The Archers celebrates its 70th anniversary

Almost daily and in real time, The Archers has tracked life in the village of Ambridge across 70 years and more than 19,000 episodes. No work of fiction or drama can truly compare to that. As I look back on this incredible legacy, I am looking forward to the next 70 years of The Archers.”

A reflection of life in rural England, the programme has grown from its original purpose of educating farmers on modern agricultural methods, to reflecting the present-day - all whilst entertaining listeners with the bucolic ebb and flow of the village of Ambridge.

Jeremy Howe, editor of The Archers says: “Almost daily and in real time, The Archers has tracked life in the village of Ambridge across 70 years and over 19,000 and more episodes. No work of fiction or drama can truly compare to that. As I look back on this incredible legacy, I am looking forward to the next 70 years of The Archers. What an honour to be the editor at such a moment in the life of an extraordinary programme.”

In the past year Ambridge was rocked by an explosion which nearly claimed the life of Lynda Snell at country hotel Grey Gables during renovations. Residents are as yet unaware of the links between this incident and a disturbing case of modern slavery.

Elsewhere, in quieter moments, life continued despite the impact of coronavirus, with Emma Grundy leading the charge to take the annual Flower And Produce show online during lockdown.

The storyline of the anniversary episode itself is, as ever, a closely guarded secret, but celebratory programming on Radio 4 will include a special edition of With Great Pleasure at Christmas (25 December) where cast members from The Archers share their favourite prose and poetry. Selections will include Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm, and a comic poem on the hazards of being an actor on a long-running drama specially written for Charles Collingwood (Brian Aldridge) and his wife Judy Bennett (Shula Hebden Lloyd) by their friend Sir Richard Stilgoe.

In a special edition of Farming Today (1 January, 5.45am), editor Jeremy Howe, actor Timothy Bentinck (David Archer) and agricultural story advisor Sarah Swadling discuss the role of farming in The Archers. Woman’s Hour (1 January, 10am) focusses on the female characters and storylines that have shaped the programme: comedian Angela Barnes; Charlotte Martin, who plays Susan Carter; Dr Cara Courage of the Academic Archers, Mary Cutler and Naylah Ahmed (scriptwriters), and Mary Quicke of Quicke’s Cheeses speak to guest presenter Felicity Finch who plays Ruth Archer.

After the Anniversary episode on the evening of New Year’s Day listeners are invited to figuratively gather at The Bull for The Archers Anniversary Quiz. Hosted by Borsetshire’s finest publicans Jolene (Buffy Davis) and Kenton Archer (Richard Attlee), two teams will pit their Archers expertise against each other. Radio 4’s own Jane Garvey, Martha Kearney and Chris Aldridge are up against three superfans.

On Saturday 2 January, eminent historian David Kynaston delves into the history of the programme in A Social History Of The Archers. The documentary features contributions by June Spencer (Peggy Archer), Patricia Greene (Jill Archer), Angela Piper (Jennifer Aldridge), Timothy Bentinck (David Archer), Louiza Patikas (Helen Archer), former programme editor Vanessa Whitburn, script writers Tim Stimpson and Joanna Toye, agricultural story advisor Sarah Swadling and Jeremy Howe.

Notes to Editors

For The Archers’ anniversary week only, the transmission pattern will change with episodes broadcast on Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30, Thursday 31 December 2020 and Friday 1 January 2021 at 7pm, with an omnibus on Sunday 3 January 2021.

Jeremy Howe, Editor of The Archers

As The Archers 70th anniversary approaches, what first comes to mind for Editor Jeremy Howe is one particular Archer soon to reach the same significant milestone: “Early in 2021, Tony, the first baby ever born in The Archers, will turn 70. He’s had so many achievements; he’s become a farmer, he and Pat have forged a really strong business and marital relationship, and he’s turned Bridge Farm organic.

"Across Tony’s lifetime the audience has heard all this. Following a person’s life across three score years and ten in real time has never happened in fiction storytelling before. There are some of our listeners who will have absolutely grown up with him, and the many other inhabitants of Ambridge. Tony and his kind are as real to some people as their next door neighbour or their best friend. I find this both remarkable and humbling.”

