STARS AND THEIR CARS – NOELE GORDON AND HER ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SHADOW

On the 10th of February 1975, ATV Television filmed the wedding of Meg Richardson to Hugh Mortimer in Crossroads. The location was St Philips Cathedral in Birmingham and chauffeuring the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow on screen was none other than Larry Grayson, who appeared to be ad-libbing.

The wedding car belonged to the remarkable Noele Gordon, recently portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter in the biopic Nolly. She was not only the star of Crossroads but its main creative force. She was born in 1919, trained at RADA and in 1954, studied television production at New York University. Consequently, ATV, the weekdays’ Midlands and weekend London franchise for the new ITV network, appointed her their Head of Lifestyle programmes.

Gordon doubled in this role with presenting the daytime chat show Lunchbox. In 1958 she became the first woman to interview a prime minister on television. When the series ended in 1964, ATV created the motel soap opera Crossroads as a vehicle for her. By 1972 the programme was fully networked across ITV, to the disdain of many critics.

Some unkind souls pointed out cast members fluffing their lines, tripping over props, or characters seemingly vanishing randomly from the narrative. Glenda Brownlow headed for the bathroom and was not seen again for another seven months. But what did such trifles matter when the formidable Meg Mortimer presided over the (shaky) building?

Off-screen, the actress delighted in her Silver Shadow ‘NG10’; she acquired the personalised number plate several years before taking delivery of the Rolls-Royce in May of 1974. Gordon drove a Humber Hawk during the Lunchbox era, but the star of Crossroads naturally deserved a hand-built motor car. Seven years later, she told The News of the World:

“I have just one luxury in my life - a stunning Rolls Royce. I know it’s an indulgence, but it’s my own personal pride and joy and I can at least afford to run it until I leave Crossroads. I very much doubt if I will be able to afford all this extravagance when I have to start life all over again as a freelance actress.”

The sad occasion of this interview was Gordon being fired from Crossroads. One reason was apparently imperious behaviour on the part of its star and the desire of the producer to alter the format. The character of Meg Mortimer would make the latter impossible, and on the 11th of November 1981, she sailed for the USA on the QE2, briefly returning to the motel in 1983.

By then, the actress was mortally ill with cancer and died in 1985. Crossroads ended in 1988 (we won’t talk about the 2001-2003 revival), for the soap could not survive Meg Mortimer’s departure. Less than half of the 4,510 episodes were archived, and to watch the earliest existing story from 1965 is indeed to be reminded of Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques.

Yet, for all the jokes about the flexible scenery (there was no permanent set) and sometimes uncertain performances, it deserves to be celebrated. Crossroads tackled issues that better regarded soap operas avoided at that time. Gordon believed, “people pick up a lot more facts if they are watching something as entertainment rather than being preached at.”

In other words, Gordon innately understood her audience. NG 10 was an essential part of the Crossroads brand, attending shop openings, PR events and being admired by fans of the show on studio tours. Naturally, the Silver Shadow (wearing false plates) had to appear in the wedding episode and this ATV news report captures the great day.

Sadly, the marriage was short-lived. Kidnappers in Australia murdered Hugh Mortimer off-screen, possibly because the actor John Bentley had fallen out with the star. But who could resist viewing a Crossroads featuring Gordon, Larry Grayson - and the Rolls-Royce? Cue Tony Hatch’s theme tune -