I don't have a lot to do with soaps. In fact other than occasionally watching Eastenders, TV soaps are a complete mystery to me. However, there is one soap I've been involved with for about 25 years now, although that is less than half it's number of broadcast years. It is of course.....
The Archers.
I started listening when I was driving for a living. When the repeat was the next day at 1.45pm in the afternoon rather than 2pm as now. One of the reasons I liked it was because it was gentle unlike TV soaps which are nothing but sensationalism and stressful event after event. Even when characters are killed off it tended to be done discretely. And I always knew what was happening in the farming year.
There have been a number of new scriptwrites over the last few years who are trying to drive it to be more gritty and get some controvertial storylines into it. But that isn't what The Archers were about. It would be nice if things were just left alone once in a while.
Anyway. if I miss anything or want ome background information. This is where I head.
3 comments:
The Archers is a great British Institution.
I believe it's the longest running radio soap/show in the world.
And long may it continue.
Not that I have ever listened to it.
There is certainly less about farming nowadays than in the past. I find that I can't say that there is a single likeable character, they are all nasty in one way or another.
Masher - It is indeed. Which is why they need to leave it as it is and not try and change it to attract young people none of whom probably listen to Radio 4 anyway. I started listening in my 30s which was both quite young and old enough.
TA - Couldn't agree more. Particularly Lily, Pip, Nolathandu and as for Lillian, she is just becoming a parody.
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