Is it just me?

Or is Peggy Woolley THE most irritating character in The Archers? It must have been such fun though, for the scriptwriters, when it came to writing the scene where Lillian tells the hospital-bound Peggy that her Alzheimer's sufferer husband Jack has gone to a respite home.

I would have been rubbing my hands with glee at the thought of writing that scene. In all the years I've been listening to The Archers I've always found Peggy utterly infuriating though she has had a few moments of humanity every now and then with her grandchildren, and of course with Jack. However, half the fun of writing for a soap must be in hitting listeners round the face with the big wet slap that is a devastating return to teeth grindingly irritating form, after you've spent some time building up the character's more positive side. (And of course show the pantomime villain Matt in a rather better light at the same time.) Boy, did they do a good job.

In between wanting to throw something at the radio as I tuned into the story enough to sympathise with poor Lillian, and tuning out again and wondering what new depths Peggy could reach I was wondering if the scriptwriters would be moving towards a climactic moment with Peggy throwing Lillian out of the room, and yes, they were.

Having said that, it might have made the situation easier if the family had found some way to at least hint to Mama that all was not going well, and that it was hard for them, and for Jack. A desperate situation all round, of course in real life. I hope that if I am ever in the same situation I will have learned by then that I cannot do everything myself and allow other people to help.

Shall be glued to the radio tonight, however.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yesss! I was in agony for Lilian as the very worst in Peggy came out at last. A great scene. I miss Mrs P.
Jane Badger said…
CMM - yes, it was the very worst, wasn't it? I thought the saddest thing was that she has become so single-focussed she simply couldn't see how unreasonable she was being in expecting her family to look after Jack when they'd tried but realised how very difficult it was.
Juliet said…
I'm loving it - the scriptwriters are, for once, producing some highly plausible stuff and producing some surprisingly good acting all round, esp from Lilian, 'Pegguy' and 'Jeck'. Glued to the radio now I've caught up with the vital episodes I missed while I was on my hols. Hooray for 'listen again'!
tim relf said…
I'm afraid I simply can't listen to it any more. It's all so over-acted and so horribly hammed up! That's probably sacrilegious to say that about The Archers, isn't it!
Jane Badger said…
Tim - I have to admit that I do have the odd break from it now and then! But the supreme awfulness of Peggy has got me back again (though I have a lot of catching up to do, having not listened over the past week).
Bovey Belle said…
Oh gosh, I'm also an Archers addict. Are you QUITE sure you didn't have a twin sister that got left at the hospital?

I'd like to shake Peggy too, though I think unless her stroke was extremely mild, she wouldn't have been able to cope with Jack and housekeeping AT ALL when she came out. I speak from experience, as I nursed my mum through several strokes. Gripping stuff all the same.
Jane Badger said…
bovey belle - no twin sister, unless there's something my mother's not telling me! I agree - I can't see that Peggy would have been able to cope even as well as she did after her stroke. Will they be able to get the sublime Maria back, I wonder?

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