As Pat Archer spends her ruby wedding anniversary at Tony’s bedside, I talked to the actress who plays her.
Pat and Tony’s has been one of the most successful relationships in The Archers. Why do you think that is?
I think it’s because they’re different but they complement each other.
How much have their organic ideals contributed to their success?
It was a passion which they both shared. They were thought of as eccentric and cranky, and certainly got stick from other members of the family. Maybe that was one of the things that drew them closer.
Because it came at the time when the relationship was at its rockiest.
Pat was doing her Greenham Common thing, getting radical ideas which made her very unpopular with the older guard in Ambridge, reading The Guardian and becoming involved in her women’s studies group. So yes, maybe organic farming was what they needed to bond together.
What other stories from Pat and Tony’s past stick out for you?
The death of John. That was a huge moment. And then the breakdown which followed some time later.
What was that like to play?
Very hard, but I felt it was true. You don’t walk away from something like that without there being wounds and scars. You recover in your own way, some people faster than others. We had so many letters of support and thanks, saying ‘it happened to me and that really helped me understand’.
And that storyline won an award.
It did. It won a Mental Health in the Media Award.
Coming to the present day, some listeners have suggested that storylines are a bit sensational at the moment.
There are quite a lot of big things happening. But if you look back over the years, it’s not new. The programme’s got to excite people, it’s got to interest people.
Tony’s accident mirrors John’s accident.
Absolutely. When I was talking to farmers for the book I did [Patricia Gallimore's Organic Year: A Guide to Organic Living], I realised that farming is a very dangerous environment. Farm accidents and disasters happen all the time. Some people say Ambridge has got away lightly.
Hopefully Tony’s won’t prove to be as cataclysmic as John’s. But it’s a reflection of how dangerous farm animals and farm equipment are.
Running alongside this, we’ve got the story of Helen and Rob. How would you assess Pat’s attitude to what’s happening to her daughter?
It’s hard, because Pat swings from mistrust and doubt to ‘he seems good for Helen and is being kind to her’. Rob is one of those enigmas. I – Pat Gallimore – can’t get my head around him and I think Pat Archer is the same.
Pat sees her daughter, who’s been through a lot of disasters and relationship problems, and she does seem to have found a man who makes her happy. But there are elements of Rob’s character which you don’t know yet. Pat wants Helen to be happy. She might wish it was with a different man, but that’s not the way Helen is. Helen doesn’t tread an easy path in life.
What effect will Tom’s return have on Bridge Farm, do you think?
Obviously one hopes very much that Tony will recover. But even if he does, he’s at the age where he might be thinking of stepping down a bit. So having a young family member back is going to be vital to the running of Bridge Farm. And it’s going to be an interesting dynamic between Tom and Rob. Rob needs standing up to. So we wait eagerly to see what happens.
What was it like to have a change of ‘husband’ after so many years?
It was odd, but David [Troughton] is a terrifically good actor, and he was very sensitive in the way he took over the role. Dear Colin [Skipp] wanted to relinquish it and he was much happier with the part being re-cast rather than killed off. He was actually rather flattered that an actor of David’s calibre was taking on the role.
David’s slotted in supremely well. I love working with him and I hope we’ve got years to go working together.
In the brief contact you’ve had so far, how has it been working with Will Troughton [Tom]?
He’s lovely actor. He’s sensitive, he’s intelligent. It’s been hard for him to come in, but he seems a very grounded guy the cast seems to have taken to him. It’ll be fun to see how he develops the part.
What’s lovely is that both David and Will have been thrilled to get their parts. David said to me the other day "oh, I love this part. I do hope Tony’s going to recover, because I love The Archers”.
Keri Davies is an Archers scriptwriter and web producer.
Learn more about Pat, Tony, Helen, Rob and Tom (and the actors who play them) in our Who’s Who
The life and death of John Archer
