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Felicity Finch answers - part two
2 November 2006
More answers to your questions from the actor who plays Ruth.
Felicity Finch (Ruth Archer)
Read part one>>
Just wanted to say I'm right on your side over this business with David. I liked the way it wasn't all made better with a takeaway and dvd. Seems like real crisis which I think is realistic! Don't take any crap!
Jessica Jenkins
Hey …thanks pet! Like I said before - I just want it to be believable so I agree that these situations don't magically mend overnight…
Before he announced his love, did Ruth realise that Sam fancies her?
Mike
No way! It really was that thing of becoming closer friends through working together and Sam happening to be around when Ruth felt the need to talk about her troubles - so almost by accident he became her confidant. I firmly believe it never ever occurred to her that he was anything but a friend; that's what made him safe to be with.
Given that for so long listeners were encouraged to believe that David and Ruth had a very happy and playfully harmonious marriage, why do you think she was so oddly reluctant to tell David exactly how she felt about his friendship with Sophie? Surely sympathy for Sophie's loss of her father cannot possibly override their former unselfconscious ease of discussing everything frankly and openly?
Louise Dawson
(Liz White, Laurence and John Rae asked similar questions)
I think when David first introduced Ruth to Sophie she picked up on a definite frisson between the two of them. Sophie was his ex-fiancée as well as being a tall, stunningly attractive woman with long legs and a beautiful figure. She was wearing gorgeous clothes, including a flatteringly low cut silk blouse. I feel Ruth would not have felt threatened by Sophie unless David's behaviour became suspicious, which it did. I defy any woman to not feel concerned in this situation (or any man for that matter). But she would also feel inadequate for experiencing such emotions and therefore find it difficult to admit these feelings to her partner. Eventually Ruth did try to discuss how she felt with David. He just ridiculed her while still behaving badly towards Sophie in her company and suspiciously when away from her. Unfortunately Sophie came on the scene at a point when Ruth was not feeling great about herself physically; during the long unusually hot summer she was much more aware of her prosthesis, as it became uncomfortable for her to wear. There were some allusions to this in the storyline. So I feel there were a number of different elements which led to Sophie seeming to be a huge threat to Ruth and her finding it difficult to talk to David about it.
Why don't you arrange a horse riding session for Sophie - but make sure the horse is a bit unstable so it throws her - hopefully out of Ambridge !!!
Keith Kingsbury
Do you think I would have got away with it? Unfortunately it's a bit late now. But if she ever dares to show her face in Ambridge again…
Although I appreciate you are reading a script, you nonetheless seem very "at home" with farming and children. Does this come from personal experience, or are you an even better actor than given credit for?
Harry Wright
(Ray Sylvester and Catherine Roberts asked similar questions)
I wish I could say it 's from experience on both counts, as I think a part of me would love some of Ruth's life.One of my earliest holiday memories as a young child was spending a week on a farm and loving it. I certainly feel very at home at Brookfield but I think that probably comes from assimilating a fair bit of knowledge about the world of farming through 'living' in Ambridge for so long! Also, farming and the plight of farmers are often in the news these days and I find I'm naturally interested in digesting as much as possible. I don't have children of my own but have wonderful nieces and nephews so my relationship with them is a great help in family scenes. I always get a bit sentimental when we have Brookfield Christmas scenes with the kids as it all seems very real - just for a few moments.
(I think I should also make it clear to those who don't know that my kids are played into scenes as pre-recorded voices - except for Pip who has recently become a real person, which is great!)
Isn't this [story] just turning the once distinctive "Archers" into a pale reflection of tv's tacky soaps?
Mick Hawes
Afraid I can't agree on this as I'm not able to stand outside of the story. In my opinion The Archer is still very different to TV soaps. Stories are not sensationalist; they are allowed to grow and develop out of characters over a long period of time rather than being imposed upon them.
I've noticed that you are in the programme every week and also appear in quite a lot of other Radio 4 programmes. How do you manage it? Do you EVER get a holiday?
Anna
Believe it or not we record the Archers over six days a month and two of them are a weekend so there is plenty of time to fit in other work. But holidays are an issue, as I find it very difficult to plan ahead because I feel like I never quite know what might come up, or when during the year (although potential Archers dates are set in stone). I'm afraid that tends to be the plight of many a freelancer. Sometimes I'm brave and manage to book a holiday a month ahead!
