Helena Bonham Carter sports auburn wig and during filming for new ITV drama Nolly

Helena Bonham Carter looked worlds away from her usual self as she got into character as Crossroads icon Noele Gordon during filming of ITV‘s Nolly on Monday.

The actress, 56, sported a bright auburn wig as she filmed an outdoor scene alongside a male actor in Manchester.

The film star donned a pale pink long-sleeved dress with a floral detail along with a frilled collar for the day.

Filming: Helena Bonham Carter looked worlds away from her usual self as she got into character as Crossroads icon Noele Gordon during filming of ITV’s Nolly on Monday

Helena also sported a pair of black boots and wrapped up between takes in a black padded coat.

In one scene, Helena’s male co-star was seen wearing an open pink shirt as he gazed out the window.

In another, the Harry Potter actress stood at a door and signed for a package from a delivery man. 

Three part drama Nolly, penned by Russell T Davies, will explore the all-powerful reign and fall from grace of the inimitable Noele Gordon, who died in 1985. 

In character: The actress, 56, sported a bright auburn wig as she filmed an outdoor scene alongside a male actor in Manchester

Outfit: The film star donned a pale pink long-sleeved dress with a floral detail along with a frilled collar for the day

She was declared the ‘Queen of the Midlands’ thanks to iconic role as Meg Mortimer in Crossroads and was the darling of the establishment until it turned on her.  

As flame-haired widow Meg in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, Noele became one of the most famous people in Britain.

Then in 1981, at the height of the show’s success and the peak of her fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation, with the soap eventually ending two years later.

With the boss’s words ‘all good things must come to an end’ ringing in her ears, Noele found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years.

On location: In one scene, the Harry Potter actress stood at a door and signed for a package from a delivery man

Story: Three part drama Nolly, penned by Russell T Davies, will explore the all-powerful reign and fall from grace of the inimitable Noele Gordon, who died in 1985

Role: She was declared the ‘Queen of the Midlands’ thanks to iconic role as Meg Mortimer in Crossroads and was the darling of the establishment until it turned on her

A love letter to a legend of television, and to the madcap soap she starred in, Nolly will be an entertaining ride through Noele’s most tumultuous years, and a sharp, affectionate and heart-breaking portrait of a forgotten icon.

Of the role, Helena said: ‘Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies’ script.

‘I’m so thrilled to help tell Nolly’s long overdue and largely forgotten story.

‘Russell’s screenplay is a work of brilliance and I hope I’ll do him and Nolly justice. I can’t wait to start.’

Filming: In one scene, Helena’s male co-star was seen wearing an open pink shirt as he gazed out the window

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Success: As flame-haired widow Meg in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, Noele became one of the most famous people in Britain

Then in 1981, at the height of the show’s success and the peak of her fame, she was axed without ceremony, without warning and with no explanation, with the soap eventually ending two years later

Nolly has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama, Polly Hill, who commented: ‘Russell’s scripts are magnificent and a great tribute to Noele Gordon, but also to our national love of soaps and a celebration of the incredible women they create.

‘Helena Bonham Carter is going to be amazing as Nolly and we can’t wait for her to step into those shoes.’

Russell said: ‘One of my very first jobs in TV was a trial script for Crossroads, and I’ve wanted to write the story of behind the scenes on that show for 40 years. At last, the truth can be told!’

Noele, who had previously had multiple roles in the theatre before landing her part in Crossroads, played Meg from 1964 to 1981, and later returned for a two-episode stint in 1983.

End of an era: With the boss’s words ‘all good things must come to an end’ ringing in her ears, Noele found herself thrown out of the show that was her life for over 18 years

After she was dropped from the show, Noele’s ill health prevented her from accepting many more roles, and she died in 1985 at the age of 66.

However the casting of Helena in the titular role hasn’t gone down well with everyone. Angela Webb, 64, who played Iris Scott in the drama from 1980 to 1985, told The Express: ‘This is really bizarre. Someone writing a biopic of her who didn’t know or experience her… I do worry.’

‘She wouldn’t be my first choice. Nolly was statuesque and strong, Celticlike, with piercing blue eyes. Helena is tiny, dark-haired, dark-eyed. I hope she’s met people who knew Noele and gets advice about the presence that she had. I’d be hugely up for that.’

Helena said: ‘Noele Gordon was a fascinating, complex, brilliant and gutsy woman – none of which I knew before I read Russell T Davies’ script. I’m so thrilled to help tell Nolly’s long overdue and largely forgotten story’