Like many people of my age, I carry the voices of Uncle Tom Forrest and Walter Gabriel in my head. Indeed, some days, when the wind is in the right direction, I think I can hear Dan and Doris Archer in their farm kitchen.
I also had a crush on Carol Tregorran and on Eleanor Bron, so imagine my delight when the two became one. And like many Archers listeners I feel let down when a character behaves badly or can’t see the disaster coming towards them. (Wake up Helen!)
A few years ago I was worried that Ruth really was going to have an affair, and I still haven’t ruled out the possibility that she will move back to Northumbria - without David. He may be a bit boring but he is such a decent man. Perhaps they could go and see Fifty Shades of Grey together.
Is there too much or too little sex in Ambridge? My wife and I had quite an argument about whether Elizabeth would have had a fling with Roy (She says yes, I say mmmm unlikely). Fallon sounds fun though. I wouldn’t put much past her.
I think there have been more gripping storylines recently but when too much happens there is a danger of tipping over into melodrama and people start looking to the skies to see if a plane is about to crash on the village. Drama is heightened reality but it must be believable.
So when I think of the changes wrought by its relatively new Editor, Sean O’Connor, I ire his courage but do not envy the responsibility he carries.
The Archers is arguably Radio 4’s crown jewel and no Controller wants to go down in broadcasting history as the one under whom it began to fail and started to lose its audience. If things were to go seriously wrong Mr O’Connor would be out of his job in a very short time.
Fortunately for the Editor, despite floods and new roads, the Archers’ audiences are up, both live and via podcasts.
Most of this week’s was given over to the everyday story of country folk. Sean O’Connor came into our studio to talk to me and to some of his listeners.
You can hear it here.
Who else would you like us to talk to? It’s your programme.
All suggestions welcome.
Roger Bolton
