Yes Crossroads has been host to many famous faces over the years. Here is just a sample of some of the more well known people who have wandered through the Crossroads Motel.
Bob Monkhouse
Starred as himself staying at the motel as a guest in 1966. Bob was one of ATV's biggest stars at that time hosting its flagship game show, The Golden Shot.
He went on to compare the very first programme from Yorkshire TV in 1968, and also hosted numerous other quiz shows in later years - his last being Wipeout for BBC1. Bob liked Crossroads so much he was the host of the Variety Club's celebration of the motel saga in 1980.
Anthony Steel
Anthony was during the 1940s and 50s a "silver screen Icon" of classic movies. He joined Crossroads - his first major TV role - playing con-man Phillip Warner-Blyth. From Crossroads onwards he starred in many other television dramas but decided to retire from the business in 1984.
Diane Keen
Played the motel receptionist Sandra Gould from 1969 to 1973. Diane has since gone onto other television roles including, The Sweeny and Taggart. Drama with Minder, Boon and A Touch Of Frost. She has also been a regular in BBC daytime soap Doctors.
Malcolm McDowell
He played Motel PR Consultant, Crispin Ryder, the son of Meg's second husband Malcolm - who tried to murder the motel owner. It was McDowell's first television role. Since those black and white days at Crossroads in the late 1960s he went onto become a major international movie star. His film credits are numerous and include A Clockwork Orange, If, The Raging Moon and Star Trek.
Don Henderson
No doubt best remembered for his long running role of detective George Bulman across three separate television dramas. He also starred opposite former EastEnders actor Leslie Grantham in BBC series, The Paradise Club, in the early 1990s. Don played the original Ethan Black in Crossroads in 1979 who was a private detective looking for conman Phillip Warner-Blyth.
Ken Dodd
Ken is the most famous export from Knotty Ash in Liverpool, Merseyside. One of the greatest all round entertainers in Britain from the past five decades. A popular singer and comedian - Mr Dodd can even act in serious roles as he proved in 1967 when he arrived at the Crossroads Motel as himself. Other later serious roles include a guest role in BBC1's original series of Doctor Who.
Elaine Paige
In 1968, fresh from drama school, Elaine played waitress Caroline Winthrop from episode 880 onwards. The storyline saw her become one of Sandy's many girlfriends. Elaine became a noted figure in the theatre circle after finding fame in the stage show, Hair. Theatre is where she has spent most of her career, although pop chart fame arrived in the 1980s thanks to a hit-song from the musical Chess being released. She has also appeared in a couple of movies in the 1970s.
Bryan Mosley
He was Alf Roberts, the corner shop owner for over 25 years in Coronation Street. But he also was one of the few actors to appear in both Crossroads and Coronation Street at the same time; he commuted between Birmingham and Manchester. Bryan joined Crossroads in episode 501 as a Spanish hotel owner - just one of several parts he would play in the saga. During his 1960s stint at the motel he starred alongside his future Weatherfield wife - Sue Nicholls. Bryan spoke fondly of his time in Crossroads noting in his memoirs that it saddened him that the programme was often derided and that he remembered it with great affection.
Bob Warman
A man of many regional news programmes. For over 30 years has been a presenter of ATV, and later on, Central News. He also has worked as a breakfast host for Yorkshire Television's Calendar News and also hosted Miss Yorkshire at one point. He became a networked face when he was hired as the new host of classic game show, The Price Is Right for Sky Television. Warman appeared as himself reporting for Central News when the Crossroads Motel staff walked out on strike.
David Jason
David appeared in Crossroads, one of his earliest TV roles, as a gardener and handyman Bernie Kilroy in 1967. From being an unknown actor he went onto star in BBC comedy series' Porridge, Open All Hours and more recently Only Fools And Horses. He starred in comedy drama The Darling Buds Of May and for over a decade played the part of Inspector Jack Frost in Yorkshire Television's crime drama, A Touch Of Frost.
