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It was several months before users of the Archers message board realised that a fellow contributor, Martine Skopan (left), not only lived in France, but was a French national. Not only was the standard of her written English very high, but she seemed to have an instinctive understanding of obscure colloquialisms that suggested at least a long-term resident in Britain.

Perhaps it's not surprising that Martine's introduction to English, in her teens, was through popular culture, when a cousin gave her a Cliff Richard record. "I think it was Travelling Light", she recalls from her Paris apartment, her accent giving her English an enviable edge of continental sophistication. "It was followed by Ray Charles. I started to pick up the language from that."

Despite this developing skill, Martine initially read History and Geography, but bowed to the inevitable and graduated in English in the early 70s. She started as a teacher, in very tough city schools, and then became a teacher traininer, using British Council methods and materials. But in later years, she has been preparing elite post-Baccalaureat students for competitive examinations before entrance to top business schools: "It's very satisfying. These students are the best and brightest, and very well-motivated."

Gothic

Martine also finds time to write textbooks and has done an increasing amount of translation work. She is the official translator into French of the gothic novelist Patrick McGrath.

So how did she become an Archers listener? "I listen to Radio 4 a lot, for work, but for many years I didn't follow The Archers. The music is rather like the folk music of my husband's homeland [Martine's husband, now deceased, was Czech] and I didn't find it a turn-on. But a few years ago I was drawn in by the story of Cameron Fraser. It was dramatic, and well acted - quite gripping, in fact. So I made a point of listening to find out who the characters were and to enjoy the story more. And that was ten years ago!"

Martine's need to keep up with ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 has meant that she has always had be careful where in the city she lived. "In the country, long wave reception is good, but it's more variable in the city. But now I can listen on the internet, which is so much better." [How to listen online]

It was through listening on the internet that Martine discovered first The Archers website and later the message board. "It was hilarious. I was laughing aloud in the study and having to explain why to my partner. I was so taken with the impertinence, the cheek, the wit. I was totally hooked. And it's an education too. There's such a range of expertise, it's incredible what people are prepared to share."

Martine approached her first posting on the board with trepidation: "I didn't know how people would react. But they responded as if what I had written made sense, and they were very welcoming." She rapidly became one of the message board regulars.

Fantasy

Martine particularly enjoys the Fantasy Archers section of the board and contributes to it herself, particularly with parodies in the style of Nancy Mitford - an impressive achievement at all, let alone in a second language. She's very modest about her efforts, though: "Some people are so meticulous, they have every nuance of style. I just dash mine off." She is currently preparing to "dash off" a parody in the style of the magazine World of Interiors.

So Martine has a new addiction to add to her Radio 4 listening:"I find I have to check how the discussions are going. "It's like having a whole new life. The message board is a living organism - constantly changing. It's like a family."

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