Nolly (Crossroads drama written by RTD)

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

As you may be aware, Russell T. Davies has written a drama about Noele Gordon and her controversial sacking from Crossroads in 1981.

I know that sounds like a rather niche nugget of subject matter for a Major New TV Drama released in 2003, but that's partly why it's so enjoyable. RTD is, like so many of us on this forum, a TV nerd who's in love with the oddly fascinating minutiae of this business we call show.

I find it rather pleasing that he's been allowed to write a camp, witty and affectionate television series about a behind-the-scenes brouhaha that took place at ATV over 40 years ago.

It's also a heartfelt paean to silly little soap operas and the escapism they provide us with. It's wry and sincere all at once, just as it should be. RTD gets it (man).

The whole shebang will be available on ITVX from 2nd February. 

[centristmelt]

Really looking forward to this - hoping the Michael Sundin biopic is just a matter of time though

[jamiefairlie]

Really looking forward to this - hoping the Michael Sundin biopic is just a matter of time though

And that it features the Sarah Green billiard table scene

[Bennett Brauer]

As you may be aware, Russell T. Davies has written a drama about Noele Gordon and her controversial sacking from Crossroads in 1981.

I know that sounds like a rather niche nugget of subject matter for a Major New TV Drama released in 2003, but that's partly why it's so enjoyable. RTD is, like so many of us on this forum, a TV nerd who's in love with the oddly fascinating minutiae of this business we call show.

I find it rather pleasing that he's been allowed to write a camp, witty and affectionate television series about a behind-the-scenes brouhaha that took place at ATV over 40 years ago.

It's also a heartfelt paean to silly little soap operas and the escapism they provide us with. It's wry and sincere all at once, just as it should be. RTD gets it (man).

The whole shebang will be available on ITVX from 2nd February. 

Looking forward to this. Does Mark Gatiss's Larry Grayson work well?

Found this archive report about the death of Roger Tonge https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-26021981-death-roger-tonge which includes a brief appearance of Ronald 'Uncle Quentin' Allen, in no mood to talk, and some filming of a scene. All a bit gloomy in the circumstances.

[Icehaven]

As you may be aware, Russell T. Davies has written a drama about Noele Gordon and her controversial sacking from Crossroads in 1981.

I know that sounds like a rather niche nugget of subject matter for a Major New TV Drama released in 2003, but that's partly why it's so enjoyable.

Yep I listened to the Mark Gatiss episode of Rob Brydon's podcast the other day and they discussed this, and I thought the same, it's not an incident I'm familiar with and I couldn't quite fathom why they'd made a drama out of it now, but at the same time I'm glad they can and it gets shown.

(I'm sure you meant 2023 btw :D

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

(I'm sure you meant 2023 btw :D

Ah yes!

Looking forward to this. Does Mark Gatiss's Larry Grayson work well?

He's pretty good, yeah. He doesn't really attempt to mimic Grayson's voice as such, but he's got the mannerisms and rhythms down.

[gilbertharding]

Didn't Victoria Wood already cover this ground with the Behind the Scenes documentary showing the sacking of Bo 'Mrs Overall' Beaumont?

[El Unicornio, mang]

Interesting to note that they'll be showing this in the US as well (presumably due to HBC being involved and the English period drama setting which Americans go nuts for)

[bobloblaw]

Ah yes!

He's pretty good, yeah. He doesn't really attempt to mimic Grayson's voice as such, but he's got the mannerisms and rhythms down.

It is a great piece of work. Lovely scene of dialogue where it all goes Crossroads-for-real at one point between the actors on set. The scenes with Grayson and Nolly are quite touching.

Not seen ep3 yet - who plays Russell Harty?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Interesting to note that they'll be showing this in the US as well (presumably due to HBC being involved and the English period drama setting which Americans go nuts for)

I'm amused by the thought of some Americans settling down to watch a drama about Crossroads in the Eighventies.

