The Archers Trivia

1. Which actress plays the role of Helen Archer in the long-running radio soap opera?

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: Louiza Patikas

Helen Archer was born in 1979 and has had a very eventful life, although most of those events have not been happy ones. Despite being born into a loving family and growing up on a prosperous family-owned farm, Helen has long suffered from issues of self-confidence. She has also had terrible luck in her romantic relationships.

From Quiz The Archers in the 50's and 60's

Answer: Dan and Doris

Prior to the series going Nationwide, five pilot episodes were broadcast locally in the Midlands area of England during the week commencing May 29, 1950. In the five pilot episodes the name of the Archer's farm was called Wimberton Farm not Brookfield Farm as it became when broadcast nationally.

From Quiz All About the Animals of Ambridge

Answer: Ferrets

One time poacher and bad boy Eddie Grundy has mellowed with age, no doubt aided by son William growing up to become the local gamekeeper. The ferrets were used for some of his 'outdoor activities'.

From Quiz An Everyday Story of Country Folk

Answer: Shire horses

In 1951, Dan Archer retired his last two working Shire horses, Blossom and Boxer, putting Blossom out to grass and selling Boxer. Strangely enough, in 2007 Nigel Pargetter introduced a Shire horse to Lower Loxley. Nice to see them making a comeback! The Shire is the tallest of Britain's native breeds and can be 18 hands high.

From Quiz "The Archers": Death on the Am

Answer: Midnight

The BBC maintain that it was pure coincidence that a major character died in this popular radio soap opera on the very evening commercial television started in the UK. Grace and Phil Archer were dining at Grey Gables with John and Carol Tregorran on 22 September 1955, the day of Princess Ira von Furstenburg's wedding in Venice, when Grace went outside to look for a lost earring. She came back screaming for help because the stables were on fire and John and Phil helped her lead the horses to safety. Then Midnight, her sister-in-law Chris's horse, for some reason went back into the burning building and Grace followed. The roof collapsed and Grace was pinned under a fallen beam. She died in Phil's arms on the way to hospital.

From Quiz The Archers

Answer: 1951

Although it was originally transmitted on the BBC Midlands Home Service on May 29, 1950, it wasn't until January 1, 1951, that it was broadcast to a national audience.

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: Pat and Tony

Pat and Tony have run Bridge Farm for many years. They now share much of the day to day running of the farm and its food shop with their family. Pat is a very caring and involved mother who is fiercely protective of her children, particularly Helen. Pat and Tony are both acutely aware of the difficulties Helen has experienced and are usually quite careful not to upset her in any way. Pat is played by Patricia Gallimore while Tony is portrayed by David Troughton who took over the role from Colin Skipp in 2014.

From Quiz All About the Animals of Ambridge

Answer: Horse

No! The answer is not a 'mobile faun'! It is true, however, that Mark's cause was not helped by the fact that he was using a cell phone whilst driving. His car hit a tree as he swerved to avoid Caroline Bone who had been thrown from her horse. He left a widow, Shula, and unborn son Daniel.

From Quiz An Everyday Story of Country Folk

Answer: Hole in the heart

Elizabeth was a hole in the heart baby when she was born in 1967. The terminal selfishness, which appeared in the rows over her parents will, and the foot in mouth, when she dropped her friend and employee Kathy in it with the police, presumably developed later. Christopher Carter was the unfortunate Ambridge child with a hare lip.

From Quiz "The Archers": Death on the Am

Answer: When he was knocked down by a branch from a tree he and David Archer were trimming.

It was his uncle Bob Larkin who was killed in a tussle over a gun with the gamekeeper, Tom Forrest. Both the other accidents did happen to Jethro, but it was the one with the tree which proved fatal in 1987.

From Quiz The Archers

Answer: Ambridge

The village is named after the river on which it is situated, the Am.

