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.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like more of Gagriculture, or other unusual views.

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For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

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!

So, Adil’s leaving?

So why all the effort introducing not just him but also his sister?

It’s too much to hope that Helen will follow through.

Thinking of Lower Loxley and what Oliver called "the stately home experience"
He said 'country house', I think.
Ding dong.

He did indeed say ‘country house’, @MerryChristmasToYou . Unlike the SWs, the daft old beggar remembers LL as it is, rather than the bastard version of Blenheim or Chatsworth the writers now seem to have in what might loosely be termed their minds.

Do peacock get rabies? If so, please can one peevishly peck Lily?

Proud to have introduced the term 'ding dong'.

Ding dong to you too!

I see Natasha and Tom, between last night and today, also came to the same conclusion as me and downgraded the plan from saving 'the profit' for Henry to saving a proportion of the profit for him.

Whatever proportion it was, it surely wasn't going to equal the value of the land that Jack will receive. But hopefully that will be the last we hear of the ridiculous plan anyway so I won't need to worry about its manifold failings.

It was a part, not the whole, of ‘any profits’ last night as well. I particularly liked the ‘any’.

You get a Ding Dong and you get a Ding Dong! Ding Dongs all round!!

Oh, my bad. It's a terrible idea either way.

Ding dong merrily on high. In Ambridge dongs are dinging
Ding dong, verily we sigh, TA is flaming minging
No oh oh oh oh oh oh, it needs some new archivists

😆

Just me thinking of seconds out, then! Reminds me of the wrestling on ITV on Saturday afternoons back in the 1970s.

I knew Helen's threat to leave Ambridge would cause little wailing and gnashing of teeth here!

Hasn’t she emotionally blackmailed her parents before?

I really disliked Lily in that episode. Poor Brad, I’m glad he refused to be manipulated.

Brads now confused because he thinks Lily fancies him 🙄

lily trying to get into grey gables to help LL is really pathetic

what she learnt from Brad is why people are leaving - much better benefits. Although I very much doubt that all the staff are allowed to use the gym

i don't think adil is going anywhere

Lily also mentioned to Chelsea that she was trying to find out who else was leaving because maybe they could offer them something to stay. Chelsea might be wanting a pay rise herself after hearing that and might possibly tell the rest of the staff too.

Lily was awful - but she always is. Brad is gormless.

Not so gormless as to get in the car with Lily.

Gormless enough to misunderstand lilys intentions.

I didn't get that impression. I thought he realised she was trying to manipulate him but maybe I missed something.

What Lily didn't learn is what Brad told Chelsea - that he doesn't get on with his direct line manager in the Orangery and doesn't feel appreciated at LL. I don't think Lily yet realises that there are push as well as pull factors in their staff leaving. Maybe they've been unhappy for a while and it's just that now a realistic alternative has presented itself.

I wondered whether Chelsea's status would go down in Lily's eyes. She was trying to butter Chelsea up by saying how well she got on with other staff, but it turned out she didn't even know that her own brother was considering leaving. Also, it didn't 100% sound like a compliment, even at the time, to say to Chelsea that she was always seen chatting and laughing with other staff, my impression was that there was an insinuation that Chelsea stands around talking when she should be working.

May be Helbel really is going to move away which is why she has had so much airtime recently. The actress may just not want to play Helen for the rest of her days. She could go silent - or just come and go like Debbie - for a few years. And then return - or not - depending on how her post-Ambridge career goes. Or Helen could die and Henry and Jack could reappear when they are older to fight it out for the BF inheritance. So many options…

Lily sounded like a rather sleazy older woman hitting on a schoolboy. I know that wasn’t the intention and she is only a few years older than Brad anyway but I think the actress got the tone wrong. The scene just sounded very off-key.

Is really that easy to move your award winning cheese production elsewhere?

I was just thinking that about the wonderful award winning Borchester Blue. Whats gonna happen to that. Oh and Im sorry but I just didnt get the poetry so I skipped it all. And I agree Susan would take the Post Office side but lovely Neil would say that there must be something to it. I too listened to the post office scandal about 2 years ago and was shocked then nothing else until the Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Oh that girl who used to be in corrie was so vile. She is a very good actress.
Perhaps they should make a drama about the Waspi's as well.