The Archers, (written in 2007)

Continued from part 1 of the Lonympics archers page from a pony called Chandler (who had to be put down) to a horse, Spearmint. She is friends with both Adam and Debbie. The Pargetter family Nigel Pargetter (Graham Seed, formerly by Nigel Caliburn, now Carrington) is the eccentric aristocratic owner of Lower Loxley Hall, a mansion on the outskirts of Ambridge. He used to be considered to be something of the "idiot son" of the family, once going to a hunt ball dressed in a gorilla suit, but saving the hall has somewhat stopped this view. Married to Elizabeth and father of twins Lily and Freddie, he was convicted of drink-driving in 2003. His beloved mother Julia died suddenly in December 2005. Elizabeth Pargetter, née Archer (Alison Dowling) is Phil and Jill's youngest daughter and, along with Kenton, at first rejected village life, attempting a career in publicity in London. She returned to Ambridge but endured a disastrous relationship with local businessman Cameron Fraser (which resulted in Elizabeth undergoing a secret abortion) before snaring Nigel Pargetter, the owner of a local manor house, Lower Loxley. Elizabeth and Nigel have developed the stately home as a conference venue. Elizabeth was born with a heart defect. She became pregnant and had twins, Lily and Freddie, but the strain of the pregnancy on her heart meant that she soon afterwards had to undergo a heart valve replacement operation. Elizabeth is highly critical of the way David manages the Brookfield estate, and Elizabeth's mother-in-law Julia, who lived in the family pile until her recent demise, was highly critical of Elizabeth. The Tucker family Mike Tucker (Terry Molloy) lost an eye in a farming accident, for which Brian Aldridge was responsible. He was regarded as one of the most humourless characters in the village, even before the death of his beloved wife Betty in December 2005. Mike was unsuccessful as a farmer, having gone bankrupt in the 1980s, and now runs a milk round in Ambridge. He also undertakes occasional forestry work. On New Year's Day 2007, he was run over by Helen Archer, but rescued by Robert Snell. When Tom took the blame, Tucker stopped him from having a relationship with Brenda, his daughter. However, after finding out that Helen was driving he became more sympathetic and apologised to Tom. Roy Tucker (Ian Pepperell) was formerly part of a teenage gang which perpetrated a series of racist attacks on Usha Gupta. Realising the error of his ways, he went on to gain a degree in business studies at Felpersham University and now works at Grey Gables, recently being promoted to deputy manager. He had an on/off relationship with Kate Aldridge, which resulted in their daughter Phoebe, born in 1998, but is now married to Hayley. He, Hayley and Phoebe live with Mike Tucker in Willow Farm. Hayley Tucker, née Jordan (Lorraine Coady, formerly played by Lucy Davis) comes from Birmingham and first appeared as John Archer's girlfriend. Initially her urban background led to her being unprepared for rural life. Hayley and John split up shortly before his death in a tractor accident in 1998. In 2001 she married Roy Tucker and became stepmother to Phoebe; she continues to find Kate Aldridge's visits from South Africa to Ambridge uncomfortable. Hayley works at Lower Loxley as nanny to Freddie and Lily Pargetter. Despite Betty's sudden death, Hayley remains unhappy at living with her father-in-law and wishes that she and Roy had a home of their own. Brenda Tucker (Amy Shindler) has had some controversial short-term relationships, with Debbie's husband, with Lilian's then (much younger) lover and with Lilian's son. For several years she worked at Radio Borsetshire, until leaving home in 2005 to pursue a media studies degree. She returned home when her mother died suddenly in December 2005. Feeling unable to return to university, leaving her father so soon after Betty's death, she decided to transfer to Felpersham University, planning to return to her studies in September 2006. She started dating Tom Archer following a Valentine kiss after they grew closer in the weeks after her mother's death. Despite her often-quoted intelligence and ambition, Brenda appears content to continue working for Tom's burger venture. She has now moved in with Tom. The Carter family Neil Carter (Brian Hewlett), is another business failure. Susan wanted him