9:30am Friday 6th October 2000
Swapping the countryside for the city and Ambridge for Wimbledon, The Archers are coming to town.
The everyday tale of country folk is swapping the radio studio for the stage as members of Britain's longest running soap opera get ready to star in Come Rain, Come Shine which is coming to Wimbledon Theatre.
Members of the radio show will be performing a revue style show which is a celebration of the English countryside.
One of the actresses taking part is Carole Boyd, who is much better known to Archer addicts as Ambridge's Linda Snell.
"It all began 18 moths ago," says Shepperton-based Carole.
"Five of us from The Archers devised the show Come Rain, Come Shine which is all about the countryside.
"We were invited to do it at Clifton for Valentine's Night in 1999, and it has grown from there."
The troupe were approached by producer Ian Liston, who runs the Hiss and Boo Theatre Company.
"He got interested and asked us if we would like to take the show on the road. We said 'yes' and here we are.
"The show is full of classical English poetry and prose and a very unusual take on the balcony scene from Private Lives by Noel Coward.
"The show is very seamless - it's not one actor coming on reciting a poem, then going off. The whole thing flows from one piece to the next."
Carole joined The Archers in 1986 but her interpretation of the the role of Linda Snell was certainly not what the BBC had in mind.
"Liz Rigby had just taken over as producer," she says. "She was an agricultural journalist who knew nothing about drama.
"Anyway, the scene I had to do was with Eddy Grundy. He was supposed to have killed this small animal and I had a right go at him for it.
"The writers were quite surprised by my interpretation - they said they had seen Linda as a much more whimsical person."
Linda and her husband were a pair of yuppies who had decided to move from Sunningdale to the country and were soon getting up the noses of the Ambridge residents.
"I got quite a bit of hate mail from the Sunningdale Ladies Golf Club saying I was giving the women of the town a bad name.
"When I first joined The Archers everybody was hooked on soaps such as Dallas and Dynasty and I wanted to create a JR type character - somebody the listeners could have love-hate relationship with."
Linda has mellowed since then and Carole is now getting more fan mail rather than hate mail.
"Linda has become very involved with local issues. I received lots of letters congratulating her on stopping the bypass."
With a successful career on the radio, why on earth should the cast want to go out on the road?
"It's a very good showcase for us," she says.
"It shows audiences and people in the industry we can do more than just The Archers.
"It's hard work but it's lovely to be working with my fellow cast members in a completely different context."
After 14 years in Ambridge, Carole now has a Linda Snell Roadshow and has written a book.
"It was great to write a book in character," she says.
" t was the history of the village according to Linda."
As for the future?
"I will be happy to stay in The Archers for as long as I can.
"But I do have other things on the go, another words and music show with The Bibbey Sisters and recording audio books."
q Come Rain, Come Shine opens at Wimbledon Theatre on Wednesday October 11. For more details or to book tickets ring the box office on 020 8540 0362.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk