Happy Birthday Tony


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Look away now if you're one of those people who compare a daily soap opera to a twice-weekly drama serial. If you understand that for almost twenty years Crossroads was unique in British broadcasting, then welcome to the motel. 

 

Noele Gordon, 1965This is the official fan club website for the long running Midlands saga – a show which became one of ITV's most popular, and famous, daytime programmes. The series was commissioned in 1964 by Lew Grade, devised by Peter Ling and Hazel Adair, and the format developed by soap-legend Reg Watson.

 

Crossroads, despite what some write about it these days, at its peak was one of the most popular programmes ever and became greatly loved by millions of fans. 

 

The show was knocked by critics and those who didn't watch it enough to understand it, but for nearly 20 million viewers the saga was a must see daily treat. Crossroads was finally networked nationwide on ITV in 1972, and it was soon only a few thousand viewers behind some prime time series'.

 

During periods in the 1970s Crossroads was the UK's number one programme. Not just beating all other ITV productions, but the BBC ones too. Kings Oak, 1978The show also won numerous awards; as did its cast. For many years the series was the UK's second watched soap-opera. And even when it ended in 1988 it was the UK's third most favourite serial, Emmerdale was forth. This was a daytime soap that reached primetime ratings!

 

The Crossroads Fan Club launched as The Noele Gordon and Crossroads Appreciation Society on April 4th 1988 - on the same day as the last-ever episode aired. Contrary to what television critics may claim ITV didn't actually axe Crossroads. It was discontinued by one  executive at the Central production company who didn’t care much for soap opera. He wanted the company to be producing more lavish dramas instead. We know most people at Central were sorry to see the series end just as much as the viewers were.

 

With 12 million fans still keen for a dose of motel life Crossroads' unfair removal from the network has kept the shows fans united together far more than many other departed programmes. 

 

Crossroads Motel, 1985We have been proud to work with Central, Granada and ITV over many years and we thank all the staff at the companies, past and present, who went beyond their paid duties to help the fan club. These are the people who make ITV great; and we hope that the company appreciates their efforts as much as the fans do. Without them we wouldn't have had so many great events, the wonderful photograph archive, documents, fact files and many lost episodes back in the archives. They, like us, do it for the love of. And we know Nolly would be so pleased about that.

 

Crossroads is still greatly loved, and much missed. They said in 1988 when the series ended it would be forgotten in eighteen months… over twenty years later its certainly gone but very much not forgotten!

The fan club is endorsed by ITV Central and co-creator, Peter Ling. Supported by the ITV Archive department.