Our guide to Noele Gordon and all the other Crossroads stalwarts.
Russell T Davies’s Nolly is on ITVX but it’s coming to ITV over Christmas, with The Crown‘s Helena Bonham Carter in the role of Crossroads icon Noele Gordon.
The backbone of the soap set in a Birmingham motel, Gordon was best known for her portrayal of Meg Mortimer in the original ITV series. A resourceful woman, Meg used her late husband’s insurance money to turn her house into a motel.
While Gordon’s character was unexpectedly axed from the series in 1981, plans to bring her back later on were halted following the actress’s death in 1985. It’s safe to say Crossroads wasn’t the same after her departure, and that a 2001 revival messing up with the continuity of the show wasn’t exactly well-received.
If you’re feeling nostalgic for Crossroads, here’s our round-up of all the original stars kicking off with the beloved Noele, of course.
Who was in the Crossroads cast?
All of the following actors were regulars on Crossroads. The original series ran between 1964 and 1988.
- Noele Gordon as Meg Mortimer
- Jane Rossington as Jill Richardson
- Roger Tonge as Sandy Richardson
- Beryl Johnston as Kitty Jarvis
- Brian Kent as Dick Jarvis
- David Fennell as Brian Jarvis
- Ian Patterson as Andy Fraser
- Pamela Greenall as Ruth Bailey
- Joy Andrews as Tish Hope
- Malcolm Young as Philip Winter
- Anthony Morton as Carlos Rafael
- Gillian Betts as Josefina Rafael
- Sue Nicholls as Marilyn Gates (1964-68)
- Nadine Hanwell as Marilyn Gates (1968-72)
- Neville Hughes as Peter Hope
- Ann George as Amy Turtle
- David Davenport as Malcolm Ryder
- John Bentley as Hugh Mortimer
- Elisabeth Croft as Edith Tatum
- Susan Hanson as Diane Lawton
- Ronald Allen as David Hunter
- Janet Hargreaves as Rosemary Hunter
- Freddie Foote as Chris Hunter
- Stephen Hoye as Chris Hunter
- Sue Lloyd as Barbara Hunter
- William Avenell as Gerald Lovejoy
- David Lawton as Bernard Booth
- Angus Lennie as Shughie McFee
- Zeph Gladstone as Vera Downend
- Morris Parsons as Wilf Harvey
- Edward Clayton as Stan Harvey
- Terry Molloy as Stan Harvey
- Sonia Fox as Sheila Harvey
- Tony Adams as Adam Chance
- Kathy Staff as Doris Luke
- Paul Henry as Benny Hawkins
- Jeremy Nicholas as John Maddingham
Read all you need to know about the characters below.
Noele Gordon plays Meg Mortimer
Who is Meg? Meg Mortimer (formerly Richardson and Ryder) was the resourceful, wealthy widow who set up the Crossroads Motel in King’s Oak, on the outskirts of Birmingham. Initially, the soap focused on her rivalry with her sister Kitty, but the storyline was later dropped.
Meg was married to Charles until his death, and the couple had two children, Jill and Sandy. Gordon’s character was written out in 1981 when Meg sailed to a new life overseas aboard the QE2 after being thought dead in the motel fire. She briefly reappeared in 1983 during Jill and Adam’s honeymoon in Venice.
What else did Gordon work on? The actress featured in several theatrical productions, including Brigadoon and Call Me Madam, and had minor roles in film The Lisbon Story and 29 Acacia Avenue.
Jane Rossington plays Jill Richardson
Who is Jill? Jill was Meg and Charles’s daughter and Sandy’s sister. On Crossroads, the character gradually took on a more prominent role and also appeared in the 2001 revival.
Jill had little luck in finding a trustworthy partner on the show. First married to bigamist John Crane, she later tied the knot with Stan Harvey and with Adam Chance. She also had an affair with her stepbrother Anthony and finally took off with John Maddingham in the 1988 finale.
Where else have I seen Rossington? The actress voiced Monica Downs on BBC Radio 4’s The Archers.
Roger Tonge plays Sandy Richardson
Who is Sandy? Alexander ‘Sandy’ Richardson was Meg and Charles’s son and Jill’s brother.
Tonge became one of the first disabled actors on British TV after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His mobility issues were written into the show when his character Sandy was left paralysed after an accident.
Where else have I seen Tonge? Tonge appeared in TV shows Z Cars, Nearest and Dearest, and Detective. He also starred in the film Catch Me Going Back.
Beryl Johnston plays Kitty Jarvis
Who is Kitty? Kitty was Meg’s sister, Dick’s wife and Brian’s mother. Unlike her wealthy sister, Kitty and Dick’s financial situation wasn’t ideal and the couple struggled to make ends meet.
The feuding sisters storyline was dropped and Kitty was written out of the show in 1969 after Johnston’s death.
