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Crossroads programme

What a great thread! My dad was a big fan of Noelle Gordon and had a signed photo from her in his bedside cabinet.
Paul Henry used to be in things at the Rep and I saw - brain has failed - she played the woman who ran the garage - in an adaptation of 'Emma' at the Oxford Playhouse. I suppose many of the cast are no longer with us.
I can very vaguely remember Lunch Box.

maria
 
I have the impression that Crossroads was not a soap that had a lot of violence in it which maybe was its success whilst it lasted. I guess most non Midlanders will remember the actress who appeared on the Juke Box programme with her "I'll give it five". (note I have not tried to imitate her accent! :friendly_wink:)
 
Betty Hopper said:
Mornin' Silly me !!!!!! Sorry, just realised I have been getting mixed up between Crossroads and Lunchbox ??????
It was Lunch Box when we were teaching the Lombada to Nollie !!!!!!
I was wondering why so far no one had mentioned the trio { Gerry Allen ???? } Just couldn't work out why there
would be musicians in Crossroads { oh! my poor little head } Phew ! glad thats over.
Betty
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Jerry Allen (organ), previously with the Jan Ralfini Band, Ken Ingerfield (bass), later with the Syd Lawrence Band, Lionel Rubin (drums). Later they added Alan Graham (vibes), and became a quartet

Eddie.
 
Chris Tarrant told an anecdote about Crossroads on the ATV DVD's from MACE- he said that during one scene being filmed, Amy Turtle was hoovering very loudly while the main actors were delivering their lines- making so much noise that they couldn't be heard. The director asked her why she was hoovering in that scene, and she replied in her broad Brummie accent "It's in the script!!!". The director looked at the script and it read- 'Amy turtle hovering in background'.
 
Crossroads Motel made an appearance in last night's episode of Endeavour (ITV 8.00). Well the exterior sign did - not the interior. It was a little way into the episode. There were many references to 'near Birmingham' and Kings Oak. And there were scenes of old abandoned railway stations too - not sure they really were abandoned or renovated station made to look abandoned, but interesting all the same. Viv.
 
Not all the railway stations were abandoned - just a portrayal. The line in the programme was supposed to represent the 'Varsity' line - Cambridge to Oxford. This line closed in 1967 although the tv programme was set in 1968. The station with green paintwork was Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway which runs around ten miles from Alton to Alresford. The steam locomotive was 76017, which is a British Railways class 4MT (derived from an LMS design) built in 1953 and withdrawn in 1965. There was also a Class 33 diesel locomotive which is based in Hampshire.
The 'abandoned' looking place was Quainton Road station belonging to the Buckingham Railway Centre. I did not watch the programme closely, just being interested when trains were heard ;) so I missed the Birmingham connections.
 
Alberta said:
My late mother in law went to the blessing of Meg Richardsons(Noelle Gordon)marriage to Hugh.
I can't remember whether it was St Martins or St Phillips, but i always got the impression my M-i-law thought it was real,LOL
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Your Mother in law wasn't on her own , I had the privilege in the late 60's of a tour around the Crossroads set and also the Golden Shot set . Our guide was a personal friend that worked for ATV , as we walked around the set seeing doors screwed to walls that would never open , looking down between the alley doors either side screwed to the wall . He made a couple of us chuckle saying that we would not believe the amount of applications for bookings they received can you believe it. BY the way ATV were in their new studios at that time on Bridge St . On our way to the bar We met Trevor Lucas the announcer with his stacked heels , he's uncredited as a detective in one of my Scotland Yard or Edgar Lustgarten box sets
 
nijinski said:
Susan Hanson/Miss Diane did marry carl wayne. She married him as you say in 1974 until his death in 2004. They had one son called jack.
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My missus as a young lady just left school , had the pleasure of serving Miss Diane in Parker Winder & Achurch on Broad St in the 60's
 
crossroads was never to be missed in our house.....ann george better known as amy turtle was also a singer and i saw her doing a turn at the woodman pub corner of well st and barr st....this would have been mid 70s

lyn
 
My Grandaughter spent the evening with Carolyn Jones who played Sharon Metcalf in Crossroads the other evening, met her thanks to her Uncle, who was producer on the Archers and Eastenders, when they went out for a meal.
 
