Nolly (2023) User Reviews

Better than I expected

[wheatley-20230 · 7/10 · 5 August 2023]

I didn't really want to watch this but my wife was keen and Helena Bonham Carter is in it, so I succumbed.

I remember Crossroads as a dreadfully poor soap that my Grandparents used to watch. Cardboard sets and cardboard acting. It was popular of course, but that's no recommendation. Knowing nothing else of Noele Gordon I had little interest in a series about her. The advertised shocking truth about her firing did however raise some interest.

So I learned that Noele Gordon had more to her than Crossroads. Good for her. I also learned the far from shocking truth about her firing.

What makes this series more enjoyable than it might have been is the performance of Helena Bonham Carter. She is as good as you'd expect from such a distinguished actress.

Well worth seeing.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 4 February 2024]

Noele Gordon, Nolly was famed for appearing in Crossroads, the soap opera set in a Motel, she and The Nation were stunned to learn that her character Meg was to be killed off.

Russell T Davies does it once again, I went in to this knowing virtually nothing about Noele Gordon, someone that would have switched Crossroads straight off, after this, I felt like I knew her a little better.

It's entertaining, it's moving, it's very funny, what an obscure story to tell, but it works. I wish they'd gone into her early years perhaps a little more, although I totally get why they focused on The Crossroads era.

After episode one, I was left in no doubts as to where Acorn Antiques came from, wonky sets, improvisation, demanding leading lady, I could just see Mrs Overall.

Helena Bonham Carter absolutely nails it, she's fabulous throughout, August's Prew is great as Tony, and a special mention for Mark Gatiss, who creates Larry Grayson incredibly well.

Charming and funny.

8/10.

Nolly

[studioAT · 7/10 · 16 February 2023]

Well, if ITVx (you might have heard of it from the endless promo) is going to be the home of nice dramas like this then it might be worth its weight.

This programme was well made, well written and well performed. I had to check it actually was on ITV for a moment.

Full of nostalgia and insights, this was quality drama, with an excellent central performance given by Helena Bonham Carter as Nolly herself.

It I'm sure touches more of a nerve if you are part of the generations who grew up or watched 'Crossroads', and in particular Nolly's sacking/return, but even if you didn't this remains a lovely piece of tv drama.

Do more of this ITV, it'll serve you well.

Great nostalgia.

[hawdonsyd · 9/10 · 2 February 2023]

I thoroughly enjoyed this great piece of nostalgia. Noele Gordon's story deserved to be told, and Russell T Davies and Helena Bonham Carter were the perfect pairing to tell it.

It has some genuinely poignant moments but there is also a lot of devilishly funny moment to, who knew Nolly could have a mouth like a sailor.

The three episodes flew by, as I got caught up in all of the drama and campery. I'm sure I'll watch it again and probably see little bits and one liners that I missed the first time. Great TV. I loved the Larry Grayson section, Mark Gatiss played him really well, and with great affection. Maybe Larry's story will get the Russell T Davies treatment one day, I hope so. Augustus Prew, who played Tony Adams also did a fine job, comical and touching.

Best actress to play the part

[aharrcd · 10/10 · 2 February 2023]

I am a Brummie and remember Crossroads from my childhood, I could never relate to the other English soaps and I think this is the reason why.

It answers the question of why CrossRoads had to end the way it did and why the other soaps have kept going,

Benny was one of my favourite characters and Miss Diana, but without Meg the show didn't have a leading lady. They is only so much you can do in a motel, which was so out of place in the Birmingham I know.

It was a bit awkward listening to the Brummie's accent during the show, but it is what it is and I think it shows a very positive view of what happens to a very strong women.

Nolly? Really?!

[ozjosh · 7/10 · 5 February 2023]

