Nolly

I thoroughly enjoyed this great piece of nostalgia. Noele Gordon's story deserved to be told, and Russell T Davies and Helena Bonham Carter were the perfect pairing to tell it.

It has some genuinely poignant moments but there is also a lot of devilishly funny moment to, who knew Nolly could have a mouth like a sailor.

The three episodes flew by, as I got caught up in all of the drama and campery. I'm sure I'll watch it again and probably see little bits and one liners that I missed the first time. Great TV. I loved the Larry Grayson section, Mark Gatiss played him really well, and with great affection. Maybe Larry's story will get the Russell T Davies treatment one day, I hope so. Augustus Prew, who played Tony Adams also did a fine job, comical and touching.

Perhaps this series makes more sense to those in the UK who have heard of Crossroads, the long-running television soap opera that starred the main character of this show, Noele Gordon. Otherwise there really isn't much here, just a few hours of soap opera intrigue and a glimpse at a woman who was very well known in the UK many years ago.

What makes this actually work well is Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Noele (or Nolly). Carter has been miscast so often in her career that she has occasionally ended up the worst performer in some of her shows. But in this role her acting chops are real, evident, and powerful: she pretty much turns the series into something extremely watchable as she is able to give her character powerful grace, depth, and sympathy. Watching Carter here is almost like a lesson in acting: the gestures, the slight grimaces, the slow smiles; everything she does here is nothing short of perfection.

For Carter alone, this show is eminently worth watching, even if like most Americans, Noele Gordon is a non-entity.

I am a Brummie and remember Crossroads from my childhood, I could never relate to the other English soaps and I think this is the reason why.

It answers the question of why CrossRoads had to end the way it did and why the other soaps have kept going,

Benny was one of my favourite characters and Miss Diana, but without Meg the show didn't have a leading lady. They is only so much you can do in a motel, which was so out of place in the Birmingham I know.

It was a bit awkward listening to the Brummie's accent during the show, but it is what it is and I think it shows a very positive view of what happens to a very strong women.

The story here is everything. Noele Gordon is fired from her long-running daily soap opera and must confront the reality of the situation.

We see Nolly as both domineering on the set but also caring deeply for her co-workers and appreciating her fans. She's not a hero or a villain and even the executives who fired her turn out to be sympathetic characters.

It's not good versus evil. There are no scenes designed to manipulate our emotions, it's just a simple story. The acting is top-notch from top to bottom, everyone is believable in their roles. The sets, the score, the cinematography, and all the rest are beautifully done.

Even the ending doesn't give us the triumph we want but just completes the story nicely.

This show truly illustrates the concept of telling a compelling story without embellishment. I can understand why an audience expecting a happy ending with the bad guy defeated might find this a bit slow, dull even, but I loved it.

I wish we had more this and less of the blockbuster stuff, but I suspect I'm in the minority.

Noele Gordon, Nolly was famed for appearing in Crossroads, the soap opera set in a Motel, she and The Nation were stunned to learn that her character Meg was to be killed off.

Russell T Davies does it once again, I went in to this knowing virtually nothing about Noele Gordon, someone that would have switched Crossroads straight off, after this, I felt like I knew her a little better.

It's entertaining, it's moving, it's very funny, what an obscure story to tell, but it works. I wish they'd gone into her early years perhaps a little more, although I totally get why they focused on The Crossroads era.

After episode one, I was left in no doubts as to where Acorn Antiques came from, wonky sets, improvisation, demanding leading lady, I could just see Mrs Overall.

Helena Bonham Carter absolutely nails it, she's fabulous throughout, August's Prew is great as Tony, and a special mention for Mark Gatiss, who creates Larry Grayson incredibly well.

Charming and funny.

8/10.