Patrons

Jane Rossington

Jane Rossington, the only Crossroads original cast member to be in the first episode and last episode of the now classic series. Jane was no stranger to television soap when Crossroads started, she had already had a part as Kate Ford, a nurse in the ATV London based Emergency Ward Ten series. But it was as Jill Richardson that Jane would become a household name, and for 24 eventful years Jill would be part of tea-time viewing on ITV.

Jane was born in Derby in 1944, and now lives in a Georgian mansion in Staffordshire with her second husband, chartered surveyor David Dunger. "I'm glad my own life hasn't been as eventful as Jill's. Jill was a bit of a chameleon. She would wake up a different character, often because we had new writers." Jane said.

Jane has had a more peaceful life, although a failed marriage to ATV director Tim Jones is notably the only time Jane's private life was made public. She has two grown up children, Sorrel and Harry. And life these days for Jane seems good. Asked why she returned to Crossroads she said: "Curiosity really. I was just incredibly curious about what it would be like, and also I felt I owed it to Nolly to come back. I was very excited when I found out that it was being brought back because I felt that at long last Noele up there in heaven would feel vindicated."

Jane has criticized ATV and Central for not giving Crossroads the backing it deserved. "It's only Crossroads." is how the television companies viewed the series. In the early years of Crossroads Jane also used to rush off to the BBC studios in Birmingham to record the radio soap - The Archers. She also would often have many weeks leave to do other programmes and stage work.

People often think than Jane hardly worked after the end of Crossroads in 1988, however that couldn't be further from the truth, a large amount of those 12 years were spent doing many stage productions. In 1990 she starred in ITV Drama Tide Race, where she played the mother of a Down's child. She also appeared in Channel 4 serial Brookside in 2000 where she played 'cousin Jill' who made her money in the hotel business.

But for many Jane Rossington will forever be part of the Crossroads fixtures and fittings along with the telephone and the reception desk. If Noele Gordon is the 'Godmother' of Crossroads, then Jane Rossington is surely the 'first lady' of the series.

Living under the shadow of 'Nolly' couldn't have been easy for Jane, however after Noele's departure, Jane took on the role as Crossroads spokesperson and defender, something she still does to this day. Jane admits she loves the series, and the fans genuinely love her.

She has been the Crossroads Appreciation Society's main patron since April 1988.

Peter Ling

Born 27th of May 1926, in Croydon Surrey. He was the only child of Theodora, a schoolteacher and Fred Hugh, a member of the Magic Circle who appeared in concert party. A pupil at Whitgift Grammar School, Peter was an Ovaltinie, performing on the children's radio show. His first piece was published in Good Housekeeping at the age of 13. His first novel, 'Voices Offstage' was published five years later.

During the Second World War, he was a Bevan Boy. Peter was tall and slightly built so was considered unsuitable for underground work. He spent the long train journeys to Nottinghamshire reading Jane Austen. He subsequently served in the Pay Corps, and on demobilisation he was found to have TB. In the sanitorium, he started writing for BBC radio as well as providing the 'Three J's' text stories for the Eagle comic.

He moved on to the new medium of children's television, writing 'Whirligig' in 1950, a children's programme which included puppets, music from Steve Race and Edmundo Ros, and on which Rolf Harris made his TV debut. Sheilah Ward, an aspiring actress on the programme, was to become Peter's wife in 1954. He also wrote 'Happy Holidays', starring Hattie Jacques, John Le Mesurier and Clive Dunn. Peter became Children's Script editor at Rediffusion, as it then was; but also indulged his love of detective stories as a regular writer for one of the 1950s top series, No Hiding Place. He also wrote episodes of Dixon of Dock Green and The Avengers.

Peter hawked songs round London's tinpan alley and in 1961, a single for Matt Monroe 'Why Not Now' reached the charts. The 1960s saw a prodigious TV output including Champion House, Sexton Blake, and the Mind Robber episodes of Doctor Who. Hazel Adair knew Peter from children's slapstick programme Rumpus Point, and asked him to work with her on a new series Compact, which was a twice weekly dramatisation of life on a glossy magazine.

Whilst that was still running, Lew Grade asked the duo to write a new daily serial for ATV. He wanted them to develop another writer's idea for a series set in a boarding house, but Peter and Hazel were not keen. Grade told them they would have to convince him that they could come up with something better and over the weekend they devised Crossroads, centred around the much more glamorous concept of a motel, which starred Noelle Gordon as Meg and was tea-time viewing for millions four days a week from 1964 until 1988.  Peter was aware of the criticism of the programme for its wobbly sets and lack of rehearsal, later affectionately parodied by Julie Walters and Victoria Wood in Acorn Antiques.

After Crossroads finished Peter found it difficult to get work in television, so he went back to radio. He wrote a number of single plays as well as adapting Sherlock Holmes stories, and Arnold Bennett's novel, 'Imperial Palace'. The cast of his Crown House series, an aristocratic family saga, included Martin Jarvis, Jane Asher, Margaret Rawlings, Dinah Sheridan and Gayle Hunnicut. A trilogy of romantic costume novels was a big success in the USA, and bought by CBS-TV for serialisation. Peter's last novels drew heavily on his childhood, and the Second World War period.

