Funnily enough, I was an avid follower of Crossroads in the early days. Mainly because it was on shortly after I got home from work and was preparing a meal in my pokey little flat (more of a glorified bedsit - one large room with kitchen and bathroom partitioned off, and I could see the TV from the kitchen). I worked for a TV rental company at the time so rented a decent model with a significant discount.
I thought it was broadcast live, because of things like Amy Turtle forgetting her lines (but your tight schedule explanation covers that).
I had a bit of a crush on one of the girls, but I'm not prepared to expose myself to ridicule by revealing which one.
I don't have a TV at the moment so didn't see tonight's prog.