Where else have I seen Johnston? Kitty in Crossroads was Johnston’s most notable role.
Brian Kent plays Dick Jarvis
Who is Dick? Dick was Kitty’s husband and Brian’s father. Unemployed, the character struggled financially. A few years after Crossroads started, Dick and Kitty bought a tobacconist and newsagents shop in Heathbury.
Where else have I seen Kent? The actor appeared in TV shows The Newcomers and Spy-Catcher.
David Fennell plays Brian Jarvis
Who is Brian? Brian was Kitty and Dick’s son and Meg’s nephew.
Where else have I seen Fennell? The actor starred in The Vanishing Man and film Dad’s Army.
Ian Patterson plays Andy Fraser
Who is Andy? Andy was Meg and Kitty’s brother.
Where else have I seen Patterson? Patterson appeared on TV series Hereward the Wake and The Witch’s Daughter.
Pamela Greenall plays Ruth Bailey
Who is Ruth? Ruth was the motel’s secretary who married Andy.
Where else have I seen Greenhall? She starred in TV shows Special Branch and Angels.
Joy Andrews plays Tish Hope
Who is Tish? Tish was Meg’s friend and a former actress.
Where else have I seen Andrews? The actress appeared as Hyppolita in a TV adaptation of A Midsummer’s Night Dream which aired in 1950.
Malcolm Young plays Philip Winter
Who is Philip? Philip was the Crossroads’ handyman.
Where else have I seen Young? Young introduced the 1965 educational TV series Ways with Words.
Anthony Morton plays Carlos Rafael
Who is Carlos? Hailing from Spain, Carlos was the temperamental motel chef. He was Josefina’s husband.
Where else have I seen Morton? Morton appeared in cult movie Performance, starring Mick Jagger and James Fox. Later in his career, the Crossroads star went Down Under to play Tony Farmer in Neighbours.
Gillian Betts plays Josefina Rafael
Who is Josefina? Josefina was Carlos’s wife who worked as a waitress at the motel. Kind-hearted and quiet, she had a calming influence on Carlos.
Where else have I seen Betts? She appeared in an episode of reality TV show This Is Your Life which aired in 1988.
Sue Nicholls plays Marilyn Gates
Who is Marilyn? Marilyn was the spunky waitress of the Crossroads motel. A good friend to Carlos, Josefina and Diane, she often got into troubles and complained about her love life.
She married King’s Oak vicar Peter Hope.
Where else have I seen Nicholls? Soap fans will recognise Nicholls as Coronation Street long-running character Audrey Roberts.
Nadine Hanwell plays Marilyn Hope
Who is Marilyn? When Nicholls left the soap in 1968, the character was recast and Marilyn lost her Brummie accent and fair hair. This new, darker-haired Marilyn was still married to Peter but was at the centre of fewer shenanigans.
Where else have I seen Hanwell? Hanwell starred in Call the Midwife and in The Beatrix Potter Trail.
Neville Hughes plays Peter Hope
Who is Neville? Neville was Tish’s son and King’s Oak’s vicar. He married Marilyn.
Where else have I seen Hughes? Hughes had roles in TV series The Avengers and General Hospital, among others.
Ann George plays Amy Turtle
Who is Amy? Fond of gossip and spirituality, Amy was a cleaning lady and a kitchen assistant at the motel. In a bizarre storyline, she was accused of being a Russian spy.
Where else have I seen George? Amy in Crossroads was George’s most prominent TV role.
David Davenport plays Malcolm Ryder
Who is Malcolm? Malcolm was Meg’s unscrupulous second husband who tried to murder her.
Where else have I seen Davenport? Davenport appeared in films Carry on Cleo, The Darwin Adventure and Richard the Lionheart.
John Bentley plays Hugh Mortimer
Who is Hugh? Hugh was Meg’s third husband. A millionaire businessman with an interest in the Crossroads owner, Hugh ultimately married Jane Templeton. Meanwhile, Meg tied the knot with Malcolm.
After Jane’s death, Hugh and Meg rekindled their romance and finally had their own wedding.
Where else have I seen Bentley? Bentley appeared in Calling Paul Temple and starred as detective Richard ‘The Toff’ Rollinson in crime movies Salute the Toff and Hammer the Toff.
Elisabeth Croft plays Edith Tatum
Who is Edith? Edith ran King’s Oak post office, with her role being expanded following Kitty’s exit.
Where else have I seen Croft? Croft was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and also starred in TV drama Armchair Thriller and BAFTA-winning short film The Dress.
Susan Hanson plays Diane Lawton
Who is Diane? Diane worked at the motel as a waitress and kitchen hand.
She had a baby with American film star Frank Adam and later on married postman and motel barman Vince Parker.
The character died of a brain haemorrhage following a car accident.
Where else have I seen Hanson? Hanson appeared in Coronation Street as Penny Thornley. She also had a cameo in Nolly.