David isn't keen of being reminded of his Crossroads stint, but our next person loved the show...
Kathy Staff
From Mrs Blewit in Open All Hours to Nora Batty in Last Of The Summer Wine - her comic roles are numerous. She's also appeared in other ITV sagas Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Castle Haven. However her longest running serial role was that of cleaner and kitchen assistant Doris Luke. Staff joined the series in 1978 and remained on contract until 1985. She rejoined the show in 2001 for a year. Kathy had also appeared in the soap for a brief stint in 1971 as Mrs Dingwall - as a character who was at the motel to arrange her daughter's wedding reception.
Kathy, although spending longer in Last Of The Summer Wine, always said Crossroads was her most favourite show to work on and she never wanted to leave.
Jimmy Hanley
Appeared in numerous films including The Blue Lamp which later spawned BBC drama, Dixon Of Dock Green. Played artist and old college friend of Meg's Jimmy Gudgeon in Crossroads.
Francessa Gonshaw
Was Paul Ross' daughter Lisa Walters in Crossroads, but became a regular in the cast of BBC sit-com 'Allo 'Allo.
Lynda Baron
Starred in the soap as secretary, Phoebe Tompkins. Phoebe was just one of the many women to have a crush on motel boss David Hunter, however he declined her offer of romance. Baron is possibly most well-known for her role as Nurse Gladys Emanuel in sitcom Open All Hours - starring opposite Ronnie Barker. She has also starred in such other soaps as EastEnders, Coronation Street and Doctors.
Sue Nicholls
Her career started on Crossroads in 1964 and after leaving in late 1969 went on to many other television hits. From shows such as, comedy series, The Rise And Fall Of Reginald Perrin to children's slapstick with Rentaghost and finally in 1979 ITV serial Coronation Street - where she still appears as Audrey Roberts.
Carmen Sylvera
She starred in two Peter Ling and Hazel Adair soaps: Compact and Crossroads. In the BBC soap she played Camilla Hope. In Crossroads she was Mrs Burnley a motel guest who appeared several times. After Crossroads she moved to comedy with a small role in sitcom Dads Army before becoming a regular in the long running BBC1 comedy, 'Allo 'Allo.
Stephen Hancock
Another one of those actors who departed Kings Oak for Weatherfield. He went on to Coronation Street where he played Ernie Bishop, Emily's husband who was shot and killed during an armed robbery at the clothing factory.
Dawn Addams
A one-time major film star who appeared in Crossroads for a week during 1978 as the mother of Vicky Lambert - who was played by another busy film star of the time, Judy Matheson. Her final television role was in the 1981 BBC serial, Triangle.
"Wee Georgie Wood"
Appeared as himself in the series, again a famous face that simply stayed at the motel. Georgie was part of a once famous double act. Between 1917 and 1953 Georgie Wood appeared with his stage mother Dolly Harmer in many variety stage shows and pantomimes.
Larry Grayson
A star name with who first came to television screens on ATV's entertainment series Saturday Variety. Larry proved such a hit with viewers ATV gave him his own series, Shut That Door, which ran for two series before he switched to LWT in 1974 and hosted a number of comedy shows including The Larry Grayson Show and Larry Grayson's Hour of Stars. During his time with the ITV companies he made numerous appearances in Crossroads. Firstly in 1972 he played himself. Grayson, while supposedly doing a theatre show in Birmingham stayed at the Crossroads Motel - and found the whole experience terrible. However he forgave Meg for the Ferret in his chalet and returned for the Christmas Special where he starred as 'Santa' at the motel fancy dress festive party. In 1975 he returned as the wedding chauffeur at Meg and Hugh's wedding.
In 1978 he switched to the BBC where he took over as host of popular The Generation Game from Bruce Forsyth. Grayson stayed with the show for five years. Noele Gordon appeared on "Laz's Gen Game" twice. Larry semi-retired from showbusiness in the mid-1980s, opting to appear on chat shows and the odd special, such as the Royal Variety Performance in 1995 where he made his final appearance.
