List of The Archers Characters - The Tucker Family

The Tucker Family

Mike Tucker (Terry Molloy) lost an eye in a farming accident, for which Brian Aldridge was found responsible. He was regarded as one of the most humourless characters in the village, even before the death of his beloved wife Betty in December 2005. Mike was unsuccessful as a farmer, having gone bankrupt in 1985, and now runs a milk round in Ambridge. He also undertakes occasional tree-surgery work. On New Year's Day 2007, he was run over by Helen Archer, but rescued by Robert Snell. When Tom took the blame, Tucker forbade him from continuing a relationship with Brenda, his daughter. However, after finding out that Helen was driving he became more sympathetic and apologised to Tom. His plan to split Willow Farm in two, so that Roy and Hayley can have a separate home, was initially resisted by Brenda. Mike later married Vicky, a fellow ballroom dancer, who gave birth to their daughter Bethany in January 2013.

Roy Tucker (Ian Pepperell) was formerly part of a teenage gang which perpetrated a series of racist attacks on Usha Gupta; he gave them her address. Realising the error of his ways, he went on to gain a degree in business studies at Felpersham University and now works at Grey Gables, recently being promoted to deputy manager. He had an on/off relationship with Kate Aldridge, which resulted in their daughter Phoebe being born in 1998, but he is now married to Hayley. Roy, Hayley and Phoebe live with Mike Tucker at Willow Farm. Attempts to find an affordable home for his family met with failure until Mike split Willow Farm in two.

Hayley Tucker, née Jordan (Lorraine Coady, formerly played by Lucy Davis) comes from Birmingham and first appeared as John Archer's girlfriend. Initially her urban background led to her being unprepared for rural life. Hayley and John split up (partly due to John's involvement with Sharon Richards) shortly before his death in a tractor accident in 1998. Hayley took over the running of John's pig business after John's death, but eventually his brother Tom took an interest and she handed it back to the Archers. In 2001 she married John's best mate Roy Tucker and became stepmother to Phoebe; she continues to find Kate Aldridge's visits from South Africa to Ambridge uncomfortable. Hayley works at Lower Loxley formerly as nanny to Freddie and Lily Pargetter, but now they have been at school several years, as a rather amorphous children's visitor specialist. Despite Betty's sudden death, Hayley remains unhappy at living with her father-in-law and wishes that she and Roy had a home of their own. After an 'informational' storyline of difficulty in conceiving, Hayley gave birth to a baby daughter, Abigail (Abbie) in March 2008. The birth was somewhat (the chronology as aired is contradictory) premature and Abbie was expected to remain in hospital until her original due date, although medical practice is 'until 2.5 kilos'.

Brenda Tucker (Amy Shindler) has had some controversial short-term relationships, with Debbie's husband, with Lilian's then (much younger) lover and with Lilian's son. For several years she worked at Radio Borsetshire, until leaving home in 2005 to pursue a media studies degree. She returned home when her mother died suddenly in December 2005. Feeling unable to return to university, leaving her father so soon after Betty's death, she decided to transfer to Felpersham University, planning to return to her studies in September 2006. She started dating Tom Archer following a Valentine kiss after they grew closer in the weeks after her mother's death. After graduating in 2009 she was unable to gain permanent employment, but briefly secured a PR job in Leicester, necessitating a daily commute which frustrated Tom. She gave up the effort after a few weeks and returned to the Ambridge fold to a vaguely defined job with Matt and Lilian's new property company, seemingly unaware that Matt is out of prison on licence and banned from such roles, and that she will be at the mercy of Lilian who has long disliked her.