This entry is about the radio series; for other meanings, see The Archers (disambiguation).

The Archers
The podcast picture of the soap
Genre	Soap Opera
Running time	15 minutes, later 12½ minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English
Home station	BBC Light Programme, later BBC Home Service, now BBC Radio 4
Creators	Godfrey Baseley
Editors	Vanessa Whitburn
Producers	Julie Beckett
Recording studio	BBC Birmingham
Air dates	29 May – 2 June 1950 (pilot) 1 January 1951 to Present
No. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Godfrey Baseley ( 2 October 1904 - 2 February 1997) was a Radio executive, who is most famous as being the creator of the Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January  of episodes	15,492 (As of 30 May 2008)
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
Opening theme	Barwick Green
Website Archers homepage
Podcast The Archers podcast

The Archers is a British radio soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical " Barwick Green " is the Theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 Soap opera The Archers. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. For the band see Broadcast (band Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or Video signals which transmit Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. It is the world's longest running radio soap with more than 15,000 episodes broadcast,^[1] and was originally billed as an "everyday story of country folk". ^[2] Despite its rural flavour, it is recorded in the heart of Birmingham, the UK's second largest city. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a list of the largest contiguous urban areas or Conurbations in the UK see here. The Archers is the most listened to Radio 4 non-news programme,^[3] and holds the BBC Radio programme record for the number of times listened to over the internet, with over one million listeners. BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 ^[4]

Contents 1 Outline 2 Characters 3 Topicality 4 Actors 5 History 5.1 The death of Grace Archer 5.2 Longevity 6 Themes 7 Cameo appearances 8 Theme tune 9 Fan clubs 10 Overseas parallels 11 Books and audiobooks 11.1 Reference works 11.2 Novelisations 11.3 Published audio episodes 11.4 Maps 12 The Archers in popular culture 13 External links 14 Notes and references

Outline

The Archers is set in the fictional village of Ambridge in the fictional county of Borsetshire, in the real Midlands of England. Ambridge is a Fictional Village and the setting for most of the action in The Archers, a long-running serial drama on BBC Radio 4. Borsetshire is a Fictional county in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Borsetshire is situated between the (in reality, contiguous) counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, south of Birmingham in the West Midlands. Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. Various villages claim to be the inspiration for Ambridge: Ambridge's pub, The Bull, is modelled on The Old Bull in Inkberrow,^[5] whereas Hanbury's St Mary the Virgin is often used as a stand-in for Ambridge's parish church, St Stephen's. Inkberrow is a Village in the borough of Redditch Worcestershire that is often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the setting of the BBC Radio Hanbury is a small rural village in Worcestershire, England near Droitwich Spa and the M5 motorway A parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a Parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches ^[6][7]

Other fictional villages include Penny Hassett, Loxley Barrett, Darrington, Hollerton, Edgeley, Waterley Cross and Lakey Green. The county town of Borsetshire is Borchester, and the nearest big city is the cathedral city of Felpersham. A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. Borchester is a Fictional town in the BBC Radio 4 radio series The Archers. Felpersham is a Fictional city in the BBC Radio 4 radio series The Archers. Anywhere further from Ambridge may be referred to humorously with comments such as 'that's on the other side of Felpersham!', but characters do occasionally venture further: several attended the Countryside Alliance march in London,^[8] there have been references to the gay scene in Manchester's Canal Street, and a number of scenes have taken place abroad, with some characters resident overseas in South Africa and Hungary. The Countryside Alliance London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Canal Street is a street in Manchester in the north of England which is the centre of the Manchester Gay Village. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Birmingham is a favourite destination for shopping. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um

Since Easter Sunday 1998 there have been six episodes a week from Sunday to Friday, at around 19:02 (preceded by a news bulletin). Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. All except the Friday evening episode are repeated the following day at 14:02, and all of the week's episodes are re-run as a Sunday morning omnibus at 10:00. An Omnibus in broadcasting (sometimes called an omnibus edition is a compilation of daily episodes that is usually broadcast during the following Weekend.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in The Archers

Many of the storylines concern the title characters, the middle-class Archer family who own and manage Brookfield Farm. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. A narrative thread, or plot thread or sometimes but more ambiguously a Storyline refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. The farm has been passed down the generations from the original owner Dan (now deceased) to his son Phil, currently the oldest surviving Archer, and is now co-owned by three of Phil's four children: David (who manages it with his wife Ruth), Elizabeth and Kenton. As well as other Archers families and offspring, the other main families include:

