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.

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.

We take soap operas for granted these days but back in the 1970s there were very few to choose from and all of them in the days of just three channels were all on ITV. Emmerdale was just a farm, Coronation Street was on twice a week, and then you had crossroads the first five nights a week soap opera.

In years to come crossroads would become a byword for badly made television, wooden acting terrible scripts and shaky scenery. The star of the show was Noel Gordon who was already something of a star in her own right. But it was Crossroads who put her into the nation's living rooms five nights a week and in the days of three channels over 15 million people with tune into this rubbish because really there was nothing else on!

This is a wonderful nostalgic return to the 1970s and a reminder of how bad TV was in those days.

Helen Bonham Carter is terrific as the matriarch character Meg Richardson, But there was far more to this woman than just crossroads. Russell T Davies script and high production values make this a must watch for those like me who remember this period in television history. 9 out of 10.

Crossroads oozed cheese and ham. What the heck was a Motel and where did they find those rough accents ?

Characters like Benny, Jim Baines and Amy Turtle were legend. Meg Mortimer played by Nolly was like the headmistress that you hated but kept everything under control. It was always a close thing between Crossroads and Bill and Ben as to who had the most wooden actors. It was with trepidation that one watched the new series and how Russell T Davies would treat such a precarious subject. Would it be a mirror of liquid cheese or glistening goo ?

Amazingly the script displayed humour, sensitivity and integrity. 15 million viewers couldn't all have been wrong ? Helena Bonham Carter nailed it. She captured the vulnerable and perceptive side of Meg, illuminating up the screen as if it were colour tv for the first time in 1938. Slowly drawing one in, by the third episode one was impressed by the complexities of behind the scenes and especially insidious male management. Cast is very good especially Larry Grayson played by the chap from League of Gentlemen, music is sympathetic, sets are spot on. Great script and directed with a great build up from Peter Hoar. A real surprise.

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.