Everything We Know Right Now about Nolly
Academy Award®-nominated Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, Harry Potter) stars in the three-part period drama, Nolly. The miniseries shares a surprising slice of British TV history and celebrates a legendary and dazzling soap opera star. The Guardian (UK) calls Bonham Carter’s performance “brilliantly camp” and the series itself “impeccably put together.”
- 1.
Who is Nolly?
Noele Gordon in character as Meg Richardson in the UK TV series Crossroads Joan Noele “Nolly” Gordon was one of the most conspicuous faces on British television almost 60 years ago. Gordon commanded the role of Meg Richardson (later Mortimer) in the UK’s first full-length daytime serial soap, Crossroads. She led the Crossroads cast from 1964 to 1981, becoming the nation’s favorite female TV star and the first celebrity placed in the TV Times Hall of Fame. Her life was packed, extremely surprising, and dramatic, and you may be astonished if you’ve never heard of her.
- 2.
What is “Nolly” About?
The miniseries follows a brassy and opinionated Nolly Gordon in the twilight of her career. While she’s beloved by her co-stars and absolutely treasured by viewers, she is merely tolerated by directors. Despite the show’s hit status, Gordon is abruptly sacked by programming execs. Her shocking demise made headlines for days. The viewing public was outraged for months. And Nolly herself did not go quietly.
Nolly will tickle those who love watching Bonham Carter take on a multi-faceted character, and appeal to celebrity biopic fans, plus anyone who’s ever watched a juicy soap (we know you’re out there). In Nolly, “Helena Bonham Carter and series [creator] Russell T Davis turn the Crossroads star’s downfall into a rollicking good time and a fitting tribute,” says The Telegraph (UK).
- 3.
Who’s in the “Nolly” cast?
Con O'Neill, Mark Gatiss, and Augustus Prew in character It’s Helena Bonham Carter who puts Noele Gordon back in the spotlight. “She sketches a relentless, potentially exhausting creative personality,” says Variety, “bristling to exert whatever control she could over a world that clearly regarded older women as disposable.”
Bonham Carter has been gracing our screens for decades now. Early on, she was typecast an “English Rose” character in films like 1985’s Room with a View and 1997’s The Wings of the Dove, but her range quickly expanded to roles like Marla Singer, the chain-smoking, wild haired love interest in 1999’s Fight Club, and darkly evil Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter franchise. She seems to step seamlessly into aristocratic roles, too, playing Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) in The King’s Speech, and a fiery Princess Margaret in The Crown.
Bonham Carter is joined by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Game of Thrones) as entertainer Larry Grayson. Gatiss is indelibly memorable from MASTERPIECE’s Emmy Award®-winning Sherlock series for his sly portrayal of brother Mycroft Holmes. He charms in Nolly, too.
The cast includes other familiar faces such as Con O’Neil (Happy Valley, Our Flag Means Death) as Crossroads producer Jack Barton, and Augustus Prew (The Morning Show, About a Boy) as Gordon’s dear friend and soap co-star Tony Adams, among others.
- 4.
Where to Watch Nolly
After their broadcast on MASTERPIECE in March 2024, you can stream all three delightful episodes when you watch with PBS Passport.
- 5.
Who’s Behind “Nolly”?
Nolly was created by Russell T Davies, who is perhaps best known as the head writer and executive producer on Doctor Who Season 1 and 4. (He recently rejoined the long-running sci-fi series as showrunner.) Davies created Doctor Who‘s spin-off series Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Wizards vs. Aliens. His lengthy credits also include Queer as Folk, A Very English Scandal, It’s a Sin, and Years and Years.
Davies, along with Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley, The Stranger), and Peter Hoar (The Last of Us, It’s a Sin), are Nolly’s executive producers. MASTERPIECE is co-producer along with Quay Street Productions, part of ITV Studios.
- 6.
Watch the "Nolly" Trailer
