Nolly (series)
Nolly is an ITVX biographical drama television series based upon the real world TV star, Noele "Nolly" Gordon. The series was created by Russell T Davies and premiered on 2 February 2023.
Crossover
While researching John Logie Baird during the production of Nolly, Russell T Davies was inspired to write an episode around Stooky Bill, which wound up occurring in the third of the 60th Anniversary Specials, The Giggle [+]Loading...["The Giggle (TV story)"]. The story featured John Logie Baird, portrayed by John MacKay, who also portrayed him in Nolly.
In Nolly, John Logie Baird is the man who makes Noele Gordon the first woman to appear on colour television in 1938. Baird recounts his creation of the television, telling her that he built it out of a "hatbox and darning needles". He also warns her to be careful of the lights, stating that they are too bright and that they could set fire to her, adding that "it's happened before".
This "crossover" was previously hinted at by Russell T Davies himself in his Letter from the Showrunner in issue 596 of Doctor Who Magazine, where he called it a "genuine in-universe crossover (…) which is truly canonical and official, because [he says] so".
Connections
Crew
Nolly was created by Russell T Davies, who is the current head writer and executive producer on Doctor Who since 2023, having previously held the position from 2005 to 2010.
As well as this, Nolly was directed by Peter Hoar, who had previously directed the Doctor Who story A Good Man Goes to War [+]Loading...["A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)"].
Cast
The series starred Helena Bonham Carter as Nolly, a role for which she was an interview subject in the documentary, imagine... Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me.
In addition to Carter and John MacKay, the cast also included Mark Gatiss, Bethany Antonia, Tim Wallers, Amy Booth-Steel, Tom Bell, Nicholas Gecks, Nicholas Chambers, Donna Berlin, Omari Douglas, Matthew Bates, Andrew Bone, and Tony Adams.
Miscellaneous
Nolly's premiere served as the main cover story of Radio Times 5137, in which it headlined the issue's preview of the best television of 2023, which also spotlighted Davies' impending return to Doctor Who.
