TVTimes listings.

[DJB]

I read recently that the cast for every episode of Coronation St.was listed in the TvTimes until mid 1972. After this period they changed to a weekly cast list. I wonder was this also the case for Crossroads?

[Maria No. 1.]

I have a TV World, the Midlands TVTimes, for Sat 27th Feb-Fri 5th March 1965. 

Looking at it there is indeed a daily cast list.  Most notably John Bentley's first Crossroads appearance Monday 1st March he is described in the cast list as `Motel Visitor'.  Next day he is listed as `Hugh Mortimer'.

[Lucky]

Yes, daily cast lists were given right up to 1972. I have done a bit of research on this and they seemed to be quite accurate, with the occasional wrong name thrown in to keep us on our toes. It is a good source of information on a show such as Crossroads where so little of the early episodes survive.

[Hampstead]

Yes I remember this very well,they also included that ep's director,a little like Radio Times still do to this day.
With Crossroads,they also included a part of that days script (as written) but it always came out slightly different. for instance here's one I remember quite clearly,

Meg, I'll drag him through the courts backwards,you mark my words,the man's a menace to society.

Jill, Oh Mum please don't go on,I can't take much more of this.

However when it aired it came out as,

Meg,You mark my words Jill,I'll have him dragged through the courts backwards,he's a menace to society.

Jill,Oh don't go on so Mum,please,I don't think I can take much more of this.

[DJB]

That's interesting. I only ever remember the weekly cast list.

Might it be an idea to try and gather as many details as we can from TVTimes cast and story details. With so many episodes lost and the script archive out of bounds,it's probably the best historical record there is.

[Maria No. 1.]

Mike, Doug and I did just that in Birmingham Central Library for a couple of hours last year.  We looked through every TVTimes they had in their archives for 1965 and took down notes.  Notes which we considered `firsts', cast list additions etc.  There are dedicated threads within Documentary section.

[Hampstead]

Yes I remember this very well,they also included that ep's director,a little like Radio Times still do to this day.
With Crossroads,they also included a part of that days script (as written) but it always came out slightly different. for instance here's one I remember quite clearly,

Meg, I'll drag him through the courts backwards,you mark my words,the man's a menace to society.

Jill, Oh Mum please don't go on,I can't take much more of this.

However when it aired it came out as,

Meg,You mark my words Jill,I'll have him dragged through the courts backwards,he's a menace to society.

Jill,Oh don't go on so Mum,please,I don't think I can take much more of this.

But can anyone tell me who Meg was referring to when she made that comment? I know the answer but just checking to see if anyone else does!

[Daniel Freeman]

Was it Matthew Mortimer???

[Maria No. 1.]

I can give you that answer right away Daniel, No.  Jill's little boy Matthew was only 3 when Meg sailed away on the QE2.

[Daniel Freeman]

Hmmm - got my names muddled up.....how about Anthony Mortimer!

[DJB]

Mike, Doug and I did just that in Birmingham Central Library for a couple of hours last year.  We looked through every TVTimes they had in their archives for 1965 and took down notes.  Notes which we considered `firsts', cast list additions etc.  There are dedicated threads within Documentary section.

Thanks Maria,I'll have to check that out.

[Hampstead]

Was it Matthew Mortimer???

No,it was none of those Mortimer's Freespin.

[ConCon]

A full listing of the TVT blurbs has been done, and for some time - it's just awaiting home.

Depending on how much space was available, different regional editions would end up varying the amount of information - paraphrasing here, dropping a line there.

FWIW, there's a couple of occasions post wedding where Meg is refered to as Meg Richardson. And one week where Granada edition ran the blurbs in reverse order to how the ATV issue originally had them.

Want to know how the Granada edition handled the 1000th episode in 1971, which had a TVT cover? As at that point it wasn't being screened in the region, Peter Wyngarde as JASON KING had pride of place!

One old queen replaced by another! 

[Mike of CAS]

The one thing that has seemingly never been discovered, the TV Times have been partly helpful but no one there seemed to know, what happened to the TV World Midlands archive.

Did it all go down to TVT in London or was it with ATV, and if so then its gone. The TVT did say they had some varying copies of the regions pre-TVT branding across the lot, but they couldn't say how many.

(And by archive I was mainly thinking of the photographs as TV World had some rather good ones in the sixties)

[Hampstead]

Yes I remember this very well,they also included that ep's director,a little like Radio Times still do to this day.
With Crossroads,they also included a part of that days script (as written) but it always came out slightly different. for instance here's one I remember quite clearly,

Meg, I'll drag him through the courts backwards,you mark my words,the man's a menace to society.

Jill, Oh Mum please don't go on,I can't take much more of this.

However when it aired it came out as,

Meg,You mark my words Jill,I'll have him dragged through the courts backwards,he's a menace to society.

Jill,Oh don't go on so Mum,please,I don't think I can take much more of this.

But can anyone tell me who Meg was referring to when she made that comment? I know the answer but just checking to see if anyone else does!

The answer is ...........................................................John Crane.(The Bigamist)