Jean Furgusson
Jean is most famous for her role of Marina, the elderly tart, in BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine. Furgusson played Marina - forever chasing a married man - between 1985 and 2010. Back in the 1970s she played Caroline Herbert in Crossroads and in 2010 returned to drama with a minor role in Granada TV's Coronation Street.
Jeffrey Holland
A month after making his television debut in BBC police drama Dixon of Dock Green, Holland was signed on a six week contract to appear in as Jeffrey himself says on his website "Eleven episodes of the hugely popular ATV soap Crossroads."
Probably not surprising when you consider he is a Midlander by birth. He joined the cast as Mike Hawkins, a friend of Crossroads' regulars Sheila and Roy Mollison and market fruit stall holder. His site states.
Holland recalls that his storyline saw him acting as a go between for his friends and a runaway boy. Jeffrey recalls "I went to the motel for some coffee and was never seen again."
He has appeared in numerous programmes since, including BBC sitcoms Hi-Di-Hi, Oh Doctor Beeching and You Rang M'Lord?
Jon Finch
Starred as Gareth Leyton in the Midland soap. Went onto many other film and TV roles. From The New Avengers to Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile and ITC's Hammer House Of Horror TV series.
Duncan Goodhew
He was an Olympic gold and bronze medallist at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He appeared as himself in the soap when opening the brand-new motel leisure centre in episode 4,216.
Steven Pinder
Steven first appeared on our TV screens in 1982 in a short drama series called Foxy Lady. His next major role was as Roy Lambert in the revamped Crossroads from 1985 to 1988. In 1990 he joined the cast of Brookside where he remained as Max Farnham until it was axed in 2003.
Judy Matheson
From Z-Cars to The Sweeney and The Professionals to Blake's 7, she was a popular television and movie face. Spent time in Crossroads as Hugh Mortimer's secretary, Vicky Lambert, who also went on to have a romance with Sandy Richardson. Hugh - who moved his secretary into his cottage, much to the charing of wife Meg - also tried to make a pass at Vicky but suffered a heart attack in the process. He begged her not to tell anyone.
Vincent Ball
Ball started his television acting career in the UK on Peter Ling and Hazel Adair's BBC soap Compact before moving over to Crossroads as motel manager Kevin McCarther. Meg met Kevin while on holiday in Spain. He thoguht she was rich, she thought he was rich. And a small romance bloomed. It turned out that he wasn't rich and she wasn't as well off as he thought. Still they became good friends and Meg invited Kevin to oversee her motel. Ball later returned home to Australia and became a regular in Australian dramas and serials including The Young Doctors and A Country Practice.
Clifford Davis
Better known as a radio and television broadcaster has appeared in various television programmes and films. He checked into the motel as himself.
Hilda Braid
Crossroads was her first of many 'soap' roles. Playing Winnie Plumbtree the kitchen hand she is most famously remembered by fans of the serial for causing chaos in the kitchen when she somehow managed to blow up the motel dishwasher and flooded part of the motel in 1977.
She went on to star in Emmerdale, Brookside and almost 18 years after her Brookside stint she returned to soapland in 2002 - as Victoria "nana" Moon - in EastEnders where she won the hearts of the viewers and became one of the BBC serials' most loved actresses of the decade.
Shaw Taylor
Taylor stayed as a guest at Crossroads. Shaw was a mainstay presenter at ITV, fronting groundbreaking crime series Police Five for the network. The series founded by ATV in the sixties. He also fronted many local programmes for ATV in the 1950s and 60s for both ATV London and ATV Midlands. In the 1980s Police Five helped found criminal appeal helpline CrimeStoppers which still runs today, despite the TV versions no longer airing. Shaw also voiced documentaries and narrated clip series for ITV. Taylor recently starred in a spoof radio version of the motel soap in 2007. His catchphrase is "Keep 'em Peeled".
