Happy New Year everyone!
Suddenly, inevitably, it’s 2026!
It began noisily here. I had already retired to my bed but I knew when 2026 arrived as there was a veritable explosion of fireworks which seemed to go on and on and on. Time was I would have leapt out of bed to watch the show but not this time. I was too cosily ensconced under my duvet! Besides, I who have always prided myself on not succumbing to cold and flu have been knocked flat by whatever lurgy has attacked my system. Not a good start to the New Year for me!
It began more dramatically in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana with a fire in a bar, reportedly killing dozens and injuring many more. Not a good start to a new year for that ski resort.
I am reliably informed that The Archers, the “everyday story of countryfolk”, is now 75 years old!
You can switch it off any time, but you can never leave … here’s a photo of Harry Oakes as Dan Archer and Bob Arnold as Tom Forrest for Picture Post Meets the Archers in 1953. I find these constructed photos of scenes from a radio series a mix of creepy and nostalgic.
And here, love her or hate her is June Spencer who played the rather snobby Peggy Archer over the years, looking remarkably like an aged aunt of mine!
It began broadcasting in 1951 and it was one of the sounds of my childhood. My mother didn’t miss an episode. (I believe she also listened to Mrs Dale’s Diary, the slightly older series about which the Queen Mother is supposed to have said, "It is the only way of knowing what goes on in a middle-class family”. What do the Royal Family regard as a source of information about their subjects nowadays?)
It is The Archers, however, which stands out as family listening. On a different level there was also science fiction in the shape of Journey Into Space, keeping us on the edge of our seats, but it was The Archers which was a constant throughout my childhood - a soap opera before we had even heard of soap operas. It gave us love stories, crime stories, high tension, social issues, just about everything.
You can switch it off any time, but you can never leave … is probably true. It’s possible to stop listening for months at a time and then pickup the storyline again within a week of resuming listening.
A friend and I went on an adventure together to Cuba when we were 70 or 71, just after Fidel Castro died. My friend kept up with The Archers story line via the internet. Back home she usually listened to the Omnibus edition on Sunday morning. One day we found ourselves deep in conversation with another guest over breakfast about which way we expected the story line to go. Such was its appeal!
You can switch it off any time, but you can never leave … a friend of mine switched off and left during the time of Helen Archer’s problems with her gaslighting husband. Helen’s young son was being used as a pawn in the game. “I can take a lot but when they began messing with the child,” my friend declared, “it was just too much for me!” To my knowledge she’s not been back.
You can switch it off any time, but you can never leave … we stopped listening when the broadcasts became strange during the covid !lockdown. We’ve not had a relapse yet, leaping up to change the channel as the theme music begins. But just occasionally, as the BBC summarises what is going on in an upcoming episode, we look at each other and ask, “who is that person?” However, thus far we have resisted the temptation to be drawn back into the farming world.
How many generations need to go by before we lose track altogether.
For those who want a review of highlights of issues covered by The Archers, here is a link to an article.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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