Peter became our honorary patron in April 2002.

Peter Dalton

Peter Dalton has been a member of Carlton's Junior Television Workshop since 1990 and auditioned for the part of kitchen hand Des White as well as Minty as both Minty and Des were originally planned to be from ethnic backgrounds. However Marc Jordan got the part of Des and Peter was offered the role of Minty.

Before landing his lead role in Crossroads, Peter had appeared as a walk-on in other Central Television productions such as their drama Peak Practice and sitcom Barbara.

After leaving Crossroads Peter had a successful stint in West End theatre productions before returning to television in 2008 on BBC Three, where he stars in one of their youth-aimed sitcoms - Trexx and Flipside.

Our long running brand Return To Crossroads welcomed Peter Dalton as Patron of  the site in November 2001.  Return To Crossroads started out as a general information site about the soap, run by CAS team member, Ian Armitage. From 2004 to 2008 the site hosted a collection of video clips featuring highlights from series one to series three, however since March 2008 the site has been host to the Fan Club photograph collection.

Speaking to us in 2001 Peter said.

"Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Welcome to Crossroads! I'm Pete Dalton aka Minty, and when Ian asked me to become patron of this, the first website I found when I found out I had been given a part in the new show, I was more than honoured. Thanks to all of you, even "Tish", wherever she is right now!, for the tremendous amount of support you have given the show. Keep up the good work!"

A quick question and answer session, to get to know Return To Crossroads' patron follows below:

What are your likes & dislikes? 

I love acting! Even though it is my dream job, my first love is music. Dislikes. Hmmm. Country Music. Racism. Girls that don't return your calls/text messages!

So you like music? What kind of music?

I have a very eclectic taste and love most genres, but my main 2 are Soul/R&B and Hip-hop. That said, the last 4 CD's I bought were Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP (Excellent guitar based indie), Bar Culture (a compilation that's got from Air to Roy Ayres to Blondie to Shirley Bassey to Fatboy Slim on it), The Associates - Sulk (Excellent Scottish pop/rock group from the 80s, recommended to me by Jim Shields - one of our directors. I advise EVERYONE to get this if they haven't already got it) and Loose Ends - So Where are You? (80s British Soul Funksters. Been after this album for years).

What are your other loves?

Among my other loves are films (too many of my favourites to mention), DJ'ing, Cooking and writing. I've never been a big footy fan - I've always preferred playing it to watching it, even though I'm crap!

Cindy Marshall-Day

Cindy is one of the most popular actresses from the Carlton-Central revival of Crossroads, which was in production between 2000 and 2003.

Cindy played the glamorous Tracey Booth, who's many story lines were a major part of the daily daytime soap. The character went from unhappy wife to suicidal alcoholic and later even bar manager!

Today Cindy is a shrewd businesswoman with many interests away from the limelight, along with her jetset husband, Cindy also likes to travel and the couple have homes in America as well as the UK. When in the UK Cindy has occasionally returned to television when the right offer has come along. Most recently Cindy has been seen working as a television presenter on Sky.

Presenting isn't new to Cindy however - as her television career stretches back to her late teens when she was a co-hostess on the primetime version of Central Television produced The Price Is Right which aired on ITV.

She has also starred as an actress on ITV before appearing as a busty secretary in Fiddlers Three alongside Peter Davison, Paula Wilcox, Peter Blake, Charles Kay and Tyler Butterworth in 1991.

There have been many press interviews featuring Cindy over the years and in each and every one of them you can clearly see that Cindy is highly successful in all her ventures; but isn't starry about any of it. She's down-to-earth, frank talking and open about her life. This is a true star, and that is why we are proud to be associated with Cindy...

In March 2006 Cindy accepted our offer to be patron of the 'Destination Crossroads' forum which is the main site from the Crossroads Network.

The Network is funded by the Crossroads Appreciation Society, and is operated by the sites who are members of the Crossroads Network Webring.

Honorary Fan Club Members

Joy Andrews

Joy was the divine Tish Hope from 1966 to 1980. The actress had a long and distingused stage career before finding television fame at the midland motel.

Joy was the first special member of the fan club, she was proud of Crossroads and had many happy years starring as "Meg's best friend." The very last photograph of Joy before she died is a fan club snap - a picture of Joy with fan club boss Peter Kingsman in 1992.

Jack Barton

Jack oversaw Crossroads as a director and producer during its best rating era. After his retirement from television in the 1980s he still found time for Crossroads, visiting the fan club office on several occasions. He also donated some of his personal Crossroads archive to the club,  including the layout drawings of the motel.

Larry Grayson

Larry starred in the soap a number of times in the 1970s after becoming firm friends with Noele Gordon. He became a member in 1988 after hearing about the the fan club launch on a BBC Open Air television special about Crossroads which Larry appeared on along with society founder John Kavyo.

Victoria Wood

It has been known for Victoria to use the fact she's a member of the Crossroads Appreciation Society in her stand-up routine, however its the hommage to Crossroads in the form of Acorn Antiques that most fans know her for. Wood, despite what some newspapers write, does not knock or mock Crossroads - and all motel jokes are done for her love of the series. Victoria when made aware that CAS members are in the audience of her theatre gigs has been known to thrown in some Crossroads material especially for us!