to be a white collar worker but he decided that he was a pigman at heart. He used to be Tom's partner in a piggery. The family lived in a caravan, after selling their house, until he finished a self-build house on his own land. He dislikes all Grundys but especially Ed, who, until his disappearance, lived in the caravan with Emma and George. Susan Carter, née Horrobin (Charlotte Martin) briefly became the most notorious Archers character ever when her imprisonment at Christmas 1993 for assisting her armed-robber brother Clive Horrobin led to the launch of the "Free the Ambridge One" campaign. Questions were asked in the House of Commons of then Home Secretary Michael Howard. Her aspirational tendencies took a hammering when daughter Emma married into the Grundy family in 2004, but in 2006 she was approved by the Royal Mail for the position of sub-postmistress despite her criminal record. She had previously worked for several years at the village shop and post office, and as Tom Archer's assistant in his sausage-making business. Other Ambridge residents Rev Alan Franks (John Telfer) was appointed vicar of Ambridge and neighbouring parishes in 2003, moving from Nottingham where he had previously worked as an accountant and a non-stipendiary minister. He was widowed before moving to Ambridge and is father to Amy, currently studying at the local college. In late 2005, his blossoming relationship with Usha Gupta, a Hindu, caused some unease to some of his parishioners, including Shula Hebden Lloyd. Usha Gupta (Souad Faress, formerly played by Sudha Bhuchar) works as a solicitor in Felpersham and is one of very few ethnic minority characters in the series. On moving into the village, Usha was the subject of a harassment campaign by a racist gang which included Roy Tucker. To offer support and protection the local GP, Richard Locke (William Gaminara), then her lover, moved into her house, Blossom Hill Cottage, shortly afterwards. When she discovered that he had had an affair with Shula Hebden she ended the relationship and threw him out. More recently, some local parishioners made complaints to the bishop when Alan, the vicar, began a relationship with Usha (who is Hindu). Usha is also regularly on the receiving end of helpful advice about her unmarried status by her Aunty Satya (Jamilla Massey), an occasional visitor to Ambridge from Usha's home town of Wolverhampton who has attempted to match-make for her on numerous occasions. Caroline Sterling, née Bone, formerly Pemberton (Sara Coward) moved to the village in the 1977, aged 22, when she was hired by Sid as barmaid in the Bull. Her career took off when in 1979 Jack Woolley offered her a job at Grey Gables and she progressed up to become manager. Upon Jack's retirement, she and partner Oliver Sterling managed to raise funds to buy the hotel and she is now proprietor. On her arrival she soon attracted the attention of many of the male villagers - she once had an affair with Brian Aldridge, and was romantically linked with former village Doctor Matthew Thorogood, and businessman and one-time estate owner Cameron Fraser (who disappeared with £60,000 of her savings), and she was engaged to non-stipendiary minister and vet Robin Stokes. In 1995 she married the new owner of the estate, Guy Pemberton, but after only seven months of marriage he suffered a heart attack and died leaving her the Dower House and a majority share in the Bull (which she sold to Lilian Bellamy, in order to raise funds to buy Grey Gables). When Oliver Sterling moved to the village she began an affair with him and they eventually moved into Grange Farm together. They were married in June 2006. Sid Perks (Alan Devereux) is landlord of the village pub, The Bull, although he first came to Ambridge from Birmingham where he had been sent to borstal for breaking and entering. He has previously been widowed and divorced but his third marriage to country singer Jolene is happier. He displayed vitriolic homophobia towards Sean Myerson when the latter captained the village cricket team, and again when Adam Macy began a relationship with Ian, the Grey Gables chef. In early 2006, Sid and Jolene worried that Caroline Pemberton's decision to sell her controlling interest in The Bull would threaten the pub's future, but were relieved when Lilian bought her share. Kathy Perks (Hedli Niklaus), formerly married to Sid, now lives at April