CAS LATEST: MAILING LIST

The Crossroads Fan Club mailing list is back, due to a technical fault the old one has been replaced, you can join - or indeed rejoin - by following the link here.

CROSSROADS VOLUME NINE

A television milestone, Crossroads has enjoyed a new lease of life on DVD and has become one of Network's best-selling ranges over the years. Due to popular demand this ongoing series of releases has been created to showcase all the remaining episodes, in transmission order. In its day Crossroads was one of television’s most popular and enduring soap operas and this set contains another 16 shows originally transmitted in 1978.

2892 from February 1978

David canvasses Tony’s opinion of Rick’s scheme, and is surprised to find it cautiously optimistic. Victor’s plan to make himself the most unpopular person in King’s Oak continues apace, ensuring that Jim’s dander is well and truly up..

2893 from February 1978

When Jim is squashed by an engine block, Victor can’t help but feel a little guilty. Rick gets a shock when his foreign backing is pulled, and Mr. Black’s flabber is well and truly ghasted when Mr. Warner-Bligh strolls languidly into reception.

2904 from February 1978

Carney descends into his own personal hell when he tries to deal manfully with a late-night customer whilst being handcuffed. Meg takes Sandy to task about his untidy room. He takes it on the chin.

2928 from April 1978

David is shocked at Chris’s lack of emotion when he discovers that Pierre has been killed. Victor makes plans to move on as the gossip and malicious notes continue to do their damage.

2930 from April 1978

Meg hears the fourth most incredible thing she’s ever heard in her life. She then pays a visit to Chris and gives him a piece of her mind. Phoebe tempts David to become involved in a business venture in Florida.

2931 from April 1978

Meg ponders sedation as her search for the key continues to go unrewarded. While Phoebe continues to push David for a decision on Florida, Diane becomes more concerned over Jackie’s behaviour.

2974 from July 1978

Benny and Grogan gang up on Mr. Rogers. Throat-slitting is pondered as an option and he flees the scene. They top their victory by stalking a goat that has just eaten some of Benny’s money.

2975 from July 1978

Benny’s not particularly sold on the idea of changing his surname, much to Mr. Reed’s chagrin. Meg behaves brusquely when a strange man knocks at her door, brandishing a toothbrush.

2976 from July 1978

Glenda is mildly disconcerted when Godfrey confesses to murder. Jim, radiant with a new perm, becomes vexed when Sandra refuses to agree with his plans for the future. Sandy discusses the rules of the road with Lloyd, who just can’t get his head around left-hand drive vehicles.

2977 from July 1978

Sandy is thrilled when actor Bill Farrow comes to stay at the motel while Lloyd discovers that Meg’s misery fit is down to Hugh’s recent death. Sandy tries to twist Diane’s arm into dropping her lawsuit against Jim, for the good of the motel...

2978 from July 1978

Mr. Matthews pressures Jim into paying Meg a visit. This Jim does and, in a fit of honesty, tells her the real reason why he wants to buy the cottage. Daisy tries to entice Godfrey to an evening of culture.

2979 from July 1978

Benny and Mrs. Reed have a chat about his future, but she doesn’t have his best interests at heart. Daisy provides Bill with a shocking revelation and Lloyd regales Meg with tales of his swizzle stick.

2980 from July 1978

Reeling under the news that he’s the fruit of Godfrey’s loins, Bill is circumspect when Daisy tries to invite him around for tea. Jane makes Benny a nice drink while Doris gives the Reeds a piece of her mind.

2981 from July 1978

Benny deals a hammer blow to Tom Reed’s future business plans. Jim confesses his idiocy to Diane in an attempt to avoid a costly court case, while Meg turns down the chance to sell her cottage so she can live in maudlin loneliness.

2982 from July 1978

It’s a big day for Benny when Ed is brought back from hospital by van. Unfortunately he immediately begins to get up Doris’s nose. Sandy is mildly perturbed to discover that Lloyd has almost taken up residence at his mother’s cottage.

2983 from July 1978

Tish tries some none-too-subtle questioning of Lloyd regarding Meg’s hermit-like behaviour. Diane and Glenda are shocked when Jane hands in her notice. Bill scandalises Glenda when he tells her that he’s off on a date with Daisy..

