First of all, thanks for all the good work. Brenda is one of my favourite characters, so I hope we'll be hearing a lot more of her. If you were an 'Archers' scriptwriter, what storylines would you like to write for Brenda?
Brian Whitby

If you could write a storyline for The Archers what would it be?
Calvin Saxton

I like Brenda's unabashed desire for a good story and her hunger to really make something of herself in the world of journalism so I suppose I would write a storyline in which she did her own freelance investigation - perhaps poking through the less savoury activities of some notable Ambridge dwellers. Of course she's had a go at Matt Crawford before, but hopefully she will have learned that rock solid evidence is required if she's going to challenge someone of that calibre.

Clearly, you are an intelligent woman: do you find Brenda's incredible stupidity and gullibility around men irritating or can you relate to it?
Laurel Farrington

I like to think I'm slightly savvier in romantic situations than Brenda, but then that wouldn't be that difficult! Luckily I don't share her relationship history either.

What really annoys me about Brenda (and quite frankly amazes me that she has a job as a radio journalist) is how she pronounces (ie mispronounces) words that have a "t" in the middle, such as eighteen (pronounced a-een) ninety (pronounced nine-ee) etc. Would Miss Tucker stand more chance of getting a better job if she did pronounce the "t"s in her words? She would never get a job on the BBC!
Kevin Powell

I think you're probably right. Although regional accents are perfectly acceptable on the most traditional of BBC formats these days, Brenda is a young woman from a working class background whose peer group is likely to adopt lazy elocution. However I think she's instinctively aware that she'd need to class up her act a bit to rise to national anchorwoman status. I do make a distinction between Brenda's accent when she's chatting with friends like Emma and Kirsty and when she's trying to conduct "formal" interviews (such as vox pops recordings) because I think that she would try subconsciously to rein in her accent when required to be professional.

What direction would you like to see Brenda taking in the next two years of the Archers?
Geoff Mendoza

I'd like Brenda to get focused and excited about her career again and who knows, maybe hold on to a boyfriend for more than five minutes!

Do you have a list, like your famous namesake, and if so, who is on it?
Steve Rudd

I'm not smuggling any persecuted peoples through my factory, no!

Do you think it's possible that Brenda may yet have in the back of her mind that Emma's baby may be Ed's and if so do you think she will confront Emma about it or relay her suspicions to others and really stir up a hornets nest?!
Ronald Tripp

I think Brenda definitely has an inkling that Ed and Emma's relationship is not what they profess it to be and of course the natural progression for a probing (we could say nosy) mind like Brenda's is to guess George might be Ed's. She loves to gossip with Kirsty and it's possible she would use Kirsty or another close friend as a sounding board if she did begin to believe this were the case, but I think, given her close relationship with Emma, she'd go to her friend for verification rather than spread rumours about her.

How long do you hope to stay in The Archers?
AJSZodiac

As long as Brenda gets great storylines.

For Brenda's sake, I'm hoping she'll get out of the cycle of focussing on utterly inappropriate men. Do you think she will, or is she doomed? And if she does, is James the one? What would you like to happen?
Bex

I think that James is most definitely not the one. Although it's been really great fun to play Brenda through her messy love life, I don't think she's doomed to a series of cretinous boyfriends forever. I would personally like to see the tables turn and for Brenda to find her self esteem again so that the next time she's sweet-talked she can play him at his own game!

Can`t help but feel that you have succumbed somewhat too easily to James' charms. Are jobs so easily found around Ambridge, especially in your line of work? Have you ever thought of emigrating to London?
Dvdcrnls

I think jobs in journalism are very hard to get, even in the biggest cities. Brenda's going to have a hard time sailing into another position and she knows it. London is always an option of course, but Brenda realises that she can't just turn up without a way into the industry. Unfortunately James is not that way.

Why don't you go further afield for your social life e.g. Birmingham - especially given Hayley's connections there (she is your sister-in-law). You do have a car and a driving licence! if you lived in rural Yorkshire as I do you'd be torn between Leeds, Manchester and Blackpool at weekends!!!
LifeLongFan

That's a good question. I think Brenda loves to party but she doesn't have any money, particularly now she's lost her job. It's a constant struggle for her between being bored and being broke.

What I'd really be interested to know, is how you, as a highly intelligent, multitalented, academically well qualified actor, negotiate the apparently naive/"dopey" aspects of your role, given that you must have negotiated later 20c/early 21c feminism. If I add that I speak as a 60s feminist with an academic career recently behind me, that might explain aspects of the query, but I heartily hope it won't intimidate you from answering. Yay for Brenda!
$quirrel

Thank you for that summing up! What I really like about acting is getting to play characters who are really different from me, and I have to say that Brenda's attitude towards men and my attitude towards the opposite sex are miles apart. However I don't at all think that Brenda isn't a feminist. She may suffer from occasional low self esteem and severely impaired judgement in the boyfriend department, but she isn't afraid to go after what she wants. She often asks men out, likes the game of dating and I think she's refreshingly honest about her romantic escapades, even if she often ends up looking like a fool. She's naive, but she's robust and isn't afraid to pick herself up and try again each time a romance sours - I'd say that's a quirky kind of female empowerment!

More Questionnaires: Judy Bennett (Shula Hebden Lloyd) Tim Bentinck (David Archer) Kim Durham (Matt Crawford) Souad Faress (Usha Gupta) Barry Farrimond (Ed Grundy) Felicity Finch (Ruth Archer) Tamsin Greig (Debbie Aldridge) Trevor Harrison (Eddie Grundy) Felicity Jones (Emma Grundy) Charlotte Martin (Susan Carter) Terry Molloy (Mike Tucker) Angela Piper (Jennifer Aldridge) Amy Shindler (Brenda Tucker)

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