(Image: Central Television) David Hunter A. I enjoyed playing Benny, the studios were nearby and we built up an audience of 15 million viewers in its daily 6.30pm slot, just as people arrived home from work. Beryl Johnstone played Kitty Jarvis for five years until 1969. He did however, reveal that his nasty Crossroads character came back to haunt him as a viewer tried to kill him. Having dropped in at ATV during his lunch break to enquire about acting parts, a cleaner directed him to a meeting where production manager Margaret French handed him a script and invited him to return for an audition. An impressive career followed with appearances on EastEnders, Holby City, The Bill, and Navy. [7], As well as being a producer, Gordon became a presenter for the new Birmingham-based service. And it started the trend for overnight stops for motorists in individual accommodation. It came after playing more than 20 characters most of the female parts throughout the 18-year run of the BBC radio sitcom The Navy Lark (1959-77), set on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. Gordon, who had already appeared in 3,521 episodes, was too ill to make the planned return. She died in April 1985, aged 65, after a battle with stomach cancer. The arrival of Valerie Pollard at the Crossroads motel in 1982, Heather Chasen being interviewed about her career, authority on south-east Asian birds and mammals, Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House. Tonge won the role by accident. She went on to star in episodes of Casualty, Worlds Beyond and Fizz. The actor Heather Chasen, who has died aged 92, landed her best-known screen role in the television soap Crossroads. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. It would be great to be working again, but at the end of the day, Ive got a lovely family and they are the love of my life.. Croaky-voiced Anthony Roger Tonge was working as an 8-a-week post office clerk and performing in amateur dramatics in the evenings when he landed the role of Sandy Richardson, the motel owners son, a role he would play for 17 years. While in Crossroads he became a well-known face among the soaps army of loyal fans with his comic turn as the irascible Shughie McFee. John Ernest Briggs MBE (5 September 1935 - 28 February 2021) [1] was an English actor. In 2019, she won the Outstanding Achievement gong at the British Soap Awards. Crossroads, later known as Crossroads Motel and Crossroads King's Oak, was an ITV soap opera that ran from 1964-1988, and was revived from 2001-2003. She became ill during the run and had to be replaced. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. "[6], Henry appeared in the episode "Stoppo Driver" in The Sweeney playing a gangster. Original star Tony played Adam Chanced from 1978 until he was killed off in a fire during the reprisal. Before she died in 2003, she recalled: Miss Tatum didnt suffer fools gladly and was a bit sharp at times, but she was a wonderful character. Now, Jane lives in Staffordshire with her husband David, and she has two grown up children, Sorrell and Harry. Something went wrong, please try again later. What happened to stars of hit motel soap of 70s & 80s? But in later years his ill-health left him increasingly immobile. Then there was perhaps the most memorable character of all, village idiot Benny Hawkins, whose trademark was a woolly hat worn all year round. Arguably the most successful actress to have starred in Crossroads, both old and new, the sky seems to be the limit for Freema Agyeman! According to Denton, "I simply carried out the request of the Crossroads producer [Barton] to dismiss her. As a result, I wasnt with it for many years and everything just seemed to go downhill. She made her first public appearance at the East Ham Palace and shortly afterwards, sang "Dear Little Jammy Face" at a restaurant in London. Years later, I did Doctors, several episodes of Bad Girls and recently a tour playing Tony Hancock in Hancocks Finest Hour. The original soap ran from 1964 to 1988 and was followed by a short revival in 2001. She is also known for starring in the 1970s TV .more Actor: Crossroads. A former fashion model, Valerie was used to the finer things in life, spending her husbands money, devouring Tom Collins cocktails and men. Although you would never have known it from her on-screen squawk, she loved to sing and made a special appearance at Birmingham Town Hall, singing in Handels Messiah. Created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, and originally produced by ATV, Crossroads Motel which was later upgraded to a hotel was to be found in the fictional village of Kings Oak, on the outskirts of Birmingham. Duration: 0:02:21. She stayed in Crossroads until she was sacked in 1981, as TV executives sought a new look for the show. After the termination of her Crossroads contract, Gordon starred in the musical Gypsy at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre, followed by a revival of Irving Berlin's musical Call Me Madam, touring the Midlands. In 1981, after a long fight with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Tonge died age 35. Just a couple of years after her debut TV role as Lola Wise, Agyeman became the companion in Doctor Who, Martha Jones. Jane Rossington Jane Rossington was part of the cast from day one and she played Jill Richardson in the soap. [1] He is also known for roles in other television series such as Gangsters, The Onedin Line, The Day of the Triffids and Doctor Who. In 1942 Heather, with her mother and siblings, Christine and Jeremy, fled Singapore for England on the last boat to leave before the Japanese wartime occupation. Funnily enough, she starred alongside her fellow Crossroads actor Sue Nicholls, who played Audrey Roberts. Although he was a regular in the soap opera, Tonge found time to appear on other television programmes, including Z-Cars, Nearest and Dearest and Detective. 