SKY ONE's TOP 50 TV ENDINGS

Scarlet TV put together a collection of the fifty - in their view - best endings for characters and television series. While Meg's swansong on the QE2 wasn't for some reason included - the 2003 ending was. Scarlet TV did contact us about that ending, and also the final edition of the original  series in 1988 - but we did point out the final spin-off ending was the most, er, memorable..

The full top fifty, which on Sky One was hosted by Cilla Black, are listed below:

  • 5 BLIND DATE - Cilla decided to ditch Blind Date after the producers messed about with the format.

  • 4 THE ROYLE FAMILY - Its coming back for a Christmas Special, so its not quite over yet either..

  • 3 COLD FEET - Long running ITV comedy drama that forgot the comedy.

  • 2 ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES - Wisely picking the 'original' ending and not the terrible revivals. The Trotters scoop 6 million with a watch at auction.

  • 1 LIFE ON MARS - There is no life on Mars.

NEWSPAPER PUTS CAS IN CLASSIC TELLY TOP TEN

The Sunday Mercury newspaper for the West Midlands released its 'Top Ten Classic TV Websites' yesterday, and at number seven was 'crossroadsappreciationsociety.co.uk'.

The weekly publication commented that our website was "worryingly in-depth" - we think thats sort of a compliment! The top site was 'TV Cream', with fellow 'ATVLand' website 'Tiswas Online' at number five in the chart. Other sites included the official TV-am webpages, fansites for BBC sitcoms Porridge and Steptoe and Son and the ever popular TV Ark.

In January BBC News Online also listed CAS as a site to visit in a soap queens article which featured Noele Gordon.

CROSSROADS VOLUME SEVEN AND EIGHT

The next batch of DVDs are now up for order at the Network DVD website. Volume Seven and Eight from the archive cover episodes from 1977 and 1978.

Storylines include the Sandy and Lynn wedding plans, Vera and Diane's fallout over Max, Benny going odd, Carney finding out what Meg's cooking is like, Jim’s concern for wife Muriel and a ghost from Hugh’s past returns to haunt Meg.

More information at the Network site here>>

*Note the fan club is not connected to Network, and any issues with the DVDs should be reported to them. You can read an independent guide to the episodes here>>

ALAN COLEMAN WINS LIFETIME AWARD

The legendary television producer, director and writer Alan Coleman has been named as the winner of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Aussie Soap Awards 2008. The Aussie Soap Awards are held each year by online radio station The Soap Show to recognise excellence in this unique art form.

“I am absolutely thrilled to receive this award,” said Coleman, “and to be recognised in this way for doing a job that I love.”

“Alan has pioneered the unique art form that is five nights a week fast turn around drama,” added his agent Darren Gray of Darren Gray Management, “He has launched the careers of hundreds of actors and behind the scenes crew members and his productions have been enjoyed by millions of viewers around the world. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award than Alan and I am truly delighted to see his enormous contribution to the entertainment industry recognised in this way.”

Alan Coleman was born in Birmingham, England. He trained as an actor with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before training as a cameraman with ATV in the Midlands during the early 1960s. Alan rose quickly through the ranks and directed the first eight years of Crossroads which was the worlds first five nights a week soap - the series was broadcast live to air. He was then appointed as Head of Children’s Drama at ATV and produced the classic children’s series Escape into Night, The Jensen Code and Kids From 47A.

In 1974 Alan was headhunted by Reg Grundy and flown out to Australia to help set-up and run the Grundy Organization’s Drama Department. Alan was the driving force behind the medical soap The Young Doctors - he produced, directed and wrote the series - and it would go on to become the longest running drama series in Australian television history as well as the first Aussie soap to sell internationally. The Young Doctors became a massive ratings winner in the UK and Alan can be heard giving an audio commentary on the new Young Doctors- Classic Cliffhangers DVD which has been released by Umbrella Entertainment.

