- Awards
- 44
17 August 1972 - 22 August 1973
1759; 1817; 1868; 1884-1886; 1890-1892; 1895; 1900; 1905; 1924-1925; 1927; 1942; 1946; 1961; 1969
1759; 1817; 1868; 1884-1886; 1890-1892; 1895; 1900; 1905; 1924-1925; 1927; 1942; 1946; 1961; 1969
Yes - I’m watching at quite a pace. Ploughing through these in large part to hasten on to the consecutive episodes, but also because I’m finding it very easy to watch.
While I was previously seeing similarities with Neighbours, I’m now recognising a little of another later Aussie soap - Sons and Daughters in Xrds. What with the strong matriarchal figures; the sometimes outrageous storylines (in a scene later reprised wholesale in S&D, one episode in this run featured Poor Jill being electrocuted by an appliance apparently rigged by Vera’s stalker in a bid to shock her. This time it was one of the salon’s hairdryers rather than a vacuum cleaner); and the mix of rather airy upper middle class characters and blue collar everymen.
Representing the latter in particular are the Harvey family into whom Jill has married. With most of their scenes taking place in the drab sitting room of their home in Kings Oak, the Harveys seem Xrds' concession to the traditional soap family. The fact that they seem to be permanently seated at the table in front of their brick fireplace reminds me very much of the Tilsley clan who would make their way onto Corrie the following decade.
And, my God, can they eat. Every Harvey scene brings more dialogue spoken by already-Yeti-like Stan through mouthfuls of noisily-consumed food. I haven’t seen such manners since John and David Palmer stopped sitting round the table together. In one of yesterday’s episodes, Stan devoured two fish fingers in the course of half a scene (I've decided Edward Clayton must save a fortune by only ever eating on set since he seems to really take advantage of the food on offer in these scenes). Stan’s just taken on work an an electrical shop in Kings Oak so suddenly every character finds their appliances in need of repair (David Hunter’s wireless transistor is the latest casualty). All the same, there's an earthy reality to Edward Clayton's restrained, unfussy performance and dishevelled appearance (right down to the greasy hair) that wouldn't seem out of place on early Brookie.
Then there’s pigeon-fancying Wilf who seems to get nothing but bad news from his children. The house is full of drama and Wilf has let fly at his kids several times. He’s played by an actor whose range could, to put it mildly, use some broadening. Nonetheless there’s something rather endearing about him in an Albert Tatlock kind of way. In the latest episodes, Wilf’s gone to visit his dying, estranged brother, looked after by their sister, and by his tarty lover (introduced by close up shots of her arse as she wiggled along the street accompanied by - I kid you not - a Salvation Army Marching Band). To his credit, when introduced, Wilf simply extended his hand and said it was nice to meet her.
Most fascinating of all for me is Sheila. Initially introduced (at least according to the remaining un-wiped episodes) as a friendly, apparently placid motel worker, she’s emerged as one of the series’ edgier characters. To date, she’s the only person in the series to have used the term “bitch”. Twice!
The first time was to tell Sandy’s girlfriend she was a “selfish bitch” for running off while his life was in balance in hospital. And it’s hard to fault her for that. Since I only ever met said girlfriend in the post-accident episodes the only note I saw her hit was “I can’t face going in there” said ad nauseam. Even though she explained about some phobia of being around unwell people, my very one-sided picture just made Sandy’s girlfriend seem like… well: a selfish bitch who was making it all about her. Sheila’s second use of the term was in regard to herself, when she was in some man trouble or other and, after Stan made some allusion or other she agreed that she might be an “easy bitch” (or words to that effect. I forget the actual adjective), but she wasn’t careless.
It’s Sheila who found herself pregnant and without a man (she’s not the first, but things worked out OK for Diane - at least for a time), and watching her wrestle with the decision about keeping the baby has been all the more interesting since it dovetails with Jill and Stan’s struggle under the same roof over not being to have a baby. Reading between the lines it seems Sheila has been persuaded (or perhaps decided) to have the baby and allow Jill and Stan to adopt, so I’m curious about where that goes.
Meanwhile, Diane and Vince have split up, and both have separately gone through scenes of drunken disorder in the Crossroads foyer, with Diane adding debauchery with random male strangers into the mix. I was pleased to see Vince stuck around for a while, but he appears to have now checked out of the series since there’s now a new postie-cum-barman on the scene. I feel sad to see him go.
Like Sheila, Vince is a character I don’t recall ever hearing anything about before watching the series and he grew to be a favourite. Vera is another. As is Miss Tatum. If I were making a Top Ten of Crossroads favourite characters to date, all four would feature prominently.
Of characters I had heard of before watching the series, Amy Turtle is a standout. I’d only ever heard her name in connection with the series’ naff image: as partly inspiring Mrs Overall, and for Ann George’s reputation for fluffing lines. From what I’ve seen, she gets a raw deal since whatever else she may be, Amy is always, always highly watchable. She’s a scene stealer (it’s easy to understand why there seem to be speculations that Noele wanted Ann off the series), and she’s almost always hilarious. All soaps need an Amy Turtle.
As for Noele herself: things seem to have quietened down, and she seems somehow less visible in these more recent episodes. The consecutive episodes following Sandy’s accident remain peak Meg for me, and that run of episodes impressed right to the end, culminating as they did in a that highly ambitious scene where Meg - having forgiven Timothy after a dramatic location meeting in Coventry - walked into the Cathedral and up the aisle to have her faith restored. The only distraction came from the old ladies in the back row, clearly there to watch filming, their heads turning to the overhead camera, then to Noele, then back to camera. But they could’t take the power of a highly cinematic moment, creatively up there with anything series were doing at the time.
On this note, I do think Xrds is one of the most creatively-shot series of the era. There are lots of interesting choices in camera setups that continue to interest. The creativity, the mostly strong storylines and an array of great characters far outweigh any of the series’ limitations or budgetary constraints for me.
With Hugh Mortimer on the scene, it’s my hope that I’ll be watching Meg’s wedding by the end of the weekend. Watch this space.
Cant wait