Drama and storytelling have been at the heart of Jeremy’s career throughout, from his days as a theatre director to numerous roles across both TV and radio at Channel 4, Film4, BBC Two, Three and Four and of course Radio 4. Jeremy started as The Archers Editor in August 2018 - relatively recently in the context of Ambridge history - and it is a history Jeremy is keenly aware of: “In the church near to where I live there is a list of vicars going back to the 13th century. In a way the editor of The Archers is like one of those vicars - we’re looking after it for a comparatively short period of time. While you are the editor it is all consuming, but you need to be aware that one day you’ll be passing it on.

“Just like Tony Archer, many of the farmers we talk to when researching The Archers have two main goals: making a living from the land and leaving a thriving business to pass on to their children. I think editing The Archers is not dissimilar to that: you inherit an extraordinary backstory that goes on for 70 years. My job, I think, is to make sure that day by day the show is of the highest standard, and to make sure the soil is rich enough for your successors to carry on.”

As the world’s longest running continuing drama, Jeremy is not short of examples which account for its unrivalled longevity. “One of the reasons for the success of The Archers is that the formula is very simple - you can measure, see and grasp it very quickly. Each episode takes place on the day of broadcast so it is, always has been - and I think always will be - the way we live now.

“Having worked over every kind of drama that you can imagine in my working life, one of the interesting things about The Archers is that - aside from drama-documentary - no other drama is as well or thoroughly researched as The Archers. I think that is a direct link between the programme’s origins as a programme about farming and where it is now, except that now our intensive research is spread across everything.”

Jeremy talks fondly of a production team and cast who make significant contributions to this success each in their own ways: “Part of the energy of the show comes from the sheer familial love of everyone who works on it. Do not underestimate how that love and affection has been passed down through the generations.

"All you need to do is sit in the green room and hear how people like Katie Redford (Lily Pargetter) or Ben Norris (Ben Archer) are enthralled by stories from fellow cast members like Paddy Greene (Jill Archer) and Charles Collingwood (Brian Aldridge). It’s an exchange because Paddy and Charles are just as interested in the stories of their younger fellow cast members too. What you have powering The Archers is this wonderful sense of continuum, not just of the story or archive but of the people making it.”

With an archive of this scale to delve into it is not an easy task to choose highlights, but for Jeremy recent moments that have stood out include Ed and Emma’s troubled start to 2020, and the dramatic revelations from Jim Lloyd’s childhood: “There have been a number of really strong stories in the last year or so. Ed and Emma’s storyline was visceral when they were about to go into Beechwood [the new housing development in Ambridge].

"It cast a spotlight on just how difficult it is to get a foot on the housing ladder when you’re in circumstances like theirs. House ownership is such a goal for so many people and yet it is so expensive. Ed and Emma’s was a compelling story, but one with a happy ending.”

“The historic abuse storyline around the character of Jim was a model way of how The Archers can tackle an issue. The archive is your goldmine, but this ‘gold’ often comes in unexpected places. The interesting thing with this story is that Jim didn’t really have an archive, he didn’t have a backstory. From the research, through to the script and the masterful scenes performed by John Rowe (Jim Lloyd), this sensitive story led us all to understand Jim so much better, and it furnished him with a compelling hinterland.”

2020 set new and unprecedented hurdles in the path of all continuing dramas, especially for those that run to such a clockwork-like schedule as The Archers does: “The interesting thing about this job is you’re speculating on the future. You’re speculating on the future in 10 weeks’ time as well as a year, five years’ time or more. There are ever-present waystations, the Flower And Produce show in September, the Christmas show in December.

"What’s wonderful about rural life is you’ll always have a harvest, you’ll always have spring lambing and so forth. As David Archer said, the sun will always rise and there will always be cows to milk at Brookfield. But this speculation on the future has become particularly critical in these last nine months. During the pandemic is has been really difficult to predict what we will we be doing and when. How will we be able to live our lives in 10 weeks’ time? Will The Bull be open or shut? What tier is Ambridge in etc?”

There are happy times to reflect on too, of course: “The absolute zenith of my time at The Archers so far has been celebrating June Spencer’s 100th birthday. She was in episode one and she’ll be in episode 19,343 on the 70th anniversary. This is a phenomenal achievement, and June deserves every bit of praise.”

