Clarrie Grundy actress Rosalind Adams to leave The Archers
The role will now be recast following the actress's 25-year tenure as the Grundy matriarch
Rosalind Adams, who plays the part of Clarrie Grundy in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, has announced that she is leaving the drama.
Adams, who has been starring as the put-upon Clarrie for a quarter of a century, commented that she is leaving to spend more time with family members.
“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,” the actress said. “It has been a brilliant job for me and now I’m happy to hand it over to someone else.”
She is the third actress to have played the part, after taking over from Fiona Mathieson in 1988. Heather Bell created the role in the 1970s.
But Adams’s departure doesn’t mean that Eddie Grundy will be having a quieter time of it at Keeper's Cottage in the future, as producers at The Archers will be re-casting the part.
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The Archers’s editor Vanessa Whitburn commented: “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 most recent storyline in the series involved her being the unwitting carrier of E coli. This landed several people in hospital and brought her employers at the Bridge Farm dairy close to financial ruin.