Cottage with her son Jamie. She manages the café and shop at Lower Loxley and organises occasional film nights at the village hall. Kenton Archer started going out with her but they quarrelled when he brought back his three year old daughter, Meriel, to Ambridge and expected Kathy to look after her. Miserable and alone, Kathy befriended Lower Loxley chef, Owen King, but he raped her just before Christmas 2004. It has taken Kathy a long time to trust a man again and Kenton has shown uncharacteristic patience in helping her to rebuild her confidence. Lynda Snell (Carole Boyd) is the inhabitant of Ambridge Hall, wife of computer expert Robert Snell. She moved to Ambridge from Sunningdale in 1986 and is resented as an outsider. She is a keen gardener, and is often involved in disputes with her neighbour Joe Grundy. In 2003 she acquired two llamas, Constanza and Wolfgang who have been known to roam around the village. She attempts to produce a play every Christmas, and often drives villagers to distraction in her attempts to fill parts. In 2004-05 Lynda ran a campaign to renovate the former Cat & Fiddle pub. Despite recruiting the help of Griff Rhys Jones, the scheme failed and the building will instead become flats. January 2006 saw Lynda elected to the parish council alongside Lilian Bellamy. Matt Crawford (Kim Durham) of Nightingale Farm is the chairman of Borchester Land, a property development company, one of whose directors is Brian Aldridge. An outsider by birth, Matt often appears to work himself into positions of power, such as the parish council, and many of the villagers are often suspicious of his motives. For example, when local vet Alistair owed him a gambling debt, Matt said that he would reduce the amount he owed in exchange for the administration of performance enhancing drugs to one of his racehorses. Alistair refused, and Crawford increased the pressure, forcing Alistair and Shula to take out a mortgage on the stables, which they already owned. Matt's estate manager Graham Ryder (Malcolm McKee) is often seen as his puppet and many suspected that Matt directed his unsuccessful parish council election campaign in 2003. In 2005, Matt divorced his wife Yvette and has since moved in with his new partner Lilian Bellamy. Visitors and visitations Heather Pritchard (Joyce Gibbs) Ruth Archer's widowed mother who lives in Prudhoe, Northumberland. She is now a rare guest in Ambridge. Siobhan Donovan (formerly Hathaway, Caroline Lennon) was married to the new local doctor Tim Hathaway when Irish born translator Siobhan and her husband moved in to Honeysuckle Cottage. The marriage fell under stain when Siobhan miscarried a much wanted baby. The marriage collapsed completely after Siobhan's affair with Brian Aldridge was revealed, resulting in a child Ruairidh and also from Tim's strong attraction to the Ambridge female vicar Janet Fisher, which was mutual. Siobhan still makes occasional appearances in The Archers when Brian makes clandestine visits to Germany, where Siobhan now lives and works, to see his son, while supposedly on business trips to Hungary. Former principal characters Over the years some of the original cast members have died, left the show or retired and their characters have had to be replaced or killed off by the scriptwriters. Dan Archer (Harry Oakes, Monte Crick, Edgar Harrison and Frank Middlemass) was the first owner of Brookfield and the patriarch of the Archer family. The character survived the deaths of the first three actors before finally being killed off in 1986. Elizabeth witnessed his fatal attempt to rescue a sheep in difficulty, despite her pleading with him not to. Doris Archer (Gwen Berryman), Dan's wife and mother of Phil Archer and his siblings. Her death was discovered by Shula in 1980. Grace Archer (Monica Gray and Ysanne Churchman) was Phil Archer's first wife and the first major character to be killed off. The episode featuring her death was first broadcast on 22 September 1955. The previous night, which happened to be the night that ITV (now ITV1), the UK's first commercial television channel was launched, she received fatal injuries, trying to rescue her horse, Midnight, from a fire. Seen as a ploy to keep loyal viewers and listeners away from the new station. Aunt Laura (Gwenda Wilson and Betty McDowall), Antipodean in-law of the Archer clan who fulfilled a similar dramatic role to Lynda Snell