From Queer As Folk to It's A Sin, Russell T. Davies has a near-perfect record for delivering top class television drama. But Nolly isn't quite up there with his best work, despite being an enjoyable exercise in nostalgia and camp. The problem is partly Nolly herself. Noele Gordon certainly was something of a TV legend in her time and much loved by fans of Crossroads. But is being much-loved by the fans of an extremely creaky bygone soap opera enough justification for all this hoopla? There are any number of other soap divas who lived extraordinary lives and had thousands of devoted fans (Pat Phoenix & Julie Goodyear to name just two), and who would be equally worthy, if not more so, of this kind of dramatic tribute. What supposedly sets Gordon apart is the mystery around why she was fired. Except there isn't that much of a mystery. She was exasperatingly difficult and she wore out her welcome. In Nolly Davies contends that they wouldn't have treated a man the same way. But that just isn't true. There are any number of male soap stars who also became too big for their boots and were given the chop in much the same way. And, let's be honest, it wasn't as if Noele Gordon was a huge talent. Helena Bonham Carter's performance pretty much acknowledges that with the hammy re-creations of Gordon's TV performances, as well as a fairly accurate depiction of her subsequent stage work in Gypsy (Gordon's Madame Rose can be found on Youtube if you want to see just how ordinary she was). And therein lies the real problem with Nolly: you can't maintain that the woman was a hugely talented legend who was unfairly cut off in her prime at the same time as cheekily sending her up. So while Davies skilfully whips up the nostalgia and tugs at our heartstrings, he never quite convinces us that Nolly is either the grand heroine or the tragic victim he's writing her as.

The first queen of soaps

[peterrichboy · 9/10 · 8 February 2023]

We take soap operas for granted these days but back in the 1970s there were very few to choose from and all of them in the days of just three channels were all on ITV. Emmerdale was just a farm, Coronation Street was on twice a week, and then you had crossroads the first five nights a week soap opera.

In years to come crossroads would become a byword for badly made television, wooden acting terrible scripts and shaky scenery. The star of the show was Noel Gordon who was already something of a star in her own right. But it was Crossroads who put her into the nation's living rooms five nights a week and in the days of three channels over 15 million people with tune into this rubbish because really there was nothing else on!

This is a wonderful nostalgic return to the 1970s and a reminder of how bad TV was in those days.

Helen Bonham Carter is terrific as the matriarch character Meg Richardson, But there was far more to this woman than just crossroads. Russell T Davies script and high production values make this a must watch for those like me who remember this period in television history. 9 out of 10.

Looks Wonderful

[nelvis-754-542655 · 7/10 · 2 March 2023]

Terrific performances and wonderful settings but parts of the script left a lot to be desired. The searching for why she was sacked is ridiculous, it's because she had a massive ego but little talent. This is clearly portrayed so to suggest it was because men were afraid of her is nonsense.

There is much to like about the show, particularly the performances of Helena Bonham Carter and Mark Gattis, although the rest of the ensemble were excellent as well. It was very well shot and the Manchester Opera House made a lovely substitute for whatever theatre they ere supposed to be in. It's definitely worth watching but don't believe everything you see or.

Brilliant show about a spectacular life from beginning to end:)

[mahamedabdillahi · 10/10 · 4 February 2023]

I absolutely adored this show especially given how accurate it was to the life of the "Queen of Midlands" growing up I was a crossroads fan and this show really highlights exactly what I loved about the show it was a story about perseverance and the sheer desire to entertain on a weekly basis even if they didn't have the budget.

Helena Bonham Carter does a fantastic job a portraying Noelle Gordon a suave and proud matriarch of British television, her character development throughout the show was brilliant and thought provoking her desire to figure out why she was fired and exactly how much her character played into it was a fascinating through-line throughout the show.

What can I say about RTD's writing that hasn't already been said the man's a king of drama the way he was seamlessly able to transition from serious drama to comedy is a talent to behold and watch in awe, and Peter Hoar's direction was a masterpiece especially with episode 3 which was just brilliant all round, very emotional and creative highlighting exactly why Nolly was such a powerful person during her rent.

Crossroads the w@ke version

[kristhebass · 8/10 · 10 July 2023]

I can remember Crossroads being compulsive watching in the sixties and the seventies, the bad acting, the wobbly sets, the corny story lines, the hole nine yards. Couldn't wait for the next episode. Love Benny, Amy Turtle, and Great Escape star Shughie McFee. I had a crush on Susan Hanson, best pair of legs on the show.

Helena Bonham Carter does a fine job as Nolly, Augustus Prew is wonderful as Tony Adams, even looks like him. I remember the sacking and still wish I knew why, maybe she was getting a bit too big for her boots, the fans didn't care about that.

The only thing that lets it down is the miscasting and totally imaginary character of Poppy. To insert a scene where this non existent person never appeared makes you wonder how truthful the rest of it is,

Delicious viewing!

