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

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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!

They haven't complained about Lily out loud for fear they'd call her up, but they all know who the real problem is. She and her mother, of course, but Lily is the worse.

I don't think there would be room in the two-bedroom Lodge for Azra, Adil and Azra's two adolescent children, would there?

(We know it only has two bedrooms because when Peggy offered to let Hazel sleep there, Kate had to decamp and live with Jakob for a couple of weeks because hers was the only bedroom apart from peggy's.)

I’m sure it will grow another 3 bedrooms for the sw purposes

Jessica was the falconry demonstrator. i think she still may be; she was last mentioned in 2022 as one of the people whose post went up in flames as a result of George's arson in the post-box. (Why was someone from Lower Loxley using a post-box in Ambridge, a different village altogether? We shall never know.) She lost a birthday card to her godchild, with thirty quid in it.

Geraldine was the manager who replaced Roy. She left after Elizabeth was even more than usually rude and unpleasant to her.

Trent, the manager of The Orangery, and Maddy, who worked in The Orangery at a higher grade than Chelsea, have left for Grey Gables.
Veronica, the manager of the shop, has left for Grey Gables.
Theresa, a cleaner who loved the antiques at LL, has left for GG.
Brad has now left The Orangery for GG.

Reminds me of the wrestling on ITV on Saturday afternoons back in the 1970s. Giant Haystack, Big Daddy and the wonderful Les Kellet.

It seemed a pretty definite statement that Adil was leaving, and Lily was definitely put out that he wouldn't be there when she did her work placement. It would be very odd for him to move to LL. Indeed, I don't think Elizabeth would accept him, having heard, as she must have done, of the GG debacle.

Thanks @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime . I'd forgotten that Azra had children. Maybe Azra will rent Kirsty's house when Helen ups sticks to pastures new. (This is highly unlikely but even though I don't want it to happen others might)

@MereDintofPandiculation , Lily can twist Elizabeth round her little finger.

I don't think Lily has much to do with running LL so I'd be surprised if she were the reason people were leaving. Elizabeth was happy to see her, briefly, the other day, and disappointed she couldn't stay for lunch. That doesn't sound to me like someone who's very present in the day to day organisation of the business. She obviously feels attached to it, hence trying to stop the staffing hemorrhage, but I don't think she's there very much since having moved out. I'll be annoyed if they try to rewrite history to make out that Lily is unpleasantly micromanaging LL staff.

Would any of you lovely people know where I would be able to buy Chorley cakes in London? Special gift for my Dad!!

No, but I know of a company that delivers them by post, if not urgent. I can look it up if that would help. If you need them for tomorrow, not going to be any use.

Morrisons But I don't expect that was quite what you were after!

I could buy some tomorrow and post them.

Morrisons Chorley cakes would be fine but we don’t have one nearby.

the online one would be great if you could - I have a couple of weeks before I need them!

thanks for the offer jay - I will try the online shop and I’ve had a tip off that I might’ve able to get them in my big sainsburys

dad is a big fan of Chorley cakes and always grumbles when he has to settle for an Eccles cake!

This is the online shop: thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/product/handmade-chorley-cakes/

I would be wary of relying on national supermarkets, unless the person who told you was local to the branch you intend to go to. I've tried getting other regional delicacies which are commonly sold in all supermarkets in the northeast, but when you go to the same supermarkets in London, they don't have them.

Lancashire recipes: Chorley cakes | Great British Life

Thanks for link - they look good! Better than store bought!

I would try and make them but baking is not my forte!

Baker in the family? I'd have a crack at them for you if we were anywhere near each other. I'm quite good at baking.

Harrison's from Lancashire. I wonder if he's got Fallon to bake these or similar. I see online that Eccles cakes have more fruit in them - is that right?

I believe the pastry is different.

Sadly my grandad was a baker so letting the family down here, so getting home baked ones through the link seems the best option for reminiscing purposes

My grandma was a baker. She used to make ‘fat cake’ which I think was just left over pastry with currants in. I wish I had the recipe.

I use puff pastry for eccles cakes. They're fruitier and sweeter. The M&S ones are good.

Yes - I think Eccles cakes are sweeter than Chorley cakes

If the chorley cakes have sugar on top, they're not right.
You can eat them with cheese, Lancashire, of course.

my grandad was apprenticed to a baker as a boy (he was born in 1913) but eventually left to work in the steel mills. He baked his own bread right up until he went into a hospice. Mostly breadcakes (we're all from Sheffield) which were fantastic.

I'll listen to the Cider Shed podcast to catch up on TA, but am enjoying not listening to the Helen Show

Did you call them oven bottom cakes? When we moved from Scotland to Leeds, my brother and I were sent out to find a shop that sold rolls. I think this was probably just to get us out of the way while my parents and the removal men got on with things. Unimaginable now that you would send two young children off in a completely strange place, but it was the 1970s. We wandered down the street, crossing at least one road, until we found a grocer's shop and went in and asked for rolls. The shopkeeper (incredibly to us) said all he could offer was 'bridge rolls' and showed us a packet of something I might now describe as hot dog rolls. He said we might have more luck in the baker's and explained how to find it. So we walked on, crossing more roads, and this time we were at least able to get large round unsweetened yeast-leavened baked goods, but they weren't like the beautiful floury fluffy morning rolls we were used to, and we were told they were called oven bottom cakes. This was our first explosure to the Leeds accent, so the way that came out was another oddity to cope with. They tasted all right, just a bit doughy.

we get oven bottoms too (when I'm at home - if anyone is interested, Lily's is the best bakery in Sheffield, in Hillsbrough)
They're slightly flatter than usual and at least one side is very brown. Great for Bacon butties