• the prosperous Aldridges, portrayed as money-driven practitioners of agribusiness. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. In Agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term that refers to the various Businesses involved in Food production including Farming, Seed Brian, the head of the family, is a serial adulterer,
• the rich and elderly Woolleys, with Jack now badly affected by Alzheimer's disease,^[9]
• the Grundys, formerly struggling tenant farmers who were previously portrayed comically and disapprovingly, but are now seen as doggedly battling adversity,
• the urban, nouveau riche "incomers": pretentious and domineering, Lynda Snell is the butt of many jokes, although her sheer energy makes her a stalwart of village life. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a Landlord. Nouveau riche ( French for "new rich" or new money, refers to a person who has acquired considerable Wealth within his or her She is partnered by the long-suffering Robert,
• the perpetually struggling (and complaining) Carters,
• the widower milkman and casual farm labourer Mike Tucker who battles, sometimes successfully, with depression. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers. This is a list of many of the characters from the long-running British radio soap The Archers.

Many plots involve the teen and twenties offspring of these families, so new nuclear families come into existence over time. The term nuclear family developed in the Western world to distinguish the Family group consisting of parents most commonly a Father and Mother Other distant relatives also reappear. Some characters are well known but never heard on air. Over the years, some silent characters become real, or vice-versa (for example, Mrs Antrobus, "the Dog Woman").

Topicality

Unlike some soap operas, episodes of The Archers portray events taking place on the date of broadcast, allowing many topical subjects to be included. Real-life events which can be readily predicted in advance are often written into the script, such as the annual Oxford Farming Conference^[10] and the FIFA World Cup. The Oxford Farming Conference is an annual conference for the UK's farmers that takes place in Oxford, United Kingdom in the first week of January The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football ^[11] On some occasions, scenes recorded at these events are planned and edited into episodes shortly before transmission.

More challengingly for the production team, some significant but unforeseen events require scenes to be rewritten and rerecorded at short notice, such as the death of Princess Margaret,^[12][13] the World Trade Center attacks,^[14] and the 2005 London bombings. The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated bomb blasts that hit London's public transport system during ^[15] The events and implications of the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis required many "topical inserts"^{[16][17][18][19]} and the rewriting of several storylines. The outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British Agriculture and ^[20]

Actors

Unlike television soaps, Archers actors are not held on retainers, so most do other acting and can disappear if they are working on long term projects such as films or television series. One example is Tamsin Greig who plays Debbie Aldridge. Tamsin Greig (ˈtæmzɪn ˈgrεg (born 23 February 1967) is an Olivier Award -winning British stage and screen actress Greig, who is one of the most famous actors in The Archers, has become known for her appearances on television comedy shows such as Green Wing and Black Books. Green Wing is an award-winning British television Comedy set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital Trust. Black Books was a British sitcom broadcast on Channel 4 starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig As a result, Debbie manages a farm in Hungary in which her family has an interest while she is filming these shows, and then returns to Ambridge when her commitments allow. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Because of this, and by the nature of the storylines focusing on particular groups of characters, in any week the series comprises between 20 and 30 speaking characters out of a regular cast of about 60. Greig's situation is similar to that of Felicity Jones who plays Emma Carter in the series; Jones, after a period studying at Wadham College, Oxford has moved into large TV parts, such as the new ITV series Northanger Abbey, in which she starred. Felicity Jones (born 19 January, 1984) is a British Actress from Birmingham, England. Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road Northanger Abbey, an adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel of the same name, premiered on 25th March, 2007 on the

History

Starting on Whit Monday, 29 May 1950, and continuing with five episodes through that week,^[21] a pilot series created by Godfrey Baseley was broadcast to the English Midlands, as 'a farming Dick Barton'; it was decided to commission the series for a longer national run. Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday (also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit) is the Holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a Movable feast Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Godfrey Baseley ( 2 October 1904 - 2 February 1997) was a Radio executive, who is most famous as being the creator of the Dick Barton - Special Agent was a popular Radio programme on the BBC Light Programme from 1946 to 1951. In the pilot series the Archers' farm was not called Brookfield but Wimberton Farm.

