Eleanor Bron to join cast of The Archers as Carol Tregorran
Esteemed actress Eleanor Bron is to appear in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers as Carol Tregorran, one of the series' most iconic characters.
Published: 25 July 2014
I have been around long enough that The Archers is part of my history. It is such a valuable part of the narrative of British life...
Carol Tregorran - who was dining at Grey Gables the night Grace Archer was famously killed in a fire - returned to the fictional village of Ambridge tonight, Friday 25 July, to attend the funeral of on-air husband, John Tregorran.
Eleanor Bron said: “I was thrilled when my agent called. I have been around long enough that The Archers is part of my history. It is such a valuable part of the narrative of British life; partly because of the daily-ness of it and partly because of this broad set of characters that all have good sides and bad sides - and you see all of it, and it is so like life.
“Playing Carol has been wonderful. I think she is possibly quite forceful and independent, even now in her 80s. Now she has returned to Ambridge she is able to be around friends, a particular older generation, people whom she’s known for a very, very long time – there’s something very wonderful when you can pick up those sorts of friendships and see them play out in a drama.”
Eleanor Bron began her career with the Cambridge Footlights in 1959 with Peter Cook and has since worked with comedians and satirists including Jonathan Miller, David Frost, Dudley Moore, Jennifer Saunders and Rowan Atkinson.
She appeared in several of the iconic films of the 1960s and 70s including HELP! with The Beatles in 1965 and inspired Paul McCartney to conjure the name ‘Eleanor Rigby’. She subsequently appeared with Michael Caine in Alfie and with Glenda Jackson, Oliver Reed and Alan Bates in Ken Russell’s Oscar-winning Women In Love.
Her extensive theatre work includes seasons at the National Theatre and many leading classical roles including Hedda Gabler, Gertrude and the Duchess of Malfi.
Sean O’Connor, Editor of The Archers, said: "We needed an extraordinary actress to play one of the most iconic characters in Archers mythology. We’re completely thrilled that Eleanor has taken on the role - and already she has fitted into Ambridge as if she has been here for 30 years. In the 1950s, Carol was a significant role model for young women and we hope she will continue to be so for older women today - an independent, spirited woman who embraces her later years on her own terms and without compromise."
The character of Carol Tregorran, originally played by Anne Cullen, first appeared in The Archers in 1954, and quickly became a favourite with listeners. Against the social grain of the mid-Fifties, Carol was a forthright and successful businesswoman. Known to be the most stylish of The Archers female characters, she was thought to be a role model for women at the time. She remained in the core cast until 1980.
The Archers can be heard on BBC Radio 4, Sunday - Friday at 7pm with the omnibus on Sundays at 10am.
ER
