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Nelson Gabriel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nelson Gabriel
The Archers character
Portrayed byJack May
First appearance1952
Last appearance1997
ClassificationFormer, regular
In-universe information
OccupationWine bar owner
Antiques dealer
FatherWalter Gabriel
MotherAnnie Gabriel
DaughtersRosemary Tarrant

Nelson Gabriel is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers and was portrayed by Jack May.[1]

Casting

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ "The Archers: the official companion" Smethurst,W: London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985 ISBN 0-297-78715-2
  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.
  3. ^ "Nelson Gabriel - Confidante or Con man?". The Archers. BBC. Archived from the original on 1 January 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b "10 Great Archers characters". SOAP. 1 (1): 15. 1994.
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