts and better characterisation. Michelle Buck guided the show through its final few months on air as Series Producer, with William Smethurst still on hand as Executive Producer.
Further changes included the series being renamed Crossroads King's Oak for a time, with the intention in the future of shortening this to King's Oak. Also, the familiar theme tune was replaced by a new theme composed by Max Early and Raf Ravenscroft. New titles were introduced to accompany the new theme, which featured stills of King's Oak and the new King's Oak Country Hotel. However, this final change was overtaken by the decision in June 1987 by Andy Allen, Central's Director of Programmes, to axe the series.
Crossroads King's Oak came to an end in 1988. The last, extended episode was on 4 April (a bank holiday), with the character of Jill (Jane Rossington) riding off with her lover, John Maddingham (Jeremy Nicholas). Asked what name she would give the hotel she would be running in her new life, the character remarked, a little sadly, "I always thought Crossroads was an awfully good name".
Carlton Television (2001-2003)
Crossroads was revived in March 2001 as a Carlton Television production with a glossy format (Carlton having bought Central). Originally broadcast on weekdays at 1.30pm and 5.05pm on ITV1, the only characters to return from the original were Doris Luke (Kathy Staff), Jill Harvey (née Richardson), her ex-husband Adam Chance (Tony Adams) and Jill's daughter Sarah-Jane Harvey (Joanne Farrell/Holly Newman). Initial reactions were favourable[3]; however, changes in story from the original were puzzling for fans and didn't help ratings. Kathy Staff left in dismay at the amount of sex,[4] and told ITV Teletext she felt it was no longer the family-friendly show she had originally been part of.
The decision to kill original character Jill Harvey, who was murdered by Adam Chance three months into the series' revival, proved unpopular with fans of the original show.[5] Jane Rossington said she didn't want to commit herself to another long run in the show, but warned Carlton it would be suicidal to kill Jill.[5]
The series went into hiatus from August 2002 to January 2003, during which time further changes were made. The remodelled series, under producer Yvon Grace, appeared a self-consciously camp parody, with Jane Asher playing a new central character - the glamorous and bitchy Angel Samson. The series also featured appearances from Kate O'Mara, and people associated with light entertainment, such as Lionel Blair, Les Dennis and Tim Brooke-Taylor. The series also launched the careers of Freema Agyeman (Dr Who & a one-off appearance in Mile High), Luke Roberts (Holby City & Mile High), Lucy Pargeter, Shauna Shim and Jessica Fox.
Grace admitted she was aiming the new Crossroads towards the gay market. But fans were not happy with her ambivalence towards unresolved storylines from the 2001-2002 run.[6] Grace was reported as saying at its press launch: "Who cares if Phil is rotting in jail for a murder he didn't commit? I've changed everything, this is day one. We're not carrying on from where we left off. I was told this was its last chance."[citation needed]
Plans were being considered to bring Adam Chance back in a last attempt to save the show[citation needed]; actor Tony Adams said that a down-on-his luck Adam would have been taken under Angel's wing as her personal assistant[7]. But with ratings continuing to decline, the revived series was also axed, the final episode being broadcast on Friday 30 May 2003. The cast were contracted until the end of the year but continued to be paid after the series ended.[citation needed] The cancellation of Crossroads sealed the fate of Central's Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham, which ITV plc have since disposed of.
Characters and storylines
The main character in the original series was motel owner Meg Richardson, played by Noele Gordon. Meg's children were also to play a prominent role: Jill, played by Jane Rossington; and Sandy, played by Roger Tonge.
Other characters during the early years of the show included the chef, Carlos Raphael (Anthony Morton); Constance Merrow (Geraldine Newman); postman Vince Parker (Peter Brookes), and his waitress wife, Diane (Susan Hanson); Brummie waitress Marilyn Gates (Sue Nicholls, but later portrayed by Nadine Hanwell); postmistress Miss Tatum (Elisabeth Croft), and charlady Amy Turtle (Ann George).
Amy Turtle was to be satirised by Julie Walters as Mrs Overall in Victoria Wood's 1985 spoof Acorn Antiques. However, Crossroads fans felt that while Mrs Overall's fluffing of lines and position as char at the antiques shop were based on Amy, the character's mannerisms, voice and clothing were more evocative of Charmian Eyre's character Mavis Hooper (in the series from 1981 to 1985).
