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Discuss your favourite podcast, radio show or The Archers episode.

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Chris and Alice

547 replies

Tallgiraffe · 21/02/2013 19:51

Clearly DS' baths have meant I've missed more than I realised. Last time I heard from these 2 they were at it like rabbits every time I turned the radio on. Now she's moving to Canada? How did that happen?

OP posts:
ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 09/03/2013 22:14

I hardly ever drop in these days, but I did listen every day for years - had forgotten the lovely Walter and the divine Nelson. Remember Mrs P - wasn't she Jennifer's cleaner after Betty left when Brian had been sexually harrassing her. Brian was disgusted that the new cleaner was rather old and looked like the back of a bus.

Other episodes that stand out: the anniversary one where Texza Wogan opened the village fête and Judy Dench was Freda Fry. She made some embarrassing cock-up and declared she'd 'neverr talk in public agenn!'

Dame Edna Everadge locking horns with Linda Snell over her Eau De Nil bedroom scheme.

Anyone else remember Lucy Davis as the original Hayley?

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 09/03/2013 22:26

Tezza Wogan.

IndridCold · 09/03/2013 22:27

No, no, no. Judy Dench played Prue Forest, Tom Forest's (previously silent) wife. Colonel Danby used to live at Ambridge Hall (now occupied by the Snells) with Aunt Laura (who was an Aussie I think, and I have no idea whose aunt she was either Confused).

ShotgunNotDoingThePans · 09/03/2013 22:41

Ah yes, 'twas Prue - knew it was a 'silent' character!

CuttedUpPear · 09/03/2013 22:44

This is why I get Lewis and Nelson confused isn't it? They are/were both camp as a row of tents but aren't gay. And as someone said upthread, one was a replacement for the other.

Well it worked on me Hmm

Theas18 · 09/03/2013 22:50

How this thread lives for ever.it's making me insanely happy. I dabbled in the archers message board but it was never the same after mr ceri left, and now they've closed it.

Great to know there are people here who might even have the archers as a ring tone too! (though ring me at a minute or so past 7 and I'm likely to stand there going"oh they are a but early today" rather then picking the phone up)

CuttedUpPear · 10/03/2013 07:54

I can't believe they have closed Mustardland. I used to frequent the boards there quite a lot.
Encyclopaedic knowledge of their subject, those listeners!

LondonMother · 10/03/2013 08:04

Mrs Antrobus was a blow-in, and a very successful one. She lived at Nightingale Farm with her 'gels', a large pack of Great Danes. She bred them, I think. Her husband Teddy had died some years earlier. They had lived in Kenya, I think, for many decades. No children. She got fleeced by Cameron, as did Caroline, as they discovered when they both boarded a flight to Scotland to attend the creditors' meeting after he fled the country, having abandoned Elizabeth at the motorway services.

Lizzie was prepared to go with him. I can't remember what she knew, but she must have had suspicions that he was a wrong 'un - you don't flee the country at a minute's notice without good cause, do you? This somewhat tempered my sympathy for her during her time of trouble while she was deciding to have the abortion. Nigel was, of course, a tower of strength, and waited and waited till she was ready to respond to his love. Oh, how I miss Nigel.

Mrs A was very close to Hayley and Roy. She had been their landlady for a time. I hoped she would leave Nightingale Farm to them, but sadly she didn't.

Just to round off the Mrs P/Jack Archer stuff, Jack Archer was the eldest of the three children of Dan and Doris. Phil and Christine were the other two. Jack was quite a bit older and had no interest in farming. He was an alcoholic, so running The Bull was not a good career move, and eventually he had to be hospitalised. It is a touch odd that Peggy then married another Jack but Jack Woolley had been introduced before Jack Archer died, I think. Her mum set her an example, as her second husband was Mr Perkins, just like her first.

And finally.... Aunt Laura was the widow of Dan Archer's brother Frank, who had emigrated to New Zealand as a young man. She lived in Ambridge Hall. Colonel Danby was her lodger and chum. She wanted to leave the Hall to him but didn't sign the will, so he was turfed out and moved to Bristol, never to be heard again, which was a shame, as he was a darling. He was played by Ballard Berkeley who played the Major in Fawlty Towers (very similar character). If we believed that the scriptwriters do the whole thing by numbers (perish the thought) Aunt Laura's place in the scheme of things was effortlessly taken by Lynda when she and Robert bought the Hall from Aunt Laura's great-niece in New Zealand (the beneficiary of the unsigned will debacle). Busybody, occasionally tactless, heart in the right place. Every box ticked, except having Archer for a surname.

ppeatfruit · 10/03/2013 08:49

Oh LondonMother you made me cry about Nigel and Lizzie Sad you've either go a book or a very good memory!! Thanks I had forgotten a fair bit of that. I DO remember Mrs.P someone who you could imagine adjusting her bosom and looking down her glasses at you Grin

LondonMother · 10/03/2013 09:01

Memory is stuffed with Archers trivia at the expense of lots of useful stuff! If only I could make a living out of it...

ppeatfruit · 10/03/2013 09:17

You probably could T.A. S.W.'s would thank you I'm sure!