[freebyrdkare · 10/10 · 5 February 2023]

Well done to all the actors who starred in this 3 part series, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!. I would have thought this was a very difficult script to get right, without overdoing it, but it was written and acted masterfully. It totally captured the essence of the Crossroads I remember viewing all those years ago. Camp, over the top, soap on a budget, it was amazing that it ran for as long as it did. I was very surprised to learn that it had had 14 million viewers in its heyday!.

Thank you for this absolute gem. I'll be watching it again and again to drink in all its deliciousness.

I was never a Crossroads fan but

[michaelchesterfield-85928 · 10/10 · 5 February 2023]

This series has totally changed my opinion of Noel Gordon and the cast. I think that this series, brilliantly acted and produced, is a great tribute to the show that was adored by millions. I didn't know Noel Gordon's story but I now realise what her career meant to her and I can relate to that. Well done to all involved in this tremendous series.

Though never a fan of Crossroads I was, in my earlier years on getting home from work, subjected to the programme endings and this series faithfully reproduces the sets and the run to the commercial breaks.

Special mention to the hairdressers. I knew the characters being portrayed simply by the hairstyles.

Helena Bonham Carter should be nominated for a BAFTA TV

[robfollower · 9/10 · 25 March 2024]

I think this new series has some great melodramatic and entertaining period piece potential . And the "Icing on the Cake" is the very interesting actress Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, The King's Speech), will be playing the role ! Based on the true story of Noele Gordon, one of British TV's most famous faces in the 60s and 70s. I will be tuning in for sure on this one !!

It would be nice to see Helena Bonham Carter nominated for a BAFTA TV . Masterpiece have won numerous Emmy awards. OK fellas I am calling it right now Helen Bonham-Carter is certainly going to get a nomination for best actress !!! Yes she is that good in her portrayal of Noele Gordon (Nolly) (played here by Helena Bonham-Carter !

I am on the third episode and I am hooked . The writing is first class . The ensemble of cast members are traffic, the period 1980's wardrobe and set design is spot on and the lead character Carter as Nolly is the icing on the cake. She's amazing.

The series starts some two decades before Crossroads hit the nation's screens, when, in 1938, a young Gordon became the first woman in the world to appear on color television. Cut to 37 years later, and Gordon - better known as Nolly - is one of the most famous women in the UK thanks to her long-standing role as motel owner Meg Mortimer on the Birmingham-based soap.

The series follows Nolly's dramatic and unceremonious sacking from Crossroads, a national scandal at the time and one that remains a mystery to this day. 9/10.

Simple Story told Well

[tommylib · 9/10 · 2 April 2024]

The story here is everything. Noele Gordon is fired from her long-running daily soap opera and must confront the reality of the situation.

We see Nolly as both domineering on the set but also caring deeply for her co-workers and appreciating her fans. She's not a hero or a villain and even the executives who fired her turn out to be sympathetic characters.

It's not good versus evil. There are no scenes designed to manipulate our emotions, it's just a simple story. The acting is top-notch from top to bottom, everyone is believable in their roles. The sets, the score, the cinematography, and all the rest are beautifully done.

Even the ending doesn't give us the triumph we want but just completes the story nicely.

This show truly illustrates the concept of telling a compelling story without embellishment. I can understand why an audience expecting a happy ending with the bad guy defeated might find this a bit slow, dull even, but I loved it.

I wish we had more this and less of the blockbuster stuff, but I suspect I'm in the minority.

Motel or Hotel ?

[ianharrison747 · 8/10 · 25 February 2023]

Crossroads oozed cheese and ham. What the heck was a Motel and where did they find those rough accents ?

Characters like Benny, Jim Baines and Amy Turtle were legend. Meg Mortimer played by Nolly was like the headmistress that you hated but kept everything under control. It was always a close thing between Crossroads and Bill and Ben as to who had the most wooden actors. It was with trepidation that one watched the new series and how Russell T Davies would treat such a precarious subject. Would it be a mirror of liquid cheese or glistening goo ?

Amazingly the script displayed humour, sensitivity and integrity. 15 million viewers couldn't all have been wrong ? Helena Bonham Carter nailed it. She captured the vulnerable and perceptive side of Meg, illuminating up the screen as if it were colour tv for the first time in 1938. Slowly drawing one in, by the third episode one was impressed by the complexities of behind the scenes and especially insidious male management. Cast is very good especially Larry Grayson played by the chap from League of Gentlemen, music is sympathetic, sets are spot on. Great script and directed with a great build up from Peter Hoar. A real surprise.