Alan has written, produced and directed a wide array of hit soaps including Class of 74 which was Australia’s first teen soap, Class of 75, Glenview High, Prisoner: Cell Block H, Punishment (the male version of Prisoner), Home & Away, Echo Point, Breakers, Going Home and returned to the UK in the 1990s to direct the soap Family Affairs for Channel 5. He produced the acclaimed mini-series Case For The Defence and has directed a range of other television hits including Secret Valley, The Adventures of the Bush Patrol, Above The Law and TwentyFourSeven.

As an Executive Producer he has worked on Neighbours and established Shortland Street which was New Zealand’s first ever five nights a week soap. In Germany he Executive Produced the hit serial Unter Uns and was also responsible for setting up the soap Goede Tijden - Slechte Tijden in the Netherlands.

After nearly 50 years in the television industry Alan continues to produce and direct in the industry he loves and also runs special workshops for people of all ages teaching them the unique skills and disciplines required to work for the film and television camera. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

'CAS' ON BBC RADIO WEST MIDLANDS - AGAIN

On Monday May 12th 2008 the Crossroads Fan Club featured on the BBC Radio WM's Ed Doolan show. We returned to the airwaves on Saturday May 17th 2008 to discuss the new found 1965 episode. Janice Long was the host, she seemed to be a little bit of a fan of old Crossroads herself.

It was certainly a great chat about how the long lost episode was found, and the affection still for the soap opera. Marc Webber of ITV.com also featured to discuss the premier of the episode at the Best Of  ITV website.

You know, isn't it a great shame they've never brought Crossroads back.. ..maybe one day.

ITV.COM SCREEN 'LOST' CROSSROADS EPISODE

You can watch a little bit of television history on ITV.com - as they are the first in the world to show a newly discovered 1965 edition of the motel soap - last seen over forty years ago in only a handful of ITV regions.

Experts uncovered the 1965 episode in an unmarked tin in the old ATV archive, which now resides in west London. They thought most of the episodes from the decade had been lost forever after the film and video tapes used to store the programmes were either disposed of or re-used as the years passed.

The premiere of this find marks a major re-launch of ITV.com’s archive video section, which contains full-length episodes of shows like Rising Damp, Survival and Joe 90.

Marc Webber, Head of Content at ITV.com said “Crossroads will always have a place in people’s hearts. People poked fun at it for its wobbly sets and bad acting, but it continually attracted millions of viewers every week. Hopefully, some of those fans will join us on itv.com for a brilliant trip down memory lane this weekend.”

If you think you've got a lost episode of Crossroads, itv.com would like to hear from you. They are interested in any recordings of episodes broadcast before 1982 - on videotape or could even on reels of film! If you think you've got something in your garage or loft, drop the team a line at lost.crossroads@itv.com.

You can see the episode right now at ITV.com's Crossroads section in the Best Of ITV: www.itv.com/crossroads

ON DVD

We're sure Network DVD will be incredibly grateful to the staff of ITV who went beyond the call of their duty to bring these finds to them, and of course without these staff - who go that extra mile - so many episodes would have remained lost and un-released on DVD. So if you want to keep episode 126 in your personal collection its now on sale from Network DVD. Order it here.

The DVD and ITV.com has had huge publicity, with reports airing on Central Tonight and Central News through all of Wednesday 15 May 2008, and practically every news website from MSN Entertainment to Digital Spy have reported the discovery. Newspapers from The Mirror to The Guardian, and nearly all the local daily papers reported how the episode was found, and where it would be seen and on sale.

We're certainly thrilled with the coverage, who'd have thought 'wobbly' old Crossroads would still dominate news pages. On behalf of the fan club we thank more than the people at ITV for making it all possible, without them Network wouldn't have the episode for DVD, and thus the fans wouldn't get the chance to see it.

'CAS' ON BBC RADIO WEST MIDLANDS

On Monday May 12th 2008 the Crossroads Fan Club featured on the BBC Radio WM's Ed Doolan show. For the whole week a different appreciation society was to be featured on the programme everyday. The first to feature was us, and what a delightful experience it was to talk to Ed - who had starred in the soap, and who knew Noele Gordon well.