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: He was crushed by a tractor

Tony found John dead in a ditch having been crushed by his own beloved tractor. This tragedy took place on Helen's youngest brother's birthday. It was Tony who had a run-in with an angry bull when one of Bridge Farm's prize beasts charged at him and left him seriously injured in hospital. In 2011 Pat discovered that John had fathered a child with his former girlfriend, Sharon, shortly before he died. Pat and Tony were anxious to get to know their long-lost grandson but Helen and her younger brother were more reticent, fearful that this newcomer might cut into their Bridge Farm inheritance. However, Johnny came to live with the Bridge Farm Archers in 2014 and appears to have settled in well, becoming a great help to the family with his natural farming abilities.

From Quiz The Archers in the 50's and 60's

Answer: 1955

The death of Grace Archer occurred in September 1955. Approximately 20 million listeners tuned in to hear the episode. Grace, recently married to Phil, died in his arms following her attempt to rescue Christine Archer's horse, Midnight, from the blazing stables.

From Quiz All About the Animals of Ambridge

Answer: Llamas

Brookfield Farm, where Phil and Jill Archer lived for many years, is a dairy farm and therefore Jill has had plenty of involvement with cows. The birds and the bees are her personal enterprises.

From Quiz An Everyday Story of Country Folk

Answer: Paddy Redmond

Yes, the very sophisticated Jennifer caused a real stir in 1967 when she had an illegitimate son by Paddy Redmond, Brookfield's cowman. She later married Roger Travers-Macy and had a daughter, Debbie. The marriage didn't last, and she married Brian Aldridge and had two more daughters, Kate and Alice (though Jennifer did have flings with John Tregorran and Roger-Travers-Macy, the hussy). Brian was in real trouble with Jennifer when he had an affair with Siobhan Hathaway, Tim's wife. She should have realised what's sauce for the goose...though to be fair to Jennifer, Brian had past form in that area too.

From Quiz "The Archers": Death on the Am

Answer: He was late for a hen party.

That evening lawyer Mark was kept late at work with a difficult case, so he was hurrying home as he had promised to wait at table for the hen party his wife Shula was hosting for her friend Caroline. As he drove through the lanes on his way back to Ambridge he was overtaken by a reckless driver on a blind bend and had to swerve to avoid a horsewoman who had been thrown from her mount as a result. In an ironic twist, the horse woman was the bride-to-be Caroline and her engagement to the vicar, Robin Stokes was a later casualty of the accident.

From Quiz The Archers

Answer: The Midlands

The fictional county of Borsetshire is located somewhere between Birmingham and Cheltenham. Some "incoming" characters have Birmingham accents, while most of the locals sound more West Country, but the main Archer family use a standard English accent.

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: Tom

Although Tom has always been an ambitious business man, dedicated to selling his high-end sausages and other pork-based products to the big supermarkets, he has not always been successful. Some of his business set-backs were due to issues beyond his control, but others were his fault, such as his ill-advised fling with a supermarket buyer which ended badly for both him and his sausages. Tom has also had a checkered romantic history, he was heartbroken when his long-term girlfriend Brenda, unwilling to compete with the pigs for Tom's attention, ended their relationship in 2013. Tom reunited with former girlfriend, Kirsty Miller, and the duo were soon engaged. However, Tom was still not over his relationship with Brenda and had distinctly cold feet about marrying Kirsty and, even more unfortunately, he did not choose to tell her about this until the day of their wedding when he left her at the altar. Kirsty and Helen had been great friends and this betrayal put a strain on their friendship since Helen had had an inkling about Tom's doubts and had not warned Kirsty. However, when Kirsty returned to Ambridge she forgave Helen and was a great friend to her when she needed her the most. Tom is played by William Troughton whose father, David, plays his on air father Tony.

From Quiz The Archers in the 50's and 60's

Answer: The Borchester Echo

The village of Ambridge is set in the fictional Mid English county of Borsetshire. Borchester is the county town of Borsetshire and this is where the local newspaper, The Borchester Echo is produced.

From Quiz All About the Animals of Ambridge

Answer: Boa Constrictor

The mind boggles at an act that could encompass any of the other options. There were various sightings of Bertie in the village but he finally turned up in Lynda Snell's bed, which is also a little mind boggling!

