Jane Asher Writes

I loved playing Angel and was very disappointed when she was cut off in her prime, so to speak. It's not often you get asked to dress up in wonderfully over-the-top costumes and be bitchy, powerful, flirty and vulnerable in turns.

We were a very happy company - after the initial nervousness of meeting the actors who had already been involved in the show for a year and a half, we quickly bonded and got on very well.

The scenes I enjoyed playing most were the rows with Jane Gurnett and the Central TV family meals round the table in the Samsons' suite. Jane and I had a great time sparring in the lobby or in Angel's office, and the scripts were becoming more and more inventive in developing the mutual insults (as was our improvising!).

And when the family gathered round the table there was more than a touch of the Mob in the air: really quite sinister. (It also, of course, helped that we had a fantastic props department that gave us the most wonderful food - on a cold winter's morning in Nottingham it was a treat to be allowed to get stuck into a bit of haute cuisine while trying to remember our lines..)

The whole experience was a joy, and my only regret is the fact that it wasn't given the chance to settle down and develop that it deserved. Unfortunately, as an actor you get horribly used to shows being cancelled at short notice - whether it's a play that fails to attract audiences or a TV series that doesn't get enough advertising, but this version of Crossroads was so very new that the decision was a shock to everyone involved.

I was thrilled to discover when I first joined, incidentally, what a loyal and enthusiastic fan base the show had, and, as a new owner crashing into a much respected cast, I was made to feel very welcome and supported. For that I send much love and many thanks to all those who wrote to me, and I can only apologise for having been in place when your beloved hotel closed its doors for the last time - I am as sad about it as you are.