Is Ruth just feeling the onset of middle age and panicking? As a younger woman she dealt with difficulties head on but now she seems out of her depth.
Sara Burgess
I feel any long relationship is going to be vulnerable at some point over the years. I don't think Ruth's behaviour is a result of panic about middle age - more a panic about the fact that David can behave in such a way after 18 years of marriage and make something which seemed so solid suddenly seem so fragile. In this extreme situation - yes, she is out of her depth but can anyone blame her for feeling like this?
Do you think that Ruth will ever get fed up with farming and do something else with her life, particularly now that her relationship with David is rocky?
Jo Pearsall
Easy answer here - no I don't! Ruth is passionate about her work - that's probably the point -that it 's not just 'work' but a way of life which she would never consider giving up even if she had to go it alone.
I think you're a great Ruth and really enjoy the strong story lines you've been given recently, but Ruth has been in Ambridge for a long time now, so don't you think she could perhaps dilute the North Eastern accent a bit?
Anna Allport
(John, Chris, Kim Shaw, Anthony Littler, mairead mahon and Dresdenshepherdess asked similar questions)
My feelings about this are based on the fact that I know many people who have moved from one part of the country to another and retained their accent. Several are from the north east. You can meet northerners on the other side of the world who emigrated decades ago but their accent is still a dead giveaway. In fact one of my brothers has lived in Canada for twenty years and is convinced he sounds Canadian... sadly he is deluded!!
Is Ruth's accent your own?
Riachuelo
Gerald Peel asked a similar question
I'm a bit of a chameleon having lived in different parts of Tyneside and Teesside - so a number of accents are my own including Ruth's!!
Your rendition of Ruth's accent is amazing - How do you manage it?!?
Lionelgrb
Thanks pet! See above - no effort required..!
Hiya Hinny! As a born and brought-up but left at 23 Geordie I've been trying to work out what part of God's own land you hail from. Most of my time was spent on the Western Fringes of Newcastle (Walbottle, Throckley, Westerhope) and your accent does sound similar... so mebbe it is Prudhoe (just over the river). By the way, you sound smashing, don't take notice of those people who don't understand that a North-Eastern accent is just as much English than anywhere else in the country.
"Zak Dingle"
Ruth is supposed to be from the Prudhoe area but this wasn't decided as far as I remember until she got married. Personally I feel that the Newcastle/Northumberland area has a myriad of variations in accents and you can take a street full of people who may all differ slightly for a multitude of reasons - the result can be that everyone thinks theirs is right so I'm glad you're happy anyway!
How did you become involved in radio; how did you get a foot on the ladder?
Felicity Ortiz
(Ruth McLennan asked a similar question)
Luck! I had recently finished a production of Andy Capp at Newcastle Playhouse when a producer from the Archers asked the director of the theatre for a list of actors from the north east he could recommend for the part of Ruth. They were about to hold auditions in Birmingham …and I was on the list. The rest is history, as they say.
How much fun do you have acting out a row with David, who you have been working with for so long that you are probably on good terms with in real life?
Jane Sealy
Not sure if 'fun' is quite the adjective I would use! But actors always love conflict because it's something you can really get your teeth into. So to answer your question, it's fantastic to have such challenging scenes. In a funny kind of way it can make us closer as actors and as friends because strong emotions are flying around which can be quite disturbing, so it's an interesting shared experience. Tim sometimes says he feels our long working relationship makes our friendship like a real marriage with its ups and downs…and irritations!
As an amateur actor I find playing an unsympathetic character more challenging and satisfying when I pull it off. Do you feel the same when portraying Ruth?
Dusty
Not sure what you are saying here. Are you saying that Ruth is unsympathetic - in which case I disagree. If you are asking about playing 'villains' or 'bad' characters then, yes, they are more satisfying to play than 'nice' people. But most well written characters in any drama will have many facets, so hopefully you can create an interesting and challenging character.
I do enjoy your pieces on Woman's Hour and Home Truths. Do you enjoy your journalism more than the acting, or vice versa?
"Auntie Satya"
I find it difficult to compare the two because they are so different yet both creative. Interestingly I suppose the journalism is often dealing with other people's emotions rather than creating them myself. I think I would find it very hard to stop doing either. What's great is that they are both jobs which can be flexible and allow the other to happen.
Ruth is one of my favourite characters on The Archers! What would be your ideal storyline for Ruth?
