Gavin has written:I'm too young to remember the original broadcasts of Crossroads, but I saw the '80s episodes on UK Gold some years ago and became a great fan of the late Pamela Vezey as Kath Brownlow/Fellowes.
I read on IMDB that Pamela Vezey played Kath from 1976 to 1987, and have recently purchased Network DVD Crossroads episodes from the mid-to-late 1970s to see more of Kath's story - but she isn't in any of them and Glenda, her daughter, only appears periodically.
What's going on, please?
Well, Gavin, firstly, we share your feelings about Pamela Vezey's portrayal of Kath - she was absolutely spot-on and the character seemed very real. There were Kaths in households up and down the land.
The reason why Kath does not appear in your Network DVD 1970s episodes is simple: she wasn't around. The character of Kath Brownlow appeared very briefly in 1976 as part of the Glenda rape story-line. She was then played by actress Hilary Martin.
Glenda (Lynette McMorrough) appeared on-and-off until late 1979 when it was decided that her family would move to King's Oak. And so, Pamela Vezey and Peter Hill made their debuts as Kath and Arthur, with Ian Liston as their son Ron.
Glenda became a full-time character, too!
In 1980, David Moran appeared as Kevin Banks (he married Glenda in 1981) and Angela Webb as the enjoyably twisted Iris Scott, Kath's niece.
To sum up: the IMDB entry is misleading as it does state that Pamela Vezey was Kath from 1976 to 1987, when in actual fact Kath was a brief passer-through in 1976, played by actress Hilary Martin, and permanent only from late 1979 to 1987 - played by Pamela Vezey.
