Our Crossroads Favourites: Nicola Freeman

Power dressing Nicola Freeman wasn't just a shrewd businesswoman...

Was it Nicola Freeman or Suzie Doyle? Actually, it was both, and she had also once been Nicola Delaney too!

Born to poor parents in a narrow, terraced street, young Suzie Doyle loved her father. But he was a drinker and spendthrift and Suzie's mother finally ordered him out, and remarried. Suzie and her stepfather did not get on, and when she became pregnant at the age of seventeen, she ran away from home rather than confide in her parents.

She had her daughter adopted, and went on through a series of jobs to work at the Playboy Club, where, as there were two other Suzies working there, she changed her name to Nicola Delaney. A complete break with her past.

Nicola's life was colourful, but she finally met and married Herbie Freeman, big wheel of the Major International Hotels group. She didn't love him at first - but learned to - a great deal. She didn't find his two children, Daniel and Joanna, so easy. In fact, Daniel greatly resented her.

After Herbie's death, Nicola became a big wheel in Major International Hotels herself, and in 1985 the group bought the Crossroads Motel in King's Oak. And Nicola came in to manage it.

She was an interesting character - at first appearing cool and clipped, but a sympathetic side to her nature quickly emerged. She was charmed by Benny (who solemnly called her 'Mrs Foreman') and sorry for Jill when her marriage disintegrated - after amorous Adam made a pass at her.

Also, during her time at the motel, Nicola endured her problem step-children, an affair with a married man, a fraught reconciliation with her mother - and her adopted daughter turned up.

When MIH sold the motel, she left - but may have been on the point on returning when the series ended.

Nicola was a great Crossroads character. She added much intrigue, glamour and sparkle to the years 1985-1987 at the motel.

And no effort was made by the production team to turn her into another Meg. Not that there could ever have been another!

Nicola was very much a character in her own right. The motel wasn't a family business, started in her own home. It was, first and foremost, a business.

But she definitely had heart.

Our Crossroads Favourites: Daniel Freeman

Yuppie Daniel endured much at the motel - Growler and Mrs Tardebigge included.

Daniel, played with great skill by Philip Goodhew, was basically a selfish little swine.

He was the son of the late Herbie Freeman and the step-son of Nicola. He had a twin sister, Joanna.

And he had obviously been spoilt rotten.

What mattered to Daniel was Daniel.

He first turned up at the motel after the sell-out to MIH in 1985, and caused Nicola much angst - by calling her "Queen of the Bunny Girls" one night in the Rally Bar whilst in a drunken rage - and by telling Jill Chance that Nicola and Adam were having an affair.

What a ratbag!

But Daniel had been denied access to his heritage - a very large sum of money indeed - as one of the dying acts of his father, who loved the boy dearly, but knew him well. Daniel was not very mature for his age. And he wouldn't get the dosh until he was thirty. 

And because of this, Daniel was not a happy bunny.

He fell for Tracey Hobbs whilst he was working at the new motel leisure centre, and was shattered to discover that she was Nicola's long lost daughter.

He told Nicola exactly what he thought of her. And, judging by what he said, it seemed that a fair amount of jealousy went into the mix when it came to his feelings towards his stepmother. When Nicola had originally entered Herbie Freeman's life, Daniel had obviously sensed competition for his father's affection - and resented it.

And, even after his father's death, he still resented her. He told Nicola that Herbie had always loved his own mother much more than he had loved her.

Not that Daniel had it all his own way.

For a start, working at the leisure centre and clashing with Adam Chance were not exactly what Daniel was used to. And then there was sharing a staff chalet - first with barman Barry Hart and then with chumpish Charlie Mycroft.

Charlie was particularly difficult. Daniel thought he should have carte blanche to "entertain" ladies in the chalet whenever he chose - all night if he wanted. Surely, Charlie should make himself absent on such occasions? But with Charlie's toy dog, "Growler", guarding Charlie's pillow and Charlie being a clean living "early to bed early to rise" type of chappie, Daniel grew increasingly fed up. At one point, he plotted with his girlfriend, Fiona, and deposited "Growler" in the leisure centre swimming pool. Of course, Charlie was horrified, but fortunately "Growler" recovered.

Daniel later left Crossroads, but returned in April 1988 - a yuppie in the making. "Even my car phone's got its own Filofax!" he chortled.

And he definitely had the last smirk over Adam when it turned out he was representing the Three Crowns company, Jill and Adam's competition for buying Crossroads.

A joy to dislike - that was Daniel. But his story wasn't without some depth and he didn't have all the luck with the ladies. Mrs Tardebigge, the cleaner, who first appeared at the motel in late 1986, thought Daniel adorable and wasted no opportunity to demonstrate that fact.

Poor lad...