One of my favourite DVDs to accompany my sessions on my excercise bike is the Ipcress File (Michael Cane), so what's this got to do with the price of fish? The delectable Sue Lloyd - the perfect woman? Almost (she didn't have a Brummie accent), never could understand how she got the part in Crossroads. Is she still around? I haven't checked, better not to know the answer to some questions.
Peg.
A moderator has moved the attachment to this post to: https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/peg-monkey-cartoons.48101/page-3
 
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Peg,

As you say, probably best not to know. Sadly Sue passed away on 20 October 2011

Maurice
 
A chap I worked with in America told me that he played a character called Colin Warboys (?) in Crossroads, which I only ever watched to take the mickey out of the terrible acting and rickety scenery. I was impressed, until I accidentally discovered that the character Warboys (?) was in only one episode.....not quite fame, then.

G
 
Not Crossroads but a lady I knew, with no interest in DIY, always watched Barry Bucknell to have a laugh at when he hit his thumb or the shelving he was assembling collapsed.
 
Radiorails said:
Not Crossroads but a lady I knew, with no interest in DIY, always watched Barry Bucknell to have a laugh at when he hit his thumb or the shelving he was assembling collapsed.
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Oh dear Barry Bucknell, who could forget?


“Here’s how to cut a slab, chip crack snap, oh well, here’s one I did earlier”.


“Here’s how to put hardboard over those nasty panelled doors”


“let’s rip out this cast iron Victorian fireplace and fit a nice new modern two bar electric fire with a Formica back”.


Just like the producers of Crossroads, he has a lot to answer for
 
Morturn said:
Oh dear Barry Bucknell, who could forget?


“Here’s how to cut a slab, chip crack snap, oh well, here’s one I did earlier”.


“Here’s how to put hardboard over those nasty panelled doors”


“let’s rip out this cast iron Victorian fireplace and fit a nice new modern two bar electric fire with a Formica back”.


Just like the producers of Crossroads, he has a lot to answer for
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Its the biggest cause of visits to the A&E if you're not proficient in DIY
 
Getting back on thread - well, I did give the thread a twist - I have to say Crossroads was probably appreciated more in central England (or by those who had emigrated) but it always seemed to have an amateur dramatic feel on the occasions I saw it.
However, in its defence, it certainly did not have the aggression and misery that EastEnders seems to have. I haven't seen Eastenders for years but probably Crossroads, had it survived, would have had to get into line with the present day tv preference for violence, shouting matches and coarse living.
 
Radiorails said:
Getting back on thread - well, I did give the thread a twist - I have to say Crossroads was probably appreciated more in central England (or by those who had emigrated) but it always seemed to have an amateur dramatic feel on the occasions I saw it.
However, in its defence, it certainly did not have the aggression and misery that EastEnders seems to have. I haven't seen Eastenders for years but probably Crossroads, had it survived, would have had to get into line with the present day tv preference for violence, shouting matches and coarse living.
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Bravo Radio hear hear , I haven't watched that for about 20 yrs , what with all the squinting and violence , whats more I think Emmerdale is going the same way haven't watched that either for years , since they moved out of top field and moved away from farming
 
Morturn said:
The chap who played Benny had a pub off Floodgate Street
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Yes Morturn, I think he called it Bennys, I went in it once in the 1980s expecting to see Benny serving behind the bar, he wasn't , it was quite a nice traditional pub.
I expect the pub is still there, but called something else.
 
Haven't watched soap operas since the Newcomers finished. Vaguely remember a play at the rep with Noel Gordon and Polly James (James was a pro compared to Gordon) . I once did the tour of Pebble Mill where the official highlight was a demo of the work of the sound effects doing a bit for the Archers.
 
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