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Posted by zebedee (U13485566) on Sunday, 15th February 2009
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:15 GMT
Tom Forrest used to introduce the week's goings on at the start of the Omnibus edition. When did he stop doing this?
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:14 GMT, in reply to Zebedee in message 1
I couldn't give an exact date, but I /think/ it was mid-to-late 1980s.
I always sort of secretly hoped that when Willyum went off and had his breakdown-by-the-sea after throttling Ed he would come back to Ambridge and start talking to himself on a Sunday morning, thus resurrecting the tradition.
, in reply to message 2.
Posted by Ex Tram Driver (U5244457) on Sunday, 15th February 2009
I don't remember Tom's introductions, and I've been listening from 1987.
If they were channelling their inner 'Desperate Housewives', we could be getting Siobhan giving her views on Ambridge events.
XTD
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Reggie Trentham (U7102122) on Sunday, 15th February 2009
Didn't Jack Wooley take over from Tom at some point, can't remember when, or is that just another figment of my failing memory?
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:39 GMT, in reply to Ex Tram Driver in message 3
I don't remember Tom's introductions, and I've been listening from 1987.Â
My recollections go back a bit further. I've been listening to The Archers as long as I can remember and I was born in 1951. My father listened to it at 6.45 weekdays and 9.30 Sundays. I think Tom Forrest stopped in the 1970s but I am not sure why.
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:45 GMT, in reply to Reggie Trentham in message 4
They tried varying the character who did the intro, but that didn't last long as it didn't seem to work.
There was a fashion for getting different people to take turns doing things - it was tried for "Down Your Way" with similar damaging results.
I think Kathy Perks did the intro at one point, which would put this period mid-eighties.....
I think it would be good if either Mike or Neil resurrected this tradition.
Those if you who remember Dixon of Dock Green will remember PC Dixon doing much the same thing - "evenin' all" became quite a cliche.
It would mean taking a scene (or a scene's length of cuts) out of the omnibus.
Instead, we try to put enough information in the scripts so that you can pick the story up.
Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:40 GMT, in reply to Peet (the Pedantic Punctuation Policeman, Muse of Lateral Programming Ideas, Spoonwinner, Cheese Namer & Zaphodista) in message 2
Peet, Is your cheek very painful after typing that?
glen
, in reply to message 10.
Posted by taddydogman (U13374770) on Monday, 16th February 2009
I've also been a listener since 1951 and can confirm that from the outset it was Tom Forrest who introduced the omnibus edition each week. There was a slight gap when his character was on remand for the killing of Bunny Larkin and Jack Archer stood in for him until Tom's acquittal. I have a vague recollection that at some later point (but whilst Tom was still around in the programme) someone else took over the introductory preamble but I can't remember who or when, nor do I recall when it was finally dropped.
But it did take up a lot of time and I always found it slightly irritating especially as it had nothing to do with events in Ambridge.
Keri - if you are looking for something to cut - many of us would be happy for a character or two to be gagged - the trouble is that we wouldn't agree amongst ourselves who it should be!
Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:58 GMT, in reply to glen berro in message 10
Peet, Is your cheek very painful after typing that?Â
I may have stubbed my tongue.
, in reply to message 13.
Posted by Lady Macbeϯh - not without mustard (U550479) on Monday, 16th February 2009
Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:18 GMT, in reply to Peet (the Pedantic Punctuation Policeman, Muse of Lateral Programming Ideas, Spoonwinner, Cheese Namer & Zaphodista) in message 13
Wasn't it Vanessa who gagged Tom, as well as changing the minibus music and banishing the Doom Music?
It would mean taking a scene (or a scene's length of cuts) out of the omnibus.Â
When Tom did the intro, Mr. Keri, the Beeb were already binning 15 minutes worth of weekly TA for the trolly bus, so binning an additional minutes' worth to include the intro was nothing. Nowadays all but the Friday's epi is broadcast 3 times in full.
Tom always sounded natural when he did the intro, as though he was taking you into his confidence. Often the intro wasn't about the plot at all, except for the very last bit. When other characters did the intro they sounded wooden, and Caroline in particular did not come across too well talking directly to the audience.
, in reply to message 15.
Posted by Afan Argoll (U11565445) on Monday, 16th February 2009
Hardly surprising, after what she got up to with Brian...
Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:29 GMT, in reply to Gene Bailey in message 15
Yes, the good thing about Tom's intro was the stuff about the countryside, seasons, etc. Bert would be a natural to do it now (imho).
Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:47 GMT, in reply to mike .... in message 17
Or Joe. Except he would probably spend half the time soliciting for "sponsorship".
, in reply to message 14.
Posted by Keri Davies (U2219620) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
>Wasn't it Vanessa who gagged Tom, as well as changing the minibus music and banishing the Doom Music?
1. No - he had stopped before she arrived as Editor.
2. No - that was even longer before.
3. Yes.
, in reply to message 19.
Posted by Lady Macbeϯh - not without mustard (U550479) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:46 GMT, in reply to Keri Davies - Host in message 19
Thank-you Mr K
, in reply to message 20.
Posted by Elnora Cornstalk (U5646495) on Wednesday, 18th February 2009
Yes, thank you, Keri; but I'm appalled to hear that all this is such ancient history. It's as if it were yesterday.
My grandmother loved Tom's introduction (it was what made her switch on for the omnibus, as well as for both daily epis); and we all used to wait with her during the accordion music. Then we could go and get on with chopping mint for sauce and all those Sunday-ish things one did in those simple days back then.
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