The Archers -

[katieskids]

I was talking to my mum today about TA back in the 70s when the stories were about the older generation & farming. I was too young to remember a lot of it but vaguely recall that Caroline and Brian had an affair. The conversation then went on to whatever happened to..........?
Can you answer any of these please?

Caroline and Oliver - why did they stop fostering and where are they now? Caroline was heard regularly until the recent Horrobin/Adam & dairy/Alan,Usha,Amy storylines.

Peggy - I remember when Jack was still at home they had a chauffeur, what was his name and where did he go? I'm sure someone crashed the rolls at one time, who was that? Why no more storylines of her and Jack now?

After the BIG Alan, Usha and Amy drama where are they now? In fact Will, Nic, Elizabeth, Ruth's mum, Helen all very silent.

Is it just me or is TA more segmented than it used to be. The episodes seem to focus on one storyline, devote weeks to it then move on to the next one and they're more sensational and not completely in character - Adam and Pavel, Harry just giving everything up and not returning, Phoebe and Kate etc

I've obviously got too much time on my hands to worry about this

[ObviouslyItsTheOlympics]

That's what happens when Vanessa Whitburn takes a break :(
I do think all the characters that you've mentioned are having a break after quite intense story lines. However, that's not reason not to hear them occasionally, like we used to!
Obviously Jack is in the Home now, so we hear of him but not from him.
I do miss Oliver, one of my favourite Ambridge men. I think they stopped fostering after one particularly disastrous placement.
Harry not coming back AT ALL - what about his things???? Is sooooo unbelievable, but after Amy's storyline I'm not surprised by anything :o

[Bluestocking]

You should try listening to Ambridge Extra - it's pure smut!

[stealthsquiggle]

Can someone please explain what happened with Phoebe and Kate? I was clearly not in the car at the right time for a couple of weeks and now everyone keeps obliquely referring to it but not actually saying what happened.

I reckon they a trying to pay less actors per episode.

[Bluestocking]

I think, squiggle, that Phoebe saw Something Nasty In The Woodshed because Kate put her in a taxi rather than taking her somewhere. But I could be wrong.

[katieskids]

At least by listening to Am - extra the Harry story makes more sense than "Oh Harry's met his old boyfriend and he's not coming back!"
I miss the gentle things like Caroline and Shula riding together, Jill and her bees, Peggy learning enamelling, Christine and Jill spending the afternoon having tea, Oliver talking to Ed or the cows, Lewis being all gentlemanly...... I miss the simple things, I don't need smut.

When's Vanessa back?

[MissFenella]

I miss Oliver - and why no more fostering for him and Caroline

Matt seems to be completely ruined, he's lost his humanity

I do like Am Ex but because it is different enough to make it worthwhile

[stealthsquiggle]

Was that all? Not that it is ok, but Roy was going on and on about how Phoebe will 'see what Kate is really like now'

[CuttedUpPear]

Kate was having an affair in SA and Phoebe found out. Then ran off and jumped in a taxi whose driver abducted her.

all of twice

[stealthsquiggle]

Ah, that makes sense cutteduppear - your selfless devotion to duty is appreciated.

[WhatSheSaid]

I think it was a bit ambiguous whether the taxi driver was abducting Phoebe, he was being a bit strange and she contacted Lucas who came and rescued her. She was very shaken up by it and also very angry at Kate for her affair.

I am looking forward to Kenton and Jolene getting to NZ as I live here!

[CuttedUpPear]

Yes it was ambiguous, I was just being a lazy poster

[R4]

I think that the rot set in when it changed from "an everydale tale of countryfolk" to "contemporary drama in a rural setting". I agree about the segmentation - it desn't work. Helen and Ian are supposed to be mates - where was she whilst all the Adam anguish was going on? What has happened to the Magical Baby? And, come to that, where is Jill? It's just not coherant any more.

I am also annoyed about AmEx. I don't want extraneous storylines. If they must have AmEx then it should be self-contained and not leak across to the proper main programme. I used to know alll the village gossip but now I feel like an 'outsider' who only knows half of what is going on.

[CuttedUpPear]

Yes I felt all that best friend stuff between Helin and Adam/Ian was just too contrived. It came from nowhere and disappeared in a puff of smoke too.

[IndridCold]

Absolutely agree with R4- it's just not the Archers any more, and AmEx is intruding much too much and detracting from TA!

They are bringing in completely new characters from outside to drive nearly all the current storylines - Pawel, Arthur and Whatsername (Joyce?), Darryl and his family, Keith and Tracey. Meanwhile all the old favorites are ignored, and I want to go back to them - however annoying they may be.

I've been an avid listener since I was a student, over 30 years ago, and I'm this far from giving up.



What's the point of attracting new listeners if you lose the ones you already have.

To answer one of OP's questions IIRC Caroline and Oliver stopped fostering when they took over Grey Gables.

And wasn't Jack's chauffeur called Higgs? Jack also had an awful dog called Captain.