Our Crossroads Favourites: Barbara Brady/Hunter

Barbara Brady (Hunter from 1980), played by Sue Lloyd, was one of the classiest, loveliest and most compassionate Crossroads characters it was ever our good fortune to see on-screen. Novelist Barbara arrived in King's Oak in 1979 as housekeeper to American psychiatrist Lloyd Munroe. And we were soon suspicious of her. Well, she was a complete unknown in the neighbourhood, and she kept asking Lloyd odd questions... was she out to poison him or something?

We did wonder.

But all was happily resolved - Barbara was simply posing as a housekeeper. She was actually a novelist and was researching a new book, undercover. Why? I forget, but it all made sense at the time.

Barbara wrote novels under the pseudonym of Eleanor Ruskin.

She quickly attracted the attention of two local eligible men - Dr Farnham, of the King's Oak group practice, and David Hunter, of the Crossroads Motel.

In 1980, Barbara became engaged to David but, on the night of their engagement party, he was shot in the motel office by his deranged ex-wife Rosemary.

David survived, and married Barbara a couple of months later.

But plain sailing things weren't.

The couple rented the Old Coach House in the village and began married life, but their tranquility was shattered by the shock news that David was not Chris Hunter's biological father and that his 'ex-wife' Rosemary was already married when she 'married' him. David's attitudes had already begun to change - he wanted to sell the motel with no regard for Meg, for instance, and Barbara felt alienated from him. And then there was the intervention of Jimmy Corbett - who was romantically interested in Barbara. But don't let's mention him. By late 1981, the couple were planning to separate.

Barbara was on the point of leaving for Paris when she realised she loved David too much to go. She returned to the Old Coach House and the couple were reconciled. 

And then the motel burned down. 

The terrible catastrophe helped to strengthen the Hunters' marriage.

Barbara had always been a "people person" - she found herself caught up in the strange saga of Eddie Lee in 1980, a man serving time for a murder committed by a woman he loved. This served as inspiration for an  Eleanor Ruskin novel.

In late 1981, Barbara took on young working class Carole Sands as housekeeper at the Old Coach House. Barbara had a lively social conscience and was painfully aware that Carole did not come from a moneyed background. But Carole caused Barbara much trouble by telling the police about her involvement with the aforementioned Mr Lee. Oh dear.

Barbara marched on through the early-to-mid 1980s, kindly, stylish and beautiful.

When David's old love Kate Hamilton turned up in 1982 in the middle of a crisis, Barbara became jealous and briefly left David. But the rift was soon healed and Barbara did all she could to help Kate.

She was interested in Benny Hawkins's sudden outbreak of ESP and conducted some tests with him, becoming convinced he was very gifted.

She took in poor old tramp Horace Jackman - 'Jacko' - whilst researching material for a new book - and became a concerned and sympathetic listener to the tale of the death of his son - and how 'Jacko' blamed himself for it.

She and David moved out of the coach house and into the motel living accommodation, but although Barbara was on the premises and participated in the running of the business, she was never another Meg. Her work as an author remained important to her.

Her brother Douglas Brady paid a couple of visits to King's Oak and Barbara was dutiful towards him, but he always caused trouble and heartache.

However, things with David were good.

Then, in 1984, the serpent entered paradise.

And David went right off the rails and into the arms of his ex-love Sarah Alexander, who simply walked into the sitting room and within minutes was engaged in a passionate embrace with him.

Sarah became pregnant. And she wanted David as well as the baby.

Barbara was on the point of leaving David when David finally made the decision to stay with her. But the pull of the child was strong as 1985 came in. Sarah remained adamant that David would have no part in its life.

David almost returned to his compulsive gambling habit of years before, but Barbara stuck with him.

They went for a walk. They talked about their relationship - and Barbara's six years in King's Oak.

And they decided to start afresh elsewhere.

One of Barbara's final acts at Crossroads was just so typical of her: she put in a good word for Benny Hawkins with incoming manager Nicola Freeman.

Barbara and David were greatly missed. But I must confess to thoroughly enjoying what was to follow.

However, Barbara's golden era as Mrs Hunter/Miss Ruskin, motel executive and author, remains etched in my mind as one of the show's many high points.

If only we could have had Nicola Freeman AND the Hunters!

Our Crossroads Favourites: Carole Sands

Carole has a mug of tea and misses Kevin...

Think of groundbreaking soap females donning greasy overalls and becoming garage mechanics and the first character who comes to mind might be Charlene Mitchell/Robinson, played by Kylie Minogue, in the Australian Neighbours serial during the mid-to-late 1980s. But, in the early 1980s, Crossroads got there first with a young woman called Carole Sands, played by Jo-Anne Good.

Carole made her Crossroads debut in late 1981. She became housekeeper to David and Barbara Hunter. Carole was a poor, working class girl - looking after her widowed father and siblings. She was a bit of a political activist, again something of a first for Crossroads, and activated Barbara's social conscience, and, to some degree, David's.

