Crossroads Crossroads: 1964-1988, 2001-2003

[Carrie Fairchild]

Thanks for the scans @Barbara Fan I look forward to having a proper read when I’ve a bit more time. Out of interest, which soap book is this from?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Glad to hear that Rosemary is making a comeback, she was a little bit precious

When she returned I wasn't sure at first but now the snob and gossip is coming out in her and she's proving good fun.

and Lloyd who i always thought Meg should have a fling with (maybe she does, I dont recall)

I really like the friendship between these two. They work well together. Like you, I initially got the sense he was introduced with a view to becoming a new romantic interest for Meg long-term, but I also enjoy seeing opposite sex platonic relationships as they're relatively rare in Soapland.

i do think it was so good of the show to fit his treatments in with the script and to be so accomodating re his health

Absolutely. It's a fascinating case of a series' writers working an off-screen situation into the storylines and Roger's absences are a perfect fit for Xrds anyway since most characters seem to vanish for months at a time and then return, be it Diane to visit Nicky, Jill going to Germany or Bernard Booth disappearing into the store cupboard for several weeks.

I cant recall Val but might need to see ehr face to jog the memory!

Picture the main character from the musical Annie, then imagine her grown-up with a Geordie accent and that's pretty much her.

I suspect she's a very short-term character, introduced to do an "issue" storyline for regular characters to react to, so it's probably not surprising you can't recall her.

And isnt Doris Luke and Kathy Satff a wonderful down to earth addition to the show? A great character actress

She's a definite favourite of mine. I really thought I might have trouble getting past seeing her as Nora Batty but she proved me wrong very quickly.

She’s peddling jigsaws today, for anyone that’s interested. The devil works hard but Toyah works harder.

Ha ha.

If only she'd been a bit earlier that could have been my Easter break sorted.

 

[Barbara Fan]

Its from a Book called Supersoaps - by Chris Stacey and ? Darcy Sullivan

Its got TV Times on cover and is in hardback

has a chapter each on all big soaps of the 80s

 

[Barbara Fan]

I was googling Mrs Bernard Booth and she has really gone up in the world from mixing with the Kitchen staff in Crossroads
With a certain wife of a King and hubby Nick Mason

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Supersoaps - by Chris Stacey and ? Darcy Sullivan

Its got TV Times on cover and is in hardback

has a chapter each on all big soaps of the 80s

Oh - I have that one too. It was one of my Christmas presents in 1988 if I remember correctly (along with Hillary Kingsley's Soap Box).

I was googling Mrs Bernard Booth and she has really gone up in the world from mixing with the Kitchen staff in Crossroads
With a certain wife of a King and hubby Nick Mason

Goodness me. You can imagine what Doris Luke would have to say about of all this

 

[Barbara Fan]

Funnily enough I scanned that too before my computer crashed and forgot to post them - so here goes

I ended up with 4 copies of that book as it was going fo 50 p at an airport and fellt i had to buy more although I got it when it first came out!!

Dont ask me why?? lol

 

[Barbara Fan]

 

[Barbara Fan]

Picture the main character from the musical Annie, then imagine her grown-up with a Geordie accent and that's pretty much her.

Oh dear, Im disliking her already, I hated the film Annie and the brat in it- I do remember her in Crossroads as she had a distinctive name in real life

This time he has Dr Kathryn Fischer in tow. There was an initial tease that she might be his young lover, but she’s actually his daughter. With her gothic looks and sardonic manner she’s certainly making an impression on everyone - albeit not the best impression

Oh dear, where did she come from?? The Adams family - I havent warmed to her or her hair cut, she looks like she has modelled herself on Dave Hill of Slade
Think Mr Hill was more attracticve though I hope her stay is a short one but that her dad remains in it - I like Lloyd and Meg together



When its Easter - I always dig out my Jesus of Nazareth DVD for an airing, I loved Robert Powell as Jesus and a cast of 1000s - so many old Hollywood stars in it and produced by none other than Nollys agent Sir Lew Grade (I once him on a show years ago dancing - tap dancing and doing the Charleston and he was very good)

Who turned up a long way from the beat in Wolverhampton but none other than Doubting Thomas - CRossroads own Steve with the Curly hair Cater and the late Bruce Lidington (RIP)

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I havent warmed to her or her hair cut, she looks like she has modeleld herself on Dave Hill of Slade
Think Mr Hill was more attracticve though

Ha ha. I keep seeing Mystic Meg:

Somehow, I don't think BF will be celebrating tooooooo. Not until she's gone.

