OTD 1981: Roger Tonge remembered

On this Day: February 26th, 1981.

ATV Today reported on the sad news ATV’s Roger Tonge had died.

Tonge, best known as Sandy Richardson on Crossroads,  died at the age of 35 from cancer. Roger had starred in the soap from its very first episode in November 1964 playing Sandy, the son of motel owner Meg played by Noele Gordon. The plots revolved around the staff of the Crossroads Motel and the guests who stayed there as well as the intertwined lives of the staff and their families in the village of Kings Oak.

Bob Warman interviews producer of the teatime soap opera Jack Barton who describes how Roger’s work schedule allowed him to spend every Friday at the Royal Marsden Hospital at Sutton near London where he was being treated for Hodgkin’s Disease.

The report also interviews actor Ronnie Allen who played motel manager David Hunter and actress Jane Rossington who played Roger’s on-screen sister Jill. Both expressing their sorrow at the news. There are also shots of rehearsals taking place on-set featuring Pamela Vezey as Kath Brownlow, Lynette McMorrough as Glenda and Peter Hill as Arthur.

At its peak Crossroads drew 18 million viewers per-episode, often beating later prime time offerings in the ratings.