Carman "Verandah"?
21 June 2002
Listeners
often find their lives paralleling those of Archers characters. Like Kenton
Archer, Frances Carman moved to Australia and later returned. But her
reasons for coming home were rather less disreputable.
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Manchester-born
Frances emigrated when she was 19: "They were desperate to
have people in those days. It was a ten pound scheme. You paid ten
pounds and they paid your passage, as long as you stayed a minimum
of two years."
During
her time in the southern hemisphere Frances spent several months
working and travelling in New Guinea, and while she was there she
was lucky enough to see the annual Highland Games held on Mt Hagen.
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Frances
Carmen with her husband Mick at a "very drunken Christmas party"
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Visions of
cabers and sporrans can quickly be cast aside, though: "It was set
up by the Australian authorities in the early sixties. It brought together
dozens of tribes who were often fighting each other. But instead they
competed by making fantastic costumes, and with tribal dancing. I especially
remember the ‘mudmen’, who cover their bodies with mud and build
it up around their heads so they are totally circular. It was quite something."
After her
two years, Frances returned to London where, except for nine months on
a kibbutz, she has spent the rest of her working life. "I spent three
years in the press office at London Zoo, which is where I met Mick".
(FrancesÂ’ husband is now the head keeper of apes and monkeys at the
Zoo.) "Other than that IÂ’ve mainly worked in the media."
Frances had
twenty years with Express Newspapers and was the office manager for the
launch of the Sport First newspaper, but at the moment sheÂ’s the
news desk secretary for a well known national. "ItÂ’s very interesting
seeing stories grow from the beginning through to getting in the paper",
she says. She clearly has lots of behind-the-scenes tales, but is too
discreet to share them in publicÂ…
Screaming
at the radio
Frances is
a relatively recent convert to The Archers, having been introduced to
Radio 4 about eight years ago by a neighbour. "It took me a while
to get involved, but you gradually get to know the characters and start
to care about what theyÂ’re doing. When you start screaming at the
radio, you know youÂ’re hooked!"
Frances found
The Archers message board over a year ago, and has recently posted her
1000th message. "I lurked [read without posting] for a while and
then plucked up the courage. Everyone was lovely and welcoming. ItÂ’s
strange how fond you can get of people who youÂ’ve never met."
Over the months, Frances has also developed a strange role as a sort of
maidservant to "Lady Smuck", a persona adopted by fellow message
boarder Mary Sanderson. And, noting
her surname, the punsters were quick to dub her "Verandah".
Frances also
enjoys the Fantasy Archers topic on the message board; fantasy of a different
variety, as this is where listeners contribute alternative Archers storylines
or literary parodies based on the programme. SheÂ’s been known to
contribute pieces herself, a recent offering being a set
of lyrics to the patriotic medley that greets early morning listeners
to Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4.
"ItÂ’s
very silly and it doesnÂ’t matter. My feet are very much on the ground
most of the time, so itÂ’s enormous fun to have this sort of fantasy
life."
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