Archers thread #159: Sad news as 2023 draws to a close - RIP Ian Pepperell (Roy Tucker). Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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We start this thread with the very sad news that Ian Pepperell, who played Roy Tucker from 1995 without a break, has died at the age of 53. There's a lovely tribute to him in this article from Jeremy Howe, the current Editor. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/23/the-archers-actor-ian-pepperell-dies-aged-53-roy-archer-eastenders

Graham Blockey, who played Robert Snell, died just over a year ago, also far too young (66). https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/much-loved-surrey-gp-archers-25524449 As yet, Robert survives in Ambridge.

I do hope they don't re-cast Robert, but it might work for Roy, I suppose, after a suitable interval. They've re-cast Tony, Tom, Kate, Pip, Clarrie and Emma, mostly successfully. I still wish Tom and Pip hadn't been re-cast. New Tom is a good actor but so was Old Tom.

Meanwhile, several very elderly members of the cast survive, and long may that continue, although not necessarily on air. I think most of us would say that the time has come for Jill to become a silent character, following the precedent of Peggy and Christine.

So! Christmas next week - will it be the best Christmas ever at either Brookfield or The Stables, or both? Then it's 2024. What does the New Year hold for The Archers? Over to you!

@WombatCowgirl I also wondered if Henry's doggedly independent birthday meal out will be stalked by Miles for instance, or a not-dead Rob.
Maybe Rob will reappear - Bobby Ewing-like - in Helen's shower. "You didn't think I'd really left you did you?" 😬

Wasn’t there that misunderstanding too with Brian and Joy where his kids thought he might be having a relationship with her when there was that whole thing about Jenny’s clothes from the charity shop?

It was Tony whose kids thought was having a fling with Joy.

Jenny’s clothes were bought by Joy at a jumble sale. Alice got upset by it I think.

No it was Brian. Alice was upset and I think Joy went round to give the item back to Brian. Someone turned up and Joy hid because she was embarrassed and that led to the confusion

There was definitely an accusation relating to Tony and Joy. It was because Tony was spending a lot of time helping her with her vintage MG.

being set up as the femme fatale!

I feel like she’s too young for Brian and Tony

Debbie had a thoroughly nasty, acrimonious confrontation with Brian about him giving her mother's clothes and jewellery to Joy, in front of Joy. (Adam, not Brian, had given them to a Bring and Buy sale.) Brian was understandably furious with Debbie for her loathsome attack on Joy.

Joy didn't have a chance to hide: having walked into Brian's house without bothering to knock (and did she really think that if Brian was canoodling with someone he wouldn't have bothered to lock the door against his interminably intrusive children? the woman was demented) Debbie launched herself like an Exocet.

Synopsis for Tuesday 21st March, 2023, says
"There being a wrong end of the stick available, Debbie has grasped it firmly and is berating her father and accusing him of having refused to eat out with her because Joy was coming over; no wonder Joy behaved strangely round her at the shop! This part of her tirade completely bewilders Brian, who has no idea what she is talking about. She asks whether this is a new thing, or has it been going on for a while? She refuses to accept that he and Joy might just have been talking, and tells him she has seen it all before. Brian can't believe this sort of thing would even cross her mind: he is grieving for her mother and hasn't the slightest interest in Joy, or any other woman. At this critical moment Joy comes back in, clearly having heard that a row is going on, and says that if this is about Jennifer's brooch, she will give it back – which naturally Debbie assumes to mean that Brian is giving away her mother's jewellery. When he says she doesn't understand, she says coldly that she thinks she does. He really doesn't change, does he? Don't touch her! Poor mum, she sobs; what did she ever do to deserve this? Thank God she doesn't know."

When Adam managed to get it through her thick skull that she had been entirely mistaken, she went round to "apologise" to Brian and made things even worse:

Wednesday 22nd March, 2023
At Willow Cottage Brian invites Debbie in but is clearly still ruffled about her vicious attack on him and Joy; he tells her she will be relieved to know he is on his own today and that she can check the cottage if she likes: he hasn't got any fancy-women hidden upstairs. She stumbles through the form of an apology while he listens in perhaps a slightly forbidding silence: she didn't mean to, she was upset, being back in Ambridge has brought up a lot of memories, she got the wrong end of the stick... Brian tells her she got more than the wrong end: has she any idea how embarrassing that was? She replies that of course she does, and Brian points out it was not just embarrassing for him, but also for Joy, who was only there because she felt awkward about what had happened with Alice, to which Debbie replies she didn't know about that. Brian agrees that no, she didn't; she just started flinging around preposterous allegations. She says all right, she is sorry, and when he repeats 'sorry' on a note of incredulity she says look, she messed up and she doesn't know what more he wants her to say. Then she adds 'you can hardly blame me', and Brian becomes angry, especially when she says it looked as if he was keen to erase all trace of Mum. From there things can only go downhill, with him saying he doesn't need books to remember her mother and her talking about his track record and accusing him of having affairs with women in addition to Siobhán, of whom she mentions Caroline and Mandy Beesborough before saying those are only the ones they know about, at which he protests. She is just being honest, she tells him furiously. In the course of the argument she says that forgiving isn't the same as forgetting, and starts to cry as she tells him they all had to watch what he put Mum through; when he points out that Jennifer was not always faithful either she asks him indignantly why he thinks Jennifer went back to Roger, and talks of all the things she had to put up with to keep the family together. No wonder it affected her heart! That is enough for Brian, who tells her he is not going to be blamed for bringing about her mother's death. Now get out. When she asks him to let her explain, he says coldly that he thinks she has 'explained' enough; doesn't she?

