BACK TO THE ARCHERS!
So many of the lockdown episodes have focused on Alice and Chris, Philip and Gavin, Lynda and Robert, that it was nice to get back to the Archer family in the second half of the month — even if that meant hearing Ruth and Pip moaning and Ben swooning!
We also welcomed back Jennifer Aldridge who had not been heard since before the lockdown began.
I thought we were going to be introduced to a new character — Evie — the student on the archaeological dig, but it was not to be. We did however meet Bernard Lyons — the Chairman of the Lower Loxley Trustees. His voice and manner reminded me of Martyn Gibson. Will we be hearing more from him and his misgivings about allowing Freddie to produce the Lower Loxley Christmas play?
| POSITION | CHARACTER | APPEARANCES |
| 1 | RUTH ARCHER | 8 |
| 2 | Ben Archer | 7 |
| = | Elizabeth Pargetter | 7 |
| 4 | Alice Carter | 6 |
| 5 | Fallon Rogers | 5 |
| 6 | Alistair Lloyd | 4 |
| = | Freddie Pargetter | 4 |
| = | Kirsty Miller | 4 |
| = | Lily Pargetter | 4 |
| = | Pip Archer | 4 |
| = | Vince Casey | 4 |
| 12 | Jazzer McCreary | 3 |
| = | Philip Moss | 3 |
| = | Rex Fairbrother | 3 |
| = | Susan Carter | 3 |
| 16 | Chris Carter | 2 |
| = | David Archer | 2 |
| = | Gavin Moss | 2 |
| = | Harrison Burns | 2 |
| = | Jennifer Aldridge | 2 |
| = | Jill Archer | 2 |
| = | Josh Archer | 2 |
| 23 | Bernard Lyons | 1 |
| = | Emma Grundy | 1 |
| = | Jakob Hakansson | 1 |
| = | Jolene Archer | 1 |
| = | Kate Madikane | 1 |
| = | Midwife | 1 |
| = | Ruairi Donovan | 1 |
| = | Toby Fairbrother | 1 |
Eavesdropping on this month’s events in Ambridge were: HELEN AITKEN, ADRIAN FLYNN, KATIE HIMS, LIZ JOHN, SARAH McDONALD-HUGHES, DANIEL THURMAN and NICK WARBURTON.
Another new addition to the writing team this month – welcome to Helen Aitken. The Archers BBC website includes a feature on Helen Aitken (click here). She has also written the text for the new Archers 2021 calendar.
Until I looked at the cast list in the Radio Times, I thought Bernard Lyons was being played by John Rowe (aka Jim Lloyd)!