Since 1 January 1951, five 15-minute episodes (since 1998, six 12½-minute episodes) have been transmitted across the UK each week, at first on the BBC Light Programme and subsequently on the BBC Home Service (now Radio 4). New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The original scriptwriters were Geoffrey Webb and Edward J. Mason, who were also working on the series Dick Barton — Special Agent whose popularity partly inspired The Archers and whose slot in the schedules it eventually took. Edward J Mason was born on May 8 1912 in Birmingham England and died on February 3 1971. Dick Barton - Special Agent was a popular Radio programme on the BBC Light Programme from 1946 to 1951. Originally produced with collaborative input from the Ministry of Agriculture, The Archers was conceived as a means of disseminating information to farmers and smallholders to help increase productivity in the post-World War II years of rationing and food shortages. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services The programme was hugely successful; at the height of its popularity it was estimated that 60% of adult Britons were regular listeners. It was used as propaganda to reinforce notions of Englishness, and to foster and inculcate notions of rebuilding post-war Britain. The programme's educational remit, and the involvement of the government, ended in 1972 but some long-term listeners still refer to "the Min. of Ag. bit" and it is true that the dialogue often contains more references to European farming subsidies, the buying habits of large supermarkets and the difficulties of marketing organic meat, than is usual in everyday conversation.

Tony Shryane MBE was the programme's producer from 1 January 1951 to 19 January 1979. Anthony Joseph Shryane ( 20 January 1919 - 22 September 2003) was a long-serving producer of radio programs for the British Broadcasting New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Vanessa Whitburn has been the programme's editor since 1992. Since 2007, it has been available as a podcast. A podcast is a series of audio or Video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated Download ^[22] As of 14 November 2007, it was the fifteenth most popular podcast on iTunes in the United Kingdom. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application introduced by Apple Inc

The death of Grace Archer

One of the most controversial Archers episodes was broadcast on 22 September 1955, the evening of the launch of the UK's first commercial television station, ITV. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Phil and Grace Archer had been married just a few months earlier, and their blossoming relationship was the talk of the nation. However, searching for a story which would demonstrate some real tragedy among the increasingly unconvincing episode cliff-hangers, Godfrey Baseley had decided that Grace would have to die. It was explained to the cast as an "exercise in topicality. " The scripts for the week of 19 September 1955 were both written, recorded, and broadcast on each day. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) On Thursday evening of that week, listeners heard Grace trying to rescue her horse, Midnight, from Brookfield stables, and the crash as a beam fell on her. ^[23]

Whether the timing of the episode was a deliberate attempt to overshadow the opening night of the BBC's first commercial rival has been debated ever since. It was certainly planned some months in advance, but it may well be that the actual date of the death was changed during the scriptwriting stage to coincide with the start of ITV. ^[24] Deliberate or not, the episode attracted widespread media attention, being reported by newspapers around the world.

The controversy inspired an episode of the television comedy programme Hancock (1961) that featured a fictional soap, The Bowmans, parodying the series. Hancock's Half Hour was a ground-breaking and influential BBC Radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock, with Sid James On the 50th anniversary of ITV's launch, Ysanne Churchman, who played Grace, sent a congratulatory card to ITV, signed "Grace Archer". Ysanne Churchman (born 14 May 1925) worked as an Actor and Narrator on British radio TV and film for over 50 years (1938-1993

In 1996, William Smethurst recounted a conversation with Baseley in which he reveals his real motivation for killing off Grace Archer: Churchman, was encouraging the other actors to join a trade union. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming ^[25]

Longevity

The Archers is the longest running soap opera on radio, but not the longest running soap opera: the American soap opera Guiding Light started on radio in 1937 before moving to television in 1952. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light prior to 1975 or simply GL) is an Emmy award winning American Television The actor Norman Painting has played Phil Archer continuously since the first trial series in 1950. Norman Painting, OBE (Born April 23 1924 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire) is an Actor who has played Phil Archer As a script writer, he also wrote around 1,200 complete episodes, credited as "Bruno Milna", culminating in the 10,000th episode. According to Who's Who in The Archers 2008,^[26] episode 15,360 was to be broadcast on 1 January 2008. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[27] Episode 15,000 was broadcast on 7 November 2006. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[28]

