Nearly four decades after the death of Noele Gordon, the soap star’s “pioneering achievements” are all but forgotten, said Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail. But Nolly, which was written by Russell T. Davies (and which can be seen on ITVX), “aims to bring her back to the fore – and castigate the chauvinistic male TV establishment that cancelled her for the crime of being female and forceful”.
Gordon is played by Helena Bonham Carter sporting “a mink coat that reeks of gin and ciggies, and an auburn hairdo that could scrub pans”. The drama focuses on 1981, when she was sacked from Crossroads, then one of the most popular British programmes ever made, after 17 years in the role. Davies clearly has a huge affection for the TV of that era, and Bonham Carter is fabulous as “the imperious soap queen”.
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