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!

Must have; she was in Ambridge for four weeks, according to her and Alistair's little chat over the unconscious dog. And she arrived there at the end of October.

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. Didn’t Moike Tucker lose an eye while working as a tree surgeon?

Bc I guess most tree surgeons are self employed, also many working class families only have experience of farm work or similar self employment?

LillianGish
Didn’t Moike Tucker lose an eye while working as a tree surgeon?

Mike Tucker lost his eye while doing casual work for the Estate when Cameron Fraser was in charge of it in 1991. He and Jim Ascott were silaging, and Jim failed to connect the tractor pickup to the trailer properly, so when he pulled away in the tractor the hydraulic line between the two broke, whipped back and hit Mike in the face.

I am not sure Mike was ever an actual tree surgeon; he was involved in forestry, and he occasionally cut down trees and he certainly cut up downed trees for firewood and he was the Ambridge tree-warden or something of the sort, but is that the same thing? Ed does these things with his "old chainsaw" now.

That's what I was thinking about Ed. Get a job - be an employee!

Also agree about Lilian.

There are companies who do tree surgery and similar things. There were four or five men dealing with a tree near me the other day with a company van. The council also employs tree surgeons in the country parks (there are quite a few in my area).

You need two people for insurance reasons if you're doing tree surgery, and you need insurance because you are likely to be playing all among the power cables up in the trees. I mean even if you don't feel any concern about personal injury doing a job that involves juggling a chainsaw whilst up a ladder, you still have to have insurance for public liability.

The reason Ed always wants to be self-employed is that he has his proide, which has always mattered more to him than feeding his family did.

What happened to Jaime Perks the tree surgeon or has he moved to the other side of the Borchester bypass, and is now forgotten?

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime you are magnificent. Thank you.

I met a couple at NCT in which the man was a fireman who also had his own tree surgery business. Makes sense when you think about it. Apparently the shifts with the fire service made it easy for him to combine the two, it was good extra income and all used the same skills of working at height.

Kathy said he had moved to Herefordshire. She planned to join him there after his travels.

Most tree surgeons seem to work in pairs at least. The common business model is for a small number of employees, rather than sole trading.. But Ed does seem to have a horror of working for an employer, possibly along with the contempt for employees that often goes along with that attitude.

Yes; when she got back in June from her road-trip in America, she was going to sell April Cottage to fund a house near her son in Hereford. (Nice area round there. I hope she will be happy.)

Lilian was absolutely poisonous to both Emma and Tracey last night. I hope she slips in a puddle on her way back to the Dower House and gets soaked and muddy from head to foot.

Will she go back to the Dower House? I think she wants Justin to come and fetch her and do a bit of grovelling, and if he doesn't she has ever so slightly burnt her bridges.

Hasn't Ed been here before - didn't he buy a tractor at some point to earn good money? And weren't the Texels also a business idea?

You can HP a suitable vehicle to be a tree surgeon, I'm sure.

And I've employed a solo tree surgeon a few times. Granted it's smaller trees but he charged through the nose

but you need good credit history to HP - not sure Ed would qualify.

He did.
They were.

He has lots of good ideas, it's just the carrying them out that seems to elude him, though he did sell Peppa Pig for a tidy sum; five thousand pounds, I think. What he spent it on I don't know

I’m sure someone’s mentioned it (just catching up - happy Christmas everyone!) but isn’t Jamie Perks a tree surgeon?

He is. In Hereford.

Crumbs - Alis-stare is coming on a bit strong now…

Your tiny hand is frozen!

Spot on.

The chip on Ed’s shoulder is a full on serving platter of dauphinois at this stage.

I think Kate will be proved right for once (re. Harry's aura) 🫥