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

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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!

The Aga runs on oil. They ran out of oil for it a few years back: Monday 24th February, 2014, "Ruth bemoans the fact that the AGA has run out of fuel and that they can't get a delivery until the end of the week, she is freezing." They have an electric stove for summer use so on that occasion the Aga being temporarily out of commission didn't mean they had to cook elsewhere. So the problem this time can't have been with the gas supply. I'm afraid it was simply SW error and the lack of an archivist that was going on.

And anyway why was Brookfield having a broken cooker needed for the plot? The only Brookfield person who spoke was Ruth, and the Brookfield refugees had no bearing on the sudden call for a vet nurse. Ruth could equally well have gone over to The Stables with some gift or other for them and mentioned Stella managing not to pick fights over nothing then. The whole "Oh no they can't cook the Christmas meal" melodrama was nonsense, especially since whoever at Brookfield came down in the pre-dawn hush ready to go out and milk the cows would have noticed immediately by the cold kitchen if the Aga had gone out, so they would have known about it well before Denise and co were prepping sprouts for the meal at the Stables.

Poor Leonard having to sit through Paul’s father’s cycling pictures. That man is a saint.

I quite enjoyed the romantic tension between Denise and Alistair but only because I like scenes like that. Denise gets on my nerves. I wouldn’t mind being told I was beautiful by Alistair though.

Elizabeth was the one sitting through the pictures of cycling in the Pyrenees; John and Leonard had been discussing the best way to mend bicycle chains.

@Roysnewshirt It's not so much Alistair telling Denise is beautiful per se but the fact that she is married to someone else. Her telling Alistair that she and John are going through "some issues" at the moment doesn't make it any better to my mind but worse.

Considering Alistair's relationship history, one might expect him to behave a bit less think-with-the-gonads, really.

I thought Alistair's comment was inappropriate, it can be uncomfortable working with a employer who fancies you.
Let's have Paul with Alistair/small animals and Denise with Jakob/equine and farm visits😏

Yes. We know that Paul has already been doing large animal visits, and we know that Denise has done small animal stuff for yonks; time their training was broadened out a bit!

Am so fed up with no one checking the ludicrousness of storylines - the Brookfield cooker collapse is a classic example, but also Grey Gables. And all the recent equine stuff - the fireworks/the idea of a wellness spa for a medium size stables/Alice never having heard about a near neighbour who’d been forced out of eventing by injury. I’ve ridden all my life, though not a pro like Alice, and would be furious with my DH (or indeed ex) buying a pony for a child of mine without consulting me in the choice at all, let alone how it’s going to be housed/looked after. It was completely improbable that Alice came round to the idea almost immediately IMO.
They need the MN Archers contributors to form an advisory board…

Joy would have insisted they go to hers and the new houses are big aren't they.
As Lily said immediately, the Bull would have also helped, I presume they don't do Christmas lunch and Jolene would have said yes, of course, use the pub kitchen.
They could have driven around, and driven things back wrapped in foil.
Most desperate scenario, chop the turkey into smaller bits and fit it in the Rickyard oven.
Ridiculous option - take it all to a house already full of people with an oven already full of food.

I still enjoyed the episode though! I find the Archers a much better listen if I don't try and equate it to real life. It's a soap, often soaps are silly for the sake of entertainment.

I like Alistair and I like Denise. I hope they get together. Her husband sounds like a selfish dullard. This doesn't mean I condone extra-marital liaisons in real life, it's a soap!

I like both Alistair and Denise. I can see that they might end up together. But not this way please. Given his own painful marital experiences with Shula I'd have thought that Alistair would be considerate enough to stand well clear of getting more involved with Denise professionally or personally. I just think the character of Alistair has more integrity and moral compass to allow his own feelings to have the upper hand here.

He is surely sufficiently self-aware to know that to welcome Denise back with open arms to the practice and to arrange things that the two of them are working closely together is extraordinarily irresponsible given the level of his feelings for her.

But there again maybe this is the aspect of Alastair's character - of throwing caution to the wind, of not thinking of anyone or anything else - which got him bogged down in gambling addiction a few years ago? And what is Paul going to make of it all as he sees his mum and his boss becoming romantically entwined?

awful Christmas Day ep and stupidly implausible "plot". 1/10 for the SW there.

I love the Denise actor, but i really really can't stand the way she says Alastair. yuk. Irrational, i know.