The debate included the popularity of the programme, what the fan club does and Ed's appearance in the programme with his recollection of being paid a royalty fee of £1.50 for a repeat of the show.

We also discussed the rather sad state of Noele Gordon's grave, which has been left somewhat neglected. In the 'old days' her agent Michael Summerton and CAS would keep it clean a few times a year, but in recent years it has been difficult to find anyone locally to keep it tidy.

TONY'S A SMOOTHY

Crossroads' Adam Chance, played by the delightful Tony Adams was Paul Wappat's guest for 'Six at Six' on the North East's Smooth Radio tonight (02/05/08). Paul commented that Tony was one of the best guests he'd had on the slot, and it was certainly a great listen.

As guest, Tony picked six pop songs, and chatted about his career from stage to screen, from Adam Chance to his current starring role in the stage musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where he appears as Grandpa Potts. The musical is at the Sunderland Empire for the next few weeks.

Paul has been pondering a campaign to bring back Crossroads. Well, as long as they don't make it in Nottingham, put it on at 5pm and fill it with teens it should work..

CAN IT GET ANY BETTER? - ANOTHER MAJOR ARCHIVE FIND!

Only a few weeks after the exciting discoveries of Crossroads material, it seems even more has come to light this week. Along with the recently found 'film inserts' dating back to the early years of the 1960s and two black and white episodes from 1973 we are now aware that episode '126' from April 1965 has also been discovered.

It stars John Bentley in one of his earliest appearances at the motel along with Noele Gordon, Anthony Morton, Peggy Aitchison and Roger Tonge to name only a few.

The episode can be bought, along with the 1973 monochrome editions, from Network DVD on a special limited release.

NOLLY ON DISPLAY

As part of a new gallery of famous Birmingham people a portrait of Noele Gordon will be on display as part of the season.

"Although not born in the city she adopted it as her home and had many friends here." said artist David Viney of thisisculture.org.uk. Noele also was patron of over 30 local charities in the Midlands and of course helped launch ITV in the region back in 1956.

The exhibition will be held in Symphony Hall Birmingham from May 2nd 2008.

KATHY STAFF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST 'NEW CROSSROADS'

Popular actress Kathy Staff - famous as Nora Batty in the BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine - has spoken about the Carlton Television attempt at making Crossroads.

Staff, who starred in the original as Doris Luke between 1978 and 1985, was lured by Carlton to star in their re-make of the cult ATV classic soap in 2001. It soon turned sour, though. Kathy Staff quit after a year.

Speaking last week on BBC One's Inside Out (East Midlands edition) she said she was disapointed with the production.

When asked if she regretted ever being in 'new Crossroads' she commented: "Yes I do, it wasn't anything like I expected. And er, very disapointing so I soon decided that I would come out of it as soon as my contract finished.. ..A lot of people had worked many many years to establish it [the original] as a programme. And at one time, we used to get fifteen million viewers in the old days. But it never took off the new one. And it was very disapointing, very disapointing."

Inside Out was looking at the demise of local ITV, with a close up investigation of the former Central Television productions made at the Nottingham Lenton Lane studios. The Carlton Crossroads was in production in the East Midlands between 2000 and 2003, but a long list of continuity errors between original Crossroads and the 'new version' made it unpopular with old fans.

It wasn't just fans who were upset by the lack of regard for the original motel saga. Peter Ling, Kathy Staff, Sue Lloyd, Jane Rossington, Lynette McMorrough and Angus Lennie have spoken of their distaste for the Carlton 'trade-in' on the Crossroads brand.

LLOYD LAMBLE DIES

The Australian actor Lloyd Lamble has died at the age of 94. Lloyd began his career on radio as an announcer with 3DB before touring theatres across Australia with the J.C. Williamson Company. During the Second World War he returned to radio to help keep moral on the home front high but things turned bad when the war ended as rumours began to spread about his communist leanings and he was blacklisted from working in the entertainment industry.

As a result Lamble left for the UK in 1950 and would find himself in constant employment both on stage and screen. He appeared in the movie Blue Murder at St. Trinian's, played Jim Bartle in the soap opera Crossroads and also had roles in shows such as The Kids From 47A, Dixon of Dock Green, The Avengers, Crown Court and the BBC medical soap Angels.