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She was also very well known for her role as Nora Batty in Last Of The Summer Wine , which she played from its inception in 1973 until her death. [9], First in 1969, and over the following decade, she won the TV Times award for most popular television actress on eight occasions. then this list will help you answer those questions. In April 1949, she took the role of Meg Brockie in the original London production of Brigadoon for 685 performances at Her Majesty's Theatre. In 1975, I played a criminal in The Sweeney and while based at Birmingham Rep I shared a dressing room with actor Jon Rollason. While at drama school in the 60s, I used to work backstage watching actors like Laurence Olivier play Othello. Updated 19:09, 23 OCT 2012. Now 37, she is best known for her long-standing role as Nancy Hayton on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks , which she began in 2008. She now lives in Staffordshire and in 2022 her family revealed she was suffering from Alzheimers disease. Melanie Harper, played by Cleo Sylvestre, arrived at the motel in 1970 as Megs foster daughter itself a taboo issue. Now 70, he lives in Shropshire. All rights reserved. I took the flack as that was part of my job to protect my staff. What a Lovely War, directed by his Great Escape co-star Richard Attenborough, with a cast that included Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Olivier. (April 2016) Paul Henry (born 1947) is an English actor, best known for his role as Benny Hawkins in the soap opera Crossroads, on which he appeared on 354 episodes over 11 years. Jane Rossington Jane, now 77, played Jill. For they had played many scenes opposite each other in Crossroads in the mid-1960s. A daughter, Justine, died in 1989. [3] Henry's post-Crossroads career included minor stage roles and the running of a nightclub in Whitchurch, Shropshire, but, in 1994, he returned to television briefly in a tribute to Crossroads, called 30 Years On. [16] Written by Russell T Davies, and directed by Peter Hoar, the production is titled Nolly and depicts her time in, and sacking from, Crossroads. Following the accident, the character of Sandy was predominantly a wheelchair user, though he was able to stand and move upright with the aid of crutches. Jane starred in Crossroads for 24 years while her character married five times, battled drug and alcohol addiction, and had a baby with her stepbrother. A clothes horse was once described as having more go in it that Ronald Allens Crossroads creation. I met Sheila at The British Legion Club when I was working at Birmingham Rep and she was a hairdresser. He was already a familiar face, having found fame as Dr Neville Bywaters in General Hospital. By fate or economy the stories vary it became the first to squeeze the words motor hotel into motel. Comedian Ronnie Barker later in his life revealed that he had suggested Henry should be cast as the character Lennie Godber opposite him in the sitcom Porridge, but the actor Richard Beckinsale was chosen instead by the television producer. Her first television appearance for ATV in the Midlands, Tea With Noele Gordon, was the first popular ITV chat show, and while presenting this series, she became the first woman to interview a British Prime Minister,[7] when Harold Macmillan was in office. Noele Gordon was the star of the show who played Meg Mortimer until she was fired in 1981. 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Later, there was an inter-racial romance between garage mechanic Dennis Harper, played by Merlin Ward, and motel receptionist Meena Chaudri (Karan David). Throughout her life, she had relationships with both men and women sometimes at the same time. [1] Henry's first acting credit was for his role as Guiccioli on the TV miniseries The Roads to Freedom. Reg Watson, the producer, had already interviewed several actors for the part but was unsatisfied; after Tonge's audition, the producer offered him the role. "[13] She returned to Crossroads in August 1983 for two episodes. Birmingham-born Paul, 69, and his wife Sheila live in Shropshire and have a son, Anthony. [2] He was known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006. He also appeared as a bagpipe-playing innkeeper during several appearances in Dr Who and also featured in Keeping Up Appearances and Monarch of the Glen. This permanent character development was made to accommodate actor Roger Tonge who had been developing increasing ill-health. He was only 35. Malcolm Young played Philip Winter between 1964 and 1965, making his appearance one of the shortest on the show. and television presenter. A single parent working at the motel seems staid now, but was hugely controversial in the mid-1960s; Sandy Richardson was injured in a car accident in 1972 and needed to use a wheelchair, the first paraplegic regular character portrayed in British soap opera. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The British actress is now 79 years old. It became known in 1982 that Gordon was suffering from cancer, for which she underwent two major operations. He starred in 298 episodes of Crossroads before moving on to The Bill and Inspector Morse. Tonge thus became the first disabled actor in a soap; however, it was something he always played down and his illness was never talked about. [1] She played the role of Meg Mortimer (originally Richardson, later Ryder) in the long-running British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, with a brief return in 1983. While he had much success in films and other television series, he never forgot Crossroads and was always keen to be involved with reunion events. [citation needed]. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Prior to the accident storyline, Tonge had for many months only been seen in seated scenes, standing rigid or lying in bed. Brian Kent played Dick Jarvis from 1964 until 1972 as part of the original cast. 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Jessica played Belle Wise in Crossroads in 2001, when she was just 18 years old. When the soap's first stint finished, Jane shied away from TV work in favour of stage performances, before returning to her role in 2000. Noele appeared in two episodes in 1983 as a surprise, and there were plans to bring her back as an occasional character in 1985. Not much else is known about the soap actor and what became of him. She is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Parish Church in Ross-on-Wye. From June 1943 to July 1944, she appeared in the musical The Lisbon Story at the London Hippodrome. In 2012, Susan moved to ITV soap Coronation Street , playing Penny Thornley. She stayed with the show for a national tour. She continued her pop career after the show, before becoming a stage actress and appearing in pantomines. Many were forced to sleep in their cars or camp overnight. She is survived by their son, Rupert. Gordon stayed with the programme until she was sacked in 1981, when ATV was in the process of being re-constituted into a new company, Central Independent Television. Tuesday, 2nd May 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. let infinite_scroll_general_constants = JSON.parse('{"TrafficSourceName":"mobile_single_page","A9PubId":"97ffba2c-b3ce-4eed-a256-16877174179b","PlayBuzzId":"","MinuteMediaId":"d78e1f27-6ae7-1ce6-2d8a-4f1d4f276a59","PrimisString":"","Connatix":{"Id":"","PlayerId":""},"CedatoId":"","VidazooId":"60a501bfba9bbf00048eec11","Rise":{"WrapperId":"60994fec4a06ce00014a0e24","Org":"5e415a71acebdc000190e321"},"Avantis":{"Id":"","TagId":""},"FbMode":{"Psl":"d7ecee","SubDomain":""},"AffiliateMode":{"Psl":"b6ca9a","SubDomain":"a709o2as"},"DynamicMode":{"Psl":"5486fa","SubDomain":"w9z5ajk4"},"LightMode":{"Psl":"12da3f","SubDomain":"9t7cxd13"},"GeneralMode":{"Psl":"fe0e8b","SubDomain":""},"BroadMode":{"Psl":"ef96ff","SubDomain":""},"NaturalMode":{"Psl":"6097df","SubDomain":""},"InclusiveMode":{"Psl":"71f658","SubDomain":""}}'); Since 1988, she has been the main patron of the Crossroads Appreciation Society, and continues to take an active role in the group. The popular actor starred for nine years in the Midland soap and also took on a memorable role opposite Hollywood legend Steve McQueen in iconic war movie, The Great Escape. [4] He was in character as Benny in the song, but spoke rather than sang. Joan Noele Gordon (25 December 1919 14 April 1985) was a British actor of Scottish descent In 1977, Henry recorded "Benny's Theme" with the Mayson Glen Orchestra for Pye Records. Chasen also had an elegance and grand air about her that endeared her to friends, and she was often seen with a glass of champagne in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Ive managed to get a 40 overdraft.. Prior to Crossroads Allen had been an English character actor. Knowing of her infidelity, J Henry cancelled her credit accounts and effectively grounded Valerie by finding a job for her behind the motels bar. Heather found fame playing Valerie Pollard on Crossroads (not Emmerdale) for four years from 1982. The show had many memorable characters in its early years including the likes of hotel chef Carlos Raphael, kitchen assistant Amy Turtle, postmistress Edith Tatum, long-running character Diane Lawton, motel director David Hunter, chef Shughie McFee, hairdresser Vera Downend, and the womanising Adam Chance. Anguss other film roles included appearances in 633 Squadron, Tunes of Glory and 1969 musical Oh! During his tenure in the series, his ill health left him increasingly immobile. Central were obliged to continue ATV's commitment to Crossroads; however, Head of Programmes Charles Denton and Head of Drama Margaret Matheson wanted to end the soap opera in favour of more expensive and lavish drama productions.
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