Themes

A recurring theme has been the resentment of the working-class Grundy family towards the middle-class Archers. Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. Labour politician Neil Kinnock in the 1980s jokingly called for The Archers to be retitled "The Grundys and their Oppressors". The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Neil Gordon Kinnock Baron Kinnock PC (born 28 March 1942 is a British Politician. ^[29] The series, however, now deals with a wide range of contemporary issues including illicit affairs, drug abuse, rape, and gay marriage — inviting criticism from conservative commentators such as Peter Hitchens^[30] that the series has become a vehicle for liberal and left-wing values and agendas, with characters behaving out of character to achieve those goals. For other uses see Love Affair or Scandal An affair may refer to a form of nonmonogamy, to Infidelity or to Adultery. Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a Psychoactive drug or Performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Peter Jonathan Hitchens (born 28 October 1951 in Sliema, Malta) is a British Journalist and Author, noted However, one of the show's charms is to make absorbing stories out of everyday, small concerns, such as the possible closure of the village shop, the loss and rediscovery of a pair of spectacles,^[31] competitive marmalade-making, or nonsense such as a 'spile troshing' competition,^[32] rather than the large-scale and improbable events that form the plots of many soap operas. British-style marmalade is a sweet preserve with a bitter tang made from Fruit, Sugar, water and (in some commercial brands a Gelling agent However, there are some dramatic storylines, such as the rape of Kathy Perks. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person ^[33]

Sometimes mocked as a comfortable middle-class series with stereotypical comic yokels, the programme has nonetheless tackled many serious social issues. There have been, for instance: rural drug addiction; inter-racial relationships; direct action against GM crops; family break-ups; and civil partnerships (gay marriage). Drug addiction is widely considered a pathological state. The disorder of addiction involves the progression of acute Drug use to the development of drug-seeking Direct action is political action which happens outside normal political channels via indirect actions such as electing representatives. Genetically modified (GM foods are food items that have had their DNA changed through Genetic engineering. Thus, given the (allegedly) middle-class nature of The Archers audience (and the generally unsympathetic treatment of characters such as Sid Perks, the adulterous pub landlord, who nevertheless has forcibly expressed views on the superiority of those aspects of "traditional morality" which suit him), The Archers may be seen as a counterpoise to the uniformly differently inclined lower-middle-class British newspapers. For instance, it seems likely that the intense discussion in Ambridge and the "real world" about whether the term "wedding" is appropriate for a civil partnership will make the use of the term much more frequent, and perhaps even more acceptable, in Middle England. Middle England is a socio-political and geographical term which originally indicated the central region of England, now almost always referred to as the Midlands

According to some of the actors, in its early days the show was used as a conduit for announcements from the Ministry of Agriculture, one actor reading an announcement almost verbatim to another. More recently the show has reacted within a day to agricultural emergencies such as outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, which impact farmers nationwide when livestock movements are restricted. Foot-and-mouth disease ( FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease ( Aphtae epizooticae) is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral

Cameo appearances

Many famous people have made cameo appearances on the programme. A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as

