Article by Jean Ritchie, The Sun newspaper 1985

 

When Noele Gordon was written out of Crossroads it caused a few scares among the rest of the cast.  Several different endings were filmed - including one of Meg's funeral. 

 

Ronnie Allen said:  "The idea was to keep secret, even from us, how she was being disposed of.  When she was finally despatched to Australia we all got worried about the graveside scene. 

 

"ATV, the company then making Crossroads, worked on a very tight budget.  We made jokes about how they would have to use the film they'd made.  But who would be in the coffin?  We knew it couldn't be me.  The grave was only small.  It had to be someone short.  And we knew it couldn't be Jane Rossington because she was filmed at the graveside in tears.

 

"Seriously, though, Nollie's departure upset everyone very much.  I think our sacking has been easier to bear, knowing that she went through it too.  Nollie is a great lady.  Last week we visited her in hospital where she is suffering from cancer.

 

"Very often, newcomers to Crossroads would act as though she was the Queen, a star who was difficult to approach.  But she wasn't.  She just wanted to be treated like the rest of us.

 

"When I had to play some very hot love scenes with April Clark, Nollie felt it was really going a bit too far.  She told the producer so, but he wouldn't change it.  Afterwards she said to me, 'I don't mind you doing it, Ronnie, but I wish you hadn't done it on my sofa!"

 

The Crossroads actor who got away for good is Peter Hill, who played Arthur Brownlowe.  He demanded that his part be written out and asked that Arthur be "got rid of in a permanent way."

 

Ronnie said:  "He simply didn't want to be tempted back ever.  So Arthur was killed off.  It is easy in this business to look down on soap-operas, but in the end most actors are glad of the regular money."