Crossroads set for comeback

Paul Henry toasts the news in his home town of Whitchurch

Carlton Television is hoping to revive the long-running ITV soap Crossroads - last seen on screen 12 years ago.

The drama was a lynchpin of the ITV schedule for 24 years after its launch in 1964, and became notorious for its wobbly sets and occasionally poor acting.

Carlton director of programmes Waheed Alli told The Guardian he is preparing a proposal to ITV to revive the motel-based show.

If the network accepts the idea, it will replace Home And Away - which has been bought by Channel 5.

Replacing Home and Away

He said: "I want to do a soap. I very, very badly want to get that slot vacated by Home And Away."

Benny (far right) once went out to get a spanner - and took a year to return

Lord Alli, who made his name running Planet 24, which makes The Big Breakfast, added the new soap was likely to be set in a hotel rather than a motel.

But he refused to be drawn on whether the show's characters - such as odd-job man Benny - would be brought back as well.

A Carlton spokeswoman confirmed that it was one of a number of companies involved in pitching ideas to network bosses for a teatime soap.

"Although the proposal has been formed and agreed this end, it has not yet been submitted to ITV," she said.

Eventful life

Crossroads was created by Lew Grade's ATV company and was only scheduled to run for 13 weeks.

Celebrities who appeared in Crossroads

Ken Dodd

Bob Monkhouse

Max Wall

Larry Grayson

It centered on glamourous widow Meg Richardson, played by the late Noele Gordon, who ran a motel in the village of Kings Oak with the help of her daughter Jill and son Sandy.

Critics poked fun at its low-cost production and melodramatic storlylines.

Characters would vanish without trace and no-one would notice. In 1967, the coffee bar manager went to get some sugar and was never seen again. Later, odd-job man Benny Hawkins nipped out to fetch a spanner and he failed to return for over a year.

Benny actor shocked

Paul Henry, 54, who joined the show as Benny in 1976, was shocked to hear of Crossroads' possible return.

He said: "There are people who write and have ideas so let's hope they have got some for this new version."

1970s icons: Noele Gordon (centre) poses with fellow cast members

Henry still has fond memories of his 12 years on the show, which he left when he felt a new producer was trying to portray Benny as "silly".

"I always cared about the fact he was childlike and needed to be played sensitively," he said.

"He was a great character to play because you could take every emotion to the extreme, he could lose his temper or get upset."

"When the script had him being blamed for killing someone viewers took it to heart.

"I was touched when I drove through Birmingham and there were signs hung over bridges and out of windows at the university saying 'Benny's Innocent'."

Now, Henry has business interests in a golf course and nightclub near his home in Whitchurch, Shropshire. He has also acted in pantomime and theatre, including a play at the Edinburgh Festival.

'It will be a success'

After 4,510 episodes, the plug was pulled in April 1988, when Jill and Adam Chance sold up and drove off to start a new life in the West Country.

Since 1988 I have been fully employed on the back of playing Adam Chance. I am still billed as him on pantomime programmes

Actor Tony Adams

Actor Tony Adams, 59, who played Adam Chance, said he was "surprised" to hear of the plans to bring the show back, but added: "With the Crossroads name it will be a success."

"A lot of people condemned Crossroads when they had only watched a few episodes.

"We used to shoot five episodes a week live, although it was not broadcast live, with no editing facilities the mistakes used to stay in."

He said his career had not suffered because of the show's bad reputation.

"Since 1988 I have been fully employed on the back of playing Adam Chance," he said.

"I am still billed as the character on pantomime programmes."