| Genre: | Biographical drama |
| Creator: | Russell T Davies |
| Starring: | Helena Bonham Carter |
| Director: | Peter Hoar |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 3 |
| Producer: | Karen Lewis |
| Network: | ITVX |
Nolly is a British three-part biographical television miniseries created by Russell T Davies, starring Helena Bonham Carter as Crossroads star Noele Gordon. The series premiered on 2 February 2023, on the new streaming platform ITVX. It was broadcast on ITV1 for three consecutive nights from 27 December 2023 to 29 December.
The series tracks the great success of the TV star Noele "Nolly" Gordon, and then the betrayal and sudden firing that followed.
Nolly was the debut commission for Nicola Shindler's ITV-backed Quay Street Productions. In November 2021, it was announced Helena Bonham Carter would star as Noele Gordon in the three-part series.[1]
In June 2022, it was announced Augustus Prew would play Tony Adams and Mark Gatiss would play Larry Grayson. Also joining the cast were Richard Lintern, Antonia Bernath, Bethany Antonia, Clare Foster, Chloe Harris, Lloyd Griffith, Con O'Neill, and Tim Wallers.[2] [3]
Principal photography took place in and around Manchester. In May 2022, Bonham Carter was spotted filming at Salford Lads' Club in Ordsall.[4] Cast and crew were then spotted in Bolton at Le Mans Crescent.[5]
ITV shared a first look at Helena Bonham Carter in costume in June 2022.[6]
It was broadcast in the US on PBS as part of their Masterpiece series, premiering on March 17, 2024, with the final episode wrapping up on 31 March 2024.[7]
On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 14 critic reviews are positive for the miniseries, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The critics consensus states, "Enlivened by Helena Bonham Carter's barnburner performance and Russell T. Davies' delicious dialogue, Nolly gives a fallen star her joyous closeup."[8] On Metacritic, it has an average rating of 79 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]
In October 2023, Davies confirmed that the 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who would feature an "in-universe crossover" while emphasising that the events of the show would be considered "truly canonical".[10] The episode titled "The Giggle" included John Mackay as John Logie Baird, the man who put Gordon on television, with a particular focus on Baird's initial transmissions using Stooky Bill.[11]
Davies won Best Writer at the 2023 BAFTA Cymru Awards,[12] and Bonham Carter was nominated for Best Actress at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.[13]