When its Easter - I always dig out my Jesus of Nazareth DVD for an airing, I loved Robert Powell as Jesus and a cast of 1000s - so many old Hollywood stars in it and produced by none other than Nollys agent Sir Lew Grade (I once him on a show years ago dancing - tap dancing and doing the Charleston and he was very good)

I need to rewatch this sometime. I don't think I've seen it since it first aired when I was a kid, but I remember it being very good and I know it's very highly regarded.

Who turned up a long way from the beat in Wolverhampton but none other than Doubting Thomas - CRossroads own Steve with the Curly hair Cater and the late Bruce Lidington (RIP)

Wonderful!! I'd definitely be up for watching Bruce in something else.

 

[Barbara Fan]

an A to Z of ATV featuring Jane Rossington, Tony Adams Angus Lennie - very tongue in cheek
and cast of many more familiar faces to celebrate Lew Grade et al - He didnt do too badly for a boy born in Ukraine

 

[Mel O'Drama]

22 February 1979 - 11 April 1979
3104 - 3131​

It’s been an exciting six weeks at the motel and its environs, from the antique shop to Chimneys.

First of all is the affair between Tish’s husband, Ted Hope, and Lloyd’s acerbic daughter Kathryn Fischer (he must have a thing for women with seductive husky voices. And perhaps this is why Kathryn has reminded me at times of Joan Greenwood).

I can’t recall now if this is the first on-screen affair I’ve watched play out in real time. Apart from George-from-the-farm’s almost-fling with Mrs Bailey, the only one that really springs to mind is Jill’s pregnancy by Anthony Mortimer, but the latter was back before I reached the consecutive episodes and so I missed the complete picture.

What I’ve found particularly refreshing about this are the responses of others. One would expect heightened melodrama and big emotions but, while there have been flashes of those, the responses of those around them - even those most affected - have mostly been matter-of-fact. The overriding focus is on the social awkwardness affecting interactions as word has spread. Indeed, there have been times when even Tish or Lloyd have seemed mildly amused by the whole thing (the writing, too, leans towards the amusing. The business about the man with the cough or limp tailing them brought quips galore).

It feels very stiff upper lip and British, but also very truthful. I may be assuming a lot, but I’d say a good number of viewers (myself included) would only have (knowingly) experienced infidelity in this tertiary kind of way by it happening to someone they know rather than being the wronged or guilty party. So the Greek Chorus angle works well and certainly makes a welcome change from the histrionics around the inevitable explosive discovery.

Not that we’ve stayed on the periphery the entire time, and this story has been notable for giving some of my favourite Tish moments as she’s responded to the situation with grace while still managing to put the pair of them exactly in their place. Tish is one of those characters whose presence is present enough. She doesn’t have to do an awful lot to endear herself to me, but it is wonderful to see Joy Andrews serviced with a meatier storyline of her own and winning me over even more in the process.

Ted and Kathryn have come out of it looking rather foolish (at the time this was being filmed, in a curious parallel or a case of art imitating life or vice versa, Charles Stapley was cheating on his third wife with the mother of ghastly Heather Mills). Kathryn has now left, having been given a dose of humility. Not that this has stopped Tish deciding to leave Ted with the expected minimum of fuss and nobody to cover the shop for him. I’m curious to see what happens next.

Over at Chimneys, the Jack Barton era’s penchant for “issues” has been serviced with Val’s abortion. I’ve no doubt it was a bold topic for a teatime series to tackle over four decades ago, which perhaps explains why the person who terminated their pregnancy was essentially a tertiary character. We didn’t know her, and barely knew anything about her so there was no character to damage. And she was quickly dispatched once the deed was done. In these regards it can’t help feeling a little clunky as a social topic shoehorned into the series. All the same, it’s been interesting to see characters’ responses to the situation, with Jill emerging as an ardent pro-lifer who won’t even discuss the issue (that is to say, she closes down differing outlooks after vociferously sharing her own) and Diane and Adam at the more liberal end. Diane’s unapologetic response to Jill’s accusatory finger-pointing have shown a feisty side to her character so, with Jill happy after a dramatic airport reunion with Sarah Jane (no expense spared, and some hilarious rubbernecking from members of the public in the cafe) let’s talk about Diane.