Full Report HERE>
With thanks to Darren Gray for the article.

MORE CROSSROADS EPISODES FOUND

Following on from the major recent finds in the Central archive at YTV, further long lost Crossroads has recently turned up. John McElroy, member of the Roobarb DVD forum, recorded a number of episodes of Crossroads and two programmes - one from 1969 and another from 1970 have been unearthed.

John Williams and Ian Beard have worked at identifying the episodes and conclude that one edition is from around June 1969 which is somewhere between episodes 1009 and 1182 as featured on the Network DVD releases.

The second programme is believed to be episode 1300 from June 1970.

John Williams of The Mausoleum Club comments on the audio discoveries: "John showed a fine devotion to the Crossroads as a lad and recorded some episodes. There is a complete episode from 1969 and roughly half an episode from 1970 - the latter is the famous "black magic" episode which is the climax of the plot that saw Jill and Diane get mixed up with some crazy West Midland diabolists."

Alan Hayes has restored the episodes and transferred them to a digital format.

For further details, please email CAS.

MAJOR CROSSROADS FOOTAGE FOUND

In the last few weeks there have been a number of discoveries - and in some cases rediscoveries - of Crossroads archive material.

* Three episodes from 1976/7, recovered from home video cassettes (Philips N1500). These episodes do not exist on a master format, so these are the only surviving copies. One of these was recorded off air from Westward Television (episode 2521 - Vera sacks Sheila) and the other two came from the collection of the late Zeph Gladstone, who played Miss Vera. Playback of these ageing and now wildly obsolete cassettes was undertaken by Lucinda Woodward of London's The Video Ark (http://www.videoark.co.uk)

* Most - if not all - of the sequences filmed outside the studio on location and played into studio, some dating back to the earliest monochrome days of the series. This hoard seems to include the 1967 Spain/Tunisia sequences!

* Two monochrome telerecordings of 1973 episodes, originally broadcast in colour and also now not extant on master format. These episodes were last seen as clips on Crossroads Revisited (1985) and Open Air (1988).

Network DVD have already announced the inclusion of episode 2521, recovered from home video, on a forthcoming archive DVD volume, and will shortly be appraising the other material for technical quality, clearance position and possibility of release.

I'm sure all Crossroads fans will be pleased with this latest news, and so on their behalf CAS thanks all involved at ITV in locating these items from a much lost era of Crossroads.

PAUL HENRY TO PLAY HANCOCK

The former Crossroads star - who played popular dimwit Benny Hawkins -  is to play the legendary Birmingham comedian Tony Hancock.

The Aston-born actor was last seen in television drama Bad Girls for ITV in 2006, and had several other small roles on TV since being axed by Crossroads boss William Smethurst in 1987. Henry also suffered problems in his private life including losing his 18-year-old daughter Justine in a road crash - and his luxury home in Barnt Green, near Bromsgrove, was repossessed after he racked up debts of more than £400,000. Paul had gone from earning £100,000 a year to nothing, but by 1994 had rebuilt his life running a pub and bar ventures in the West Midlands with his wife Sheila.

Now the one time "motel handyman" is taking on the role of Hancock who committed suicide at the age of just 44 in a Sydney hotel room. Hancock took his life back in 1968 as his career started to dwindle.

Paul has agreed to star as Hancock in a 25-year-old play being re-adapted for modern audiences by not-for-profit Birmingham production by the Maverick Theatre. Reported the Birmingham Mail.

'Hancock's Finest Hour' will tour Britain in around 18 months' time. Maverick Theatre artistic director Nick Hennegan said the tiny Birmingham company had bought the worldwide rights to the play, written by actor Colin Bennett, for five years.

"I am hoping that this will put Paul back in the spotlight. It's going to be a unique production and we would like to kick it off in Birmingham," Nick told the Birmingham Mail.

"It's a fairly tall order for Paul - it's only a three-hander and runs the whole gamut of Hancock's life. It's a big part and a difficult part but I think it's also the perfect Birmingham dream team with Paul as Hancock.."