Later additions included Ronald Allen as the suave manager David Hunter, Sue Lloyd as his wife Barbara, Angus Lennie as obstreperous Scottish chef Shughie McFee, Zeph Gladstone as hairdresser Vera Downend, Tony Adams as accountant Adam Chance, and Kathy Staff as cleaner Doris Luke. However, the most memorable character proved to be the 'village idiot' Benny Hawkins (Paul Henry), whose trademark was a woolly hat worn all year. His fans included British troops serving in the Falklands War in 1982, who nicknamed the Falkland Islanders Bennies after the character. Instructed to stop using the name, the troops came up with "Stills" for locals - because they were "still Bennies".
Over the years the series dealt with storylines controversial for the times. A single parent working at the motel seems staid now, but was hugely controversial in the mid-1960s; Sandy Richardson was injured in a car accident and left confined to a wheelchair, the first paraplegic regular character in British soap opera; by coincidence actor Roger Tonge himself later ended up in a wheelchair. The series also saw black characters appearing regularly - a follow-on from the 1960s BBC soap Compact, also created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling. Melanie Harper (played by Cleo Sylvestre) arrived at the motel in 1970 as Meg's foster daughter (itself a taboo issue). Cleo was given the role by producer Reg Watson after press coverage of racial tensions in the Birmingham area at that time.[8] In 1978, garage mechanic Joe MacDonald (played by Carl Andrews) arrived. The year before, an inter-racial summer romance took place between Cockney garage mechanic, Dennis Harper (played by Merlin Ward, but credited as Guy Ward), and motel receptionist Meena Chaudri (Karan David).
1981 saw a highly controversial storyline about a false accusation of rape; a 1983 storyline saw a test tube baby born to Glenda and Kevin Banks (played by Lynette McMorrough and David Moran). The subject of Downs Syndrome was also raised in 1983 with an insight into the life of Nina, a little girl who was befriended by three of the regular Crossroads characters.
Meg - axed in 1981 - was thought to have died in a fire that gutted the motel, but turned up alive aboard the QE2, about to sail to a new life overseas. Newspapers reported that two endings were planned for Meg - Meg would die in the fire, the other ending would have her disappear for a while and turn up on the QE2. Viewers were surprised to see producers had used both.
New producer Phillip Bowman was planning to bring the character of Meg Mortimer back into the show as a "permanent occasional" - and plans were well advanced when Noele Gordon died in 1985.
With the revival in 2001, changes were made to characters and stories. Confusingly, the returning character of Jill Chance had married the now-dead John Maddingham, but was calling herself Jill Harvey again, the name by which she had been known prior to her marriage to Adam Chance in 1983. References were also made to the Russell family taking over a "failing motel", despite Crossroads having become a hotel in the late 1980s; in the final episode of the original series, the name 'King's Oak Country Hotel' was seen over the entrance doors.
Lack of real links to the past, and the killing of Jill a few months into the new run, turned many fans away. Despite this, the series did pick up a respectable number of viewers to become one of ITV's highest rated daytime shows. Popular characters in the new Crossroads included new owner Kate Russell (Jane Gurnett), supercilious receptionist Virginia Raven (Sherrie Hewson), and womanising deputy manager Jake Booth (Colin Wells).
The storyline of the final episode was the revelation that the glamorous hotel had been a dream of supermarket worker Angela, with all the other characters revealed as shoppers. Angela even approaches a female customer in the supermarket and tells her she recognises her as Tracey (Booth) from the "TV soap Crossroads"; Tracey's mother-in-law, Kate, was also shown as one of Angela's colleagues in the supermarket.
Locations
The fictional "Crossroads Motel" was in an equally fictional village near Birmingham, "Kings Oak" (there are real Birmingham suburbs called Kings Heath, Kings Norton and Selly Oak). A number of real-life hotels doubled for location filming; the original Crossroads was filmed at a motel just south of Birmingham city centre called CherryTrees (the buildings were demolished in 2001). After the in-story destruction of the motel by fire, the revamped motel was filmed from 1982 at The Golden Valley Hotel in Cheltenham; from 1985 filming moved to the Penns Hall Hotel in Sutton Coldfield, the changed appearance explained as being due to rebuilding. At the time of the move to Sutton Coldfield, new studio sets were also introduced.