Carole fell in love with married Kevin Banks. It was a very pure and innocent relationship, no sex involved, but there was no doubt her feelings ran deep - and he reciprocated. Arthur and Kath Brownlow became concerned as Kevin was influenced by Carole's political fervour, and they were sceptical about her view that the government was allowing unemployment to rise to bring inflation down. This was a contentious view advanced by some people in the real world at the time, and was something of a surprise as Crossroads had never featured politics in this way before.

Carole was something of a breath of fresh air.

In early 1982, she persuaded Kevin to join her on a march for jobs in King's Oak. Unfortunately, Kev's wife, Glenda, suspecting nothing, opted to join them. The march turned into a mini-riot - local villains wanting to settle a score with a local police officer had infiltrated it - and Carole accidentally ended up in hospital - courtesy of PC Ashley Lamont.

Lamont called at the hospital to apologise and to explain what had happened on the march, but Carole mocked him, telling him that the police should go after real villains, after all, Eddie Lee was serving time for a crime he hadn't committed...

Barbara had confided the story of Eddie Lee, which had served as inspiration for one of her novels, to Carole. Carole had promised to keep it secret, but Lamont had irked her - and so...

The situation caused some complications for Barbara, but things looked up for Carole when she landed a job at the Crossroads Garage. Sharon Metcalfe, previously secretary there, had progressed to manager, and she took Carole on. The way now lay open to Carole becoming a mechanic. 

Kevin tore himself away from Carole and went to work away for a while to save his marriage. Carole was broken hearted. Later story-lines saw her coping with her father Ken being manager at the garage and his subsequent accident and brother Colin, who was dallying with Diane Hunter.

I'm not sure how Carole ended up. But I'm sure she's out there coping somewhere. And, no doubt, a fully qualified mechanic of many years standing by now.

Our Crossroads Favourites: Kevin Banks

 Kevin Banks on his wedding day in 1981.

Painter and decorator Kevin Banks, played by David Moran, first appeared on the King's Oak scene in 1980. He was soon dating motel waitress Glenda Brownlow. 

Kevin was a nice, down-to-earth lad with a faintly Brummie accent, which made his posh family background rather surprising. His mother, Sally, was a social climbing and, quite frankly, bloody awful snob. Father Oliver was a respectable, middle class businessman. Kev's sister Penny was "frightfully" well spoken too. We can't recall seeing Joyce, Kevin's other sister, on-screen - she was living in Canada, but we're willing to bet she was posh as well.

However, being a bit of a rebel and having a bit of a rift with his parents, Kevin slotted in very well with the working class Brownlows, and even better with Glenda's cousin Iris Scott, another 1980 new arrival in King's Oak, who seduced Kevin at his Auntie Marian's house. Oh yes, the very wonderful Mrs Owen, receptionist at the village's group practice, was the sister of Kevin's awful mother.

Kevin married Glenda in 1981, and married life was hardly plain sailing. Kevin fell in love with young Carole Sands, David and Barbara's housekeeper. This was no lecherous frolic, in fact, it was a very pure and sweet little tryst, but the pair's feelings for each other ran deep and Kevin left the district and worked away to help save his marriage. 

Kevin didn't mind the fact that Glenda couldn't have children, but Glenda did and when the idea of having a test tube baby occurred to her in 1982, Kevin was horrified. Glenda left him to live with her Auntie Rose in London, and he was forced to agree. The result was first time lucky - a daughter, Katy Louise.

Financial troubles abounded, and Kevin's father Oliver, keen to build a relationship with his son, bought him a partnership in the local building firm belonging to one Percy Dobson. Percy was an old adversary of Kevin's, but the partnership seemed to be working out well, until Percy's sudden death in late 1984. Kevin was shocked to discover that the business was in debt. He and Glenda lost all their savings and the business folded.

Kevin tried his hand at being a house husband - looking after the house and his daughter whilst Glenda went out to work at the motel. When his father Oliver invited Kev and family out to visit him in Canada, the young Bankses eagerly accepted. On returning to England, Kevin briefly had a job as a salesman - which didn't suit him at all, courtesy of Kath's boyfriend John Latchford.

Kevin had wanted to leave for Canada permanently. After the salesman fiasco and continuing tensions with John Latchford, Glenda agreed.

The young Banks family left England and made a successful fresh start in Canada in early 1985.

Kevin was a likeable everyday character and a bit of an anchor in the Brownlow/Banks household. Story-lines about the family abounded in the first half of the 1980s, and, although sometimes absent whilst working away, Kev was usually there, coping with Uncle Wally, his father's affair with Sharon Metcalfe, Kath's depression after Arthur's death, and Glenda's ups-and-downs. Another of those believable characters it would have been good to have had a pint with down at The Running Stag.