PlayFirst broadcast: November 2 1964
Stars: Noele Gordon, Jane Rossington, Paul Henry, Kathy Staff and many more
Creators: Hazel Adair and Peter Ling
The lowdown: Set in a fictitious Midlands village, just off the motorway, Crossroads was about the lives of the staff and guests at the eponymous motel. It was opened by the shrewd Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon) following the death of her husband when motorway construction came through part of her land.
It was originally broadcast five nights a week, making it the UK's first true "soap". Production of the show came to an end in 1988 after 4,510 episodes.
Click the picture to watch one of the oldest surviving episodes from the show
Memorable moments: Meg's wedding to Hugh Mortimer in 1975 was the television event of the year, watched by 15 million on television and thousands in Birmingham who turned up for the exterior filming at Birmingham Cathedral, bringing the city centre to a standstill.
Trivia: The show has obtained cult status thanks to its lack of resources, debatable acting, wobbly sets and left-in mistakes, infamously parodied by comedienne Victoria Wood in her spoof soap Acorn Antiques.
Original series producer Reg Watson returned to his native Australia in the early 70s and created - amongst many others - The Young Doctors and Neighbours.
Celebrities who appeared in the show as actors included Sue Nicholls, David Jason, Ken Dodd and Larry Grayson.