• Princess Margaret and the Duke of Westminster appeared in 1984 in connection with a fashion show to commemorate the centenary of the NSPCC. Major-General Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor 6th Duke of Westminster, KG, CB, OBE, TD, DL (born 22 December 1951 The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ( NSPCC) is a UK charity campaigning and working in child protection ^[12]
• Dame Judi Dench made an appearance as Pru Forrest in 1989 for the 10,000th episode. Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Terry Wogan was featured and Esther Rantzen was responsible for the spot effects. Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE DL (born August 3 1938 more commonly known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish Radio and Television Esther Louise Rantzen CBE (born) is an English Journalist and Television presenter who is best known for her long stint in That's For the album by The Jam see Sound Affects. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced Sounds ^[23]
• Radio presenter John Peel appeared as himself in 1991. John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004 known professionally as John Peel, was an English Disc jockey, radio ^[34]
• Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh judged Ambridge's entries in the National Gardens Scheme open gardens competition in May 2003. Gardeners who have achieved fame through their pioneering innovations writing or more often their Television personas may be classed as Celebrity Gardeners. Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL (born 2 May 1949 is an English broadcaster particularly famous in the field of Gardening programmes on UK The National Gardens Scheme was founded in 1927 in England with the aim of "opening gardens of quality character and interest to the public for charity" ^[35]
• Radio presenter Chris Moyles appeared in June 2004 as a random customer — and suspected National Pub of the Year judge — in The Bull. Christopher Moyles (born 22 February 1974 is an English broadcaster from Leeds. The National Pub of the Year is an annual Competition held by CAMRA every February that finds the best Pub in the UK. ^[36][37]
• Comedian and presenter Griff Rhys Jones appeared as himself in July 2004, when he was drafted into Lynda's campaign to restore the Cat and Fiddle pub. Griffith Rhys Jones (born 6th November or 16th November (depending on source speakers agent (6th or BBC (16th 1953 in Cardiff, Wales ^[38]
• Stephen Fry, although not appearing in an official episode, took part in Victoria Wood Goes to Ambridge, a series of five mini-episodes written by Victoria Wood for Comic Relief in March 2005. Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957 is an English Humorist, Writer, Wit, Actor, Novelist, filmmaker Victoria Wood CBE (born 19 May 1953 in Prestwich, Lancashire) is a BAFTA award winning English Comedian Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension Also making fleeting appearances were Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen and Liza Tarbuck. Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971 ˌjuːən məˈgrɛgər is a Scottish Actor, who has had significant success in mainstream indie and art Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939 is an English stage and screen actor the Liza Tarbuck (born 21 November 1964, Liverpool, UK) is an English actress and television presenter and daughter of ^[39]
• Zandra Rhodes played herself in an episode in September 2006 in connection with a charity fashion show. Zandra (Lindsey Rhodes CBE (born 19 September 1940 Chatham Kent is a British fashion designer ^[40][41]
• Robert Winston appeared as a fertility specialist consulted by Hayley and Roy Tucker in January^[42] and February 2007. Robert Maurice Lipson Winston Baron Winston FRCP FRCOG (born 15 July 1940) is a British Medical doctor, Scientist Fertility is the natural capability of giving life As a measure "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple person or population Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[43]
• Mike Gatting appeared as himself in September 2007 at the centre of a misunderstanding between Sid and Jolene Perks during the npower Village Cup final at Lord's Cricket Ground. Michael William Gatting OBE (born Kingsbury 6 June 1957 usually known as Mike, was an English Cricketer who played First-class cricket npower is a UK based Electricity and Natural gas supply company owned by RWE of Germany. Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket ^[44][45]
• Others who have made appearances include Britt Ekland, Humphrey Lyttelton (1956), Anneka Rice and Dame Edna Everage. Britt Ekland (born 6 October 1942 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish Actress, long resident in the United Kingdom Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008 also known as Humph, was an English Jazz musician and broadcaster, and Anneka Rice (born Anne Rice, 4 October 1958 in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan) is a British television Presenter. Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries.

Theme tune

The widely recognised theme tune of The Archers' is called Barwick Green and is a maypole dance from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood. " Barwick Green " is the Theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 Soap opera The Archers. Maypole dancing is a form of Folk dance from Western Europe, especially England, Sweden and Germany, with two distinctive traditions Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Arthur Wood ( 24 January 1875 &ndash 18 January 1953) was an English composer and conductor particularly famous for " Barwick An alternative arrangement, played by The Yetties, is used to introduce the Sunday omnibus. The Yetties (Bonny Sartin Pete Shutler and Mac McCulloch are an English Folk music group and take their name from the Dorset village of Yetminster An Omnibus in broadcasting (sometimes called an omnibus edition is a compilation of daily episodes that is usually broadcast during the following Weekend. In the 1990s, having used the same recording for many years, the theme was rerecorded in stereo. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical The original orchestral arrangement was used, but the slightly different mixing led to many listeners considering the new version to be inferior.

Robert Robinson once compared the tune to "the genteel abandon of a lifelong teetotaller who has suddenly taken to drink". Robert Robinson (born 17 December 1927 in Liverpool) is an English Radio and Television presenter. See also Prohibition, Temperance movement Teetotalism (or T-total is the practice and promotion of complete Abstinence from Alcoholic beverages On April Fool's Day 2004 both The Independent and The Today Programme claimed that BBC executives had commissioned composer Brian Eno to record an electronic version of Barwick Green as a replacement for the current theme. This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Today, sometimes referred to as the Today programme to avoid ambiguity is BBC Radio 4 's long-running early morning news and current affairs Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (born 15 May 1948 commonly known as Brian Eno (ˈiːnoʊ is an English Musician, producer ^[46][47]

Fan clubs

Two organisations dedicated to the programme were established in the 1990s. Archers Addicts is the official body, run by members of the cast. Archers Anarchists was formed around the same time, objecting to the "castist" assumptions propagated by the BBC, and claiming that the characters are real.