[superthunderstingcar]

I hope this is a success and, if so, it leads to more docudramas about obscure (to the general public) events around old telly - 'classic' Doctor Who could be the subject of at least a couple.

[gilbertharding]

I hope this is a success and, if so, it leads to more docudramas about obscure (to the general public) events around old telly - 'classic' Doctor Who could be the subject of at least a couple.

A three hour stripped miniseries on the downfall of Michael 'Nationwide' Barratt, concluding with him demonstrating how he can take his shirt off without removing his waistcoat on The Generation Game.

[George White]

The inevitable 3 part series about Frank Bough...

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

.
Not seen ep3 yet - who plays Russell Harty?

I haven't seen ep 3 either, but I'll be disappointed if he's not played by Kevin Eldon.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The inevitable 3 part series about Frank Bough...

The role Jason Watkins was born to play.

Such is RTD's benign power within the industry, I really wouldn't be surprised if he does manage to produce more 'niche' showbiz dramas along the lines of Nolly.

We'd all watch Marc Warren as Bobby Davro in 'The Stocks Incident', for example.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Spoiler alert

Derek Nimmo serves as a plot point in episode three. This series ticks so many boxes for me.

[close]

[superthunderstingcar]

Michael Sheen as Noel Edmonds in "The Last Breakfast."

[Uncle TechTip]

It's going back a bit in period but I remember The Road To Coronation Street (BBC4) being a brilliant example of something similar. Jesse Wallace as Pat Phoenix stood out in particular.

[George White]

There've been examples for decades.

The earliest shot-on-film one (as opposed to play) I can find about a personality is The One and Only Phyllis Dixey, starring Lesley Anne Down as the wartime stripper. Sounds like a hetero version of The Naked Civil Servant.

There was an HBO/BBC drama called Fellow TRaveller - which was a Cold War thriller that used the making of the Adventures of Robin Hood to hang ideas on about McCarthyism. It's about the making of an ITV shot-on-film 50s kids show about Robin Hood, but it's not explicitly RIchard Greene (though they cast a lookalike), and Hannah Weinstein is eradicated entirely.

The HBO/Granada film, Who Bombed Birmingham? focused on the making of World in Action trying to exonerate the Birmingham Six.
 Features the utter genius casting of David Bamber as David Mellor.
 Bizarrely, Ian McBride, the producer played by Martin Shaw ended up producing such a bio - the 1999 ITV drama starring Denise Black and Sue Johnston as the two ages of Pat Phoenix.

TVS/TNT's Secret Weapon about Mordechai Vanunu had a particularly brilliant piece of casting - Brian Cox with tache as an unrecognisable 'Andrew Neil'.

Also in the late 90s, there was the Blonde Bombshell with Keeley Hawes as young Diana Dors and Amanda Redman as character actress Diana Dors.

There was also that 2000 drama about A Family at War/Survivors/Emmerdale actress Coral Atkins with Sarah Lancashire.

I suppose the Monkees Story counts with former Coro star Davy Jones' ludicrous 'Manck' home life.

Biggins is a character in the Meat Loaf TVM (played by himself - they have scenes of W Earl Brown walking onto set, then shooting Rocky Horror -cut to actual footage of the film, and among the scenes - Biggins!)

[superthunderstingcar]

Michael Sheen as Michael Grade in "Top Brass," which tells the story about the production of the controversial 1990s satirical comedy show Brass Eye through the lens of the Channel 4 management.

Michael Sheen reprises his role as Michael Grade in "Doctor in Distress." In the mid-1980s, Doctor Who faces cancellation and drastic measures are needed to save the show. (An early draft of this focused more on the show's star and on one of the writers called in at the eleventh hour to write the final episode of the season after the previous writer died and the script editor resigned. It had the working title "The Fabulous Baker Boys.")

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

There've been examples for decades.