Nick is now on the lookout for sponsorship for the play.

"I am hoping that we can find a Birmingham company who can stump up some sponsorship. This is a unique opportunity."

Full Story Here>>

In related news Tony Adams - Adam Chance at the motel - appeared this week (10/03/08) on Tyne Tees' North East Tonight news show to promote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the stage musical which is currently in the North East. There was some Crossroads featured, and TTTV were awfully nice about Tony and the soap.

THE END OF ITV CENTRAL?

The Birmingham Mail has suggested the end is in sight for the ITV region that launched in 1956. Highlights from their report below, link to full article at the base of the story:

'News from the West Midlands may soon be fighting for airtime with stories from rural Lincolnshire, the far reaches of north Nottinghamshire or even the fringes of the Home Counties.

ITV has decided to slash its network of regional TV news programmes from 17 to nine.

Faced with falling audience figures and cut-throat competition from satellite channels and the internet, ITV chairman Michael Grade announced mass cutbacks across the network.

Grade said in a letter to ITV staff last September: "The commercial reality is we're spending more on regional news than can be commercially justified. ITV spends £120 million a year on its regional services, the majority on regional news. We believe a more realistic obligation on ITV would create savings of £35 million to £40 million a year."

If ITV's plans are nodded through by regulator Ofcom, Central Tonight will merge with its counterpart in Nottingham, creating one programme serving a huge swathe of Middle England, from rural Herefordshire to the east coast.

The outlook for jobs remains blurred, but up to 40 per cent of ITV employees across the Birmingham and Nottingham operations are thought to be at risk.'

Border TV Regional news staff have started a campaign to save their ITV region. Despite ITV London having poor local news ratings, many of the other programmes across the UK actually perform far better. Border staff suggest ITV bosses are only looking at London ratings, and not the bigger picture.

ATV, the original producers of Crossroads were forced to 'become more regional' and were transformed into Central Television in 1982, with three local news programmes eventually airing across the Central region. Should Ofcom allow these plans the news service will revert to the much disliked 'ATV Today' era of reporting, which many said simply wasn't local enough.

A senior Central executive predicted a grim future for one of Birmingham's best-loved institutions, the birthplace of Crossroads and the TV company which forged the careers of Chris Tarrant, Gary Newbon and Bob Warman.

"Morale has been on the floor for some time. When ATV was at its height and before it became Central more than 20 years ago, the company employed around 2,000 people.

"Today there's probably around 160 across the area. At one time in Birmingham, they were doing a load of network programmes, including Crossroads. But the world of TV has changed so much.

"There's much more choice with satellite TV and the Internet. And there are lots more independent companies selling their programmes to ITV and the BBC.

"There's a feeling Central was in an amazing position a few years ago and let it dwindle. Now there's a fear viewers will stop tuning into Central for their local news, weather and travel when they see Bob Warman talking about Lincolnshire." The executive told the Birmingham Mail.

Fans of regional ITV believe the 'selling Ice Cream in winter' effect is being used to make it seem regional television is dead - mainly by showing programmes that are not interesting or very local and in slots that are against soap opera or late at night. These critics point out however the BBC still gain good ratings locally, and if ITV bosses looked further than London, many ITV regions do too when local programmes worth watching air.

Fully Story Here>>

MARY BARCLAY DIES

She played David Hunter's stern mother-in-law from Hell, Stella Dane, between 1970 and 71, the actress Mary Barclay died yesterday (19/02/08) aged 91.

She was Rosemary Hunter's domineering mother, but after 18 months in the soap became tired of the long days and soap format and so asked producer Reg Watson to kill off her character.

She also starred in other TV classics such as Secret Army, Spy Trap, Dixon of Dock Green and Steptoe And Son.

Born Mary Biddulph in Somerset, she achieved a double-first in classics at Cambridge University, after enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the actress married Richard Barclay, who became a successful BBC film editor.

Richard Barclay died from a heart attack in 1985 and the actress married a Scottish widower, David Taylor, in 1987. Mary died at a nursing home in Guernsey on Tuesday, where she had been living since she suffered a stroke seven years ago.

