Birmingham premiere next week for Midlands-based drama starring Helena Bonham Carter

The premiere of a major new drama set in the Midlands and starring Helena Bonham Carter will take place in Birmingham next week.

The special event will take place on Wednesday 25th January when the screening of the first episode will be followed by a panel discussion.

Award-winning writer Russell T Davies (It’s a Sin, Dr Who, Queer as Folk) and Director Peter Hoar (The Umbrella Academy, It’s a Sin) join the Royal Television Society at Midlands Arts Centre for the premiere of their upcoming ITVX and ITV, drama Nolly starring Helena Bonham Carter as Crossroads soap opera star Joan Noele Gordon.

Dorothy Hobson, Vice-Chair of RTS Midlands, said: “We are delighted to bring this event to the Midlands Arts Centre and to work with the team from Quay Productions who have brought the story of Noele Gordon and the Birmingham based soap opera to a new generation of viewers.”

Guests confirmed for the premiere include Russell T Davies, Peter Hoar, cast members Augustus Prew The Lord of the Rings) who plays Tony Adams and Birmingham born actress Bethany Antonia (House of Dragons) who plays Poppy Ngomo, and Birmingham author Dorothy Hobson (Crossroads:The Drama of a Soap Opera). The session will be hosted by BBC Radio presenter Nikki Bedi.

Nolly is a bold exploration of how the establishment turns on women who refuse to play by the rules and who fearlessly defy being controlled by a largely patriarchal studio system.

The three part drama is a collaboration between Russell T Davies and Nicola Schindler and tells the story of the life of actress Joan Noele Gordon – nicknamed Nolly – who starred as Meg Mortimer in the Midlands-based soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1981 which attracted around 15 million in its heyday.

Gordon was a strong, affectionate and hardworking woman who would sweep grandly into rehearsals from her Rolls Royce. She was fiercely loyal and loved by fellow cast members – and crew – and also by fans of the soap opera who followed her character’s trials and tribulations for over 18 years.