In 1970, the series gained a film unit, giving it the freedom to do location shooting. Originally, Tanworth-in-Arden was used for King's Oak, although outside scenes were only used occasionally. Under Central, more location footage began to be used. Some early King's Oak location material was also filmed in Wolverhampton.
Other locations included the canal (including Gas Street Basin) behind ATV's former studios in Birmingham; in-story this was the King's Oak Canal, on which Jill had a barge. The Chateau Impney Hotel also featured numerous times, most famously when Hugh proposed to Meg in 1973, and it was used to hold their wedding party two years later. The Chateau Impney was renamed the Droitwich Hotel on-screen. St Laurence's church in Alvechurch was the setting for Jill and Adam Chance's wedding in 1983. Hagley Hall was used for the wedding reception.
In 1985, Crossroads gained its first set of full length opening titles, filmed around Sutton Coldfield, Tanworth-in-Arden and in Birmingham city centre.
The revived Crossroads (2001) was still set in the West Midlands; however, exterior shots were filmed at locations in and around Nottingham, such as Bingham and Redmile.
The series was filmed at "Broad Street / Gas Street" Studios, which is now the HQ of ITV Central.
Notes
- During its original run the show was usually only 20 minutes long, excluding commercials. To save time, there was no opening sequence, simply a title caption over the start of the first scene, accompanied by brief theme music
- The closing titles originally consisted of two sets of superimposed captions, one to be used vertically and one horizontally. As one camera would pan the credit off screen vertically the next would pan the next credit on horizontally, and vice-versa, symbolising the show's title
- Until the mid-1980s the show would always end with a brief post-credits scene in which a character would speak a single line of dramatic dialogue, before the final bar of theme tune played over the closing ATV/Central logo. This has since been emulated by other soaps, notably Hollyoaks, which continues to do so, and for a brief period during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Emmerdale used post-credits scenes
- In the 1970s, Wings recorded an alternative arrangement of the show's theme music that was played over the closing credits whenever the show ended on a romantic cliffhanger. This version was also used for dramatic endings, which some viewers complained rather killed any dramatic effect. The Wings version of the Crossroads theme tune appeared as the last track on the album Venus and Mars. Another closing theme was briefly used in 1978 for occasional episodes, entitled Benny's Theme, performed by the Mayson Glen Orchestra. This was released on single and reached number 39 in the UK Top 50 singles chart.[9]
- During the series original run, it often spawned hit singles in the UK charts when characters from the series recorded songs as part of the storyline. The first came in 1968 when Sue Nicholls who played the character of waitress Marilyn, released the single Where Will You Be?, reaching number 17 in the UK top 50 Singles Chart [10]. The next was for Stephanie de Sykes in 1974 who reached number 2 with Born With A Smile On My Face [11] and We'll Find Our Day in 1975, reaching number 17 [12]. The final big hit was for Kate Robbins in 1981, when she reached number 2 with the track More Than In Love in 1981 [13]. The latter two actress/singers played singers who were recording in the motel's studios.