FANS OF REG WATSON SOAPS UNITE: YOUNG DOCTORS FOR FULL DVD RELEASE?

The Young Doctors was Australia's longest running drama serial and was a ratings winner in the UK as well as in other countries around the world. The show launched with an initial hour long pilot episode in 1976 and by the time that the Albert Memorial Hospital closed its doors for the final time in 1982 it had clocked up a further 1396 half hour episodes. Now after the success of the Crossroads DVDs, fans of 'TYD' are also seeking a similar style release.

Viewers as far away as New Zealand, Angola, the Bahamas, France and the Netherlands were hooked on the romance and drama of The Young Doctors. The Albert Memorial Hospital was run like a well oiled machine by medical superintendent Dr Brian Denham (Michael Beecher) and his ever efficient secretary Helen Gordon (Lyn James). Kiosk lady Ada Simmonds (Gwen Plumb) kept the gossip flowing, orderly Dennis Jamison (Chris King) was the joker of the pack and Sister Grace Scott (played by Home & Away star Cornelia Frances) kept the flighty young nurses in line with a rod of iron.

The show was awash with sexy young nurses and hunky doctors including Nurse Jo Jo Adams (Delvene Delaney), Nurse Tania Livingstone (Judy McBurney), Nurse Sherry Andrews (Karen Pini), Nurse Maggie Gordon (played by Neighbours regular Jackie Woodburne), Dr Peter Holland (Peter Lochran), Dr Tony Garcia (Tony Alvarez) and Dr Greg Mason (played by Australian Idol judge Mark Holden). Then we had the prickly Dr Graham Steele (Tim Page), the abrupt Dr John Forest (played by Alan Dale of Neighbours and Ugly Betty fame) and the suave senior surgeon Dr Raymond Shaw (Alfred Sandor). The series also featured a very young Russell Crowe in his television acting debut and Joseph Furst who played the evil Dr Metz in the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever.

The Young Doctors was produced, written and directed by Alan Coleman who directed the first eight years of Crossroads. The series was created and executive produced by Reg Watson who produced Crossroads from its inception up until 1974 and the show featured a host of Crossroads actors including Vincent Ball and John Scholes.

Umbrella Entertainment (www.umbrellaent.com.au) have released two volumes of classic episodes from the show on DVD - 'The Young Doctors - The Best Romances' and 'The Young Doctors - Classic Cliffhangers.' These DVD's have been selling like hot cakes and now fans are campaigning to have the entire series released on DVD in chronological order.

"I have been approached by a lot of fans asking if the whole show will be released on DVD in chronological order," said Darren Gray of Darren Gray Management who represent a number of The Young Doctors cast members and who also represent Alan Coleman who produced, directed and wrote the series, "I know that the programme has a strong and loyal fan base and I'm certainly throwing my weight behind this campaign to release every episode of the show in regular monthly instalments.

"Umbrella Entertainment have recently announced that they'll be releasing the whole of Sons & Daughters on DVD and A Country Practice and Prisoner (Cell Block H) are already being released in their entirety so we know that a massive audience exists for classic Australian drama serials.

"In addition with a brand new version of The Young Doctors about to be produced in Australia I would suggest that now is the ideal time for the release of the original series - viewers can enjoy the new show whilst also revisiting the classic episodes to see where it all began."

So if you are a fan of The Young Doctors and would like to see the entire series released on DVD you are urged to e-mail Umbrella Entertainment to show that the demand exists for this to happen. E-mail Andrew Mercado at info@umbrellaent.com.au

CLASSIC CROSSROADS CHRISTMAS at ITV.COM

You can re-live the 1979 motel Christmas day episode on ITV.com. Yes Join Meg and the staff of the Crossroads Motel as they sing a little Christmas song for the regular viewers.

Best Of ITV Christmas - scroll down for Crossroads (image of the 1985 logo)

For the 45th anniversary next year, the society will be releasing a long researched and much awaited book. It was announced in 2004 a book would be made - and yes, its taken this long to do it.

However there is still time to add items to it, so if you have anything of interest - do get in touch. Contact Details HERE

Older stories have now been archived.