Aww. I quite liked the episode. I do want Alastair and Denise to get together, it's been obvious to anybody that her marriage isn't worth the paper it's written on if she can be in Ambridge for so long including Christmas. I'm glad she's got a job at the practice and that the stars are aligning with Alastair, even if I'm the only one, wouldn't be the first time on this thread that my opinion is the odd one out 😆

No mention of what I thought was the inevitable plot line of Lillian making up with Justin in time for Christmas, or have I missed that? I don't think I've listened very thoroughly to episodes recently. Too much turkey basting and present wrapping multi-tasking going on 🤣

For all that the horsey stuff annoys me due to implausibility I'm more or less happy to suspend disbelief for 15 minutes of radio fiction.

PuppyPerson
Joy would have insisted they go to hers and the new houses are big aren't they.

Except Joy was eating at The Stables and wouldn't have known about the problem until the ludicrous solution had been arrived at.

Three-bed, but whether they have an actual dining-room we don't know.

bakedpotatoforlunch
Given his own painful marital experiences with Shula I'd have thought that Alistair would be considerate enough to stand well clear of getting more involved with Denise professionally or personally. I

His first wife went off with someone else, too.

Grimchmas
it's been obvious to anybody that her marriage isn't worth the paper it's written on if she can be in Ambridge for so long including Christmas

Denise was in Ambridge for four weeks while John allowed Rufus to stay in their house, and the four weeks did not include Christmas. (29th October – 25th November)

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime did she go back and come back to ambridge? I must have missed that

I’ve not just heard the news about Roy and I have to say I’m genuinely upset. RIP Ian

They may decide to recast both Robert and Roy.

I suspect they wanted the impact of the loss of Jenny-Darling not to be overshadowed before the 1st year anniversary? maybe why we've not heard much about Titchener's funeral?

Jolene needed to go over and have a word with Lilian about being a "silent" partner (or is she usually so active in "running" the pub? also, thinking about the Tearoom, does she pay for her drinks?) and not telling my staff off for being late or telling a woman to smile (I'd have told her to take her own miserable face away from the bar in case it put paying punters off)

What was the significance of that fallen tree? I wondered for a moment if Ed had been out practicing his tree surgery or if clearing the tree will somehow take him closer to his goal. Either way - bit of a coincidence that he mentions tree surgery then a tree falls down. I haven’t found any of TA particularly Christmassy over the festive season - everyone round to what is essentially a shared student house at The Stables felt particularly unrealistic. Missed the tree decorating at Bridge Farm (which used to be a bit of a Christmas set piece) - I like a little peek (or whatever is the aural equivalent) into a few homes around the village, a Nativity play or skating at LL. I’m happy for Alistair and Denise to get together, but the whole sock-swallowing dog thing felt slightly contrived. Not loving any of it at the moment - I feel like it’s lost it’s way a bit and everything feels a bit disconnected.

Why does Ed have to be self-employed? Why can’t he just get the grant, do the training, and get a decent job with, oh I don’t know… the Forestry Commission? Good salary, good pension, paid annual leave! Then if he really wants to set up on his own he can save some money and do it that way. There’s never any common sense and it does my head in.

Sick to the back teeth with Lilian.

Ed, I'm sure he could put a business plan together and get a small business loan to buy the truck and equipment ? The training costs are covered so that's all good.

He will lose income whilst training, I wonder how long it lasts?

I can't help feeling that the script writers are setting Ed for a nasty accident when he inevitably cuts corners whilst performing tree surgery. Maybe cutting off a few finders or hand.

@TherapistInATabard My thoughts exactly re: Ed!

Did anybody find the scenes involving the Christmas lunch ludicrous?

There's no way you would still be peeling potatoes when your guests arrive as you are at least 1 and 20 minutes away from dishing up at the point; need to boil the pots and then roast them. The sequencing was all wrong. Obviously the SW has never cooked s Christmas lunch before

And as for the lazy story line of the Brookfield cooker breaking....the less said the better.

And as for Chris and effing pony. If I was Alice I would be bloody annoyed as I can get you she will be the one who ends up be responsible for it, feeding it and mucking it out. Unless Chris pays the stables for livery? A pony 8s a big commitment.

Denise has a horrible laugh.

I think I'm one of the few who was really pleased Denise wasn't around and am sorely disappointed that she's back?

Push off Lilian.

Ed - well, one thing he can do is cut up the fallen tree and sell the wood?

Don't the Forestry Commission take on trainees/apprentices?

@SaffyRosie @LillianGish Yes, I'm drawing a personal veil over Christmas in Ambridge 2023. Hoping for better writing in 2024 - please, SWs!