NOLLY is a three-part ITV drama from Bafta-winning writer Russell T Davies starring Helena Bonham Carter in the titular role.
Here we take a look at the cast and where the programme was filmed.
Who is starring in the ITV drama?
Nolly is about TV legend and 'Queen of the Midlands' Noele Gordon, who starred in Crossroads.
Noele played Meg Richardson on the show and was one of the most famous people in the UK — that is until she was unceremoniously axed in 1981 at the height of the the long-running soap's popularity.
Here's who's starring in the ITV drama:
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Helena Bonham Carter as Noele Gordon (Nolly)
Helena is a Hollywood megastar, having appeared in blockbusters including Fight Club (1999), Sweeney Tod: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), The King's Speech (2010) and Les Misérables (2012).
She stars as Nolly, who played flame-haired widow Meg Richardson in Crossroads.
Speaking about the show's plot, Bonham Carter said: "It tells the story of the sacking of Noele Gordon, the eponymous heroine of our series whose nickname was ‘Nolly’.
"She was the lead actress in a hugely popular British soap opera called Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, when she was, abruptly and without warning, sacked very brutally and suddenly, and people never really knew why and nor did she.
"Russell [who wrote Nolly] thought she was treated appallingly and wanted to bring her back into people’s minds and give her the send-off she deserved."
Mark Gatiss as Larry Grayson
Mark is an actor, author and playwright who's best known for writing and starring in award-winning comedy The League of Gentleman.
Asked about whether he was aware of the story of Nolly before taking the role, Mark said: “I used to watch it when I was a kid. And obviously Acorn Antiques has made it live on forever.
"The extraordinary thing is that if you watch the original Crossroads, Acorn Antiques does it a favour.
"Some of it is barely transmittable, but it's got such a joyous heart to it. I re-watched Crossroads before I did Nolly.
"I watched about half a dozen episodes on BritBox and a few clips on YouTube just to reacquaint myself with the style."
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Augustus Prew as Tony Adams
Augustus is best known for his acting roles in About a Boy (2002) and Kick Ass 2 (2013).
Speaking about the character he plays, Prew said: "I spoke with Mr Adams twice. He’s so warm and so playful, and so loving, so silly and so caring. He is just full of stories.
"This man is in his mid-80s, and a lot of the stories that my character tells in the show are direct transcriptions from his own stories.
"He also has a very specific speech pattern and mannerisms, so I wanted to honour that.
"He also wrote a biography about his mother's life and it explains a lot. I think his attachment to powerful women is really, really explained and contextualised by that. So that was helpful in my research too."
Who else is in the cast?
The rest of the cast of Nolly is as follows:
- Antonia Bernath as Jane Rossington
- Chloe Harris as Susan Hanson
- Clare Foster as Sue Lloyd
- Lloyd Griffith as Paul Henry
- Bethany Antonia as Poppy Ngomo
- Con O’Neill as Jack Barton
- Tim Wallers as Charles Denton
Where was Nolly filmed?
Internal shots for the show were filed at Manchester's Space Studios.
Principal photography also took place in and around Manchester, with Bonham Carter being spotted at the Salford Lads' Cub, Ordsall.
The cast and crew were also reportedly seen filming in Le Mans Crescent, Bolton.
