Nolly airs on ABC Australia

Australia – the birth home of Crossroads’ producer Reg Watson – who went on to create shows such as Sons and Daughters, The Young Doctors, Prisoner: Cell Block H and Neighbours – is airing the drama about Noele Gordon by Russell T Davies up to the soap’s 60th anniversary next month.

The three-part serial looks at the work of telly trailblazer Noele, and her 1981 sacking by Jack Barton, has previously been available on a streaming outlet down under – and is also unlike the UK – available on DVD in the country that has celebrated and enjoyed ‘true soap’ far more than British television executives ever have.

Helena Bonham Carter stars as Noele Gordon and is seen during the pioneering days of ATV in the 1950s where Noele became ITV’s first female executive, and worked as a producer and content creator. She also had a number of on-screen TV firsts too including hosting ITV’s first chat show and being the first woman to interview a prime minister – Harold McMillian.

The main focus of the drama however centres on the early 80s controversy that saw Noele dropped from ATV after 26 years. There was no reason given, not to her or the public. There was however a huge public exit from the company with national outrage across the tabloid press and fan protests outside the studios. In the drama Russell attempts to look at what happened behind the scenes and why one of the most famous women and as one newspaper called her – the ‘first female TV superstar’ was so sensationally axed from a soap that had been devised for her.

Nolly airs on Fridays on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation though to November 1st.