Crossroads - classic characters

Principally the motel's cleaner, Amy's talents stretched to working in the kitchen, on the bar and also behind reception. She had a penchant for gossip, and could often be seen earwigging for the latest scandals.
In real life, Ann moved into the Holiday Inn next to ATV's studios in Birmingham, and could often be seen in fur coats and heavy jewellery. Recording had to be stopped on more than one occasion when it was realised she was still wearing diamond rings, while playing a lowly motel cleaner.

First appearing in 1975, Benny Hawkins was a simple farm boy who found work at the motel as an odd-job man and gardener. 
Major storylines included his imminent wedding to Maureen Flynn, only for her to be knocked off her bicycle and killed on the morning of the wedding. 
His exit from the series at Christmas 1987 is well-remembered, even though nothing happened. Like many Crossroads departures, it was unexplained - the character climbed a ladder to attend to the fairy at the top of a Christmas tree, and was never seen again. 

Unlucky, that was Diane. The character came to Crossroads in 1966 and stayed with the programme for 21 years.
She began as a waitress, and was great friends with Marilyn Gates (Sue Nicholls). The 1967 bomb explosion hit her hard and she underwent psychiatric treatment for the trauma. She had a seemingly constant stream of men in her life, including one-time film star Frank Adam, by whom she had a son. 
A brain haemorrhage spelled the end for the character in 1987. In tribute, the distraught Benny named a donkey after her. Lovely.

David Hunter became both Director and General Manager of the motel in 1970. Laid back, thoughtful and relaxed, one Crossroads annual from the late 1970s goes so far as to dub him "Dishy David Hunter". 
Memorable storylines included the turning up at the motel of the sole survivor of a Malaysian village he'd wiped out as a young officer during the war. 
Higher drama came when his jealous and seriously unhinged ex-wife Rosemary shot him at an engagement party. 

Marilyn was a brassy waitress who first appeared in Crossroads in 1964, in episode 14. She had a thick Brummie accent and ambitions of fame and fortune. She entered beauty contests - with some success - but left the motel in 1966 to pursue a pop career. She failed unfortunately, and returned to the motel, but played by a different actress this time.
Sue Nicholls went on to pursue a varied and successful acting career including stints in children's programmes such as Pipkins and Rentaghost and is of course now famous for playing Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street. 

Noele Gordon joined the fledgling ATV when it began in the mid-50s, as an adviser on women's programmes. When it created Crossroads, the UK's first true soap opera, she was cast as the main character. As the motel-owning Meg Richardson, Noele was the very embodiment of Crossroads. Following her enforced departure from the series in 1981, viewing figures declined until its eventual axe in 1988. 

Meg's daughter had the distinction of speaking the first and last lines uttered in the soap, for she was an integral part of the original show from the start in 1964 until 1988.
Like Diane, Jill had her fair share of men. She married electrician Stan Harvey, by whom she had a daughter, Sarah-Jane. After their marriage failed, she wed Adam Chance. Her 11-month pregnancy is part of soap's folklore.