Albion Market
The Practice
Families (although it is still one of my favourite soaps to this day!)
Spring Hill (Sky One)
Castles (BBC)
Revelations
and...
Night and Day (although it had quite a few different production end-caps but all being Granada owned!!!!)
The only true Granada soap to last the distance is Coronation Street.
Crossroads Mk5 the "gay" version and totally disliked by ALL sections of the community.
WRONG!
People who disliked the remake simply didn't understand it for what it was. That and the fact that when Stu was supposedly a proper Midlander - he never watch it.
It was camp, riduculous, totally OTT and to that end made it amazing.
Come on, the fight in the fountain was hilarious - I know you laughed really.
But to that end, and for your inability to recognise a programme that was different to the norm...
I saw the first episode of the "new Mk3 or mk5" Crossroads and never watched it again - I didn't even see the very last episode. It was just plain awful (and remembering that episode the scene on a train that hasn't been used on reguklar services for at least 20 years was just totally unbelievable and naff on the part of the production crew!).
I still fondly remember the original Crossroads and still do like the Mk2/Mk4 version which finished with so many cliffhangers that have not yet been resolved (only a couple were resolved in the last awful version). Such as shame that ITV wanted to kill the show off for good (and they did a damn good job at that). Roll on Kings Oak - whenever it will come to TV - the Crossroads name cannot be ever used again!
The only true Granada soap to last the distance is Coronation Street.
Well thats the point really, they have format that works with that, and we know the Crossroads format worked, so it would have been a perfect combination.
The other soaps, some were just bad ideas, and Night and Day was just on at totally the wrong time of night.
Edit: I should add Crossroads/Kings Oaks audience is in the 6pm-6.30pm slot thats where it did well, and no ITV programme even in the 80s beat the Crossroads ratings in that slot.
Now all they need to is put the ITV News back to 5.30...!
Crossroads Mk5 the "gay" version and totally disliked by ALL sections of the community.
WRONG!
People who disliked the remake simply didn't understand it for what it was. That and the fact that when Stu was supposedly a proper Midlander - he never watch it.
It was camp, riduculous, totally OTT and to that end made it amazing.
Come on, the fight in the fountain was hilarious - I know you laughed really.
But to that end, and for your inability to recognise a programme that was different to the norm...
Had Crossroads not had a re-revamp then it'd still be here!
With the greatest respect to Mr Ison and others, Series 3 was at the end of the day cult n' kitsch - and was only ever to get a minority, albeit loyal, viewership.
Unfortunately for the producer responsible, Yvon "Soapstars" Grace, the brief presented to her was simple: to increase viewers.
Increasing viewership was something no producer in the world was ever going to achieve by taking the show in a "niche" direction.
I think the main failure of Yvon Grace was not in changing the show, but the "revoloutionary" approach she took - as opposed to being "evolutionary" about it, having the changes take place over time.
To give an example, ITV's former teatime hit Home & Away has changed out of all recognition under producer Daniel Bennett but the changes have taken place over about a year. Although I personally think that the show has become very "cheap", dumbed-down and predictable now, in its native Australia the viewing figures have gone through the roof - as there was no "overnight" change. I'm not sure how it's performed on Five.
At the end of the day ITV have dropped the ball twice - once by losing Home & Away in the first place through pretentiously awful treatment of the show, and secondly by mis-handling the return of Crossroads.
I know the second revamp was more popular here on TV Forum - but when push comes to shove, the viewing figures do not lie.
Taking it off air for 4 months didnt help either. It would have been better if ITV recommisioned it and they just carried on with Mk 2 and had no break.
Home and Away's changes in the past year have been for the better IMO
WIth all this talk of Crossroads/Kings Oak (actually started by me in an earlier thread) there does seem to still be a lot of interest in the soap. Why don't they bring it back and continue with Mk2 (but a few real years on). and completely forget about the Mk3 version.
It doesn't have to be filmed in Nottingham as any countryside scene will do and with regards to the Hotel I'm sure ITV could easily partner themselves with a real hotel for on-location filming (outside scenes) whilst inside scene can be done at any studio (whether it be ITV or independent). It would be better, though, if an indepedent production company did the job, rather than ITV. My ideal setting for the new Kings Oak could be Belmont village near Bolton, whilst the outside hotel scenes could be the Last Drop Hotel and Village complex - would give the soap scope for more than just the hotel!
to see what Belmont looks like go to google earth and type in "Belmont, Blackburn" (although it is now in Blackburn it is very strongly associated with Bolton for centuries - 1974 changed that though!!!)
