Soaps

Noting Jeff Hordley (Cain in Emmerdale) has returned in tonight's episode, has he been off doing a play recently?

Also does anyone have any best/worst examples of writing out characters, when the actors concerned go off to do pantos/plays/pregnancies/other, especially if it's out of character for the character ?

eg Sharon Watts always going to America around Xmas, while Lettia Dean does panto.

Pauline Fleming (Penny King) went missing for over 6 months in Corrie (last seen at Dev and Sunita's wedding, didnt reappear until Ken and Deirdre's wedding) - she is out of it again at the moment (she has been doing panto) but I understand she is coming back.

Most famous worst example is Benny Hawkins in Crossroads MK1. Went off to find a spanner in the old Crossroads garage and turned up again 2 years later at the new-look Crossroads Hotel looking for a job off its new owner Nicola ....... (can't remember her surname!!!!!)

I think Tracey Barlow is the most infamous- she vanished for around 3 years back in the 80s.

she was only upstairs playing her tapes!!!

The most famous one that never actually happened... Paul Henry made it up... As he's admitted numerous times since. He did of course go up the ladder to put the Xmas decorations up in December 1987 and was never seen again.

Tracy vanished for around 18 months between late 1983 and Mid 1985, and was played by a different actress after her return.

I remember it quite well, after watching the repeats on UK Gold a few years back. Benny did go looking for a spanner or a screwdriver and did disappear for almost 2 years - if I remember correctly he was on tour with a stage production (no, not crossroads!!!). The story says that he disappeared for between 3 to 5 years. It was actually between 18 and 24 months, but on UKGold it only a matter of about 8 months (during the transition from Crossroads to Crossroads Motel). It was during this period that his landlady (married to Sid Hooper) died.

Well on Wogan and This Morning, he says he made it up, he also says on the Crossroads Appreciation Society website that him and Kathy Staff went off quite often, so it wasn't actually a bit deal.

Then again, all the cast did, Tony Adams, Susan Hanson all had a lot of time out.. It might have had something to do with the 'weekly' contracts

Checking he went off in 1980 for a few months "travelling" came back, went away again after the fire.. to return and find a "new motel" (bring in comedy moment of Benny not knowing if it was Crossroads or not and running out the reception) I don't think he ever took more than a few months out, as there seems to be stories for him in each year, the death of his dad in 1982, mystic powers and such in 1983, (possible 1984 was a dry year for Benny) being promoted to concierge in 1985.

I think Shughie Mcfee just 'vanished' looking for a pork chop, but he was spoken of for six years afterwards he was like Tracey in Corrie "somewhere else" when spoken of.

Jane Smith the receptionist went in the store room and never came out, that one is true too.

Can't tell I work for the appreciation society now can we.

Okay so why did he do that then? Or was it more acceptable than going up a ladder never to be seen again?

I know he went out quite often for stage work - never denied that - but there was a very long period of about 18 months to 2 years when he wasn't in it - I remember it first time round and when repeated on UKGold.

Anyway enough of that - I still think that CRossroads can make a comeback (my little soapbox, again!!!) possibly as Kings Oak with the village as the central part of the soap whilst having storylines based in the hotel (like the way it was going before MK1 was axed - i do undertsnad that before it was axed they were thinking of changing its name to just Kings Oak).

It would be good on either five or even put it with Neighbours and make a soap double (move neighbours to BBC2) between 1805 and 1900 (e.g. Neighbours at 1805 and then Kings Oak at 1830 - the natural timeslot for the show)

He ain't said why he made it up, I think he was just having a laugh... oops.. maybe they wrote it in after he made it up!

Anyway I'll have to check through the videotapes, I think it seems 1984 is possibly the year Benny went for a spanner then!

I do think on paper we can possibly laugh at Crossroads cast just "going" off but actually the way the soap operated was that it was very much like a "spotlight" and it would work its way round the 'characters' of the village so it was always a mix of stories.

And I have to agree it shouldn't have been axed - when it had far better ratings than Emmerdale Farm - it was far from a failure. And I agree that Kings Oak would have been the best way forward, for the reason the Crossroads brand had that slightly damaged image because television critics in the 1960s didn't quite get "soap opera" and the 'Neighbours' format Crossroads took.