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Real People Magazine Article

Doctor Maddox saves Sarah-Jane and brings Anita West to Crossroads

When Meg Mortimer's tiny grand-daughter Sarah-Jane swallowed some dangerous pills and had to be rushed off to hospital, the whole Motel was thrown into disorder.  But out of that chaos there did come some good.  Meg and her daughter Jill Harvey made up their argument and of course, little Sarah-Jane pulled through.  But there was another bonus side to the near-tradegy.  For actress Anita West, who plays the part of Dr. Hilary Maddox, it was her first chance to join the team at the Crossroads Motel. 

Hilary Maddox, as viewers will have seen, is the doctor in charge of the Intensive Care Unit which is fighting to save Sarah-Jane's life.  After the drama is over, and the child's life saved, a grateful Meg and Jill invite the Doctor up to the Motel for a thank you drink.  And from there on in, she becomes quite a friend of the family. 
 
Crossroads may have been delighting audiences for almost a dozen years now, but for Anita West, her role in the show was a total novelty.  "It's been very nerve racking so far, to be absolutely honest, but they really are such a lovely team.  Everyone does their best to make you feel at home and after all, that's really what it's all about.  Without that kind of feeling you just couldn't do it.  But everyone helps and you step right into a show that has a very strong rhythm and a continuing cycle to it.  It's like a jigsaw.  You're another piece that has to be fitted in."
 
While this is Anita's first appearance in a long-running TV series like Crossroads she's become a familiar face to many TV viewers in her variety of comedy roles.  "I've done comedy series with Charlie Drake, Bob Monkhouse, Alfred Marks and other people.  I've guested on occasional shows and I did a couple of films."  As well as this work, Anita's voice can be heard enticing the public to buy various advertised products and for viewers in America she worked on a show called 'The Ugliest Girl In Town', "which was actually a fellow!"
 
Obviously Doctor Hilary hasn't been established so far in the same way as the 'regulars' on the show, but Anita West is well aware of the sort of acclaim that will probably arrive as audiences get to know her.  And she also appreciates just how popular Crossroads is with its millions of fans.  
 
 

Friendly Angel ... continued