Joining in with the Archers 60th anniversary episode

Peggy Archer: "The Socialists complained" (about her support at "Conservative" fetes). Rather gives the game away doesn't it?

COUNTRY boy, tractor driver's son, vegetarian, anti hunting and Labour Party member.

The central female (ie to Phil's left) is obviously Ysanne Churchman (Grace Archer and, much later, Mary Pound).

Predict how many followers The Archers twitter site will attract b4 7pm Sunday, here https://twitter.com/



I say at least 2,000! It is 1147 now!

Just listened to the 60th anniversary story line and am complaining because right from the opening moments it was so predictable - pooooor Nigel!! What used to be my favourite 'soap' has just infuriated me enough to make me place a comment on a public blog for the first and possibly last time!!

Well, seashore1998, I couldn't agree more. What a fiasco!

I'm flabbergasted. There was a golden chance to kill off the whining Helen and leave Tony to bring up the grandson he'd advised against, never having made his peace with his daughter, real drama!



What happens? Poor old Nigel gets bumped off in such a transparent way that even he might have seen it coming. Like seashore (above) I'm infuriated.

A predictable ending and a shame that we have now presumably lost one of our favourite characters, I guess someone had to be sacrificed at the alter of listens numbers and of course the need for a big event.



Come on writing team you could have done better!!!

The plot can, still be saved. Helen goes fulminant overnight and expires after all, Nigel's fall is broken by landing on Ian: Nigel walks away and Ian can hang around in ICU for a few episodes. David climbs down from the roof and is greeted by Ruth saying "Oah, No! David!".



Come on BBC. Don't snatch Nigel from his loving fans...

I agree with all the previous comments about the 60th anniversary programme. This too is my first ever blog and I am sorry that it is because Nigel has been apparently "bumped off", Unfortunately it did seem fairly obvious that the one with the name Archer would be safe.

Ah well, try again perhaps and put in a tree to catch him!

the thing is, nigel should have listened to ilazebeth's warning about not going out to remove that banner in the dark

It was a long scream though. Poor Nigel. He must have more than a scratch. Unless he caught his pants on a flagpole on the way down. Tonys fixed his tractor - lucky he left a full load of hay on the trailer??? No way. I think hes toast

Crazy. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time that it wasn't David who fell off the roof. Now that would have shaken Ambridge to the core.

What was a sensible chap like David doing up there in the first place? I could understand if it was his brother Kenton with Nigel, but not him.

This episode was gripping drama but didn't quite ring true, a baby born and a life lost (I assume - or maybe Nigel is badly injured with brain damage and ends up in a wheelchair - a new situation for the scriptwriters to tackle).

Either way I predict that Elizabeth will be a little cross with her brother.....

As an avid fan and addict I too was so disappointed with tonight's most predictable episode.I am totally bored with Helen and this baby.She has spent so much time on the internet in previous episodes that she must have known her condition!! The Nigel and David storyline was so predictable.A real let down.

I am so disappointed!! Not only has one of the best characters been killed off (presumably) but it was made obvious from the outset. Why, oh why, did the Archers have to go the way of all TV soaps and create a completely unbelievable, tragic storyline simply to mark the anniversary???? Neither David or Nigel would have done anything so stupid - totally out of character. This has really insulted the intelligence of your listeners. I am very cross indeed. I thought The Archers were above this sort of thing.

I along with many others am disappointed. It was SO obvious from the beginning of the programme that David and Nigel were going to go onto the roof. From there the only way was down. As someone else said David is too sensible to go roof climbing in the dark on a frosty night. Shame on you writers for not thinking of something more appropriate to celebrate 6o years. I am not even going to mention Helen! I will say that I enjoyed the coverage on Radio 7, that really did bring back memories. Thank you.

Have listened to the Archers since it first started but Icannot remember whether it replaced The Daring Dexters or Jackson of the Jungle .I thin k the former can anyone tell me

Elizabeth wakes up and it is a dream!

