The Noele Gordon Website

Noele Gordon was born, Joan Noel Gordon, in East Ham, East London, on December 25th 1919.

From those humble beginnings she worked her way up to become one of Britain's most well known personalities. From the 1930s to the 1980s Noele starred in hit theatre productions, radio plays, live television dramas and Britain's first half-hour daily 'soap opera'.

She also worked as a presenter on both television and radio and released several records.

Noele also has many firsts to her credit thanks to being part of Associated Television during its formative years in which she became the UK's first female senior executive.

At her peak, in the 1970s, she was the most popular woman on television. Winning awards such as ITV Personality of the Year, most compelling character and Best Actress between the years 1968 and 1981. In 1978 the TV Times banned her from being nominated in their awards, however she became the first to be inducted in their TV Times Hall of Fame. Other awards were bestowed on Noele from publications ranging from The Sun to The Daily Telegraph.

She became the nation's first soap queen and was adored by up to 18 million viewers in the UK for her serial role as Meg Richardson in Crossroads, a role that also made her an international superstar. While in recent years other serials have seen endless clips shows and even repeats, Noele's era hasn't had much in the way of television revisiting and therefore other sagas and characters have become 'more popular' in retrospectives. However what people vote for now is irrelevant, what the viewers thought at the time is what matters and at the time they placed Noele first year after year.

Noele Gordon died on April 14th 1985, however her legacy lives on with her era of Crossroads continuing to prove popular with numerous NetworkDVD releases.

Last summer the Noele Gordon Estate, Crossroads Appreciation Society and ATV Network united to assist North One Television with a new project for ITV1.

As part of a new series of 'The Unforgettables' Crossroads' original leading lady Noele Gordon was to be one of the celebrities covered in the latest production. At the fan club we had already begun a 'DVD documentary' which went on hold in order to to make way for a much more prestigious venture, a half hour on the main ITV network.

With North One we helped track down Nolly's 1980s chauffeur, friend and fellow actress Jean Bayless as well as suggest fellow Crossroads actors such as Susan Hanson, Jane Rossington and Tony Adams. We also suggested, and helped dig around to find, rare footage which had rarely been seen - if ever broadcast. CAS also assisted in locating photographs long lost by Central in the 1990s.

Now the show will finally air, looking back at the ground breaking West End actress, television presenter - and pioneer - as well as her role for nearly two decades in ATV's motel soap, Crossroads.

Nolly became the most popular female television personality in Britain in the 1970s but behind the success on-screen Noele failed to find a true love and lived for many years with her mother, Joan. The Unforgettable looks at these facets of her life, but mainly celebrates a woman who from humble east end London beginnings became an international star as Crossroads was screened in various countries around the world including France, Canada, China and Australia.

Noele Gordon Estate executive, and friend of Noele, Peter Kingsman

takes part in the programme.

Noele Gordon Estate executive, and friend of Noele, Peter Kingsman

takes part in the programme.

Last summer the Noele Gordon Estate, Crossroads Appreciation Society and ATV Network united to assist North One Television with a new project for ITV1.