Don McLean
A presenter on BBC Radio Two's Good Morning Sunday programme for many years. He popped into the motel as himself.
Tony Adams
Another well known actor that went on to appear in the motel soap. Tony was more famous when joining Crossroads for his role as Doctor Neville Bywaters in ATV's drama series General Hospital. He is also a cult thanks to starring in BBC Science fiction drama Doctor Who and has more recently starred in The Grimley's, The Upper Hand and BBC daytime soap opera, Doctors.
Dee Hepburn
Joined the Crossroads cast in 1985 to play the motel's Anne-Marie Wade. More famous for the 1981 film, Gregory's Girl.
Joe Loss
Joe was the youngest son of a Russian furniture maker. He created his first band in 1930 and from then onwards The Joe Loss Orchestra, with Joe at the helm, were still performing well into the 1980s. He appeared as himself in the series in the mid-1960s.
Kate Robbins
She reached number 2 in the UK pop charts thanks to Crossroads with the song, More Than In Love which she performed in the series. She went on to become one of the main voice performers in comedy puppet show Spitting Image for Central TV, and later fronted her own ITV sketch show in 1988.
Arthur Pentelow
No doubt the popular actor will be fondly remembered as the character of Mr Wilkes in Emmerdale Farm - however in January 1965 he arrived at the Crossroads Motel as 'The President'. We don't have many details on his time at Crossroads, apart from it being a short-term role.
Sue Lloyd
Sue Lloyd is an actress who appeared in what has become known now as the 'classic era' of television. Featuring in cult ITC classics such as camp detective series Department S, action thrillers The Saint and The Persuaders. And that is just a handful… Lloyd played the divine Barbara Brady who became Mrs Hunter in the motel series when she married the dishy David in 1980. Sue appeared in the midland soap between 1979 and 1985.
Jean Kent
First appeared as Jennifer Lamont in 1982, the snobby wife of garage boss Reg in Crossroads. She had been a major film and television actress for many years before.
Tony Britton
He may be most fondly remembered for his role in the long-running television sit-com, Don't Wait Up, however Tony has a wide range of film and television credits that span many decades - From sitcom Robin's Nest to drama series Holby City. For those who like TV facts, Tony is the father of television presenter, Fern Britton. He played himself in Crossroads, boarding at the motel while in pantomime in Birmingham at Christmas 1964.
Jacqueline Pirie
The actress is famous for her roles in two of ITV's other big serials. She spent two years in Emmerdale as Tina Dingle from 1994, before switching to Weatherfield in 1998 where she hooked up with factory boss Mike Baldwin (played by other Crossroads actor Johnny Briggs). She made her first TV acting appearance in Crossroads, aged only 11.
Ronald Allen
Ronald was a well-known actor long before Crossroads with roles in classic Doctor Who, Dangerman and The Avengers. After nearly 16 years Ronald left Crossroads behind and went onto make more drama in 1989 on BBC crime series Bergerac, and had a recurring role in Channel 4's comedy, The Comic Strip Presents.
Derek Farr
Farr played Timothy Hunter, brother of David, in the 1970s. Timothy was always 'on the take' borrowing money from people, including Meg. He was left distraught in 1972 when a car he should have been driving crashed - leaving Meg's son Sandy unable to walk. The character suffered a stroke in 1978 and wasn't seen again. Derek had been a well respected film actor since the 1930s and continued to act until his death in 1986.
Barry Evans
Starred as Trevor Wood in Crossroads but went onto huge success in comedy series Doctor In The House and a number of movies.
Andrew Ray
The son of 1950s radio celebrity Ted Ray, Andrew played Howard Coates in the ATV motel saga. Ray was in much demand during the 1970s and 80s making many more television and movie appearances, these include parts in Anglia Television's thrillers Tales Of The Unexpected, BBC police drama Dixon Of Dock Green, LWT's period drama Upstairs Downstairs and Central TV's crime drama Inspector Morse.
