Crossroads 45th Anniversary Edition   Starring: Noele Gordon, Ronald Allen, Kathy Staff, Sue Hanson and Roger Tonge Network RRP: £99.99 7953133 Certificate: 12 Available 02 November 2009

A television legend, Crossroads was one of ITV's most enduring soap operas and this 41-disc special edition box set is released to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the programme's original transmission. Set in the fictitious Midlands village of Kings Oak, Crossroads was about the lives of the staff and guests at the eponymous motel...

Originally broadcast five nights a week, Crossroads became the UK's first true "soap" opera. Over the years, the show obtained cult status and was infamously parodied by comedienne Victoria Wood in her spoof soap Acorn Antiques. However, this pioneer of British Soaps, retains a warm place in everyone's heart and is also remembered for the celebrities who appeared in the show such as Sue Nicholls, David Jason, Ken Dodd and Larry Grayson.

Starring the doyenne of British Soaps - Noele Gordon as motel manager Meg Richardson, Ronald Allen as David Hunter, Kathy Staff (Last of the Summer Wine) as Doris Luke, Sue Hanson as Miss Diane Parker and Roger Tonge as Meg's son Sandy, this set includes some of the series's most memorable storylines. Remember Meg and Hugh's wedding? (Meg's wedding to Hugh Mortimer in 1975 was the television event of the year, watched by 15 million on television and thousands in Birmingham who turned up for the exterior filming in Birmingham Cathedral, bringing the city centre to a standstill), Sandy's accident? Benny being accused of murder and Amy Turtle being arrested for shoplifting? All of your favourite storylines and characters are here.

This set chronologically contains all the episodes known to exist up to May 1979, with three recently found episodes (including the earliest known to survive) included as a bonus disc. As hundreds of Crossroads episodes no longer exist, not all storylines in the early shows can be followed through to completion, but they are still great to watch.

For review, we only received the first two DVDs of this 41-disc collection, but to be honest that's more than enough to get a flavour of what's on the remainder of the discs. Disc one is packed with the surviving black and white episodes - it was interesting to see Sue Nicholls sporting a rather convincing Birmingham accent. The picture quality isn't fantastic, but it's still watchable. As you go through the episodes the image gradually improves, even if the acting doesn't.

Yes, the acting is as wooden as you remember, the stories are a little silly and the fashion is laughable, but for those who fondly remember this show the opportunity to rewatch every episode that survives between 1965-1979 is too good an opportunity to pass up.

8

Nick Smithson