Interesting story

[LLgoatJ · 9/10 · 3 March 2023]

I was 7 when Crossroads was cancelled and barely remember it. I always remember Benny for some reason. So I gave this a go with no idea whom it was about.

It was a very interesting story. She was a really amazing woman. Its hard not to feel sorry for her. The three part grabs you from the beginning and keeps your interest.

I have no idea how accurate it is and what has been changed but it is well worth a watch. If anything it would have benefited from being a few more episodes and expanding on her time at ATV before Crossroads. I read about her briefly after watching and there was a lot more to her than Crossroads.

Helen Bonham Carter is outstanding in it. She really makes you forget you are watching someone acting and not watching the actual person.

Dear Noele Gordon ......Always Remembered

[alisonesler · 10/10 · 29 December 2023]

You were the Greatest Star on ITV. You must NEVER EVER be Forgotten. We still watch you on our Two Special Crossroads DvDs. Sailing off in the QE2 What an Amazing ending . Enjoyed your Book Goodbye Meg Watching those last episodes again, The Queen of Birmingham . This Drama has been well made to reflect your legacy and so nice to see your old Crossroads Pals at the end. We all wept as you returned to film in Venice . Gone but you must never be Forgotten. 18-19 Million Watched you every week. Everybody loved you Remember you on Stars ON Sunday Singing R. I. P Nolly. Lol Technology must have 600.

Highly Entertaining

[mail-4827 · 10/10 · 1 March 2023]

Extremely enjoyable! As with most of the current wave of biopics 'Nolly' is a clichéd, caricatured dramedy with tongue-in-cheek pathos and the usual added fiction. It's a genre I normally avoid, but whilst idly previewing the first episode in the hope that it might be worth a shot I ended up binge-watching. I found it immensely engaging and was also drawn in by the 70's/80's retro-setting. Helena Bonham Carter was, for me, a good choice for 'Nolly' and went into character convincingly. She's well suited to dark comedic roles and gave a highly entertaining performance in 'Toast' - do watch it.

Clearly this production was quietly sending up the fickle side of the wonderful world of entertainment. You might wonder why a piece of faded forty-year-old TV history was dug up and dramatised. My guess is that scriptwriters in their never ending quest to find new storylines unearthed Ms Gordon's much publicized departure from Crossroads and parleyed it up into a three episode biopic - but very successfully. I'm not sure of the relevance of this drama with today's populous. The number of devout Nolly aficionados with living memory of the 1981 debacle will be considerably less today. Whilst people who didn't watch Crossroads, but were aware of Meg being written out of the soap were probably quick to consign it as yesterday's news. And as one columnist recently opined, 'surely, a lot of people will be asking - who is Noel Gordon'. To cover all viewer bases, it would have been better to present 'Nolly' as 'A new drama from ITV based on a true story'

My only recollection of Noel Gordon is from occasionally watching thrice-weekly day-time show 'Lunchbox', which she hosted. It ran from 1957 to 1963. My interest in the show was long-departed Jerry Allen and his jazzy playing on the Hammond organ. I was aware that Ms Gordon had later joined the cast of a daytime soap but events after that were completely off my radar.

Television companies, whilst having a viewer-friendly façade are driven by hard-nosed commercialism and zero sentiment. Careers in the entertainment world can be very volatile and often controlled by they in suits. For example, Benny Hill, despite decades of global popularity, was dropped by Thames Television because they considered he'd passed his sell-by date - business is business. Allegedly the decision to sack Ms Gordon was a tactical ploy to reduce the popularity of Crossroads and subsequently dispense with it in favour of more expensive and opulent dramas.

But all that aside, even if 'Nolly' were to have been a wholly fictitious storyline it would still be a ripping good drama. For that reason I've given a ten star rating.

Powerful show highlighting how bias and shame can ruin live!

[mahamedabdillahi-50938 · 10/10 · 26 April 2023]

Loved how head-strong and confident Nolly was she was a force to be reckoned with; however she was also very arrogant and unfortunately angered the men in power; the conclusion to this epic drama is very melancholic and tragic yet warm and tender, loved the show.

Similarly Helena Bonham Carter was very riveting in the role really highlighted the strengths and charisma of a woman like Nolly who stood proudly and confidently amongst the men and women of her time and industry.

