The series was widely derided by critics who criticised the wobbly sets and fluffed lines, but gained many fans. Prime Minister Harold Wilson's wife Mary complained when the newly formed Thames Television decided to stop showing it in 1968. The decision proved unpopular with viewers and was reversed six months later. As a result of the gap in transmission, viewers in the Thames region were six months behind the rest of the country for several years. In 1972, Granada became the last ITV company to show "Crossroads". By the early 1970s it was second only to "Coronation Street" in the ratings. In the mid-1970s it beat "Coronation Street" gaining audiences of up to 15 million viewers.