Sunny Ormonde and fellow cast members reflect on The Archers

Sunny Ormonde has played vivacious Ambridge resident Lilian Bellamy since the year 2000. She still recalls the excitement of her first day in the studio: “I remember one of my very first scenes; it was with Lynda [Snell, Carole Boyd] and Eddie [Grundy, Trevor Harrison]. These were iconic characters for me because I was a long-time listener to the programme. It was quite daunting because everyone else was so established.

“I don’t know where the 20 years since I joined have gone - it’s flown by! I’m thrilled to be part of it and the fact the programme is still going is such a testament to the editors, producers, writers, actors, directors over the years - it’s just fantastic.”

As for highlights Sunny recalls when Lilian ‘hitched up’ with slippery businessman Matt Crawford [Kim Durham]: “That’s when we started to get some much more emotional storylines, particularly when Matt was up for fraud and went to prison. I had some fantastic storylines all through that and was really able to explore Lilian in a way that in the first couple of years I’d not been able to.”

Sunny also points to the relationship between Lilian and Lynda which has recently been tested. As Lynda recovers from the explosion at Grey Gables it has been Lilian’s tough love which has aided Lynda’s road to recovery: “Before there’s always been an edge between them. I’m sure there will be conflict again, but it’ll be different because they are true friends and they know that. They couldn’t be more different as characters but there is a bond now that has developed between them.”

Moments like The Archers’ productions of Calendar Girls and The Canterbury Tales are also high on Sunny’s list, but perhaps it’s her Ambridge family who take the top spot: “I love all my scenes with June [Spencer, Peggy Woolley], my ‘mum’. She just loves working and her voice is as strong as ever. I love her to bits and I find that a huge privilege. I just love working with her. Who else in the world is performing at 101 in the way that she is?”

Sunny regards the secrets to The Archers’ success as the million dollar question: “I think about it so often. There is something about it that gives you a feeling of safety and consistency. I know The Archers deals with issues like domestic abuse, and that was a fantastic storyline, but at the same time we have the village cricket team, we have the Flower And Produce Show, we have Bonfire Night and so on and so forth, which is just lovely.”

Hollie Chapman (Alice Carter) attributes the programme’s success to the fans: “They don’t just dip in and out - they’re in it for the long haul and that’s just wonderful.” Louiza Patikas (Helen Archer) says: “The Archers has an unparalleled breadth and depth to draw on. The characters, the cast and the listeners range from the brand new to those who have been a part of it for 70 years.”

Arthur Hughes (Ruairi Donovan) and Annabelle Dowler (Kirsty Miller) point towards the drama’s transportive powers. Arthur says: “I think the secret to The Archers’ success and longevity is its reflective quality. Listeners can have a place to escape to where they can relate to issues they face in their own lives. It’s escapism, but to somewhere comforting and relatable.”

Similarly Annabelle says: “The Archers provides bite-size village escapism with brilliant drama and characters we feel we know intimately, and it can all be caught up on while you do the washing up, go for a walk or run the bath. It becomes a comforting part of the listener’s daily or weekly routine.”

A theme that comes up many times is a sense of familiarity: “I think one of the secrets to The Archers’ success and longevity is that for a few minutes a day people can switch off from the world and go back to catching up with old friends. The familiarity and daily habit is comforting, especially in difficult days. The Sunday omnibus is also an excellent way to deal with the ironing”, says Pat Gallimore (Pat Archer).

Daisy Badger (Pip Archer) also points to the relationship between the listeners and characters: “It’s people being people, through the good times and the downright awful. Be it in the car, in the kitchen, or up a mountain you hear the Grundys gadding about, catch Lilian’s cackle, or listen in on a game-changing 15 minutes. There is something so personal about tuning in. An Archers’ listener takes sides, wills characters into and out of situations, shouts at the radio, or has to sit down and take a moment at the end of an episode. It's almost not a show at all, it’s your pals.”

Relative newcomer Mali Harries (Natasha Archer) offers: “I think that there is a character for everyone in The Archers. You might not like everyone, but you will love a few at least. The storylines reflect real life as they grow and change alongside the listeners’ lives at home.

"Everyone can remember parts of their lives that sat with certain storylines. It’s great company, and feels like another family alongside your own.”

