The following article was originally published in 'The Sun' newspaper in July 2001
CROSSROADS IS SIMPLY A WRONG TURN FOR BARBARA
The Dunfermline-born warbler was offered the lead role in the ITV remake of "Crossroads". Telly chiefs wanted her as the new owner of the famous motel - following in the footsteps of battleaxe boss Meg Richardson, played in the 1970's by Noele Gordon. But Babs decided to put her family first.
Barbara - who lives in Lincolnshire with hubby Oliver Cookson and sons Colm, 14, Gabriel, 12 and 10-year-old Archie - said: "I was up for "Crossroads" and I seriously considered taking the leading part. But what made me turn it down was that I had to do a small concert tour, then I had to do a five-week stint in "Blood Brothers" in Liverpool - a role I hadn't done for 17 years.
"However the main reason was that they needed a commitment from me for three years - there's no way I could sign up for that long. I admit I was very tempted because I love television and I love drama. But I just couldn't face the thought of being dragged away from my family for so long. I just love being with my boys.
I don't mind doing a stint on stage because, even though it separates us, I have a set date that we'll be back together. But with "Crossroads", three years would have been an eternity."
Instead the 52-year-old "Band Of Gold" star opted to stick with the West End smash hit musical "Spend Spend Spend", playing Viv Nicholson in the real-life sory of a Yorkshire housewife who famously won a fortune on the pools and blew the lot. And, in hindsight, Babs made the right choice as the new "Crossroads" bombed in the ratings.
But now Barbara will bring the musical to Scotland for the first time when she plays Glasgow's King's Theatre in September. She said: "The last time I worked for any length of time in Scotland was when I played a nasty piece of stuff in "Taggart" in 1994. Since then most of my work has been in London, so I can't wait to return."
But the King's show could be one of the last chances to see Barbara star in a musical because she plans to quit after 20 years at the top. She said "I want a good, long break from theatre. It's a great job for someone of 23 with no ties, living in digs, staying up late and having a laugh. When you get older you become more set in your ways and need your creature comforts. I've been offered a lot of other musicals, but I've turned them all down. And I don't think I'll change my mind in the forseeable future."
Instead Barbara will get back to basics when she returns to make her first studio album in six years and goes on a lengthy tour with her band. It's her music which made her famous and the Scot still has a place in the Guinness Book Of Records for the big No. 1 in 1985.
However she revealed that tragedy struck her band, when two founder members died from cancer in the space of a few months. One was legendary American guitarist Isaac Guillory and the other was bassist Andy Brown.
Barbara said: "Isaac was a great musician and a really nice man. I started working with him at the end of the 1970's. But he died at New Year from lung cancer which was just dreadful because he was still relatively young. Sadly I also lost my bass player Andy Brown, who died of cancer of the pancreas. It was just devastating to have two members of your band die within a short period of time. Andy had been with me since 1982 right up until last year before he became very, very ill. I accept it's just part of life, and as time goes on you lose people. But you just have to remember them as they were and that's what I'll do."
"But when I finish "Spend Spend Spend" in December for good I'll get back out on the road to tour with a new band and think about the great times I had with Isaac and Andy."
