I long ago realised that I wasn't the only fan who enjoyed [Poll #1527453]For those who don't listen, and want to experiment, the podcast is here. I don't know if it will work for people outside the UK.
This is a bit difficult because I don't fit your poll at all. I have, at various times in my life since the 1950s, listened regularly both to the daily broadcasts and the weekend omnibus. I still have the BBC messageboards on my bookmarks and occasionally skim to find out what is going on, though I am more likely to read The Bull than Discuss the Archers.
However, a few years ago I found it was annoying me so much that I gave up entirely and have not regretted it. Ina, who was a member of a large informal e-mail group of Archers fans, has also pretty much given up, though no doubt she will speak for herself. If Ina is actually listening to an episode - which she does not do that often - I quit the room or put on earphones. She does not inflict it on me very often and we don't listen in the car.
I used to listen to it live as often as I could - which led to some weeks hearing the same episode three times (evening, lunchtime repeat, beginning of the omnibus) and missing every other episode! Once ListenAgain came in I'd make an effort to catch up with that. I'd usually listen to the omnibus live if I could, but then I started working on a Sunday morning.
And then the podcasts began, so now I automatically download them and listen at my leisure. This has led to the odd situation of me turning off the live broadcasts because I'm a few episodes behind and don't want to get them out of order!
I didn't avidly listen as a child, but my mum did so it was one of those background things I was aware of. I actually started seriously listening whilst revising for my finals - anything but revise! - and carried on ever since.
Part of the reason I answered the way I did is that there are so many fannish things that I want to catch up on that actually do intrigue me, that I don't really want to spend my time catching up on something which doesn't intrigue me.
My father used to listen when I was a child (and presumably before then too). So I grew up with it. We used to listen religiously every evening. However it and me and to a lesser extent my parents grew apart. It now irritates me significantly, in the same way that all the TV soaps do, so I avoid it at almost any cost.
We were weaned onto it during a long wet and miserable field season in Denmark. A mature student's husband sent tapes of the omnibus (numbered sequentially, in almost improbably high episode numbers) along with weekly food parcels of UK chocolates and his own brand of home written filk songs based on the contents of her letters home. Now it is only missed when something critical intervenes.
It was always on when I was a kid, and then in the late-80s/early 90s my then girlfriend was very keen so I tried to share the enthusiasm. These days I don't hate it, but I can't really see the point of getting drawn in. So I won't turn it off if it comes on during one of the random periods when I have the radio on, but I won't seek it out either.
I used to listen regularly until I moved to the US in 2005. It was irritating me then with all the stuff about Grundy sibling rivalry. The number of annoying characters was rising all the time.
"I didn't avidly listen as a child, but my mum did so it was one of those background things I was aware of. I actually started seriously listening whilst revising for my finals - anything but revise! - and carried on ever since." This.
I've got a friend who works on the Archers these days. She was surprised by how many of her friends were Archers fans. She let at least three of know that we should be listening to a particular episode last week ;(
I keep half-joking that she needs to convince a voice actor to come to an Eastercon.
Couldn't answer the second part, because I hear most episodes but not all - I'm probably closer to "never miss" than "now and then", but wasn't ready to tick either.
The last section needs an option for "Force fed it as a child and have been put off for life". I grew up in a house where the radio was nearly always on, and tuned to Radio 4 (or the Home Service pre-1967). So I got to hear the Archers nearly every day, and the Sunday repeat too. Now, on those occasions when I sleep late on a Sunday, lying abed reading or just listening to the radio, it is the one thing that will unfailingly get me to switch off the radio, get up, and be about my day.
I can“t join the poll because I have not listened to The Archers - yet. However I am not completely ignorant, we do have a doublecassette with several episodes in our library together with some samples of other BBC Radio series. I am well aware that my knowledge of English is limited and I will not understand all the puns and so on however now I will use a chance and I will try!
My Mum loves it, I hate it. Well, to be honest I hate listening to radio drama in general I just can't follow it so this isn't an Archers specific thing.
The Archers almost never has puns. It's the Radio 4 commedy programmes that are loaded with those.
You might find the farming issues in the Archers to be interesting. They always make sure those are accurate as the show originally began as a way of bringing farmers up to date on new techniques.
