Before the series started, Meg, the more ambitious of the two, had been widowed and had decided to turn her house into a motel.  Kitty ran a sweet shop in the suberbs.

 

It soon became obvious that Meg and the motel were what the fans wanted to hear about, and Kitty gradually took a back seat.

 

When Beryl Johnstone died at her Cheltenham home in January 1969, the motel took over completely as the focus for the stories.

 

Eighteen months ago Noele Gordon left the show - dramatically sacked and written out by Central TV bosses.  Crossroads now has no big-name stars.  "This gives us much more freedom," says producer Jack Barton.  "There is no one star any more."

 

There has been no news of Meg Mortimer since she sailed away so tearfully on the QE2.  But next month interest in her will be reawakened when her daughter Jill receives a letter from her.

 

But there is no chance of Noele Gordon returning to the show.  The TV company is emphatic about that.