According to the pre-show hype for ITV’s Noele Gordon three-parter Nolly, Helena Bonham Carter tried to contact the Crossroads legend via a clairvoyant.
Showbiz tittle-tattle, perhaps. But the idea of attempting to establish a connection with a seemingly unreachable entity may have struck a chord with one or two viewers who tried to watch Nolly on ITVX last night.
For the uninitiated, I should explain that ITVX is ITV’s answer to BBC iPlayer - but only if the question is, what would BBC iPlayer be like if it had adverts and didn’t work properly?
I’m just teasing. I’m sure ITV will vanquish the gremlins eventually.
I wouldn’t blame viewers for deciding to wait until Nolly is shown on proper telly later this year though.
Whenever you watch it, you are in for a treat. It’s an utterly wonderful piece of television, in which Bonham Carter and her co-stars are clearly having the time of their lives.
The tale of a successful woman being deposed by despicable and whimsical men is so familiar, and the script so accessible, that it won’t even matter if you didn’t grow up watching Crossroads.
That said, if you were one of the wobbly-walled motel’s 15 million devotees you can expect double the delight. I was cheering before Benny had even put his beanie hat on.
While it was nice to be reminded of all the old faces, it was hard to keep your eyes off the central duo - Gordon and her Crossroads co-star Tony Adams (Augustus Prew).
They were so watchable as a unit, I must admit I felt a bit annoyed when Mark Gatiss muscled in on the action as Gordon’s other real-life pal Larry Grayson.
Still, Grayson was good for a few extra gags in a script that was already jam-packed with comedy lines.
For some reason, the thing that made me laugh the most was the scene in which a Crossroads extra casually shared his greatest career moment: “I did an episode of Rentaghost last year. Got paid £5 for burping.”
Gave a whole new meaning to the term repeat fee.
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