Furthermore; the comedy in this how is rather gripping i didn't expect it to be as funny as it was tons of laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout the drama to balance out the tension and stakes.

Seems pretty pointless

[dhriordan-35105 · 3/10 · 12 February 2023]

Crossroads was a bit of an institution in its day but this comes across as a story of a 'celeb' who thinks she's untouchable until she realises she isn't. If this is meant to present the 'real' Noele Gordon, then it does her no favours whatsoever. An egotistical, self-centred narcissist who seems to believe that the entire entertainment world revolves around her. All we're left with is a petulant diva with an over-inflated sense of her own importance. If this is meant to be an accurate portrayal of events as they happened, how on earth did anyone think that this was a story worth telling? Surely there are more interesting stories worth telling?

Absolutely amazing!

[fantasticbeasts-26920 · 10/10 · 29 April 2024]

I'm the type of person who can't sit still and watch a show but nolly is the one exception. I had no idea who Noelle Gordon was but once I saw that Helena Bonham Carter was playing her I watched it and I'm so glad I did the cast is perfect the sets and shots make it feel so real and having Con O'Neill Play Jack Barton is phenomenal. I can't wait to see more of these beautiful actors and actresses not to mention an amazing director who made this whole story even better giving everyone involved more fame which is definitely deserved. I could go on and on about this show so what I'm saying is please do a favor to yourself and watch it!

Thin story line beautifully acted

[Laight · 8/10 · 10 April 2024]

Perhaps this series makes more sense to those in the UK who have heard of Crossroads, the long-running television soap opera that starred the main character of this show, Noele Gordon. Otherwise there really isn't much here, just a few hours of soap opera intrigue and a glimpse at a woman who was very well known in the UK many years ago.

What makes this actually work well is Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Noele (or Nolly). Carter has been miscast so often in her career that she has occasionally ended up the worst performer in some of her shows. But in this role her acting chops are real, evident, and powerful: she pretty much turns the series into something extremely watchable as she is able to give her character powerful grace, depth, and sympathy. Watching Carter here is almost like a lesson in acting: the gestures, the slight grimaces, the slow smiles; everything she does here is nothing short of perfection.

For Carter alone, this show is eminently worth watching, even if like most Americans, Noele Gordon is a non-entity.

Fact or fiction?

[mmillington554 · 5/10 · 16 April 2023]

A rather fanciful view of a soap star from one the worst soaps ever made. Those of us old enough to remember will surely be reminded of the dreadful sets, shaky scenery, appallingly bad acting and timing, ridiculous plots, stereotypical characters (remember Carlos the hot headed Spanish chef), and the overwhelming presence of Meg Richardson providing a moral compass (in her view) or (as many of the rest of us thought) sanctimonious nonsense. It was no accident that the series was screened around tea-time (I seem to remember), as a significant number of its audience were children, so parents could keep the children quiet over tea. It did have a child like quality, or perhaps I really mean infantile. The series was pretty much universally hated by television critics. Gordon herself came across as a prima donna in the media of the day, and the "relationship" with Larry Grayson amused many people in its incongruity. Gordon did have admirers as well as distractors, but her fame quickly faded after her death.

Is Noelle Gordon Relevant today?

[knoll-75222 · 1/10 · 21 February 2023]

Is Noelle Gordon relevant for a TV series in 2023? Unlikely.

Crossroads ruined the careers of most of the cast of the series throughout the decades, very few of the cast went on to develop their career in acting, not because the series was so bad, but simply because TV Producers, Directors and Casting Agents assumed those actors couldn't do anything else, and were too well known for the Soap!

I don't know much about the making of Crossroads, but I suspect the production was gruelling, a never ending run of rehearsal and record, 6 days a week, by which time Benny, Miss Diane et al were exhausted.

At least Ms Gordon was able to get some rest!

We could only stand the first few minutes

[YabbaDabbaDabba · 1/10 · 19 March 2024]

I was shocked that Nolly had a '7' rating. Maybe you have to be a Brit to appreciate it, but for this South Georgia guy who likes British shows on Masterpiece (and who incidentally is highly educated) it was awful. In all honesty, neither my wife nor I can actually stand the star, Helena Bonham Carter. I'm not sure why she is so disliked, but we never watch anything with her in it.

As for the first episode, it was extremely overacted. Too much, too soon. There may be some redeeming factors to the show that occur later, but we will never find out. The word "obnoxious" comes to mind when I think of the acting in Nolly.