Welsh writer, Russell T Davies, is, quite simply, the man of the moment. The 59-year-old, who hails from Swansea, was always going to have a busy year, having recently returned to Doctor Who, where he is overseeing the return of former Time Lord David Tennant and newcomer Ncuti Gatwa. The series is currently filming in and around Wales.
While Doctor Who is, no doubt, his main priority at the moment, Davies is also promoting new drama Nolly, which tells the real life story of Crossroads actress Noele Gordon. Earlier this year, the writer admitted that he wrote a script for the ITV soap opera days before it was axed in 1988. You can read more about that here.
Award-winning actress Helena Bonham Carter becomes the titular character in this new three-part ITVX drama but who else is joining her in the cast, what is it about and how can you watch? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who’s in the cast of Nolly?
As mentioned, Helena Bonham Carter takes on the lead role of Noele 'Nolly' Gordon, who herself played Meg Richardson in Crossroads. On why she wanted to take part, she said: “Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies’s script. I’m so thrilled to help tell Nolly’s long overdue and largely forgotten story. Russell’s screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I’ll do him and Nolly justice.”
The 56-year-old star of The Crown is joined in the cast by Augustus Prew, who plays Nolly’s Crossroads co-star and friend Tony Adams. Meanwhile, Sherlock creator Mark Gatiss takes on the role of Larry Grayson, who was a close friend of Nolly’s. Elsewhere in the cast is Silent Witness actor Richard Lintern as Ronnie Allen, who played Crossroads’ hotel manager David Hunter.
Happy Valley’s Con O’Neill also features. He is joined by other actors including Antonia Bernath, Clare Foster, Chloe Harris and Lloyd Griffith in supporting roles.
What is the plot of Nolly?
ITV’s synopsis for the series reads: "Noele (or Nolly to her friends) was a legend in her own lifetime. As flame-haired widow Meg Richardson in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, she was one of the most famous people in Britain. Then, in 1981, at the height of the show’s success and the peak of Nolly’s fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation. With the boss’s words “all good things must come to an end” ringing in her ears, Noele Gordon found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years.
"Nolly brings the true Noele Gordon once more into the spotlight. The Queen of the Midlands, a star who could be tough, haughty and imperious, grandly sweeping into rehearsals from her Rolls Royce, but also a hard-working actress who was fiercely loyal and loved by cast and crew alike.
"And at last, the biggest question of all can be answered – why was she sacked? Nolly reveals the truth, the consequences, and the legacy of that terrible day."
How can you watch Nolly?
Nolly will premiere on ITV's new streaming service2, ITVX, on Thursday, February 2. Viewers will also be able to see the true story behind the drama in the documentary 'The Real Nolly'. The documentary will also be available on ITVX from February 2. For more TV and showbiz stories, subscribe to our newsletter here.
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