- Actor brothers Jeremy Sinden and Marc Sinden both appeared in Crossroads in the late 70s and early 80s. Jeremy as Meg Mortimers' son Anthony, (1976-78)[14] and Marc as the womanising dentist Desmond Elliott, (1982-83)[15]
- Roger Tonge (Sandy Richardson) was a cousin of Dale Griffin, drummer of rock band Mott the Hoople
- The show was parodied in "Acorn Antiques", a spoof soap opera, which appeared as a regular sketch on Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, screened in the mid-1980s. It is now a hit musical touring Britain. Victoria Wood is a member of the Crossroads Appreciation Society, and sometimes refers to this fact in her jokes
- Jane Rossington and Tony Adams also played their characters in sequences for BBC2 theme night during the early 1990s, set in a recreation of the Motel lobby
- The majority of surviving episodes are stored at Yorkshire Television in Leeds; others are kept at the British Film Institute in Bradford
- The earliest surviving episode of Crossroads is episode 126, from 1965. It was found in an old tin in May 2008 by an ATV employee
- Jane Rossington appeared in a May 2000 episode of Liverpudlian soap opera Brookside as Cousin Jill, a deliberate nod to her Crossroads character. The character also mentioned a motel fire (a reference to the Crossroads fire)
- In the second (2001-2003) series, Episode 137 (Tuesday 11 September 2001) was never shown in full on ITV1. Although the first half of the lunchtime showing was aired, it was taken off-air at the commercial break point (circa. 14:10 BST) to hand the channel over to coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the news of which was beginning to break at that time. As the gravity of the news became clear, the episode's evening showing was cancelled, and it was never broadcast on ITV1; instead it was moved, along with that day's CITV programmes (also dropped for 11 September coverage), to ITV2. This was, however, only available on the minority ITV Digital platform at the time, and as a result was seen by very few, although an edited 'catch-up' covering the events of the second half of the episode was featured before the next episode. When the attack on Afghanistan began in early October of that year, the programme's evening time slot was moved back from 5:30pm to 5pm
- In 2007 (repeated in 2008 and 2009) That's what I call Television hosted by Fern Britton on ITV1 recreated the lobby of the original Crossroads set and welcomed to it cast members Susan Hanson, Jane Rossington, Tony Adams and Paul Henry
DVD release
Very few archive recordings exist before 1981 because ATV wiped and re-used most of the videotapes, and no episode survives before April 1965. Network issued four volumes of the series on DVD (UK Region 2) in 2005, with twelve of the original ATV episodes in each volume (the first release including Meg's 1975 wedding, the highest rated edition). The third release was delayed due to the loss of ATV documents listing what episodes still exist, and Granada Television staff having to use other resources to locate the episodes required.
"Crossroads Volume 3" was finally released on 26 February 2007. There are two versions of the DVD, one being a special limited edition, which contains an extra third disc - featuring recently found episodes from 1976. "Crossroads Volume 4" was released on 17 September 2007.
Network DVD were in the process of releasing all the surviving episodes in transmission order exclusively through their website. The first set of 16 episodes was released in January 2008 and contained some episodes not previously available on earlier DVD releases. There are apparently 1700 episodes of Crossroads that haven't been wiped in existence; most of these are from Central Television's run of the show from 1982 to 1988. Over 20 Archive Volumes of Crossroads, "with each and every surviving episode in transmission order", have been released so far, with Crossroads Archive Volume 20 the most recently released, in April 2009. On November 2, 2009, to co-incide with the show's 45th anniversary, Network DVD re-released the 21 volumes - including Volume 1.1, see below - in a 41-disc box-set. The move angered some fans who had already bought the individual volumes on their original release. The box-set has been promoted on The Alan Titchmarsh Show and BBC Radio London by Susan Hanson.
A black and white Crossroads Archive Volume 1.1 has also been released, containing black and white episode 126 from April 1965, along with 2 further episodes (nos. 1884 and 1886 from March 1973, which were both originally made in colour but now survive only as black and white telerecordings).
External links
- Crossroads at itv.com - Classic episodes of the soap to watch on ITV's website.
- Crossroads Appreciation Society official fan club's tribute website, endorsed by ITV Central.
- Crossroads 2001 All about the second series of ITV's hotel soap opera.
- Destination Crossroads Views and opinions on all three series of the soap.
- Crossroads I at the Internet Movie Database
- Crossroads II at the Internet Movie Database
- Planet Crossroads fan site
- Freema Agyeman as Lola Wise in Crossroads III 2003
- Crossroads facts and memories Features about Crossroads
References
- ^ As detailed in a 1980 book of the same name.
- ^ Interview with William Smethurst
- ^ BBC News Reporting Critical Praise
- ^ Planet Crossroads -> Frequently Asked Questions
- ^ a b Jane Rossington Interview
- ^ Crossroads Story - 1964 to 2003
- ^ Tony Adams Interview
- ^ http://www.crossroadsnetwork.co.uk/society/cleosylvestre.htm.
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=7623
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=4918
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=6426
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=6650
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=9399
- ^ "IMDB - Jeremy Sinden". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0801788/. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- ^ "IMDB - Marc Sinden". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0801790/. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
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