The Archers and a panto!

[Gemini]

Those who know me know my love of both The Archers and pantomime, especially our local panto.

I love the Archers omnibus, and like to hear the week's episodes that way. Today I was particularly looking forward to it.

It featured a panto for the village, and our long standing beloved dame Berwick Kaler who retired last year after over 40 years of York pantomimes. Martin Barrass who starred alongside Berwick for most of that time is now a regular in the Archers cast. He and Berwick played alongside each other one more time, even though it was only on radio.
Very nostalgic for those of us who loved and miss those pantos

So any of you who are Archers listeners, you will hear a bit of my beloved panto ( sadly no more)

[Grauntie Mag]

I did Gem 😁. I didn’t realise Berwick Kaler was a real person and had to look up Martin Barrass though I guessed he was Mick.

[Gemini]

Yes Grauntie, he's real, we've known him in panto since a young man. He's from Sunderland, like Oma

[Daisy]

Gem, an Archers episode you will always remember.

[Gemini]

Grauntie (and anyone else who is interested) here is bit more info from the archives!

https://gransrus.com/forum/the-book-club/120052-end-of-an-era-for-the-pantomime

[Oma]

Hee was actually born in South Shields but raised in the Hendon area of Sunderland,
Quite a rough area but a real community.
My family belonged there, by the time I was born my parents had moved a few miles away but my great grandmother still lived there and in the same area as Berwick.
I like to think he modelled his panto persona on the old Hendon grannies, there were some characters there 😁

[Plantaholic]

Gemini and Oma, that was very interesting, I can just see those females standing outside their houses in their pinnies (sp) and overalls putting the world to right.

[Grauntie Mag]

Thanks for the info Gem. Interesting reading.

[Oma]

That's what they were like Plant
Wrap around pinnies , cleaning the front door steps to keep up appearances even though they were as poor as church mice .
But in them days they looked after each other ,
Once they pulled down the old tenements and houses it all changed.
It's now all asylum seekers and immigrants.
Not a safe area at all.