Nelson Gabriel
 | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (October 2009) |
| Nelson Gabriel | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Archers character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jack May | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 1952 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 1997 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Nelson Gabriel is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers and was portrayed by Jack May.[1]
Casting
[edit]May was approached by producer Tony Shryane to join The Archers as Nelson in 1952.[2] May remained with the show until he was forced to leave in January 1997 due to his declining health.[2] He died later that year.[2]
Storylines
[edit]Nelson was the son of Walter Gabriel (Chris Gittins), the village carrier and self-appointed "character". He was charged with the Borchester mail-van robbery in 1967 but was eventually acquitted. After spells in London and Spain, in 1980, he ran a wine bar and later an antique shop with Kenton Archer. Finally, he disappeared to South America, where he died in strange circumstances.
Reception
[edit]Listeners voted Nelson the "greatest rogue" in Archers history,[3] while a writer for SOAP magazine named him one of the "10 Great Archers Characters".[4] They said, "Son of the late, lamented Walter Gabriel whose eloquence and erudition cloak a shady past involving criminal activity and a suspicious absence of any love interest anywhere along the way, though he mysteriously acquired a daughter somewhere down the line."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Archers: the official companion" Smethurst,W: London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985 ISBN 0-297-78715-2
- ^ a b c Hayward, Anthony (20 September 1997). "Obituary: Jack May". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ "Nelson Gabriel - Confidante or Con man?". The Archers. BBC. Archived from the original on 1 January 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- ^ a b "10 Great Archers characters". SOAP. 1 (1): 15. 1994.
External links
[edit]- Character profile at the BBC
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