Diane’s currently engaged again. This time it’s to Chris Hunter who has returned with a new face. His initial scenes gave us some exciting resolution with Meg and David over his involvement in Hugh’s kidnapping and, ultimately, death. I like Stephen Hoye as the new Chris. For a start, he doesn’t look unlike Ronald Allen. I’m also fascinated by his accent which occasionally has some kind of Indian twang to it. Apparently he’s done voice work for Penguin Random House Audio these days, so he’s putting that fascinating voice to good work.

Perhaps it’s the “black sheep returning to the fold angle”, but there’s something of the Gary Ewing about this Chris, in the best possible way. He’s clearly got a wild, stubborn streak and some growing up to do, and his cockiness is enjoyably frustrating everyone around him.

The marriage proposal has come as a short cut to him receiving an inheritance coming his way upon his marriage (or when he turns 35), and it’s put the cat amongst the pigeons marvellously. Diane’s been accused of being a scarlet woman or selling herself for money by everyone from Doris Luke to Rosemary Hunter.

Rosemary’s battle to protect her son from this older woman she feels is beneath her son is great fun, with her having a nicely arch confrontation in which she presented her research about Diane’s past as an opportunist (the business with Diane suing newly minted pools winner Jim Baines) before offering her unwanted daughter-in-law-to-be a blank cheque (around two years before Alexis Carrington did something similar).

Once again, Diane’s unapologetic attitude is great to watch. As an example, upon refusing Rosemary’s cheque, Diane pointedly ended by calling her “Mum”, before wheeling and leaving Rosemary speechless. She’s made no bones, too, about the fact that she is marrying Chris for the £5000 he’s offered her. Hence the comments about selling herself, which - considering the marriage will need to be consummated in order to be valid - is not entirely untrue. But this has been wonderfully balanced by Diane’s motivation of wanting to visit little Nicky regularly and without scrimping and saving. It’s fascinating to watch these two people considering a marriage in the most jaded and cynical way possible, with Chris jaded by his lack of autonomy and life experience, and Diane jaded because of her life experience and the resulting autonomy.

Nobody seems happy about the marriage. Which makes me wonder if it could, possibly, actually work.

 

[Barbara Fan]

Charles Stapley was cheating on his third wife with the mother of ghastly Heather Mills)

He gets around then doesnt he?

This time it’s to Chris Hunter who has returned with a new face.

If i recall I found him quite handsome back in the day - I see he now reads audio books and is in USA (I think)

My mum always thought David Hunter was "dishy" even from his Compact days

I decided to go back to Disc 3 and rewatch Crossroads goes to Coventry again with Sandy in the hospital after his accident and Meg trying to put on a brave face
They really were beautifully filmed and shot scenes

Now i need to gear myslef up for Dave Hill - sorry Kathryn and Ted, more woe for Tish

Great review as ever @Mel O'Drama and A+ from me once more
xx

 

[Mel O'Drama]

One of my favourite exchanges of recent episodes, with Rosemary Hunter at her most superior in that hotspot of Kings Oak drama... the motel foyer:

Rosemary: "I’ll be taking morning coffee in the alcove."

Diane: "I’ll send somebody over."

Rosemary: "And why can’t you serve me?"

Diane: "Because I’m not a waitress. I manage the cold buffet in the dining room."

Rosemary: "Is your job definition quite so narrow, Mrs Parker? I thought you were here to serve. [she looks Diane up and down] Must be the uniform. Congratulations on your promotion. It’s really rather an honour having someone in the family who manages the cold buffet."





Oh, and I've looked up some key figures, adjusted for inflation.


Chris's inheritance:

£30,000 in 1979 is worth £194,194.84 today​

And Diane's share of it for marrying Chris:

£5,000 in 1979 is worth £32,365.81 today​

He gets around then doesnt he?

He certainly did. And he was evidently perfectly (type)cast.

If i recall I found him quite handsome back in the day

He is a nice looking young man. Diane does rather well for herself, doesn't she?

My mum always thought David Hunter was "dishy" even from his Compact days

He's certainly very suave.

Watching Xrds recently there's something about him that reminds me of Stefan Dennis from Neighbours (obviously in more recent years, not from back in his sprayed on jeans days).

