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Posted by tigermontague (U2580692) on Wednesday, 12th March 2008
What happened to Elizabeth Marlowe? Is she still acting?
Please Mr Keri, do you know what happened to Elizabeth Marlowe?
Also can you tell me if she was unavailable to return as Lilian or if you wanted a different type of character?
I think the new Lilian is good fun, but I miss Elizabeth Marlowe's lovely voice and wonder if anyone knows if she is still acting.
Thankyou.
A source of just a little anoyance for me was the re-casting of the Lilian character. On Lilian's infrequent visits to Ambridge when resident in Guernsey, Elizabeth Marlowe fulfilled the acting role every time. However, when Lilian became an Ambridge resident again the role was re-cast and the word was put about that the Beeb were unable to contact Ms Marlowe.
I like the 'new' Lilian very much, but, she's not MY Lilian.
Gene, I am glad to find a fellow fan of Elizabeth Marlowe. She will always be my Lilian too.
I like the present Lilian, but she is a totally different character. They are like chalk and cheese.
I understand that when we were planning to bring Lilian back we tried to trace Elizabeth Marlowe, but failed to do so. This would certainly suggest that she is not acting any more.
Thanks Mr Keri. I hope she is well and happy and knows she is not forgotten.
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:10 GMT, in reply to tigermontague in message 2
Liz Marlow lives at Dunwich in Suffolk.
Paul Donovan of the Sunday Times quoted it in an angry article in his Radio
Waves column, in which he reported that after about 30 years of loyal
service, Lis Marlowe was not even sent a thank-you letter. She found out
that she had lost the part only when she heard Sunny playing it. The bBC's
excuse: They couldn't trace her.
Paul Donovan managed it.
How ghastly RosieT! I hope the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú has since apologised to Elizabeth Marlowe for such callous behaviour.
I liked the original Lilian much better than the present actress. But it's not only the voice that has changed, it's also her character, which presumably is down to the SWs as much as the new actress.
It seems very odd that they couldn't trace her, seeing as Lilian was always popping up occasionally throughout her residency in Guernsey.
Alma.
Yes, I remember that. The 'old' Lil was less full on, shall we say, than the current occupant.
Shame to be dumped like that, makes you wonder how hard they 'looked'.
In my view the decision to change Lilian from character to caricature marked the start of a process by which TA has become not TA. This concluded when Jennifer caved in over Ruiari and i stopped listening.
The new Lilian owes more to Charlie Drake than Elizabeth Marlowe (minus CD's undoubted charm imo)
Yes, I'll repeat, I miss the real Lilian. There are awful people like the one portrayed by Sunny Ormonde, and she makes a useful addition to the cast.
But they should not have called her Lilian!
I too mourn the old actress & the old Lillian: the new Lil is a Carry On character, devoid of charm or real depth; the SLs she is given do the actress no favours either.
Hi Rosie and all,
Just to add my few words to this thread.
I, too, was horrified when Liz was unceremoneously dumped. As well as the voice (so important in radio) the whole character of Lilian changed with Sunny.
I think it would be pertinent to quote here the limerick writen by one of our Archers mailing list member, Clive Lever, and quoted in Paul Donovan's article. It goes:
Dear scriptwriters all, thanks a million!
For totally ruining Lilian!
The lass we once knew,
Has got little to do,
with the tart on a bike riding pillion.
The 'pillion' reference is to the time when Lilian rode around on Scott's motorbike.
Keith
, in reply to message 14.
Posted by marcinurheart (U5052286) on Saturday, 15th March 2008
Ah, is that when the actress changed, I was trying to remember.
, in reply to message 14.
Posted by Lemon Sabotage (U9577550) on Saturday, 15th March 2008
Keith, I love your limerick, have you got any more?
SA: I wish that I could take credit for it, but I fear not. It was written by a fellow list member of mine, Clive Lever. But it's very apposite, isn't it?
And, yes it was written when the new Lilian made her appearance, and was always swanning around on Scott's motorbike.
I think I was probably the first person to write on our list re the complete change in Lilian's character. I just couldn't believe it.
Poor Liz. How must she have felt? Still, thank goodness she can still be heard on Vintage Archers tapes and on the Timeline.
Keith
Maybe I should just add a small piece more.
Lilian III (yes, she is III, and not II) first exploded on the scene when she was late for Nelson's funeral.
Lilian II (Liz Marlowe) played the part from 1961 to 1991, and she is certainly my favourite of the three.
Lilian I was played by Margaret Lane until 1961.
Keith
, in reply to message 17.
Posted by Lemon Sabotage (U9577550) on Saturday, 15th March 2008
Thanks for your reply, Keith;(I don't remember the earlier Lillians btw, even though I have been listening since the late seventies on and off).
What I meant to ask was: Has Clive Lever written any more limericks about any other characters?
Not that I know of. But I'll ask him.
Isn't it amazing that some people have the nack of putting into words, humorously, what many of us think? I'd love to have his talent!
Keith
What I do know is that a few years ago she suffered a family tragedy; her son was killed, i believe, in tragic circumstances. maybe acting was not something she felt she could do after that? But yes, I agree, it is not that difficult to trace people. I liked her and I also like the 'new' Lills. Great fun, but with that wonderful touch of humanity and vulnerability.
Well, doesn't that make it all the more iniquitous that she was dumped? My understanding was that she was quite hurt when not approached to play Lilian once again when the character returned....
, in reply to message 12.
Posted by Elnora Cornstalk (U5646495) on Sunday, 16th March 2008
There are awful people like the one portrayed by Sunny Ormonde, and she makes a useful addition to the cast.
But they should not have called her Lilian!Â
Agreed, Rosie. I enjoy hearing the occasional 'louche' woman character in TA, and think the new Lilian does it well. (Julia, a previous incumbent, was semi-reformed, and Ellen, alas, alas, hasn't visited audibly for years; and was never especially louche anyway.) But it is a separate slot, and although I like the Lilian and Jack scenes I think there would have been room for both the old Lilian and Sunny Ormonde's character as an extra. (She could have arrived via a contact in Borchester Land, for instance.)
, in reply to message 22.
Posted by antiquelemonsqueezer (U5585422) on Tuesday, 22nd April 2008
Presumably LM had also changed her bank and agent as well as address if she was so untraceable. Do we think?
Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:22 GMT, in reply to antiquelemonsqueezer in message 24
No.
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