God Awful Archers Brief Encounter Episode

[frostfrond]

This made me cringe.It was awful.Did anyone like it? How can I take the Archers "seriously" ever again?

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

It was so twee. If one was being kind, one would say it was ::French accent:: an hommage to Brief Encounter. But I stopped taking The Archers seriously a long time ago. It's a sort of agricultural panto.

[Rangirl]

Awful ! And what does Lilian think she's doing

[R4]

I am cross at what Vanessa Whitburn is doing to The Archers. The Brief Encounter fiasco is only the latest in a trail of damage that arises from the mindset that substitutes 'contemporary drama in a rural setting' in place of 'an everyday story of country folk'. I know that the BBC got fed up with Letter From America and wanted it gone, but they couldn't because it was 'an institution'. They were only freed by the death of Alistair Cooke. I wonder if they feel the same about TA and are trying to trash it so that, when the ratings have gone, they can cancel it with impunity.

I have telephoned the BBC Complaints department and e-mailed Feedback. I hope many others do, too.

However, now that Pandora has opened the box and allowed one improbable episode, I think that we should have another. This time we will do an homage to Dallas's "it was only a bad dream" and start again from the morning of 31st December 2010.

[Carnforth]

Having just listened to Sunday's repeat, it made me cringe, too (perhaps because I love the film - don't ask)!
I chortled when I heard the first (subtle) reference to "Chorley" (Alec's Station), but then groaned as the scene descended into a farcical parody. I understand that the scriptwriter intended a respectful "homage", but I'm afraid that it ended up as a travesty.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

I assume the clue is in your name, Carnforth.

[Helpyourself]

Oh it was cringeworthy, wasn't it.
Even worse the trailing. I caught both broadcasts of the weekday broadcast. ykwim, and both times they mentioned Lillian's brief encounter, geddit...
Gah

[Carnforth]

To: ComeIntoTheGardenMaud
Dear CITGM,
Yes, indeed (and delighted that Barry Norman has included "BE" in his "Radio Times" Top-49 Films)!
C.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

It has always been one of my favourite films, Carnforth, although the first time I watched it, it took me a long time to decide whether the hero was called Alec or Eric, such is is Celia Johnson's RP ("Elec") diction.

[Carnforth]

Were that there were more of it among the young reporters on Radio 4....
"Cairnforth"!

[CardiCorgi]

I want to know more about Connie and Dolly and the difficulty of finding Bath buns.
Paul just gives me the creeps.

[frostfrond]

Agree,Paul gives me the boak.Lillian is really getting on my nerves,accepting all these treats from Matt. Why does whe never call Matt "Paul" by accident

[NotQuitePerfect]

Laughing at that frostfrond.

Bound to happen - she is playing a dangerous game

[Bluestocking]

Paul! Liar, liar, pants on fire!!

[Leafmould]

It'll happen soon, there's no way they are going to reduce Lilian's airtime until it does, so I have switched off.