I know, and you've compiled a great list there, but I'm singling Nolly out for praise because it's a big mainstream drama based on a showbiz saga that no one apart from people such as ourselves are even remotely aware of.

It's funny, just the very fact that it exists.

[George White]

Same.

I am curious as to what they do next.
Me and a pal were theorising this when RTD said, 'oh my next show is about an old soap star'.
And to me, there were 3 obvious candidates.
Nolly, Pat Phoenix and Julie Goodyear.
And since Pat's been done twice, and then RTD said it wasn't a Coro actor, I knew it'd be Nolly, but my pal, a Crossroads fan (who's not happy at the HBC casting - he fancast Kim Cattrall for the sheer WTF-ness) came up with another possible subject of a biopic.
David Scarboro - the doomed first Mark Fowler of EastEnders.

Also a biopic of Harry Corbett - yes, the Sooty one. Genuinely fascinating story. Like a British equivalent to that Mr. Rogers film.

As for other showbiz stories, in an ideal world,  as an Irish person, I'd love there to be a lovely warts and all biopic of Adele 'Twink' King - but she's alive, so scotch that...

[Gob Shine Algorithm]

I hope this is a success and, if so, it leads to more docudramas about obscure (to the general public) events around old telly - 'classic' Doctor Who could be the subject of at least a couple.

I religiously watch the excellent little documentaries on the 2 Entertain DVDs, but they always make me sad about what's become of Dr Who nowadays. The way the writers and producers agonised over making sober, idiosyncratic sci-fi -- as opposed to a money-ridden, Americanised, agenda-heavy soap opera.

[shoulders]

Bensoncore

[BritishHobo]

In thirty years I want to see one of these about Tony from Hollyoaks.

[gilbertharding]

And in the same vein, I'm wondering why, in the very early days of television there weren't dramas based on such memorable episodes as the inevitable struggle Adolphus Vane-Tempest had in creating the role of Sir George Orreyed in The Second Mrs Tanqueray (yes I've been on wikipedia what do you want to do about it?)


There do seem to have been a huge number of costume dramas recently recreating eras and atmospheres of the alarmingly recent past*. Most have done the actual recreation very well, but not all of them have done terribly much beyond that.


* I'm getting old, obviously

[George White]

And in the same vein, I'm wondering why, in the very early days of television there weren't dramas based on such memorable episodes as the inevitable struggle Adolphus Vane-Tempest had in creating the role of Sir George Orreyed in The Second Mrs Tanqueray (yes I've been on wikipedia what do you want to do about it?)


There do seem to have been a huge number of costume dramas recently recreating eras and atmospheres of the alarmingly recent past*. Most have done the actual recreation very well, but not all of them have done terribly much beyond that.


* I'm getting old, obviously

I suppose films like Star!, which is a weird Hollywood version of British variety in the 30s.
The Killing of Sister George is basically a combination of behind the scenes of Mrs. Dale's Diary - the axing of the alcoholic original actress, Ellis Powell (and her replacement by the showbizzier Jessie Matthews), and Ysanne Churchman being fired as Grace Archer (though that was for ratings reasons), and possibly Lynne Carol being fired from Coronation Street.
 The thing I love about TKOSG is it's a big Hollywood film (with US interiors) about a BBC soap in 1967. (The film changes it to a TV soap, they had to recreate TVC in LA, and videotaped cheapo TV with Hollywood veterans like Cyril Delevanti as well as Paddick and Reid).

[neveragain]

I'd really like to see this but I'm a but behind the curve. Is it only viewable if you sign up to a streaming service, or is ITVX just the name for ITV's hub these days?

[mjwilson]

I'd really like to see this but I'm a but behind the curve. Is it only viewable if you sign up to a streaming service, or is ITVX just the name for ITV's hub these days?

It's mostly just the rebranded ITV Hub. If you give them money you can get Britbox content and ad-free, but you can still watch regular ITV shows for free.

[neveragain]

Ah right, thanks.