"Distressingly Popular"

[Mike of CAS]

I know our dear Paul Ross wasn't entirely convinced that dear Lady 'twit' Plowden had at a meeting of gathered ITV bosses, including Michael Grade of LWT and Jeremy Isaacs of Thames, and told them that 'Crossroads' was distressingly popular.

Well while Grade had made the comments on Radio 2, Issacs makes them in an IBA book on 'Independent Television: Politics' only it seems its not just Crossroads in the Plowden list of 'television horrors'.

In an IBA lecture he [Isaac] applauded ATV's Antony and Cleaopatra, Southern's Figaro, LWT's Akenfield and Granada's The State of the Nation, but disproved of ITV being judged by these and other prestigious 'special events'. Isaacs did not want praise. He wanted ITV to be judged from on its 'daily business.'

What mattered no less than prestige was the quality of the programmes which he taunted the authority's view were "distressingly popular". Programmes which carried the IBA's "Positive loathing seal of disapproval"

Programmes which drew in audiences of millions and tens of millions; Crossroads, Coronation Street, Opportunity Knocks, Benny Hill, This Is Your Life, Stars on Sunday, Sale Of the Century and The Golden Shot.

While the regulator tried to remove Crossroads, the audience resisted any such move. In 1980 the most complaints logged by the IBA that year were about the ATV soap; the fact it had been dropped entirely from the schedules for the Moscow Olympics.

There were some shows that were also listed as having a 'vulgar streak' these noted as Stars on Sunday, Tiswas, Fun Factory and Crossroads.

The Authority can refuse to accept another series, or cut down the amount per-year aired (as it did with Stars on Sunday and Crossroads) but if the IBA tried to have the programmes removed entirely they would be met with resistance from the production company and viewers who, for all of both programmes faults, find them both very dear companions.

[Doltrice]

Interesting they put Coronation Street in the same vulgar popular list. 

[Douggie]

Well Coronation Street to my mind is still "distressingly popular" but thankfully according to the Sun 50,000 Corrie viewers die every year, so its becoming less popular every year.

[Mike of CAS]

Well Corrie has taken on all the things Crossroads was bestowed with - oldest audience and that. The reason Central axed it, apparently. Yet now Corrie embrace that news. Funny, funny.

[Steve F]

Thx for posting that Mike.

Proof, if any were needed, that 5 episodes a week of Crossroads was dropped down to 4... and then to 3 and finally (from Christmas week 1987 onwards) to just 2 episodes a week purely due to the discomfort/embarassment of the powers-that-be within the ITV Network, not at the request of the viewers or because of declining viewing figures. It disgusts me, frankly 

[Mike of CAS]

I think we can definitely lay blame with Lady Plowden, I've just re-watched the ITV Personality of the Year 1972 clip (on Volume 3) and its Lord Aylestone who presented her the award, so yes when Plowden took over as Chair from him of the ITA in 1975 that's when things went a bit wrong. The ITA had always had its concerns but I suppose when its the "only" show doing that format at the time it would stick out a bit. Although as we've said before Coronation Street was also on the "dubious quality" list.

You'd like Plowden would like a popular show headed by a woman, clearly not. She pegged it in 2000 aged 90 anyway so we'll never know why.

[paul ross]

Yes but "distressingly popular"/ "Positive loathing seal of disapproval" are the kind of things people 'of breeding' said in those days! - an arrogance! I'm still not convinced it wasn't said with a twinkle in the eye. Like people who would scorn Crossroads and yet watch it.

[Mike of CAS]

It was being said as an excuse to drop it to three episodes - I don't think there was any twinkle LOL.

Michael Grade on Radio 2 again:

"Well it was a funny time, Crossroads was extraordinarily popular with ITV's mass audience in those days. Very successful, completely harmless - but the IBA.. ..were rather sniffy about it and in those days it was rather a predacean bunch of the great and the good. And they were rather embarrassed as they couldn't really be proud of Crossroads at dinner parties and so on.

And they didn't like the fact that ITV's top ten every week was dominated by episodes of Crossroads and they tried to either get its episodes reduced per week or get it canceled. This is the regulator, who are supposed to be looking after the interests of the public, and when they were pressed as to why they wanted it axed, the IBA Chairman said to a gathering of ITV Chiefs that 'the authority finds it distressingly popular.' What an age that was!"

[Maria No. 1.]

In other words certain people at the IBA were stuck up !

[paul ross]

What I think should have been done in the 70s was for them to stop using the title Crossroads - make up another and that critical history would be gone. I'm not talking about the actual programme only the title. People perceive things in fascinating ways - look at how bad Corrie is and has been for 20 years and yet the perception is that its a 'good programme'. If Corrie was the pits for many years more it would still not change that perception. And I still do not believe that what was said should be taken seriously - people often cannot really 'read' what is in front of them - perception. Some can hear the tone, inflection, meaning, especially attitude behind the written word and others cannot. The Yanks have always had difficulty really 'hearing' what it is they're reading - consequently they have a tendency to take everything they read literally. There is an element of seriousness but only an element - one of several within it. As Jane Rossington says, it was always 'coming off' but made too much money for them. But we shouldn't forget how dodgy it was in the 60s and especially the 70s. 

[Mike of CAS]

Yes its the one thing William Smethurst and Norman Bowler got right, the name had to be changed. It was only called 'Crossroads' after the motel anyway because of the techical limitations of the 60s.

It should have always been Kings Oak. ITV Yorkshire knew full well however the brand works - as they'd have done the more sensible thing and re-branded the show Beckindale rather than the less believable change of village name.

Jane Rossington and Sue Nicholls were also right really that its the people, the small cast, that helps people to get invovled with the characters so iffy scripts and odd technical issues can be overlooked. People liked to see Meg and what she was getting up to. They I don't think cared if what she was saying sometimes was ropey - and I doubt equally they noticed when she said something really well thought out!

[paul ross]

I wasn't that keen on Kings Oak as a replacement! as that way we move more into the village and as you say it opens it out and we lose that cosy feeling. Bit like Corrie are now doing with shots of Manchester, takes away that lovely 'caught in its own world' which was always at the heart of all sucessful soaps -

[Mike of CAS]

I think Kings Oak sums up even the 60s and 70s episodes, you've got the shop and the village green/church, with the motel and a few houses.

[Daniel Freeman]

Surely if it had been called Kings Oak from the beginning, it would still have been "distressingly popular" in later times, so they'd be in the same situation. Anway I always thought Crossroads was an awfully good name    And to be honest, it was the motel that was the centre of all the action most of the time.
'Crossroads Kings Oak' was the worst name-change ever, in my opinion. Emmerdale were quite right dropping the 'farm' (they changed the village name 'cos Beckindale was always associated with the plane crash).
One soap I think that was treated badly (as well as our Crossroads) was Take The High Road....which also underwent a trendier-sounding title 'High Road'. It was networked in most places...but when ITV slowly dissolved it got dropped by most regions. They just let a popular soap fizzle out quietly in Scotland. 

[Maria No. 1.]

Jane Rossington and Sue Nicholls were also right really that its the people, the small cast, that helps people to get invovled with the characters so iffy scripts and odd technical issues can be overlooked. People liked to see Meg and what she was getting up to. They I don't think cared if what she was saying sometimes was ropey - and I doubt equally they noticed when she said something really well thought out!

Agreed.