Noele Gordon 25 Years On
On April 14th 1985 at 9.24am TV-am aired a newsflash announcing the death of Noele Gordon. The one-time West End actress had since the 1930s been a key player in British television.
On April 14th 1985 at 9.24am TV-am aired a newsflash announcing the death of Noele Gordon. The one-time West End actress had since the 1930s been a key player in British television.
Noele – or Nolly to her friends – was the first woman in the world to be broadcast in colour to a television set. She starred in many early BBC TV and Radio plays – all aired live – and was a founding member of commercial television in Britain.
Noele helped launch ITV in 1955, with ATV London and later ATV Midlands. With independent television she again gained many more ‘firsts’.She was one of the first women to be hired in a management role in broadcasting, she was the first woman to present a sports programme, the first female to interview a prime minister on one of ITV’s first chat shows and she also pioneered daytime television with her magazine series Lunch Box.
Her popularity was sealed in 1959 when 27,000 viewers turned up to see her at a live outside broadcast – ATV had only expected 3,000! In 1964 she starred as herself in serial Emergency Ward 10, however Noele found international fame when she went from presenter back to actress for ATV Network’s flagship soap, Crossroads – the first full-length daily serial in the UK.
For almost 20 years she was the leading actress in the Midland motel saga. In that time she won more soap awards than any other actress – a record that is still unbeaten. She also won many other awards from that role – most popular person on TV to name only one more.
She was the first person to be inducted into the TV Times Hall of Fame. Such was her popularity with viewers she was also banned from being nominated for TV Times awards in 1978.
At 9.24am, exactly 25 years on from that TV-am newsflash, ATV Network salutes Noele Gordon and her television legacy.Over 20 volumes, and two box sets, of Crossroads have been released on DVD. But fans want more. A petition has been created. You can sign it here.
