10 things you never knew about Crossroads

Reg Watson was Crossroads' original producer. As a young Australian, he worked on many shows for ATV Midlands and stayed at the helm of the programme until 1972. He then returned to Australia, where he went on to create many long-running serials including The Young Doctors and Neighbours.

Crossroads was recorded "as live", which meant that programmes often under-ran their expected duration. Telephone calls would often be improvised to bring the recording back to schedule. 

Victoria Wood is a fan of Crossroads - indeed she's one of the official fan club's celebrity members. Her spoof soap Acorn Antiques, which first appeared in her 1980s BBC sketch show, draws many of its characters, themes and storylines from the show, with badly-dressed women, wobbly sets and men who speak ironically. 

During the 1982 Falklands Conflict, British soldiers frequently referred disparagingly to the islander community as “Bennys” - a reference to the fashion of Crossroads character Benny Hawkins. 
When soldiers were told to stop, they got round the problem by then referring to the residents as "Stills", because they were "still Bennies". 

Over the years, the show has featured cameos by such stars of light entertainment as Lionel Blair, Les Dennis and Tim Brooke-Taylor. 

Crossroads began in November 1964 and notched up 4,510 episodes before it came to an end in 1988. It was not until 1997 that Coronation Street reached the same total. Sadly, many hundreds of episodes no longer exist - they were routinely over-recorded by ATV who saw little commercial point in retaining them. What does survive, however, is being released on DVD, including recently-discovered "missing-believed-wiped" episodes. 

Crossroads Motel was located in King's Oak - a fictitious village in the Midlands. Fictitious perhaps, but that didn’t stop confused viewers writing in and trying to book non-existent rooms. 

Actress Sue Nicholls played the part of Marilyn, a brassy waitress who ended up leaving the motel in 1966 to pursue a career as a pop star. At the same time, Nicholls released the song she'd sung in the programme, Where Will You Be? When Marilyn's pop career flopped, she returned to Crossroads, but she was played by a new actress. Despite Sue Nicholls' pop career also flopping, she did not return and went on to play Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street.

After 17 years, in June 1981 the story broke of ATV's decision to sack Noele Gordon (who played Meg Richardson). Viewers were in uproar, but despite protests, the release of a tribute single, "Meg Is Magic" and a failed intervention by Lord Grade, Chairman of ATV, the decision was not reversed. 
She did return for a final cameo appearance during her screen daughter Jill's honeymoon in Venice in 1983. 

In the 70s, Paul McCartney’s group, Wings, recorded an alternative version of the theme song to be played whenever there was a particularly dramatic cliffhanger.