The scream was a bit OTT, but surely it has to mean that Nigel is crippled, not dead – that's if the misery is to extend over years rather than weeks. Especially if Lizzy is to discover that Nigel was talked into removing the banner by David. If Nigel has gone, no one will find out about David's wretched mistake. The continuing presence of a paraplegic Nigel will reduce David to uncontrollable remorse. Oh dear…

I agree with previous posts, the reason I continue to listen to the Archers since childhood is BECAUSE it avoids the tactics of TV soaps...Helen's (highly unlikely) pregnancy has always sounded like public service information on how to approach pregnancy..but there's no chance she would have missed these symptoms...but those two would never have gone onto the roof in failing light and freezing weather, the tragic scream was over dramatic...nevertheless i will be listening tonight, but please less of this type of drama (and ideally less of Helen too).

Well, I wasn't disappointed; apart from wishing Helen had bought it rather than the sweet Nigel, but at least his dying yell will be immortalized as my new ringtone - if that doesn't infringe copyright?

Aaaaaaaargh. Why kill off one of the best and nicest characters? Why not get rid of really annoying Helen, or irritating Susan, or horrible Kate? Was any thought at all put into who would go? Admittedly it was on the cards; and you had set us up for it a few nights previous, when they put the banner up on the roof, but honestly it was so transparent that it would have been much more dramatic had Nigel and David emerged triumphant and safe; and that something had happened elsewhere. For goodness sake, we now have to contend with blooming Helen cooing about the baby for the next few months; and boring everyone silly with how wonderful she is as a mother. Perhaps I have had enough of the Archers for a time - don't think I can stand to listen to Helen for the forseeable future.

Very sorry to hear of Nigel's demise. Could he not have crashed into the parapet, smashed his legs and then gone through all the rehab and learning how to walk again on metal legs, as so many of our soldiers are having to do, that would have been interesting and informative.

There have been too many deaths in the Archers - Phil's, Syd's now Nigel's, I don't think I can bear all that angst again after the deary Jolene, Cut-up Cathy week after week etc.

Shame on you script writers and editors for lack of imagination.

I'm so disappointed about the whole Nigel demise, why couldn't they have got rid of the dreadful Helen or awful accented Rory. Nigel was the best character in the whole programme, that's me done I'm not listening anymore.

Will Lizzie's heart be up to this? Wouldn't it be better if Brian managed the business and David stayed on the farm? Will David have a breakdown? Will Helen (please) have a breakdown? These were just some of the questions I recently asked my holiday companion. His respose - Lizzie dies broken hearted. Ian and Adam adopt the children. Social services are called to Helen - the worker is a very large black lesbian Catholic woman that Helen ends up living with - all very politically correct - but truly shocking for middle England - and the Big society

Interesting. I've been listening to the Archers longer than I care to remember (actually I can't remember when I started listening, was it when I was still at school, or at least when home during holidays, or after I left school? Whichever it back in the dim and distant days of the Home Service, long before Radio 4 was even a glimmer on the horizon).



I'm not certain I would call myself an Archers Addict (I get the same sort of feeling about that as all contacts and acquaintances on Facebook being described as friends) but am a dedicated listener with my only real break in listening being when work meant moving to Denmark in 1973, long before the internet and webcasts of radio, never mind podcasts. The relief when I moved down to the Netherlands three years later and found I was with range of LW broadcasts and could resume my listening!



It's been an interesting weeks listening and I'm glad I was able to catch each days broadcast as I was surprised to find today's omnibus was emasculated still being only 75 minutes and not extended. The sunday 30 minutes was all there, I think, but other days where edited with material missing.



I especially enjoyed the two part Politics of Ambridge broadcast yesterday and the Saturday before and was delighted that last Monday's Farming Today was an Archers Special. A pity these where not mentioned in the blog as part of the anniversary. Hopefully they might be made permanently available as listen again on the Archers website?

Talking of which the new revamped website lists the characters appearing in each days episode. Imagine my surprise when last Wednesday's includes Nigel Pargetter. Surely not a miraculous come-back, had it all been a Lizzie nightmare? And Your Archers memories are enjoyable but why in the celebrity clips on the right are some not available to those of us outside the UK? No problem with Sue Johnston, Martha Keaney, Samantha Bond, Stephen Fry, etc so why no Martin Clunes, Ian Rankin and more?



BTW what's happened to the preview for posting a comment there used to be?