Jane Rossington
Encyclopedia
Jane Rossington is a British actress, best known for her role as Jill Richardson in the soap opera Crossroads.
Born in Derby
, Rossington's family moved to Sutton Coldfield
when she was four years of age. The daughter of a bank manager, she attended Sutton Coldfield Grammar School and was an amateur actress, having trained in the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, before appearing in repertory
theatre in Sheffield
and York
.
Rossington was the only Crossroads original cast member to be in the first and last episode of the series. She was, however, no stranger to soap opera, having played the part of probationary nurse Kate Ford in the ITV series Emergency Ward 10 during 1963-64.
Rossington spoke the first words of the first episode of Crossroads on 2 November 1964, "Crossroads Motel, good evening". She played Jill Richardson, the daughter of the owner of the Crossroads Motel, Meg Richardson. For the 24 years she appeared in the show the writers delighted in making Jill suffer, and amongst other things, she was married three times - once bigamously - was a drug addict, an alcoholic and had a baby with her stepbrother. As well as being the only actor to remain in the show for its entire series, she also spoke the final words of the final episode in 1988.
Because no regular member of the cast of Crossroads had a permanent contract, she had plenty of time to pursue other roles, perhaps most notably that of Monica Downes in the BBC Radio 4
soap opera The Archers
. She was, however, an integral part of Crossroads. When she became pregnant, the show's producer, Reg Watson
, ordered the scriptwriters to include the pregnancy in the storyline. When Rossington miscarried, Watson asked her if she would mind if the pregnancy storyline went ahead, as they had had such a positive response from the audience. Ironically, Rossington conceived again, so as not to alter the storylines, Jill appeared to be pregnant on screen for 11 months! Jill's daughter, Sarah-Jane, was sometimes played by Rossington's own daughter, Sorrell.
After the demise of the original series, Rossington was seen very little on television but frequently appeared on stage. When ITV1 announced in 2000 that the series was to be revived, she returned to the role. However, Jill was later 'killed off' by her estranged husband Adam, although she is likely to be still alive as the revamps were written off as a dream in the final episode when the new series was axed in 2003.
She also appeared in an episode of the children's series Dramarama
and, for a while, she had her own show on Beacon Radio, as well as later touring in the stage plays Murder in Mind and Don't Rock the Boat.
Rossington now lives in Staffordshire
with her second husband, chartered surveyor David Dunger. She has two grown children, Sorrell and Harry.
Since 1988, Rossington has been the main patron of the Crossroads Appreciation Society, and continues to take an active role in the group.
Born in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, Rossington's family moved to Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
when she was four years of age. The daughter of a bank manager, she attended Sutton Coldfield Grammar School and was an amateur actress, having trained in the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, before appearing in repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
theatre in Sheffield
Sheffield Repertory Theatre
The Sheffield Repertory Theatre was a theatre company in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.The foundation of the Sheffield Repertory Company is generally considered to date from 1923, however the first recorded meetings of an amateur company of the same name were held at the Oxford Street...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
Rossington was the only Crossroads original cast member to be in the first and last episode of the series. She was, however, no stranger to soap opera, having played the part of probationary nurse Kate Ford in the ITV series Emergency Ward 10 during 1963-64.
Rossington spoke the first words of the first episode of Crossroads on 2 November 1964, "Crossroads Motel, good evening". She played Jill Richardson, the daughter of the owner of the Crossroads Motel, Meg Richardson. For the 24 years she appeared in the show the writers delighted in making Jill suffer, and amongst other things, she was married three times - once bigamously - was a drug addict, an alcoholic and had a baby with her stepbrother. As well as being the only actor to remain in the show for its entire series, she also spoke the final words of the final episode in 1988.
Because no regular member of the cast of Crossroads had a permanent contract, she had plenty of time to pursue other roles, perhaps most notably that of Monica Downes in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
soap opera The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
. She was, however, an integral part of Crossroads. When she became pregnant, the show's producer, Reg Watson
Reg Watson
Reginald James "Reg" Watson AM is an Australian television producer, best known for creating soap operas like Prisoner and Neighbours.-Career:...
, ordered the scriptwriters to include the pregnancy in the storyline. When Rossington miscarried, Watson asked her if she would mind if the pregnancy storyline went ahead, as they had had such a positive response from the audience. Ironically, Rossington conceived again, so as not to alter the storylines, Jill appeared to be pregnant on screen for 11 months! Jill's daughter, Sarah-Jane, was sometimes played by Rossington's own daughter, Sorrell.
After the demise of the original series, Rossington was seen very little on television but frequently appeared on stage. When ITV1 announced in 2000 that the series was to be revived, she returned to the role. However, Jill was later 'killed off' by her estranged husband Adam, although she is likely to be still alive as the revamps were written off as a dream in the final episode when the new series was axed in 2003.
She also appeared in an episode of the children's series Dramarama
Dramarama
Dramarama is an alternative rock band.It may also refer to:* Dramarama , a 1980s British television series* Dramarama , a 2006 film that was to star Lindsay Lohan but was unreleased...
and, for a while, she had her own show on Beacon Radio, as well as later touring in the stage plays Murder in Mind and Don't Rock the Boat.
Rossington now lives in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
with her second husband, chartered surveyor David Dunger. She has two grown children, Sorrell and Harry.
Since 1988, Rossington has been the main patron of the Crossroads Appreciation Society, and continues to take an active role in the group.
External links
- Jane Rossington at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Interview for the Crossroads Appreciation Society