A LOOK BACK AT CROSSROADS IN LADY PENELOPE

I noted that Woodsy mentioned the Crossroads TV soap opera some while back which had a comic strip in Lady Penelope magazine. 

 As a youngster TV21 was my main comic of choice, and as Lady Penelope was designed to appeal more to girls, I didn’t really bother with it. Although, I should say early editions did contain a few comic strips that, in hindsight I would have enjoyed at the time – The Man from UNCLE, Marina, and The Angels.  The editor of Lady Penelope was Gillian Allen, wife of TV21 (and Lady Penelope) writer, Angus Allen. 

I’m pretty sure a Crossroads strip wouldn’t have been a big draw for me at the time, but nevertheless, for the sake of nostalgia, I feel that the original post needs a little expanding.

 The strip, featuring the characters at the ‘Crossroads’ Kings Oak Motel started in issue 103, dated January 6th, 1968. Although I don’t see a signature the artwork it looks to me by artist, Michael Strand. The strip joined Lady Penelope as the magazine was going through changes making it much more like the more traditional girls magazine.

Although I don’t have a copy, the strip appears to have lasted until and including issue 122, following that, the title of the magazine was changed to simply Penelope. The cover for issue 122 features items that a typical girls magazine at the time would have run. I have to admit the following revamped front cover of issue 123 did look a lot more exciting to me. Not sure if its a case of style over content, though!

 The TV series, Crossroads was made by Lew Grade’s ATV Company so I can’t imagine it was too difficult for City Magazines to get publishing rights.

 As a point of interest, when it came to the other American based strips in the magazine at that point during its run; The Monkees and Bewitched, I’m thinking that the publishing rights in Britain would have been acquired as part of the deal when AP films merchandise manager, Keith Shackleton, licenced the publishing rights in the United States for the American Dell/Gold Key Supercar comics, and later the Fireball XL5 comic 

The Crossroads soap opera, famed for its cheap production values, began its initial run on November 2nd, 1964 broadcasting on ATV, Border, and Ulster television regions, with some other regions running the soap over the following year. The Motel was set on the outskirts of the fictional village of King’s Oak near Birmingham.

Like any soap opera there were several regular characters, including the matriarchal, Meg Richardson/Ryder/Mortimer, played by Noele Gordon, who played the Motel’s owner up to 1981, and returning briefly for two episodes in 1983. A planned return in 1985 was abandoned as the actress was too ill to appear. Noele Gordon died, age 65 in April, 1985. 

Another well-known character was woolly hat wearing, motel handyman, Benny Hawkins, played by Paul Henry. Apparently, British Forces on the Falkland Islands called the locals ‘Bennys’. When the locals found out that the character was a yokel-type, they complained to senior officers, who forbid the use of the word. Unsurprisingly, the men obeyed and began referring to the locals as ‘stills’, because they reckoned they were ‘still’ Bennys’.

As a youngster, I’d heard of Crossroads, but my local TV region, Granada, home of Northern soap, Coronation Street, didn’t start to show the Midlands soap until 11th September 1972. I did find myself catching several tea-time episodes after coming home from work during the late seventies, and mischievously enjoying watching the wobbly sets and dodgy acting.

 I also spotted many of the actors I’d previously seen in the higher quality ITC filmed series like The Baron, or Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Gabrielle Drake, Lieutenant Gay Ellis in Gerry Anderson’s UFO, appeared as Nicola Freeman, playing one of the later managers of the Motel. 

Although, critics hated it, at its peak Crossroads managed to bring in viewing figures of 15 million. Consequently there was a fair amount of spin-off merchandise. The original run ended in 1988, but was revived in 2001, eventually becoming a ridiculous camp parody. I suspect most People in the UK are aware that the affectionately remembered TV spoof ‘Acorn Antiques’ by Victoria Wood was based on Crossroads. 

Crossroads finally ended in May 2003 due to declining ratings.