Tony Adams reminisced with the Best of British Magazine as Crossroads’ fans marked the soaps 60th anniversary this month…
Last Christmas ITV celebrated the world of Noele Gordon with the Russell T Davies penned ‘Nolly’ drama. The production initially streamed on ITVX and the STV Player before getting an airing on ITV1 and STV during the festive period.
As the Best of British Magazine this month discovered there was likely only one person who could really cast an eye over the production and know how accurate the portrayal of Noele was – Tony Adams.
Tony had starred alongside Noele in ATV soap Crossroads for nearly five years before she was sensationally axed in 1981 after falling out with producer Jack Barton. It was this telly tragedy that shocked millions of loyal viewers, and caused a tabloid sensation, that Russell focused his three-part serial on with Helena Bonham Carter cast in the titular role.
Speaking to Simon Stabler at the magazine Tony noted:
“There were certain things I didn’t think were going to be right, like Helena Bonham Carter. I think she’s a wonderful actress, but I didn’t think she was right to play Noele.”
While Tony didn’t have any say in the casting of Nolly – which also looked at some of the many aspects of multi-award-winning Noele’s TV career; from pioneering daytime television in the 1950s in the UK to an affair with ATV boss Val Parnell – he did provide hours of information on the woman Miss Gordon was.
ITV viewers for years had become familiar with seeing Noele as motel owner Meg Mortimer and Tony as accountant Adam Chance, but the real-life backstage lives was never something that was shown – for the first time the drama showed how life was at ATV behind-the-scenes on the long-running show.
“…Every morning Russell would phone me up and we would talk about the various aspects that had happened while I worked with Nolly…”
Noele had worked well with Crossroads’ original producer Reg Watson, who later went off to create several serials in Australia including the still-running Neighbours, but she failed to have the same kind of relationship with his replacement Jack Barton. Her sacking was front page news. In Nolly Tony, once having seen previews of it, thought the dramatsation was spot on.
Speaking to Best of British Magazine, Tony added,
“I just picked up the phone and said ‘I hate to tell you this, Nolly would be so thrilled by what you’ve done because there is nobody who can get the essence of what she’s like and play it the way that Helena plays it’.”
Tony also made a cameo appearance as himself in the drama, which can still be seen – along with several episodes of Crossroads – on ITVX. The November edition of Best of British Magazine also covers Tony’s work in the theatre (from working with Kenneth Williams to Ginger Rogers), his heartthrob role as Dr. Neville Bywaters in ATV’s General Hospital and his early years.
While Tony has retired from acting he is still a patron of Crossroads Care / Caring for Carers, the charity established to help carers 50 years ago by the soap.
Best of British Magazine is on sale now.
Article via ATV Today