{"id":29621,"date":"2023-02-02T13:07:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T12:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1778917"},"modified":"2023-02-02T13:41:30","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T12:41:30","slug":"nollys-celebration-of-noele-gordon-as-a-british-gay-icon-is-long-overdue","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/nollys-celebration-of-noele-gordon-as-a-british-gay-icon-is-long-overdue\/","title":{"rendered":"Nolly\u2019s celebration of Noele Gordon as a British gay icon is long overdue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russell T Davies’s ITVX drama pays homage to the queen of Crossroads. <\/p>

By David Opie\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 02 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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ITVX describes <\/span>Nolly<\/span><\/a> as \u201ca sharp, affectionate and heartbreaking portrait of a forgotten icon\u201d. Now, that much is true. <\/span>With his latest series, Russell T Davies has crafted a gorgeous love letter to <\/span>Crossroads<\/span><\/a> legend Noele Gordon, shining a much-needed light on her legacy and the struggles she faced in her later years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what that description fails to mention is Gordon\u2019s status as a gay icon, <\/span>which is one of the central reasons why this show was commissioned in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The general public\u2019s memory of the actress is about as wobbly as the sets on <\/span>Crossroads<\/span> used to be, but for older generations, and queer fans specifically, the \u2018Queen of the Midlands\u2019 was up there with the greats \u2013 and rightly so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Elsie Tanner, Dot Cotton, Kim Tate and more, Gordon\u2019s Meg Mortimer was the kind of complex, gutsy female character that queer viewers live for. Yet, for reasons still unclear, she is rarely mentioned in the same breath as those soap legends, despite being the first to capture our hearts on telly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s all set to change, thanks to <\/span>Nolly<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Helena Bonham Carter as Noele Gordon in Nolly.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

In just three episodes, Davies has distilled his fascination with <\/span>Crossroads<\/span> into a compelling depiction of Gordon\u2019s exit from the soap and the years that followed her controversial sacking. <\/span>But crucially, <\/span>the drama<\/span> isn\u2019t solely concerned with Gordon\u2019s pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the main storyline kicks in, each episode starts with a celebration of her extraordinary accomplishments across the entirety of her career.<\/span><\/p>\n

We first meet the actress in 1938 when she\u2019s helping John Logie Baird test colour TV at the BBC. Yep, Gordon was the first woman to be seen on a colour television set. In episode 2, we\u2019re taken back to 1958 where we watch Gordon become the first woman to interview a British prime minister, and<\/em> on her own daytime chat show \u2013 the first to be hosted by a woman, no less.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, episode 3 brings us to 1978, with Gordon winning a special achievement award from the TV Times because she had already collected most popular television actress on eight previous occasions. Iconic, no?<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s been on gay Twitter around Oscars season knows just how much we love to see an actress thrive in this way. But those accomplishments alone aren\u2019t why Gordon became a gay icon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Helena Bonham Carter as Noele Gordon in Nolly.<\/span><\/figcaption> QUAYSTREET FOR ITVX<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

At a time when gay representation on British TV was reduced to short-lived shows such as <\/span>Agony<\/span> and <\/span>Brideshead Revisited,<\/span> or closeted stereotypes in <\/span>Are You Being Served?,<\/span> gay viewers looked to camp icons in the absence of overtly gay ones. Enter Gordon\u2019s Meg.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was perhaps the\u00a0campest masterpiece of all; the kind of fiery yet dignified role that got gay men tuning in at 6:35pm every day across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crossroads<\/span> itself felt intrinsically queer, too, even without any major gay characters, and that\u2019s largely because the whole show was originally built around Gordon, a matriarchal figure who truly earned the title of \u2018mother\u2019 for gays from a certain generation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can we also talk about this fourth-wall breaking Christmas ditty? A masterclass in flamboyant, festive joy.<\/span><\/p>\n