Noele Gordon (December 25, 1919 - April 14, 1985) was a British film and television actress. She was born in East Ham in London. December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... East Ham is a place in the London Borough of Newham. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ...

She was credited as the first woman to be seen on colour television sets, as she took part in the BBC's early tests in colour broadcasting in the 1940s. Noele appeared in two movies in the 1940s, produced in Britain and then distributed to the United States (29 Acacia Avenue and Lisbon Story). Her acting career came to a halt in 1955 when she joined Associated TeleVision where she presented their first-ever programme, The Weekend Show. She also worked behind the scenes as Head of Lifestyle programmes. She then studied the television medium in America and upon her return helped Reg Watson and Ned Sherrin launch a new station, ATV Midlands in 1956. This was a spin-off station from the already established ATV London. As well as being a producer, Noele also turned her hand to presenting again for the new Birmingham based service. Tea With Noele Gordon was one of the first ITV chat shows. She then moved on to present a daily live entertainment show, Lunchbox a programme which pioneered daytime broadcasts. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... Lisbon Story (Viagem a Lisboa, Lisbonne Story) is a Wim Wenders 1994 film. ... The ATV colour logo, used from the start of the colour standard in 1969 until the companys demise in 1981. ... Reg Watson is an Australian television producer, best known for creating soap operas like Prisoner and Neighbours. ... Ned Sherrin (born 18 February 1931 in Somerset, England) is a broadcaster, author and stage director. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the summer of 1964 Lunchbox came to an end after over 2000 episodes. It was axed to make way for a new daily serial, Noele would move onto the new programme where she took the role of motel manageress Meg Richardson on the soap opera Crossroads. She stayed with the programme until the producers sensationally sacked her in 1981, when ATV was re-constituteed into a new comapny, Central Independent Television. The new company did not want to "inherit" Crossroads; Andy Allen, programme controller for Central TV, hated Crossroads with a passion, and hoped that by sacking Noele Gordon, the show would end. It didn't. It was re-invented several times, until Allen finally blew the whistle on it in September 1987. 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... Crossroads was a British television soap opera set in a motel near Birmingham. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ATV can refer to: All-terrain vehicle, the a personal recreational vehicle normally consisting of a motorcycle-like engine, four balloon tires and a fiberglass body; a four-wheeler. ... Central Independent Television, commonly referred to as Central, is the British Independent Television company that succeeded ATV on 1 January 1982. ... A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular) is another word for road junction, where two or more roads meet (there are three or more arms). ... A crossroads (the word rarely appears in singular) is another word for road junction, where two or more roads meet (there are three or more arms). ...

During the 1970s, she won the TV Times award for most popular television actress on no fewer than eight separate occasions, such was her popularity in the show. In 1980 she was voted best dressed female by the TV Times, and also won numerous newspaper awards, including most popular person on TV, as voted by The Sun readers. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The TV Times is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Look up sun in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

"Crossroads" was derided by critics for what one referred to as "storylines that are as badly cobbled together as the plywood sets" but it was greatly loved by the British public and regularly got 17 million viewers, the sort of ratings figure that ITV would kill for today in that early evening slot. Noele - Nolly to her friends - was by far the most popular aspect of the programme. She was the epitome of the British soap 'matriarch'; despite everything that happened to her - and what DIDN'T happen to her!! She went through more things than most people do in a life time! - she still managed to cope, care for her family and successfully run her business, which endeared her to the viewing public, particularly the female audience.

Noele was the only member of the "Crossroads" cast who had a permanant contract; all other cast members were booked as and when on an 'ad hoc' basis. Noele, however, had been a staff member on the board of ATV since her days of "Lunch Box". When she was told, in the summer of 1981, that her contract was not to be renewed, she was very, very unhappy. There are varying reasons for the termination of her contract; her forthright manner had never endeared her to her fellow board members. However, it is now widely believed that her removal was due to the fact that ATV was about to be reconstituted into the new Central Independent Television, who did not want to inherit "Crossroads". (Central were to ruthlessly cull many of ATV's programmes when they took over, and many viewer's favourites disappeared overnight). Central believed that by removing the lynchpin of the show, it would come to a natural conclusion. This was not to be so - though undeniably the programme was never the same after Noele's departure - and "Crossroads" carried on for another 7 years until Andy Allen took the decision to end the show simply because he hated it. Noele was scheduled to make a return in 1985, discussing the sale of her shares in the Crossroads Motel to daughter Jill. At short notice she fell ill, and the script had to be re-written to incorporate her son-in-law, Stan Harvey. She had already made a successful return for the honeymoon episodes of Jill and Adam, filmed in Venice (very rare for "Crossroads" - the budget was so tiny they could rarely afford to film on location in Birmingham!) As one person who simply referred to herself as "Midlands Housewife" wrote to the TV listings magazine, "TV Times", "...It was wonderful to see Meg back, why can't she return full time?"

After her sacking, she appeared in a revival of Irving Berlin's musical Call Me Madam at the Victoria Palace Theatre. Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989), born Israel Isidore Beilin (as per [1]), in Tyumen, Russia (or possibly Mogilev, now Belarus), was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... Call Me Madam is one of Irving Berlins last musical comedies. ... The Victoria Palace Theatre during the 2002 season, showing Cole Porters 1948 musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate Victoria Palace Theatre in 2005, showing Billy Elliott The Victoria Palace Theatre is a theatre in Victoria Street, London, England. ...

In an interview she gave the TV Times in 1981 she announced she may, once her stage work had come to an end, take up the offer of returning to presenting. The broadcaster TV-am was said to be interested in bringing Noele on board to present some of their breakfast programmes. However she fell ill, and this venture wasn't to be. The TV Times is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom. ... TV-am was a breakfast television station that broadcast in the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1992. ...

She retired to her home in Birmingham, where she died in 1985 of cancer. See also Birmingham, USA, and other places called Birmingham. ... This article is about the year. ...

Tony Adams who played Adam Chance in the series commented in 1985 just after her death that "There has never been a star of Crossroads, although Nolly was Crossroads." And the majority of the millions of fans of the soap agreed. It never reached the hights again that it had with Noele at the helm. Tony Adams (born December 11, 1940) is a Welsh actor, best known for his performances in two British television soap operas. ...

NOELE GORDON'S COMMENT AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE HER SACKING:

As my agent was told...all good things come to an end.

External links

• Noele Gordon at the Internet Movie Database
• Noele Gordon The Noele Gordon Website
• Noele Gordon Interview with Noele Gordon