"Crossroads" (2001) TV series 2001-2003

Directors:

Judith Dine
Steve Goldie

Writers:

Colin Brake (2 episodes)
Andy Bernhardt (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | unknown

Release Date:

5 March 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Millennium update of the popular British soap opera 'Crossroads' which originally ran from 1964 to 1988. The motel is now a hotel and a brand new cast are in residence.

Plot Keywords:

Soap

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jane Gurnett

...

Kate Russell (54 episodes, 2001-2003)

Runtime:

24 min (418 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Bingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Carlton Television

Trivia:

Stephanie Beacham turned down the part of Angel Sansom.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do (2003) (TV)

You Can't Sex This Show Up

With the exception of DOCTOR WHO any television show that has its format changed is bound to fail . The original series of CROSSROADS worked because it was total garbage . On its return it's obvious the producers wanted it to be a big success by making it appeal to a teenage audience by sexing it up - Big mistake . Take for example the idea of a Scottish chef in the motel kitchen . In the original it was a Scottish chef who was - Depending on how the writers felt that day - either a wimp or a bitter sociopath . In the new version we're treated to a hunk from Scotland who's a real smoothie and in one episode saves a damsel in distress from a burning derelict church

Despite this spicing up the show I think the only attractive cast member was ( Non ) actress Cindy Marshall-Day who played drunken slapper Tracey Booth and naturally playing that sort of role she got all the best lines like this line she says to one of her Asian staff :

" Beena - Been a round more like "

Being a complete slut Mrs Booth was the catalyst for a domestic subplot where her husband has to explain to her son in a sensitive manner that Mummy and Daddy don't love one another any more :

"I'm thirteen y'know not three " moans the son who's played by a child actor so bad it's impossible to believe he's even had a walk on part in a school pantomime and gives the only performance that comes close to being so bad it's good

This new version of CROSSROADS was met by small viewing figures that just got worse and worse so in order to save it the producers went back to basics and included more and more outlandish plots in order to make it appeal to fans of schlock television . We saw Adam Chance return as a homicidal maniac but the writing was on the wall and the show was cancelled with the ending being on a par with someone waking up and discovering it had all been a bad dream . The reality was it was more of a bad idea than a bad dream