Overseas parallels

In 1994, the BBC World Service in Afghanistan began broadcasting Naway Kor, Naway Jwand ("New Home, New Life"), an everyday story of countryfolk with built-in bits of useful information. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Although the useful information was more likely to concern unexploded land mines and opium addiction than the latest modern farming techniques, the inspiration and model of Naway Kor, Naway Jwand was The Archers, and the initial workshopping with Afghan writers included an Archers scriptwriter. A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( ^[48] A 1997 study found that listeners to the soap opera were significantly less likely to be injured by a mine than non-listeners. ^[49]

In Rwanda, the BBC World Service's Kinyarwanda-Kirundi service has been broadcasting the Archers-inspired soap opera Urunana ("Hand in Hand") since 1999. The Republic of Rwanda (ruːˈændə or /rəˈwɑːndə/ in English ɾwanda or in Kinyarwanda is a small Landlocked country in the Kinyarwanda (also known simply as Rwanda) is a Bantu language spoken primarily in Rwanda, where it is one of the Official languages of the Kirundi (also written Rundi) is a Bantu language (D62 in Guthrie 's classification spoken by some 6 million people in Burundi and adjacent ^[50][51]

The Archers was also the model for the Russian radio soap opera Dom 7, Podyezd 4 ("House 7, Entrance 4")^[52] — on which the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, once made a cameo appearance. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to ^[53]

Books and audiobooks

Reference works

The most recent Archers reference books are Who's Who in The Archers by Keri Davies, senior producer and scriptwriter. Keri Davies is a Radio producer and Scriptwriter, best known for his work on the BBC radio Soap opera The Archers. This has been published by BBC Books since 2003 and is updated annually for the Christmas gift-giving season. giFT Internet File Transfer ( giFT) is a computer software daemon that allows several File sharing protocols to be used with a simple client having a ^[54]

• The Book of The Archers (1994) by Patricia Greene, Charles Collingwood and Hedli Niklaus ISBN 0-7181-3849-X
• The Archers: The True Story (1996) by William Smethurst ISBN 1-85833-620-1
• The Archers Encyclopaedia (2001)^[55] by Joanna Toye and Adrian Flynn ISBN 0-563-53718-3
• Who's Who in The Archers 2008 by Keri Davies ISBN 1-84607-326-X

Novelisations

• The Archers by Jock Gallagher
  • The Archers: To The Victor The Spoils (1988) ISBN 0-563-20599-7
  • The Archers: Return to Ambridge (1988) ISBN 0-563-20606-3
  • The Archers: Borchester Echoes (1988) ISBN 0-563-20607-1
  • The Archers: Omnibus Edition (1988) ISBN 0-563-36001-1
• The Ambridge Chronicles by Joanna Toye
  • The Archers 1951-1967: Family Ties (1998) ISBN 0-563-38397-6
  • The Archers 1968-1986: Looking For Love (1999) ISBN 0-563-55125-9
  • The Archers 1987-2000: Back to the Land (2000) ISBN 0-563-53701-9
  • The Archers 1951-1967: Family Ties (1998, audiobook, narrated by Miriam Margolyes) ISBN 0-563-55714-1
  • The Archers 1968-1986: Looking For Love (1999, audiobook, narrated by Stella Gonet) ISBN 0-563-55813-X
  • The Archers 1987-2000: Back to the Land (2000, audiobook, narrated by Stephanie Cole) ISBN 0-563-55818-0

Published audio episodes

• Vintage Archers
  • Vintage Archers: Volume 1 (1988) ISBN 0-563-22586-6
  • Vintage Archers: Volume 2 (1988) ISBN 0-563-22704-4
  • Vintage Archers: Volume 3 (1998)^[56] ISBN 0-563-55740-0
  • Vintage Archers: Volumes 1-3 (2001) ISBN 0-563-38281-3
• Ambridge Affairs
  • Ambridge Affairs: Love Triangles (2007) ISBN 1-4056-7733-3
  • Ambridge Affairs: Heartache at Home Farm (2007) ISBN 1-4056-8785-1

