Crossroads fans are in for a shock.  Slow-witted Benny, with the five o'clock shadow and the woolly hat, is to marry.  But wait ...

 

His bride is to be shy, sensitive Alison who wouldn't let butter melt on her hot potato.

 

The marriage of Benny, played by Paul Henry, and Alison, played by Carina Wyeth comes at a critical time for the TV series.  It has been losing viewers and has been cut back to three nights a week.

 

ATV hope that ratings will be boosted when viewers find that Alison has been put in the family way by smooth-talking David Hunter's son Chris, who then abandons her.

 

But big-hearted Benny, who has had his share of heartache, steps in to save her shame.

 

Programme producer Jack Barton was angry when he found that the secret of the wedding had leaked out.  "It spils the entertainment of millions if they learn what is going to happen."

 

He denied, however, that the shotgun wedding was designed to send the show to the top of the ratings.