who now lives in Aunt Laura's former home, Ambridge Hall. In 1985, Aunt Laura fell in a ditch and listeners were treated to her forlorn cries while owls hooted overhead. She was found alive and spent a week in hospital being treated for pneumonia, but died of heart failure soon after being discharged on St Valentine's Day, while her friend Freddy Danby read to her from Moby-Dick. Tom Forrest (George Hart and Bob Arnold) was Doris Archer's brother and a gamekeeper. He was a major character for many years and used to introduce the omnibus edition on Sunday mornings. In 1957, he was charged with manslaughter after shooting poacher Bob Larkin. He was cleared after being on trial. Marjorie Antrobus (Margot Boyd), breeder of Afghan hounds, now resident in The Laurels retirement home. Sophie Barlow (Moir Leslie) a fashion designer who was once engaged to David and once involved much of Ambridge in her fashion shows. She reappeared in the serial in August 2006. She flirted with David and made a play to have an affair with him. When the reality of her flirting dawned on the naïve David he backed away and she returned to London. David's wife Ruth had meanwhile in exasperation at David's seeming affair fallen in love with the farm's contractor Sam. Tim Beecham (Tim Brierley and David Parfitt), an old friend of Nigel Pargetter. Once well known for persistently failing his law exams. Nigel and Shula found themselves in court in 1984 for taking a car they erroneously believed to be Beecham's. Now a silent character. Colonel Freddy Danby (Norman Shelley and Ballard Berkeley) lodged with Laura Archer at Ambridge Hall Janet Fisher (Moir Leslie), the former vicar of Ambridge and surrounding villages, was a close friend of Shula's. Cameron Fraser (Delaval Astley) came to Ambridge in the late 1980s when he bought the Berrow Estate from Lilian Bellamy. Became quite the local villain during his relatively brief tenure which saw Mike Tucker lose an eye in an accident, Marjorie Antrobus swindled out of a sizeable portion of her savings, and a pregnant Elizabeth Archer abandoned at a motor service station as he fled overseas to escape arrest. Walter Gabriel (Robert Mawdesley and Chriss Gittins, originally a smallholder, was a friend of the Archers' and provided comic relief in the years before the Grundy family were introduced. Walter continually tried to romance Mrs. Perkins, Peggy's mother, who he referred to as "Mrs P". Walter Gabriel's phrase "My old pal, my old beauty" remains one of the most enduringly-remembered phrases associated with The Archers, even among non-listeners. Nelson Gabriel (Jack May), Walter's son, was for many years the most disreputable character in the village. He had a mysterious criminal past, but latterly ran a bar in Borchester before suddenly disappearing. He died in strange circumstances in South America. Jethro Larkin (George Hart), Stereotypical yokel. His tenure came to end in 1987 when helping David fell a tree using a chainsaw. So two Larkin family members, Jethro and Bob, have met their end at the hands of members of the Archer family. Father of Clarrie. Julia Pargetter-Carmichael, mother of Nigel Pargetter and sometime entertainer, died from a stroke in 2005, shortly after the actress who played her, Mary Wimbush, died, also from a stroke, aged 81. Simon Pemberton (Peter Wingfield), Guy Pemberton's caddish son, inherited the estate after his father's death. Pemberton unsuccessfully attempted to end the Grundy's tenancy of Grange Farm following their farm fire in 1996. He had a brief relationship with Shula after Mark's death, but hit her after she confronted him with evidence that he was involved with another woman. Subsequently, he came close to having a relationship with Debbie Aldridge, but Pemberton grievously assaulted her after she confessed that she could not love him. Pemberton then quickly left Ambridge after denying responsibility for his actions to Brian. Betty Tucker (Pamela Craig) wife of Mike, mother of Roy and Brenda. Betty was a popular villager who supported the family even when Mike was violent and depressed. Betty managed the village shop and kept hens and gossiped. She died suddenly before Christmas 2005. She was written out of the series when the actress who played her retired and emigrated to New Zealand. Silent characters The Archers is famous for its silent characters, who often play important