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.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please! We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

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!

@Fink USB stick of doom 😂

@TherapistInATabard that’s a very good point on dogs. There are very few in general around the village, aren’t there?

Now you mention it, @TherapistInATabard, it does seem odd Brian not having a dog all those years.

Perhaps Jenny vetoed it because of her pride in her house. She was also not really the Barbour-wearing kind-of-posh farmer's wife, was she? Nor the sort to slob about in old comfy clothes. I once heard Brian describe her as "slim as a bluebell" and I can imagine her taking pride in constantly looking put-together in her clothes (bought from Underwoods, of course).

She will have to fight it out to the death with Ena Sharples, who is already in residence and has been described by one of the vets as "worse than Hilda".

Brian did have a dog. Fly, I think. They had an ugly concrete dog statue bought from Eddie because Ruairi said it reminded him of the dog.

The current canines are Bess, Ruby, Monty and Holly, I think.

Holly?

Fly was a sheep-dog, from when they had sheep.

Holly is Ed's untrained mutt, bought in an attempt to make up to George for the dog Ed shot for no reason.

William's dog Kai is still around; back in October George threatened to feed Lola the guinea-pig to him as a snack.

Of course!
I'd forgotten there were two hell-cats with Coronation Street names. In my mind there was just the one.
Remind me where Ena came from originally please?

Hilda, after showing no signs of fertility for two-and-a-half years after Peggy got her, suddenly and unexpectedly had a litter of five kittens, of whom Ena Sharples was one.

I leave other people to contemplate the probability of an unspeyed adult cat which comes into season only once in three years rather than every two or three weeks over every summer (ie between February and October).

Hilda was coming into season regularly but was doing it outside recording hours and was hiding it quite well with her usual unpredictable demeanour.

There were no local tomcats for her to make kittens with until a couple of months before the kittens arrived.

Ah yes, it's all coming back to me now!

Ah, of course. It's either that or it was another well-researched storyline.

It was both.

I would give a very wide berth to any tea room, or indeed Te Rum, which played those horrendous warbly pan pipes as background 😱

My dad, for about 3 years straight, had a first floor office and the local pan pipe band used to busk every day all day just below. He is definitely no longer a fan.

I just made a similar comment on the spoilers thread... have the Aldridges ever had dogs?

I reckon Brian will end up with the cat (maybe/partly due to Kate's influence).

Nice to hear some actual farming although sad to hear the reality of it.

also, I think Hilda has introduced a far more interesting SL than the bloody titcheners. Poor cat but she and Brian will end up firm friends.

Another good episode!!

That was rather affecting. Nicely contrasted with Hilda nonsense.

Who is the sw this week? So far they’ve done a good job

Ram lamb ding dong

Re panpipe music

Our GP surgery used to play panpipe music in the waiting room.
The really painful bit is that the panpipes were playing old classic rock tunes. The Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction," for example. It was teeth-grindingly excruciating, especially to a (then) middle-aged hippy like me

@SequentialAnalyst , it was probably a ploy to discourage patients from going there.

The thread seems to have filled up quite quickly after the recipes.

Poppins2016
have the Aldridges ever had dogs?

Between at least 2002 (maybe earlier) and 2012 they had a sheepdog called Fly, of whom Ruairi was particularly fond. After Fly died, Eddie Grundy talked Ruairi into spending all his pocket money on a concrete statue of a dog.

The statue was found decapitated in the Home Farm garden after the Gills had moved in; Jennifer was horrified.

I miss Jennydarling

I’ve been thinking that, there’s no heart to TA any more.