Crossroads Motel,Can I Help You?

[stuartdg]

On the last disc and there's powerful stuff going on as Sharon deals with the aftermath of a car accident,a shame we don't get to see how it all pans out...

[Nyder]

Meg wearing some lovely yellow trousers this morning! We get to see the living room / office patio today too. And in case you've forgotten we're supposed to be outside, there's a constant tweety-bird sound to remind you!

Three Italians have checked in. 2 of them are extras. However they're doing their "silent conversation" routine within earshot of the speaking Italian! Step away from the boom area chaps!

[SiHart]

Three Italians have checked in. 2 of them are extras. However they're doing their "silent conversation" routine within earshot of the speaking Italian! Step away from the boom area chaps!

I love how you can always tell which extras aren't being paid to actually talk. Especially obvious when they're checking out or in and not saying anything except to nod their heads and smile a lot!

[stuartdg]

Finished the big boxset which ended with Mack getting a payrise and Benny swanning off to see Ed Lawton who is selling up,the orphaned episodes next starting with Jill's custody trial

[Nyder]

"The past throws long shadows"

Some deep philosophy from Amy Turtle this morning! What is the reason behind Meg's aversion to country cottages? Well I've got a run of episodes now so I hope to find out!

Elsewhere, Vera's dishy godson Martin spent an entire scene making a giant cheese salad sandwich accompanied with some bagpipes music. Whether it was coming from the radio or outside the houseboat was never established. A very bizarre scene indeed! I thought it was heralding the first ever entrance of Shughie, but alas I was wrong.

[SiHart]

I'm back on the Crossroads!

*storyline for Ted Hope klaxon*

After years of being relegated to appearances in church at Christmas, Ted Hope gets a storyline! Can this be real? It must be- they've built a set for his antiques shop and everything, and filled it with antiques. Well, I'm no expert, but his hat stand looks pretty old anyway.
His storyline seems to be part antique talk (statues today) and part flirting. Not very good flirting, but Mrs Fisher seems to impressed. Must be all the talk of clay balls.

Elsewhere Meg is ruing Jill's new outlook on life "She's being ruled by her heart not her head". She's not impressed. Adam is though. The seeds are sown for the pairing of Crossroads' latter years. Meg looks at him curiously. He's probably in trouble now.

[Nyder]

Those long, lingering Meg stares can reduce a man to rubble!

[Nyder]

I love the little oddities in Crossroads.

This morning there was a scene where Meg & Hugh were talking, and the entire thing was shot from the back of Meg's head. Did Nolly have a boil on her nose that day??

They must have been running over - them there titles were whizzing up and across with great gusto!

[Nyder]

Definitely the most bizarre episode so far! Almost the entire second half consisted of a variety act called Ronnie going through his routine in front of Sandy, who I'm sure kept throwing in ad-libs like "That's Amy, she does clog dancing".

Oh and Miss Diane confessed to doing some underwater ballet in the past.

That was a surreal 22 minutes!

[Nyder]

A nice warm rosy glow as the motel celebrates 12 years. Nolly manages a sneaky look straight into camera right at the end!

[SiHart]

Jill got all feisty this morning and moved back into her own house! You just don't get drama like that anymore.

Loved Doris visiting Shughie's dingy bedsit too. There was no dining alcove to be seen! She was at it with the dustpan and brush as soon as she could lay her hands on it!

[Nyder]

Half a bitter? That'll be 10p please. Well that's what Amy Turtle charged in the motel bar!

[SiHart]

I wish those days would come back again!

[stuartdg]

The aftermath of David Hunter's shooting is well handled,the intro music starts with a cliffhanger sting leading into David being undiscovered and covered in betroot juice for half an episode.Cue lots of flashbacks and close ups on Rosemary before she is confronted,top stuff!

[SiHart]

Oh no, Rosemary is back, and she's as mad as ever! Purring her lines like she's playing Vivean Fay in Stones of Blood. She doesn't know her son is an international terrorist and David keeps having to tell people not to mention the terrorism. It's all played absolutely straight... it could have been a farce!
I'm looking forward to the inevitable Meg/ Rosemary chat...

Elsewhere, Lloyd Munro's boring daughter is being boring all over the place- a quiet lunch with her dad and now she's having coffee or is it alcoholic drinks with Ted Hope. They're getting some mileage out of the new set for his shop!

[SiHart]

Rosemary has found out the truth about her missing son. Things are bad. really bad. You can tell because she's refused a drink- literally pushed it back across the desk at David. Poor old David. he's been trying to spare her the news that her son was responsible for the death of international business man and husband of Meg, Hugh Mortimer. Now the cat is out of the bag and things will never be the same again. He's had to resort to giving her a hug. Yes, things are that bad.

Elsewhere at Chimneys, Jill and her her new project the pregnant Val are cooking tea for Adam. Liver and Bacon. But Val can't face the onions, so no onions go in... and to Adam, this is sacrilege! Honestly the way he goes on about it, you'd think it was the end of the world.

And in a truly action packed episode, Shughie is missing and dinners need cooking at the motel. Just as Doris is going to do grilled sole all round, Benny finds him and he's all covered in blood, apparently having foiled a burglary! Can it be true? He's got a bag of swag with him, so maybe it is... couldn't be anything to do with a certain acquaintance of Glenda's who has just been released from prison could it? Could it?

[Nyder]

Wow - sounds a lot more exciting than Crossroads circa 1972! Mind you, it's hard to get excited with Wilf & Miss Tatum around!

[stuartdg]

It doesn't beat the motel fire,which despite many shots of fireworks,really needs the Wings version of the theme,top stuff!

[SiHart]

Nothing beats the motel fire.

[Nyder]

Miss Diane has hit the sherry, and Vera is snogging Rusty Naylor. And there was me complaining nothing ever happened! Oh, and Meg said "orf" twice in 5 minutes.

I love this shot:-


The grey wall, the round window and The Master's TARDIS!

[SiHart]

There was a Meg vs Rosemary stand off this morning. You can guess who had the upper hand in that one can't you?

[Nyder]

All bets are orf!

[Nyder]

Amy has malaria! She did a very understated scene from her hospital bed. Wish all her performances were like that!

Next ep will be difficult to follow as there were 145 episodes lost in between. Damn you ATV!

[Nyder]

Well I turn my back on the motel for 8 months (!!) and look what's happened:-

Diane & Vince have split up
Jill is in hospital about to be induced (what happened to Sheila's baby she was adopting??)
Vera is just back from a 3 month holiday
Old Wilf has married Ethel from EastEnders (insert little Willie jokes here)

and most importantly of all ... there's a new bit of switchboard kit on reception. Loads of yellow & white buttons surrounded by wooden panelling of course. It's like having the TARDIS main control room & auxiliary room side by side :-)

[stuartdg]

So Meg survived the fire,swans off on the QE2 and Jill and Adam get married.Forward to 1986,and my offair UKGold recordings.It's all change,the show has proper opening titles,Nicola Freeman is in charge and the motel staff are on strike!