roles in the narrative despite not being played by actors. Some were mentioned in some decades ago in BBC magazines in a comic strip, in the Listener a BBC Radio aimed magazine, about them, as a seperate more comedic way, in the magazine, with the chef and other characters. They are numerous, and most only "appear" once or twice. the better known are: Baggy, and Fat Paul - disreputable friends of Eddie Grundy. Snatch Foster was formerly also a friend of Eddie Grundy, but ended up in prison for selling condemned meat to him. Mandy Beesborough - Brian missed his daughter Alice's birth because he was at the races with her. She has daughters including India, whom Oliver and Caroline's foster child Carly described as having "an arse the size of a continent". Neville Booth (bellringer) and his nephew Nathan (clear skies enthusiast and parish council candidate). Derek Fletcher - "incomer" (only been in Ambridge since 1979) who lives on the Glebelands housing development. He is currently chair of the parish council. Known for his 'NIMBY' views and collection of garden gnomes. Freda Fry - wife of Bert, she works as a cook at The Bull and, until she gave her notice in January 2007, as cleaner at Brookfield. (John) Higgs - Jack Woolley's chauffeur and handyman at Grey Gables. Often thought by Grey Gables staff to be rather sinister. Jessica - buxom falconer at Lower Loxley. Has been known to attract Nigel's eye. Trudy Porter - silent for 34 years, until 4 April 2006, when listener Christine Hunt played her in charity special, after her husband paid £17,000 to Children in Need. Mrs (Eileen) Pugsley - housekeeper at Lower Loxley. (Edgar) Titcombe - head gardener at Lower Loxley, who is married to the widowed Mrs Pugsley. Bob Pullen - nonagenarian resident of Manorfield Close. His weak bladder is a regular source of amusement to speaking characters. Animals Numerous animals have been referred to during the Archers' run. They have of course been played by the "special effects department" as necessary. Captain Jack Woolley's dog was a frequent nuisance to guests and staff at Grey Gables, and was regularly indulged by his owner. Captain died suddenly while Jack was on his honeymoon with Peggy. Sammy Peggy Woolley's cat was always finding himself in scrapes and being indulged by his owner until he spent the last of his "nine lives". The Archers' widely recognised theme tune is called Barwick Green. It is a "maypole dance" from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood. Interestingly the very first note is never played. Comedian Billy Connolly has said that this tune should replace God Save the Queen as the national anthem of the United Kingdom while Robert Robinson once compared it to 'the genteel abandon of a lifelong teetotaller who has suddenly taken to drink'. In 2004 both The Independent and The Today Programme claimed (as April Fool's Day jokes) that Brian Eno had crafted an electronic remix of the theme tune to replace the old theme. Fan clubs Two organisations dedicated to the programme were established in the 1990s. Archers Addicts is the official body, run by members of the cast. Archers Anarchists was formed around the same time, objecting to the "castist" assumptions propagated by the BBC, and claiming that the characters are real. Overseas parallels In 1994, BBC World Service in Afghanistan began broadcasting Naway Kor, Naway Jwand ("New Home, New Life"), an everyday story of countryfolk with built-in bits of useful information. Although the useful information was more likely to concern unexploded landmines and opium addiction than the latest modern farming techniques, the inspiration and model of Naway Kor, Naway Jwand was The Archers, and the initial workshopping with Afghan writers included an Archers scriptwriter. A 1997 study found that listeners to the soap opera were significantly less likely to be injured by a mine than non-listeners. In Rwanda, the BBC World Service's Kinyarwanda-Kirundi service has been broadcasting the Archers-inspired soap opera Urunana since 1999. The Archers was also the model for the Russian radio soap opera Dom 7, Podyezd 4 ("House 7, Entrance 4") – on which Tony Blair, once made a cameo appearance. There are several books. The most recent are Who's Who in The Archers by Keri Davies, published by the BBC annually updated for the Christmas gift-giving season since 2003. Davies has been a