The recent references to Zeus in The Archers got me wondering who is the most powerful man in Ambridge.
Here are my four candidates:
I feel duty-bound to include Jim. After all, he’s the one who brought up Zeus when he helped Emma find inspiration for catering the Home Farm party which Jennifer decided should have the theme of "Land".
They say knowledge is power so Jim, as a retired academic, is powerful! How useful his knowledge is to being able to command authority I can't be sure but there’s no doubt he knows a lot!
An obvious choice when thinking about power in Ambridge: Justin's got the money, the contacts and the business nous to go out and get what he wants. His Route B scheme, which threatened to carve up Brookfield and irrevocably change Ambridge, may have failed but he is not defeated. He’s still in Ambridge – who knows what he might try next...
What about old power? By that, I mean lineage. As the head of the original Archer farm in Ambridge, Brookfield, and a direct descendent of the very first Archers to take to the airwaves, could it be David who holds the most power in the village?
Turn the idea of ancestry on its head and you find another candidate for the title of Zeus of Ambridge. If you look away from obvious modes of power such as, knowledge, wealth and heritage, you can consider the power that lies in the connections we make with others.
A recent analysis by Dr Nicola Headlam, which she presented at the 2017 Academic Archers conference, found that when you look at Ambridge residents in this way the person who comes out on top is Ed Grundy.
So let’s put it to a vote! Who is the Zeus of Ambridge? Vote here
A statue of Zeus, the King of the Greek Gods. Who is his equivalent in Ambridge?