Fred Feast
Fred went into Coronation Street as barman Fred Gee the hard done by cellar hand. After leaving 'The Street' he went on to spent three years in All Creatures Great And Small.
Arthur Marshall
Appeared as himself at the motel in 1983, was most famous for his role as a captain on BBC daytime game show, Call My Bluff.
Jane Freeman
Another actress that turned to comedy in Last Of The Summer Wine. She played Ivy, the café owner in the series. Jane was the character of Emily Burrell in Crossroads - a friend of farmer Ed Lawton, the uncle of regular Diane Parker.
Billy Wright
Former England football player, and later Head of Sport at ATV appeared as himself at the motel.
Wendy Padbury
She played the 14-year-old Stevie Harris when she was 17 for a year. Wendy later went on to find fame in BBC Sci-fi drama series, Doctor Who.
Godfrey Winn
A one-time well-known author, and journalist, who also presented political programmes for ITV. He appeared in the soap twice. The first time to interview 'Meg Richardson' for an ATV programme!
Terence Rigby
Became the new motel owner Tommy Lancaster in early 1987. Has been seen in many dramas before and since the soap, these include the BBC's Lovejoy, ITV's Midsomer Murders and Thames Television's Van Der Valk.
Johnny Briggs
Clifford Leyton walked into the motel in 1973 and wooed Diane Parker. He left in 1975 and then Johnny took on a role as Mike Baldwin in ITV's Coronation Street - here he stayed for 30 years. Johnny has also appeared in numerous films including On The Buses and 633 Squadron.
Stan Stennett
A jazz musician who also turned his hand to acting and comedy. He played Hilda Ogden's brother in classic Coronation Street and has since continued acting, appearing in Doctors, Heartbeat and Casualty.
Stan first appeared in Crossroads - his first serial - in 1970 playing GI Harry Silver who was on the run from the law. He ended up being sent to prison for 20 years after holding Tish Hope and Bernard Booth hostage with a toy gun. He returned to the show in 1982 playing garage mechanic Sid Hooper for seven years.
Max Wall
Max was born in 1908 and grew up to become of of Britain's best loved music hall artists during the 1920s and 30s. His career spanned almost 70 years and one of his final regular TV appearances was that of Walter Soper, cousin of Arthur Brownlow and friend of Sid Hooper at the Crossroads motel.
Richard Thorp
A household name in the 1950s and 1960s through his role in Emergency Ward Ten where he spent ten years on the ATV London based soap. Richard also had a stint in Crossroads during the 1970s as a love interest of regular hairdresser Vera Downend. Thorp's Crossroads character was a sailor so he was able to come and go freely from the series for long spells - making his last appearance in 1976. Since 1982 has been Emmerdale's businessman, Alan Turner.
Gretchen Franklin
Was Myrtle Cavendish in Crossroads, the second wife of Wilf Harvey - yes Jill's mother-in-law! Sadly Myrtle eventually died, leaving Wilf heartbroken. But leaving Crossroads turned out to be a good move for Gretchen - she will be forever one of the EastEnders legends - Ethel Skinner. She'd had previous serial experience in Yorkshire Television's Castle Haven in 1969.
Jess Conrad
Starred as Philip Bailey in 1978. Following the death of his wife at the motel his character turns up looking for answers. During the 1950s and 60s Jess was a popular pop singer, before turning to acting. Some of his hit songs include, Pretty Jenny, This Pullover and Cherry Pie. Conrad has also had a successful stage career performing in musicals. In the 1990s he became a regular 'special guest' on Jim Davidson's Generation Game.
Frank Middlemass
Featured as a guest at the motel in the late 1980s, had a long and varied stage and television career. He became a regular on BBC sitcom As Time Goes By and other notable programmes include; Yorkshire TV's sitcom Only When I Laugh and BBC satirical comedy, Yes, Prime Minister.
