Date: 21.09.2012
The actress Rosalind Adams, who plays the part of
Clarrie Grundy in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, has announced that she is
leaving the show to spend more time with her grandchildren.
Rosalind has been playing the long-suffering Clarrie, wife of loveable rogue Eddie and mother to warring brothers, Will and Ed, for 25 years. She became the third actress to take on the part when she took over from Fiona Mathieson in 1988. Previously Clarrie was played by Heather Bell who created the role in the 1970s.
Rosalind said: “I have been playing Clarrie for 25 years. I’m 68 now and have very young grandchildren with whom I want to spend more time. It has been a brilliant job for me and now I’m happy to hand it over to someone else.”
The Archers producers will be re-casting the part and begin the search for a new actress to take on the role.
Vanessa Whitburn, Editor of The Archers, said: “Rosalind has been a much-valued member of The Archers cast. We will miss her and she goes with our very best wishes and thanks.
“Listeners have taken Clarrie to their hearts as we’ve laughed and cried with her through the years. She has dealt with the various challenges presented to her by the men in her life with amazing fortitude and enviable stoicism. Our challenge now is to find an actress who can continue with the great work that Rosalind has done down the years, ensuring Clarrie retains her special place in listeners’ affections.”
Clarrie’s family moved to Ambridge in the early 1970s when her father took a job at Brookfield Farm. She married local ‘ne’er do well’ Eddie Grundy and as a couple they form the matriarch and patriarch of one of Ambridge’s best-loved families. Clarrie spends much of her time sorting out problems created by her husband, sons and father-in-law.
In 2011 Clarrie was at the centre of one of the key storylines in The Archers’ 60th anniversary year, when she was found to be responsible for an outbreak of E.coli at Bridge Farm Dairy.
(via BBC Media Centre)