Well, not exactly, though the BBC Archers website introduced me to the joys of the internet. I listened with Mum during the 60s (and have vivid memories of Nigel's gorilla suit) then again in the 70s during Nelson's wine bar phase (and Fagash Lil's heyday), and seem to have spent most of the 90s hurling abuse at the radio. Have rather given up recently though what with Matt off the scene, and various 60s storylines repeating themselves it's far less engaging.
Reminds me of the competition the BBC ran long ago on "the programme title announcement that is most likely to make you turn off your radio". They were looking for things like, "A Discussion of the number of hairs on a flea's leg" but the most given answer was, "Now it's time for Thought for the Day."
Unfortunately, they know nothing at all about running a riding school/livery, being a Master of Fox Hounds, breeding Afghan Hounds or many other things that members of the cast have supposed to be doing over the years.
I haven't actually listened to it but I've heard enough about it to know that it doesn't interest me. I also almost never listen to the radio, having grown up in a household where the radio was on constantly and usually more than one, all tuned to different stations. And this was in a modern (detached) house with thin interior walls. I actually really enjoy being at home with only the noise of the house, like the heating or fridge or oven, and the street outside, with no music, and no radio.
It's "But before the shipping forecast, Sailing By." Except sometimes they don't even give me that warning, and just start playing the music, at which point I leap across the room shrieking curses because I won't be able to get it out of my head. I know I'm not the only one. Oh damn, now I can hear it.
I only listen at work (Monday to Wednesday), and only then because it's on and because there's nothing better on Radio 2. (7 pm is too soon into the shift to brave Radio 3.)
I like to catch it on the radio in the car every so often but don't listen in the house. It's always a nostalgia trip for me as my Mum listened regularly while we were growing up.
My Dad always listened to the evening repeat ever since I can remember, so I grew up with it, so I have some affection for it, but I don't listen to it myself other than for nostalgia.
Ah, then I won't have heard of him. I stay away from 5 (and 1FM). Start the shift on R4, stay with it until the World Service takes over, maybe stick with WS for a while or drift down to R3. But I always end up on Radio 2.
I don't listen to music on the radio, so only listen to Radio 3 when there is speech, though their science strands get me very annoyed on occasion. Radio 4 or Radio 7 most of the time, World Service overnight if Radio 7 is doing something depressing, Radio 5!Live if they are all depressing and, of course, always on Friday afternoons for the Mayo and Kermode film review double act. Sometimes 5!Live Sports Extra, particularly if it is F1 at a time I can't even be bothered to put the computer up...
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However, a few years ago I found it was annoying me so much that I gave up entirely and have not regretted it. Ina, who was a member of a large informal e-mail group of Archers fans, has also pretty much given up, though no doubt she will speak for herself. If Ina is actually listening to an episode - which she does not do that often - I quit the room or put on earphones. She does not inflict it on me very often and we don't listen in the car.
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And then the podcasts began, so now I automatically download them and listen at my leisure. This has led to the odd situation of me turning off the live broadcasts because I'm a few episodes behind and don't want to get them out of order!
I didn't avidly listen as a child, but my mum did so it was one of those background things I was aware of. I actually started seriously listening whilst revising for my finals - anything but revise! - and carried on ever since.
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An everyday story of country filk
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I don't miss it.
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I've got a friend who works on the Archers these days. She was surprised by how many of her friends were Archers fans. She let at least three of know that we should be listening to a particular episode last week ;(
I keep half-joking that she needs to convince a voice actor to come to an Eastercon.
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Oh, and the current Usha was Selma in Horizon, and more recently played the older Rani in The Mad Woman in the Attic.
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You might find the farming issues in the Archers to be interesting. They always make sure those are accurate as the show originally began as a way of bringing farmers up to date on new techniques.
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Well, not exactly, though the BBC Archers website introduced me to the joys of the internet. I listened with Mum during the 60s (and have vivid memories of Nigel's gorilla suit) then again in the 70s during Nelson's wine bar phase (and Fagash Lil's heyday), and seem to have spent most of the 90s hurling abuse at the radio. Have rather given up recently though what with Matt off the scene, and various 60s storylines repeating themselves it's far less engaging.
Some of the fanfic is fun though.
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For me it's more likely to be "And now Mark Lawson with a special edition of Front Row." Hate Mark Lawson. Hate hate hate hate hate. With spikey bits.
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