I decided to go back to Disc 3 and rewatch Crossroads goes to Coventry again with Sandy in the hospital after his accident and Meg trying to put on a brave face
They really were beautifully filmed and shot scenes

Absolutely. Some lovely location work. And Madame Edith from 'Allo 'Allo thrown in for good measure.

Great review as ever @Mel O'Drama and A+ from me once more

Thanks BF. I'm enjoying watching.

I like your Easter Nolly signature. Doris Luke chose an Easter card in an episode I've watched over the weekend, so perhaps I'll get to see it soon.

 

[Barbara Fan]

I like your Easter Nolly signature.

Its from the Royal Wedding - it certainly seemed like a B'Ham equivalent

I've just got my computer back - back to basics and having to add everything on once more

I'm losing the will!!

I think a bit of Mr Harty and Miss Gordon is calling me .......................

 

[Barbara Fan]

PS Lovely little clip of Sue Hanson on her last day on Crossroads

Like many she felt it wasn't the same and that all the people she loved working with had gone and she would bring them all back

 

[Barbara Fan]

rescanned as Photobucket account is long gone!!

 

[Barbara Fan]

Mr Chance

 

[Barbara Fan]

Would they make a good match - was never a Dysentry fan as Sir Tel would say - Rip Terry Wogan

 

[Mel O'Drama]

12 April - 22 May 1979
3132 - 3153
​

There’s a new family in the village. Miss Tatum has appeared to hand over the key of her shop to Cyril Watkins who - in addition to becoming fast friends with Doris Luke - has now been joined by his daughter Eira Turvey and her husband Harry. They’re three interesting characters. I warmed to Cyril immediately, but must confess I’ve grown to find him oozing with “nice” in every single scene a tad irritating. There’s something about the gushing sincerity and warmth that I find a bit too much, and I hope he gets into some conflict soon because he’s coming across like a caricature. If there is conflict, I suspect it will come from Harry, who appears to be something of a bad ‘un, clearly with some history that’s going to cause conflict. He’s a bit of a stirrer when it comes to his interactions in the village and has already got on the wrong side of Doris for his perceived idleness (I’m still not clear what the deal with his back is. Does he really have an invisible disability? I feel I shouldn’t assume either way). Harry is played quite unapologetically by Siôn Probert who seems best known playing a camp boutique owner in a film with Windsor Davies: Grand Slam (I’d never heard of it, but it looks fun and so is now on my radar).

Balancing the two men out is Eira, played by Myfanwy Talog. Hers is a very familiar face and IMDb tells me she’s appeared in numerous sitcoms I’ve watched - some quite recently. But she’s perhaps most familiar to me, I’d think, for her voice work in long-forgotten animations such as Alias The Jester, Will Cwac Cwac/Will Quack Quack and SuperTed. Search engines seem to indicate she’s best known for being David Jason’s long-term partner up until her death aged just 50. Anyway, she’s a lovely addition to the cast and I’m looking forward to watching while the family is around (which, sadly, doesn’t appear to be too long). As an aside, the family have been heard conversing in Welsh when alone. It’s only happened once, but I thought it added an interesting and slightly bold touch of diversity.

The stories are coming thick and fast at the moment. Xrds has really nailed the art of balancing the pacing so that it feels mostly sedate, while rotating its stories and characters with enough frequency that none of them ever outstay their welcome. Watch two or three consecutive episodes and it’s easy to be fooled into thinking that it’s downright sluggish. Skip three times that number and the instant accessibility could create the illusion that nothing ever happens. But whenever I stop to reflect on a batch of episodes I realise that they’re invariably quite different from the batch before, something especially noticeable once it’s down in black and white.

True, I’m flying through the series at the moment, but its bingeability© at even this speed is a testament to its structure. If it were too slow I’d lose the will to live. Too eventful and I’d feel burnt out.

The previous batch’s main storylines are now long wrapped up. Jill’s gone off to New York. Adam may have as well. And Kathryn’s also returned to her East Coast home (consider, too, that Diane’s just flown off to Los Angeles to see Nicky, with Chris considering following, and one could easily envisage Xrds becoming a franchise like CSI. Even closer to home, characters have darted off to London and Geneva).

If I have one complaint about the rotating stories, it’s the way in which they are sometimes hastily - and anti-climactically - wrapped up.

Take the Tish/Ted/Kathryn affair. As I mentioned before, it was refreshing as these stories go and had some great moments for Tish especially. Then, once Kathryn is gone, Tish announces that the feels special because Ted has been as sneaky with Tish as he usually is with all his other women, and off she goes to cook his supper. It left rather a bad taste in my mouth, because it undermined the strength and growth she’d shown during the affair.