I saw the first episode of the "new Mk3 or mk5" Crossroads and never watched it again - I didn't even see the very last episode. It was just plain awful (and remembering that episode the scene on a train that hasn't been used on reguklar services for at least 20 years was just totally unbelievable and naff on the part of the production crew!).
Well if you had bothered to stick with it you'd have been highly entertained. And if it was quality you were after, then the flash back episodes of the penultimate week were proof that the new show, whilst campy and frivolous, was certainly not cheap and nasty.
More importantly, I am unimpressed by James Martin's coherent argument a few posts up the way. I want him spouting drivvel.
WIth all this talk of Crossroads/Kings Oak (actually started by me in an earlier thread) there does seem to still be a lot of interest in the soap.
I know from the Crossroads forum and sites the one that still gets the most interest, visits and hits is the original run. Hence also the DVD now getting a third volume.
If Carlton had managed to bring it back without all the mistakes, it might have worked. But as I say they seemed to be lost in this idea that it ended in 1976 and was a no star motel (it had 4 stars in mk1) and just spoofed it up in their press statements and such - which just put off the original fans.
I know the fan club have been trying to get a film for DVD released with the co-operation of Screen West Midlands, but that at the end of the day is down to Granada. Maybe if the "TV movie" did well, they'd see how even nearly 20 years on the soap has a bigger fanbase than Brookside. It certainly has more websites online than many other soaps. So Crossroads/Kings Oak I think mainly because the press didn't like it was sort of looked after and protected by its fans, and that affection for the show still goes on.
As for "Kings Oak" Carlton were knocked for not using Tanworth-In-Arden (the Kings Oak location since 1970) as people remember how the place looked (and Tanworth hasn't changed, so I doubt Kings Oak would.)
and...
Night and Day (although it had quite a few different production end-caps but all being Granada owned!!!!)
How do you mean? Every episode I saw had an LWT endcap.
A few had 'a Granada Production for LWT' but this was at the very early stage of Granada trying to get their brand on everything produced by one of the Granada owned companies.
I saw the first episode of the "new Mk3 or mk5" Crossroads and never watched it again - I didn't even see the very last episode. It was just plain awful (and remembering that episode the scene on a train that hasn't been used on reguklar services for at least 20 years was just totally unbelievable and naff on the part of the production crew!).
MK2/4 wasn't 'proper' Crossroads to me, but as a new hotel-based soap I did enjoy it. I remember telling mates to watch the 2003 episodes to try and get a few more people into it. I wasn't quite prepared for the show that returned.
The number of text messages I got after it aired saying rather rude comments about the show seemed to imply most people don't like it.
I think, had MK3/5 been aired later at night, and called something else it would have no doubt gone down well, and maybe have been as popular as Hotel Babalon. I met with Cindy Marshall-Day earlier this year, and she hated mk3 - but loved mk2. (Apparently all the mk2 cast disliked it too.)
Crossroads Mk1 did have wobbly sets but only in its early years from the fire onwards (or even just before) the sets virtually didn't wobble - in fact I fear that Coronation Street sets wobbled more than Crossroads during the same period after the fire!!!!
BTW I feel that I must revamp what I said as I believe....
Crossroads Mk1 was up to Nicola Freeman taking over the Hotel
Crossroads Mk2 didn't last long and lasted up to Bomber Lancaster taking over the hotel.
Crossroads Mk3 was the shortest period and lasted until it finshed for the first time.
Crossroads Mk4 was when it returned after its 13 year hiatus
Crossroads Mk5 the "gay" version and totally disliked by ALL sections of the community.
Therefore I should have said ..."Bring back Crossroads Mk4"
Night and Day - I Totally agree that it did actually work better as a stand alone 60 minute weekly drama and it should have had a slot straight after the news (best would have been Tuesday's at 11pm) and not anytime during night-time!!!
London Bridge - which was shown on Granada for a short while should have continued as a Networked daytime soap. That was quite a decent soap and such a shame it was taken off Granada - because Granada wanted to show it's Sky One soap Springhill and then its religious-based soap (Revelations) - both of which failed long before London Bridge finished.
In fact ITV could have had a real decent soap hour during its daytime schedules.....
Monday and Tuesday 1700 Crossroads; 1730 London Bridge
Wednesday 1700 High Road
Thursday and Friday 1700 Crossroads; 1730 London Bridge
whilst NIght and Day (as said earlier) shown on Tuesday's at 11pm
But wasn't it all a dream? Wasn't "Angel" (Jane Asher) just a check-out girl at a supermarket?
It wouldn't be filmed in Nottingham, since the Crossroads of 2001 was filmed at Lenton Lane Studios... which are now defunct (part of Nottingham Uni now)