From Quiz An Everyday Story of Country Folk

Answer: Sid Perks

Sean Myerson was the gay landlord of the Cat and Fiddle (his partner's name was Peter). Adam, Jennifer's charming son, soon charmed Grey Gables' charismatic chef, Ian Craig, and after a tender kiss in a polytunnel, they set up home together and celebrated with a civil partnership in 2006 (after Ian had got over his longing to be a father with his old friend Madeleine (who turned out to be aptly nicknamed Madds)). Sid, on the other hand, is positively homophobic and had a real hissy fit when Sean became captain of the cricket team.

From Quiz "The Archers": Death on the Am

Answer: Guy Pemberton

Poor Caroline, after her adulterous dalliance with Brian and her broken engagement to Robin Stakes, she finally made it to the altar on 11 September 1995, only to be widowed on 12 April 1996. To add insult to injury, against Caroline's wishes, Guy was buried next to his first wife in Suffolk.

From Quiz The Archers

Answer: The first commercial television broadcast.

All the events took place in 1955, but it has always been held that the BBC deliberately arranged for a major and dramatic storyline to "scupper" the beginning of commercial television in Britain, a claim they deny. But it seems like more than a coincidence.

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: Greg Turner

The relationship between the young and impressionable Helen and the much older gamekeeper, Greg Turner, seemed doomed from the start. Pat and Tony were concerned about the relationship for a number of reasons, not just the age difference. Greg was quite withdrawn and secretive and he withheld important information, such as the fact that he was divorced with two daughters and that he had previously had a vasectomy, from Helen until they had been together for some time. Despite these revelations Helen moved in with Greg in 2002 and did her best to support him in seeking a closer relationship with his daughters who were living in France with their mother. Unfortunately, despite Helen's best efforts, Greg's abrasive attitude put him at constant odds with his bosses and further alienated him from his daughters when he behaved badly during their visit to Ambridge. Greg's behaviour deteriorated as his depression deepened and he ended up losing his job and physically attacking Helen. After Helen had moved out and he was no longer allowed contact with his daughters, Greg shot himself. Helen was devastated by Greg's death and began to suffer from a number of issues including anorexia as a result. It also made her wary of relationships.

From Quiz The Archers in the 50's and 60's

Answer: Six

Five of the six weddings which took place were between: Phil Archer and Grace Archer, 1955; Christine Archer and Paul Johnson, 1956; Phil Archer and Jill Patterson, 1957; Tom Forrest and Pru Harris, 1958; Mrs P and Arthur Perkins, 1959.

From Quiz All About the Animals of Ambridge

Answer: Turkey

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Grundy trying to sell you a turkey. In this case Clint avoided the chop thanks to the young William Grundy adopting him as a pet. Ironically, William grew up to be a gamekeeper with a primary role of preparing birds to be shot.

From Quiz "The Archers": Death on the Am

Answer: Tom's 17th birthday

When John failed to return to the house for Tom's birthday tea, Tom and Tony set out to look for him, and Tony found his son's lifeless body beneath the overturned vintage Ferguson tractor.

From Quiz The Archers

Answer: Dan and Doris

While Dan was played by four actors from the start of the series to the character's death in April 1986, namely Harry Oakes, Monte Crick, Edgar Harrison and Frank Middlemass, Doris was only ever played by one actress, Gwen Berryman.

From Quiz All About Helen Archer

Answer: Ian Craig

Ian and Helen have been friends for some time. Ian is played by Stephen Kennedy and is a kind and caring character who can also be blunt and straightforward when the need arises. Ian's friendship with Helen came to an abrupt end when he discovered that she had seen his husband, Adam Macy, kissing another man and had not informed him. Ian and Adam became the first same sex couple to marry in a British soap opera when they entered into a civil partnership in 2006. The couple renewed their commitment to each other in December 2015, after the law had finally been changed to allow same sex couples to marry in civil ceremonies on the same terms as opposite sex couples.

From Quiz The Archers in the 50's and 60's

Answer: Sid Perks

Prior to arriving in Ambridge at the age of 19 years, Sid Perks had been in trouble with the police and had been sent to a school for young offenders. His crime was one of breaking and entering a property with the intent to steal. Following Jack Woolley taking him under his wing, Sid remained in Ambridge, where he met and married Polly Mead, the barmaid at The Bull, in September 1965.

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