With Diane and Chris’s marriage, I accepted the somewhat choppy ending, because the whole point of the story was that it was destined to go nowhere. It’s to the credit of the writers that I didn’t feel there was an inevitable ending. While I was curious see where it would go, I wasn’t overly invested in all the twists and turns of the story, but it was just too much flipping fun to worry about that. I was fairly ambivalent towards Rosemary before this story, but she’s emerged as a highly entertaining and unpredictable character, and her catty, snobby side has been extremely amusing and watchable. The annulment does have a touch of the anti-climactic to it, but again, with this storyline that’s the point.

continued…​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

12 April - 22 May 1979
3132 - 3153
continued
​

Since the most disappointing of the anti-climaxes came with the most exciting of stories, it’s safe to say that the bigger the investment, the bigger the anti-climax.

The return of Linda was something that filled me with something between indifference and frustration. She’s an irritant - that’s the purpose of the character I know. She’s an absolute nightmare: sexually harassing men while undermining Benny, aggressively making her presence felt where she’s most unwanted and getting under everyone’s skin. And all the while noisily chewing gum like Violet Beauregarde on speed.

I had no prior knowledge of this storyline but, with everyone having reasons for being angry at her and Benny looking rather menacing while speaking about her while holding heavy garage tools, I could see this becoming a whodunnit murder storyline.

As it turns out, it wasn’t a whodunnit, but a “bad guy frames innocent character” story, with new manager (and head honcho’s son-in-law) Colin Dutton accidentally killing her during a lover’s quarrel as he tried to end their affair for good, and immediately putting the blame on Benny.

While it went on, as people reacted to both a death on the premises and one of their most affable colleagues being the key suspect and a wanted man, I found it a truly gripping storyline. The word spreading combined with speculation, suspense and police questions gave the episodes a special energy of the kind one would expect to see in a new season following a cliffhanger. As things went along, it began to seem Benny’s position was untenable.

As mentioned, only the speed with which the storyline wrapped stopped this from feeling like an all-time classic. Mac persuades Benny to return and tell his side of the story. The police are just about to cart him off when in comes a phone call saying a pub owner had seen Linda at a country pub with Colin. And suddenly, the officers - whose key objective this whole time had been to bring in Benny at all costs - pat him on the back and tell him to have a cup of tea and - despite there no other form of evidence, warrants or even a discussion as a team - haul off Colin instead. In the next episode we hear that Colin has confessed and that’s that.

Frankly, this is one storyline that I felt wrapped up too quickly as there was still gold to be mined (I’d love to have somehow seen George or Ed Lawton felt about Linda’s death) . But if it had to wrap at this point, it could have been better planned and more satisfying. As it was, I was left feeling whoever wrote the episode wasn’t told it needed wrapping up until after they’d written it, and so this was hastily tacked on without any interest or creativity. Still, there was more good than bad with this story.

Somewhere we have been given a decent ending is with Sandy leaving. I understand this isn’t the last we’ll see of him, but since it’s written as though it is, I’d have to guess that it was at least a possibility that Roger Tonge wouldn’t return, probably due to his deteriorating health. Sandy’s difficult decision to leave has given some great moments. Most surprising for me has been the conflict. Sandy’s anger over his feeling that he has been given special treatment all these years and wants to stand on his own have given some of Roger Tonge’s best dramatic scene. In his latter episodes he’s been everything from frustrated to plain old bad-tempered, and it’s taken me aback because he’s usually so sanguine and jovial. If anything it’s brought home how this character has chosen the path of optimism and positivity no matter what’s come his way, and the same appears to be the same of Roger himself. I suspect the frustrations he expresses have some truth to them, and so does the realisation that no… he hasn’t been given special treatment. If provisions have been made, they’re only to keep him working hard for as long as he chooses or is able. All concerned have been wonderful in these scenes. I can imagine the angry moments between Noele and Roger in particular weren’t the easiest for the actors to shoot, and they’ve crackled with electricity. For however long he’s absent, I’ll miss Sandy.

Back at the motel, Alan Hawksworth is played quite a bit in the foyer. It’s perfect Xrds music, and I’m sure I’ll think of the series whenever those songs whenever one of them crops up in my playlists from now on.