Crossroads Star John Forgeham Dies

[Angela Chilling]

British actor John Forgeham, who played garage mechanic Jim Baines in Crossroads has died age 75. He also starred in Footballers Wives and the Italian Job and died after falling out of bed and breaking his collarbone.

His character first joined Crossroads in 1974 when Jim Baines squatted in David Hunter's house. The character's wife was Muriel who agoraphobia.

The character had an affair with garage secretary Sharon Metcalfe. One of his big storylines was when Jim Baines was suspected of attacking Vera Downend, the motel’s hairdresser and stealing the salon takings. Motel Barman Bill Warren picked Jim out of a police identification parade and for a time almost everyone at the Crossroads Motel believed that he was guilty. However, later the police picked up a burglar and found Vera’s cashbox in his room. One of his final storylines saw the character win the jackpot on the pools and it seemed his life was on the up, however life was never easy for Jim and the money brought its own problems.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/j...-job-actor-dies-in-fall-at-home-a3487421.html

 

[James from London]

Jim Baines was great. The acting in Crossroads wasn't as bad as people remember (it's just that the whole concept of a soap set show in a motel in Birmingham was really artificial and weird!) but John Foregham's performance really stood out. There was just something so "real" about him as Jim.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Sorry, I should have started this thread in the UK Soaps forum, I misread the title.

Jim Baines was great. The acting in Crossroads wasn't as bad as people remember (it's just that the whole concept of a soap set show in a motel in Birmingham was really artificial and weird!) but John Foregham's performance really stood out. There was just something so "real" about him as Jim.

I totally agree. I only have a vague memory of Crossroads in the 1970s because I was still in infant school at the time but Jim Baines was one of the characters that I remember vividly from that era and that was largely down to John Forgeham's performance and some really good storylines that he was given. I remember he used to disappear from the series for many months, or even years, (probably when John Forgeham was working on another project) before returning with a really gripping storyline so his return was always a bit of an event that would spark your interest. I thought Crossroads was great.

 

[Walford Boy]

Didn't he have a brother called Victor who ran the garage.

 

[James from London]

Someone had a brother called Victor (Victor Pembleton?) who ran the garage, but I don't think it was Jim. As I remember it, they all - Victor, the brother and Jim - had it off with Sharon at some point.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Someone had a brother called Victor (Victor Pembleton?) who ran the garage, but I don't think it was Jim. As I remember it, they all - Victor, the brother and Jim - had it off with Sharon at some point.

Victor Lee was the Crossroads Garage manager after Stan Harvey left. Sharon Metcalfe, the garage secretary, had an affair with her boss Victor. After Victor left the series, his brother Eddie turned up in Crossroads and also had an affair with her. I can't remember how Jim Baines fit in on all this, I think he just had a one-nighter with Sharon while he was trying to deal with his wife Muriel having agoraphobia and wasn't getting any at home.

 

[Englishboy]

I remember him well as club chairman, Frank in Fooballers Wives.

Sad news.

RIP

 

[Barbara Fan]

thats a shame after a freak accident - RIP

I was thinking about him yesterday spookily enough as Ome had mentioned he had never seen prime Suspect and he features in first series as John Shefford, who dies and jane gets to take over his murder investigation and hes not as clean as a copper should be

he had the right kind of face to be a heavy or hard man

1. I also remember him from Crossroads, we called his wife misery Mu if i recall

 

[Cookiescholes]

I remember him well as club chairman, Frank in Fooballers Wives.

Sad news.

RIP

That's where I know him from too. Shagged to death by Tanya Turner as I remember it.

 

[Englishboy]

shagged to death by Tanya Turner as I remember it.

Yes and as I recall he deliberately got her pregnant by puncturing holes in the condoms they had been using, much to the annoyance and hysteria of Tanya once she found out she was carrying his child.

 

[Englishboy]

And here is THAT scene, my favourite from the gloriously camp and OTT series.

 

[Cookiescholes]

She went beserk on top of him. No wonder his heart gave out.

Love Footballers Wives. Full eps used to be on YT but think they've been taken down now?

 

[James from London]

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/mar/13/john-forgeham-obituary