ITV Orders ‘Crossroads’ Drama ‘Nolly’ Starring Helena Bonham Carter From Russell T Davies

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ITV has ordered a new 3-part drama ‘Nolly’, based around the rise and fall of the inimitable Noele Gordon, starring Helena Bonham Carter from Russell T Davies… and subsequently probably shortened the odds of Helena Bonham Carter becoming the next lead of ‘Doctor Who’ (but I’ll get to that)…

“One of my very first jobs in TV was a trial script for Crossroads, and I’ve wanted to write the story of behind the scenes on that show for 40 years,” commented Davies. “At last, the truth can be told!”

‘Nolly’ explores the all-powerful reign, and fall from grace, of the inimitable Noele Gordon, TV legend and Queen of the Midlands, the darling of the establishment until it turned on her and betrayed her. Noele (or Nolly to her friends) was a legend in her own lifetime. As flame-haired widow Meg Richardson in the long-running soap opera ‘Crossroads’, she was one of the most famous people in Britain. Then in 1981, at the height of the show’s success and the peak of Nolly’s fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation. With the boss’s words “all good things must come to an end” ringing in her ears, Noele Gordon found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years.

The drama brings the true Noele Gordon once more into the spotlight. The Queen of the Midlands, a star who could be tough, haughty and imperious, grandly sweeping into rehearsals from her Rolls Royce, but also a hard-working actress who was fiercely loyal and loved by cast and crew alike. And at last, the biggest question of all can be answered – why was she sacked? Nolly reveals the truth, the consequences, and the legacy of that terrible day.

Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning actor Helena Bonham Carter (‘The Crown’, ‘Enola Holmes series 1 and 2’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘The Cleaner’) as Noele Gordon and written by BAFTA-winning writer Russell T Davies (‘It’s A Sin’, ‘Years and Years’, ‘A Very English Scandal’, ‘Queer as Folk’).

“Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies’ script,” commented Helena Bonham Carter. “I’m so thrilled to help tell Nolly’s long overdue and largely forgotten story. Russell’s screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I’ll do him and Nolly justice. I can’t wait to start.”

The series will be produced by Quay Street Productions, the first drama under Nicola Shindler’s new production banner with ITV Studios. ‘Nolly’ has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill.

“Russell’s scripts are magnificent and a great tribute to Noele Gordon, but also to our national love of soaps and a celebration of the incredible women they create,” adds Hill. “Helena Bonham Carter is going to be amazing as Nolly and we can’t wait for her to step into those shoes.”

Russell T Davies is, of course, set to return next year to take back the reins of ‘Doctor Who’, bringing a new Doctor along with him. There has been much speculation as to who might get the role, so this project comes at an interesting time. Both of Davies’ previous Doctors, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, starred in exactly this sort of one-off project from RTD just prior to jumping into the TARDIS. With Eccleston, it was ITV’s brilliant ‘The Second Coming’, and with Tennant, it was the wonderful BBC comedy-drama ‘Casanova’. Whilst I’m not saying this definitely means we’re going to see Helena Bonham Carter battling Daleks in the future, it is very interesting timing, particularly as today is also “Doctor Who Day” (i.e. the day the show first aired on the BBC.) Whether she does end up in the role or not, expect to see Helena Bonham Carter pop up on various bookie’s lists of potential time lord candidates from now on.

‘Nolly’ will go into production in 2022 and is executive produced by Nicola Shindler (‘It’s A Sin’, ‘Ridley Road’, ‘Happy Valley’, ‘Finding Alice’, ‘Queer as Folk’) and Russell T Davies. The director is Peter Hoar (‘It’s A Sin’, ‘The Last of Us’, ‘The Umbrella Academy’). Producer is Karen Lewis (‘Happy Valley’, ‘Last Tango in Halifax’).