Very similarly, Tom decided that Joy was making a pass at Tony, and attacked her when she was at Bridge Farm for Christmas Dinner in 2019: Lowfield for that day

Joy suggests they play charades while they wait for pudding. She asks Lee to come and help her. Lee refuses and Joy calls on Tony to help. The answer is Dirty Dancing and Joy is a bit too expressive for Tom. Natasha says Tom has had too much to drink. Tom says it makes him sick the way Joy is always sniffing around Tony and he is appalled the way Tony lets her. Tony and Pat remonstrate loudly.

Joy apologises profusely but Pat and Tony are very angry with Tom. Joy wails she has ruined it all and she runs out crying. Tom is finally sorry but everyone is still cross with him.

I’d completely forgotten about Debbie’s massive confrontation with Brian! Thanks @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime and @Bruisername .

Thanks @Bruisername and @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime for filling in the details, I’m glad I hadn’t imagined it! I’d forgotten about the Tony part too. They do have instances of similar storylines at times it seems.

Well I’ve now learned a new word - Exocet!

Oh FFS. Can’t Tom have a fatal encounter with a slurry flood or something.

Quite. Tom is ALWAYS in the wrong but he never realises it until he’s cause terrible upset and offence.

I think Exocets may be a bit old hat these days but it was what came to mind.

Where is Pat? I'd have thought we'd have heard her at her grandson's 13th birthday party. And also lending some sort of moral support to Tony after the disaster with Kate's bags of clothes.

Hmm, this makes me think that we are supposed to think that Joy is attractive? I’m intrigued by her backstory too. The famous Rochelle! I wonder if she (Joy) might have been in an abusive relationship and perhaps got out, but is now no contact with her daughter - perhaps she wasn’t believed? She seems to have an affinity with Helen’s situation. When Joy first arrived, I didn’t like the character - I found her cartoonish. I’m glad she’s had some storylines where she is compassionate and kind; I want to know more about her now!

We haven't heard Pat speak since 17th November, when she and Joy went to rescue Helen from the moribund Rob.

Agreed the Glasto wristband will turn up at the jumble!

And I'm predicting Jakob will ask Kate to move in with him - I know it didn't work before but he seems to be more demonstratively fond of her at the mo and they have been going out for years now...

Jack sounds so annoying. I suppose it’s genetic

do we need to hear more about Henry and his anxiety? The conversations all sound like self help influencers insta reels. And Helen going on about being overprotective - that’s not how i would have described her parenting tbh. It’s getting a bit wearisome now

I think that Helen has had a good deal more of her share of storylines this past year. I'd welcome a break from her for a while to be honest. Let someone else have a chance.

In fact why not bring in some new characters altogether? Who is living at Home Farm for example? What about Adil's sister? She featured briefly but has not (yet) returned. It's all very well listening to the Grundys' latest trials and tribulations and Lilian's cackle at Justin's latest business deals (now they're back together), Tom' annoyingness etc, etc but sometimes I feel a little bit....dare I say it, bored?

I've been an Archers listener for over thirty years, and I'll continue to tune in for now but come on SWs, let's have some fresh characters and engaging storylines in 2024!

Where is Kate living? She said she wasn't planning to stay at Jakob's tonight.

Thinking of storylines how about Rex in one. Or has he slipped off his mooring into the river ?

To be honest Josh is underused too.

Has Hannah moved in with Stella yet or are Ruth and David still to be asked ?

Kate has moved in with Brian

i assume silence from Hannah means she is living with Stella. Would be odd to let it drag out any further

agree that I’m bored of Helen. Not keen on adil and his sister though

If that's the SL they choose I shall not be listening.
It will make TA into a Soap, and soaps don't get mental health right.
TA doesn't do very well with the mh stories they do do.

I've been an Archers listener for over thirty years, and I'll continue to tune in for now but come on SWs, let's have some fresh characters and engaging storylines in 2024!

Interesting! I’ve been listening for twice that amount of time (admittedly sometimes intermittently over the first 30 years) and what I crave is better and more careful portrayal of the established characters. For me, new characters should serve to throw light on unexpected evolutions in the people we already know. Until they’ve quietly earned their place.

Happy New Year, everyone, btw!