David
Great to hear that she's one of your favourites - thanks for that - but aaaaaah, what a question! At the moment I can't see beyond the present storyline - so maybe I'm in the middle of the 'ideal' now! I feel I've been very lucky with storylines over the years. To have had the opportunity to play the breast cancer story and now the crisis in David and Ruth's marriage... well who knows what might lie in the future, if I survive the current crisis? I think I'll leave 'ideal' stories to the writers.
Many listeners, myself included, believe that Ruth Archer is hugely over-exposed in terms of Archers programmes, often to the detriment of other characters and plot development. Ignoring pecuniary benefit, what is your reaction to the omnipresence of the character and how would you justify it?
Country Squire
Afraid I'm not takin' the bait pet. Hope you have a happy life.
Does Ruth like cats? Does Felicity like cats?
Thorkjell Tushersson
I think Ruth likes all animals. Felicity likes cats too but unfortunately is allergic to them To a greater or lesser degree, I have to be careful not to stroke them and then touch my face. Red blotches are the unsightly result and other reactions ranging from slight sniffles to red, itchy swollen eyes. I could go on but will spare you the gory details. Interestingly Siamese can provoke the worst reaction.
I've been a lifetime listener to The Archers but I've become increasingly distanced from it over the last couple of years, really starting with the rape story. Shocks are created and then never really followed through. Do you see this trend in the programme or do you think it's going in the right direction? It just feels it has become more and more a soap and less of a drama.
Sarah
I'm sorry you've become increasingly distanced - all I can say is that some stories seem to carry on for many months, if not years, much like in real life. Certainly Brian's affair with Siobhan happened over about 18 months I think, and has continued to have repercussions. These will still be being felt in twenty years time I'm sure, as will the Ed, Eddie, and Emma story. I feel one of the great things about The Archers is that it seems to be able to portray life almost in real time. So stories are given a chance to breathe and are not condensed into a few weeks, which I think is what can happen in TV soaps. I hope maybe you will stick with it and see if you change your mind.
If you were not playing Ruth who would you like to play?
Calvin Saxton
This is one of those questions that if you think about it too much you tie yourself in knots! So I'm going to go with my instinctive answer when I was asked the same question at an Archer's Convention question and answer session: Susan or Bert!
Is the Dead Ringers tribute to The Archers (and Ruth in particular) flattering or frivolous?
Sara
(Ruth Holt asked a similar question)
Flattering or frivolous - is that a nice way of saying 'insulting'?! I have to confess when the programme first started I wasn't sure myself but then decided it's the highest form of flattery! And of course any character with an accent is fair game for any impressionist worth their salt. I think it's a great programme and to hear an audience fall about when hearing just two very small words 'oh, no!' is no bad thing... I hope!! (PS Many an Archers listener had accosted me with the phrase 'Ooooh Noooo Deeavid!' Long before Dead Ringers ever came on the scene.)
As you're such a keen salsa dancer, how long must we wait before you go in for Strictly Come Dancing?? It would be great to see you dance! And could you drag your mate Usha Gupta along too (or am I confusing real life with the Archers again?)
Catherine Read
Dance has always been my great love and dancing the salsa or lambada is my idea of heaven. Even though ballroom isn't quite my thing it would be a dream come true to be in Strictly Come Dancing - not coz I want to be on the telly but just to get the chance to spend all that time dancing with a professional dancer in all those different styles of dance. Mmmmm ecstasy! But in order to be considered I suspect you have to have a higher visual profile in life than being in a radio programme. So I'm afraid I'll just have to go on dreaming, unless a fairy godmother steps in (do you think Archers fans across the country would vote?) Oh, and of course I'd drag Souad - oops - I mean Usha along too…!
What would you do if you weren't doing this?
Hannah Smith
That's a hard one. Either trying to get really challenging theatre work with a company like Shared Experience, if they'd ever have me, or trying to making radio documentaries in countries such as Rwanda, Afghanistan and Cuba.
My girlfriend & I are very sympathetic to your character's plight and enchanted by your voice. She says you are tall, thin and blonde. I say you are small & dark. Your photo tells me I am partially right. Please settle the rest of our conjecture!
John & Anne
What lovely comments to end on. Well Anne, I'm afraid John's a lot closer than you are. I am definitely small - all of five feet, one and a half inches! But I'm fair rather than dark and as for the 'thin' - I'd say slimish! Mind you I'm not sure that any of this matters because no matter what I am, Ruth is whatever is in each listener's head!
Read part one>>
Previous 'Backstage' story>>
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