LondonMother · 10/03/2013 09:21

They have an archivist and a database, incredibly enough given the mistakes that often creep in! Still, that's all part of the fun of being an Archers listener for me.

RocknRollNerd · 10/03/2013 09:40

It annoyed me intensely when the BBC revamped the Archers website and removed the family tree as that was a good way to check who was related to who. Even after years of listening I still get slightly muddled at times.

Bizarrely The Archers had a huge following amongst 20 something accountants when I worked in a Big6/5/4 firm. We all used to travel to clients miles and miles away and would listen to the R4 Comedies on the way home, the Archers was a natural follow on. The benchmark that you were working too many hours/too far away was if you got sucked into the 15 minute plays that came on after Front Row as that meant you weren't getting home until nearly 8pm! I vividly remember discussing Marjorie Antrobus' demise with a client the following day (rather than the much duller amortisation of goodwill we were supposed to be reviewing!). In fact many of my major Archers' moments are inextricably linked to clients - eg I was working up in the Midlands when John got dedded.

Interestingly this week's preview blurbs on the BBC website are Chris/Alice free - looks like they're trying to leave us unspoilered...

choccyp1g · 10/03/2013 10:47

I thought Mrs Antrobus kept Afhgans. Joe Grundy always called her "the Dog Lady" but in an affectionate sort of way.

LondonMother · 10/03/2013 10:49

Doh! Yes, Afghans. Memory stuffed full of not always accurate Archers trivia! David was nasty to her once when one of the gels got out and scared a sheep - or something along those lines.

Lilymaid · 10/03/2013 10:59

Shula and Neil were very close when they were teenagers - Neil was working at Brookfield then. They could have been an item, but TA class etiquette prevented a romantic attachment between the farmer's daughter and the hired hand.

choccyp1g · 10/03/2013 11:13

There's a dog name thread going on nearby, makes me wonder how many Archers animal names I can recall

Will's dog - Meg
Nigel's horse - Topper (I never even knew he had a horse of his own until he died)
Jack Wooley's Dog - Captain
Peggy's cat - Timmy
The LLamas - Wolfgang Constance and Salieri

any more?

ppeatfruit · 10/03/2013 11:31

choccy Jo grundy used to call her the "dog woman" not very affectionately more lugubriously. Hmm I don't think I'm wrong LondonMother will know Grin

choccyp1g · 10/03/2013 11:47

Think your right ppeafruit, "Dog woman" sounds more like Joe.

On an almost totally separate subject, does anyone else agree that Ed Grundy has got a really sexy voice? I've never noticed it before, but this week he seemed to have a lovely warm tone, expecially when messing about with his mate with Jazza.

ppeatfruit · 10/03/2013 11:54

Yes I've noticed it too sooo much nicer than Willyum's squeak!

I've just listened to the omnibus (with a box of tissues Grin) and noticed that Alice wanted to fly into Birmingham to save her dad having to meet her from Heathrow hence the going all over the place and taking a long time and she did it herself so a very independent young lady Grin

Lilymaid · 10/03/2013 12:06

Mrs A always referred to her afghans as "the girls". I have a feeling that she once admitted that she had no children because Teddy batted for the other side (or similar euphemism).

duchesse · 10/03/2013 13:00

I bet Brine could have done Heathrow to Felpesham in under 3 hours in his powerful Brinemobile (I'm imagining he drives a BMW or something) and would have been more than willing to do so. No, Alice insisted on flying to Birmigham via Timbuktu to avoid being to arrive back less than 48+ hours after the accident and thereby increase the will she/won't she get back in time suspense factor.

OliviaMumsnet · 10/03/2013 13:25

OMG so many posts
I think I need an archers book!

Waswondering · 10/03/2013 13:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ppeatfruit · 10/03/2013 13:30

Yes as I said upthread i don't think much of Alice's organisational or assertiveness skills she probably won't get offered the job anyway! but i'm overthinking it. You're right duchesse it was a suspense device by the S.W.'s. Grin

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