The Crown's Helena Bonham Carter will lead the cast of a new TV drama inspired by iconic soap Crossroads, which comes from forthcoming Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies.
Before RTD reboards the TARDIS for the BBC One science-fiction show's 60th anniversary in 2023, he will write a three-part series for ITV about one of the most notorious moments in soap history.
Crossroads was one of the most popular soaps of the 1960s and 1970s, earning a loyal audience in spite of its famously low-budget sets, in part because of a dynamic lead performance from Noele Gordon.
Gordon's character Meg Richardson was the heart and soul of Crossroads for decades since the series was based around the home she turned into a roadside hotel.
Then, in 1981, Gordon was infamously fired by head programmer Charles Denton in a decision that was later put down to a plan to axe the show in favour of prestige dramas.
New series Nolly will examine what led up to Noele's notorious sacking and the backlash from viewers, with Helena Bonham Carter playing the legendary soap star.
"Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies' script," Bonham Carter said.
"I'm so thrilled to help tell Nolly's long overdue and largely forgotten story. Russell's screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I'll do him and Nolly justice. I can't wait to start."
The project is deeply rooted in Davies' own life as one of the earliest jobs in his TV career saw him submit a script for Crossroads in the soap's waning days.
"One of my very first jobs in TV was a trial script for Crossroads, and I've wanted to write the story of behind the scenes on that show for 40 years. At last, the truth can be told," the writer said.
In real life, Noele Gordon did return to Crossroads for a few episodes following the public outcry over her sacking, but plans for a full return sadly never came to pass due to her health.
Crossroads was ultimately cancelled in 1988 after a 24-year run on ITV. It would briefly be revamped from 2001 to 2003 by the channel.
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