Helena Bonham Carter to play Noele Gordon in Russell T Davies' new drama Nolly

ITV says: "Noele (or Nolly to her friends) was a legend in her own lifetime. As flame-haired widow Meg Richardson in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, she was one of the most famous people in Britain. Then in 1981, at the height of the show’s success and the peak of Nolly’s fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation. With the boss’s words 'all good things must come to an end' ringing in her ears, Noele Gordon found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years."

Revealing the inspiration behind the project, Davies said: "One of my very first jobs in TV was a trial script for Crossroads, and I've wanted to write the story of behind the scenes on that show for 40 years. At last, the truth can be told!"

Speaking about her role as Nolly, Bonham Carter added: "Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies’ script. I’m so thrilled to help tell Nolly’s long overdue and largely forgotten story. Russell’s screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I’ll do him and Nolly justice. I can’t wait to start."

"Russell’s scripts are magnificent and a great tribute to Noele Gordon, but also to our national love of soaps and a celebration of the incredible women they create," ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill said. "Helena Bonham Carter is going to be amazing as Nolly and we can’t wait for her to step into those shoes."

Nolly is executive produced by Nicola Shindler (It's A Sin, Queer as Folk, Ridley Road) and directed by Peter Hoard (It's A Sin, The Umbrella Academy). Production will begin next year.

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