Ronald Allen plays David Hunter
Who is David? David was Meg’s business partner in the motel and friend.
Where else have I seen Allen? Allen starred as Ralph Cornish in Doctor Who between 1968 and 1970. He also starred in A Night to Remember and The Projected Man.
Janet Hargreaves plays Rosemary Hunter
Who is Rosemary? Rosemary was David’s first wife.
Where else have I seen Hargreaves? She had roles in TV series The Avengers and Danger Man.
Freddy Foote plays Chris Hunter
Who is Chris? Chris is David and Rosemary’s son.
Where else have I seen Foote? Foote appeared in episodes of Doctor Who and Paul Temple.
Stephen Hoye plays Chris Hunter
Who is Chris? Hoye played Chris on Crossroads after Foote left the series.
Where else have I seen Hoye? Hoye had roles in films such as The Delivery, Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter, Little Shop of Horrors, and Spies Like Us.
Sue Lloyd plays Barbara Hunter
Who is Barbara? Barbara is David’s second wife.
Where else have I seen Lloyd? Alongside her stint on Crossroads, she played Cordelia Winfield in TV series The Baron.
William Avenell plays Gerald Lovejoy
Who is Gerald? Gerald was one of the motel’s opinionated chefs.
Where else have I seen Avenell? An actor and director, Avenell stepped behind the camera for TV movie Yellow Sands and appeared in The Case of Private Hamp.
David Lawton plays Bernard Booth
Who is Bernard? Bernard, or Mr Booth, worked as a chef at the motel together with Mr Lovejoy and Shughie McFee.
Where else have I seen Lawton? He starred in TV series The Midnight Men and When the Boat Comes In.
Angus Lennie plays Shughie McFee
Who is Shughie? Part of the Crossroads kitchen staff, Shughie was a cheeky chef from Scotland.
Where else have I seen Lennie? The actor appeared in episodes of Doctor Who and film The Great Escape.
Zeph Gladstone plays Vera Downend
Who is Vera? Vera was King’s Oak’s hairdresser.
Where else have I seen Gladstone? She starred in TV series Public Eye and The Avengers.
Morris Parsons plays Wilf Harvey
Who is Wilf? Wilf was Stan and Sheila’s father.
Where else have I seen Parsons? Parsons appeared in TV series Gazette and had a minor role in Coronation Street.
Edward Clayton plays Stan Harvey
Who is Stan? Stan was Wilf’s son and Sheila’s brother. He fell for Jill Richardson and the two tied the knot and welcomed daughter Sarah-Jane.
Their marriage hit the rocks when Jill had an affair with her stepbrother during Stan’s absence. They eventually divorced, with Stan getting Sarah-Jane’s custody and marrying a German woman, finally relocating to Germany. Despite Jill confessing her feelings for him on the phone in 1980, there was no chance of reconciliation.
Where else have I seen Clayton? He starred in episodes of Silent Witness, Doctors and Midsomer Murders.
Terry Molloy plays Stan Harvey
Who is Stan? Molloy took over the role of Stan when he briefly returned to the motel in 1987.
Where else have I seen Molloy? He is best known for his work on radio drama The Archers and for playing Davros on Doctor Who.
Sonia Fox plays Sheila Harvey
Who is Sheila? Sheila was Wilf’s daughter and Stan’s sister. She worked as a hairdresser.
Following her affair with married man Harry Wade, Sheila embarked on a romance with Roy Mollison and the two had a baby, delivered by Meg at the motel.
Faced with the scandal of having got pregnant before tying the knot (it was the 1960s, after all), Sheila gave the baby to her sister-in-law Jill. Once she and Roy got married, Sheila got her baby back.
Where else have I seen Fox? She starred in sci-fi TV series UFO as Carol Roper, a role she reprised in UFO: Distruggete Base Luna.
Tony Adams plays Adam Chance
Who is Adam? Adam was the accountant and later manager of the Crossroads.
Where else have I seen Adams? Adams appeared in Doctor Who and General Hospital. He recently cameod in Nolly, too.
Kathy Staff plays Doris Luke
Who is Doris? Doris worked as a vegetable cook at the motel.
Where else have I seen Staff? Staff played the role of Nora Batty in sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.
Paul Henry plays Benny Hawkins
Who is Benny? Benny was a local handyman.
Where else have I seen Henry? The actor voiced Peter Stevens in The Archers.
Jeremy Nicholas plays John Maddingham
Who is John? John was the landlord of King’s Oak’s local pub who took a liking to Jill. Once her marriage to Adam was over, Jill and John drove off together into the sunset. In the 2001 revival, Jill returned as John’s widow.
Where else have I seen Nicholas? He starred in TV series The Pickwick Papers and Mog.
Nolly aired on ITV in February and is available on ITVX. For more news, interviews and features, visit our Drama hub, or find something to watch now with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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