producer, senior producer and scriptwriter for The Archers since 1992. His youngest son, Dominic Davies plays Daniel Hebden Lloyd. There are several books written by Joanna Toye, including The Archers Encyclopaedia (co-written with Adrian Flynn) which was published to coincide with The Archers' 50th anniversary, and several novelisations. Three of these are 1951-1967 Family Ties, 1968-86 Looking for Love and 1987-2000 Back to the Land. All abridged for BBC audiobooks with Family Ties read by Miriam Margolyes, Looking for Love by Stella Gonet and Back to the Land by Stephanie Cole. There are also audiobooks of actual episodes, titled Vintage Archers. The third volume contained several "Lost episodes" which were digitally restored. A new audiobook, Ambridge Affairs: Love Triangles is to be released on 4 June 2007. Most of the books and audiobooks are now out of print/production. Many famous people have made cameo appearances on the programme. In 1984 Maybe to get publicity, and popularity and annoy Republicans who just want to get on with their lives, but have to accept these people interfering all the time, very unfair on Republicans, Princess Margaret and the Duke of Westminster, in connection with a fashion show to commemorate the centenary of the NSPCC. Some things just should not have the monarchy annoying us all the time, we want monarchy free zones for once. I am fed up of their propaganda machine putting them on TV so much, so making them more populart and have to be on sometimes, and getting them into things that have nothing to do with them.I hate arrogant royalists, they are very evil bullies, who if they had their way, would have us all living in dictatoral abject poverty. Only Republicans made this nation free and equaler, and for that we get these annoying people appearing everywhere, it is unfair, They give Republicans no respect, and are a very nasty bunch of cultic hate and arrogance. and annoying. In 1989, for the 10,000th episode, Dame Judi Dench made a appearance as Pru Forrest. Terry Wogan was also featured and Esther Rantzen was responsible for the spot effects. In 1991 DJ John Peel appeared, In June 2004 DJ Chris Moyles appeared as a random customer - and suspected Pub of the Year judge - in The Bull On 22 September 2006 Zandra Rhodes played herself in a episode, also connected to a fashion show.Others who have made appearances include Britt Ekland, Humphrey Lyttelton (1956), Griff Rhys Jones, Anneka Rice, Dame Edna Everage, Stephen Fry, and Alan Titchmarsh. Robert Winston appeared as a fertility specialist consulted by Hayley and Roy Tucker on January 2 and February 7, 2007. Current stock holdings of the main farms are available at the following links: Brookfield, Home Farm, and Bridge Farm Inspector Morse, Colin Dexter's famous fictional detective, was a fan of The Archers. In 1961, Galton and Simpson parodied it in a episode of Hancock's Half Hour entitled The Bowmans. A sketch from A Bit of Fry and Laurie entitled, Hard Man's Record which saw the first appearance of the character Alan, mentions Alan had "a short spell as Nigel Pargetter in The Archers," claiming , "Someone had to do it." In the radio panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Barry Cryer once sang Love Me Tender" to the theme tune from The Archers, during the One Song To The Tune Of Another round. Jeremy Clarkson in Clarkson on Cars, lambasts Archers as "...living in a farm-subsidised world and thinking postage stamps are amazing...." A special episode of Arena broadcast on BBC 4, on January 1, 2007 focused on Archers. It was narrated by Stephen Fry, included interviews with current actors and scriptwriters. Archers, whilst being longest running soap opera on radio, is not the longest in world. A American soap opera Guiding Light has had 37 more episodes, and started on radio in January 25, 1937, ]The 10 most famous fictional Americans The 10 most famous aliens The 10 Most famous fictional Scottish_people A map of where different US films & TV programmes blanket across the USA are A Great index of Comedy & joke sites, 100s of jokes, are 1 click away, The favourite foods of famous fictional characters A site stating which animals would be best at football, it is comical, with 2 teams competing, for the prize of the best animal soccer side A recipe site DELICOUS DISHES Some great jokes,

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