Maps

In addition to books and audiobooks, purported maps of Ambridge and Borsetshire have been published. Patricia Greene, MBE, is a British film and radio actress She was born in 1931 in Derbyshire, England. Charles Henry Collingwood (born 30 May 1943) is a British actor Keri Davies is a Radio producer and Scriptwriter, best known for his work on the BBC radio Soap opera The Archers. Miriam Margolyes OBE (born 18 May 1941 is a BAFTA Award -winning British character actress and voice artist Stella Gonet (born 8 May 1963) in Greenock, Scotland) is a Scottish theatre film and TV actress. Stephanie Cole, OBE (born October 5, 1941) is an English actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her ^[57][58]

The Archers in popular culture

• Inspector Morse, Colin Dexter's fictional detective, was a fan of The Archers. Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse is a Fictional character in a series of thirteen Detective novels by British Author Colin Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, (born 29 September 1930 in Stamford, Lincolnshire) is an English Crime writer, known
• In The Goon Show episode The Spanish Suitcase from 1954, the studio audience is heard running from the room as the show is announced. The Goon Show was a British Radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960 However, the Goons lure them back by playing "emergency music": the theme tune from The Archers. The Goons then act out a short parody of the series, ending with writer Spike Milligan proclaiming: "Easy money!"
• In 1961, Galton and Simpson parodied The Archers in an episode of Hancock entitled "The Bowmans". Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo Ray Galton OBE (born 17 July 1930) and Alan Simpson OBE (born 27 November 1929) are British scriptwriters Hancock's Half Hour was a ground-breaking and influential BBC Radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock, with Sid James Tony Hancock became an actor on the show, playing an over-the-top parody of country bumpkin Walter Gabriel as Joshua Merriweather. Anthony John "Tony" Hancock (born 12 May 1924 &ndash 24 June 1968) was a popular British Actor and He annoyed the actors and producers so much they killed off his character, only to have to resurrect him by discovering a long-lost twin brother, after protests from listeners.
• A sketch from A Bit of Fry and Laurie entitled Hard Man's Record, which saw the first appearance of the character Alan, mentions that Alan had "a short spell as Nigel Pargetter in The Archers", claiming that, "Someone had to do it. A Bit of Fry and Laurie, commonly known as ABOFAL was a British Television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen "^[59]
• Jeremy Clarkson in his anthology of articles, Clarkson on Cars, lambasts The Archers by describing them as ". Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960 is an English broadcaster . . living in a farm-subsidised world and thinking postage stamps are amazing. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services . . . "^[60]
• A special episode of Arena, broadcast on BBC Four on 1 January 2007, focused on The Archers. Arena is a British Television documentary series made and broadcast by the BBC. BBC Four is a BBC Television channel available to digital television ( Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable) viewers in the New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It was narrated by Stephen Fry and included interviews with current actors and scriptwriters. Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957 is an English Humorist, Writer, Wit, Actor, Novelist, filmmaker ^[61]
• In an episode of British sitcom 2point4 children, when Bill and Rona are stuck at Rona's house due to the presence of a pair of snakes which would likely attack if they move, they turn the radio to The Archers in an attempt to escape. 2point4 Children is a British sitcom --created and written by Andrew Marshall -- about the not-so-average Porter family The attempt fails, after which Bill quips "Well, if that won't put them in a coma, nothing will". In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness.

External links

• Official BBC website
• BBC Archers message board sometimes called Mustardland because of its distinctive background colour^[62]
• Archers Addicts BBC-approved fan club
• Archers Anarchists "anti-castist" BBC-free fan club
• Saddicts.com independent chat site
• Mustardland independent alternative to the official message board
• The Archers Plot Summaries unofficial summary of each day's events (1995–present)
• Peter Hesketh's Chronology key events 1896–1994
• uk.media.radio.archers the Archers newsgroup (also available via Google Groups)
• The uk.media.radio.archers FAQ the Archers newsgroup wiki. A newsgroup is a Repository usually within the Usenet system for messages posted from many users in different locations A newsgroup is a Repository usually within the Usenet system for messages posted from many users in different locations A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content using a simplified Markup language.

Notes and references

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