Andrew Wincott (Adam Macy) makes a similar point on the often divisive nature of the residents of the village: “For what’s still a farming nation 70 years on, I think it’s no accident that Ambridge is located in the heart of rural England. Shakespeare’s country. In our mind’s eye we all have a picture of Ambridge and its multitude of characters, whom we love, loathe - maybe both - and we laugh and cry with them. But everyone’s Ambridge will be unique to them.”

Whilst his character Freddie Pargetter may have had something of a ‘bad boy’ reputation, actor Toby Laurence shows his sentimental side when reflecting on what the programme means to the team and listeners alike: “So much of The Archers is about family and community and a world where everyone knows your name; something becoming less and less prevalent in many people’s everyday lives, for whatever reason, despite remaining firmly at the heart of our basic human instinct to stick together and support each other.

"The Archers just musters such a warm, fuzzy feeling that’s hard to give up once you’ve got a taste for it, like a hug from your mum, which is why I think so many people have, and continue to become life-long listeners, and in turn, warmly-welcomed members of our little Ambridge family.”

With the anniversary landing on New Year’s Day what do the cast think their characters New Year’s resolutions should be for the year ahead? For Simon Williams it seems the party season is not over just yet: “Justin Elliot’s resolution for 2021 should be to spend less time at his computer and more time in The Bull.” Arthur thinks his character who turned 18 this year, will have similar plans: “I think Ruairi’s New Year’s resolution would be to (now legally) visit as many of the pubs in Borsetshire as possible with Ben!”

In Susie Riddell’s mind her character Tracy Horrobin has something to prove in 2021: “Sadly, after taking the crown with aplomb, Tracy’s first season as Captain of the Ambridge Cricket Team passed without any matches. So I think her resolution will be to lead the team to glory when they can get playing again. Watch out Darrington!” Of her ever-ambitious character Natasha, Mali says: “Her main points are: budget - spend less money on shoes. Give more to others. Take time to ‘cwtch’ [Welsh for ‘hug’] with Tom. Exercise more. Do facial workouts to work on chin. Expand business. Get electric car. Take time to make friends. Her list would probably be ten times the size!”

Things are more reflective for Louiza: “Helen's resolution would be to simply appreciate what she has, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.” Toby also reckons that Freddie would, or should, be looking within: “If I could speak to Freddie, I think I’d urge him to be less hard on himself in 2021. He has such a deep-rooted fear, and sadly an expectation, of failure, that he’s often blind to the many things he has actually achieved. I’d also love him to be more mindful of the many things his father would be really proud of him for, despite his past. In reality however, I don’t think Freddie quite has that level of perspective yet, so, left to his own devices, he would probably resolve to play a little less FIFA, whilst maintaining very little intention of sticking to it!”

Returning to Sunny, she is crystal clear about how Lilian will be approaching the new year: “I think it’s to live life to the full, particularly in the light of Covid-19. She’d always do it anyway, but it’s just living and loving and laughing - anything! Carpe diem! Seize the day, for as long as you possibly can. That’s her and that’s how she lives her life.”

Memorable moments from seven decades of The Archers

1950s

Jack and Peggy Archer become licensees of Ambridge’s local pub, The Bull, in 1952.

Only five months after her marriage to Phil, Grace Archer is killed in a fire at the stables in 1955. The episode draws record numbers of listeners.

The end of the decade heralds the start of a new generation: twins Kenton and Shula are born in August 1958 and September 1959 sees the arrival of David Archer.

1960s

A 20-acre golf course arrives in Ambridge as self-made businessman Jack Woolley from nearby Birmingham continues his development of the country club, Grey Gables.

Twenty two year-old Jennifer shocks her parents in 1967 when she announces that she is pregnant. She refuses to name the father but he is later revealed to be farmhand Paddy Redmond.

At the end of the 60s, after years at the helm of Brookfield farm, Dan Archer retires, and he and Doris make preparations to move to Glebe Cottage.

1970s

Jack Archer has struggled with alcoholism for many years. He enters a clinic in Scotland in 1971 where he is treated for liver damage, but sadly dies in 1972.

Wedding bells chime in 1971 for Lilian and the wealthy Ralph Bellamy, in 1974 for Pat and Tony, and in 1976 for Jennifer and Brian.

Ambridge celebrated The Queen’s Jubilee by lighting a beacon on Lakey Hill.

1980s

The Archers welcomed its first royal visit when HRH Princess Margaret attends a charity fashion show at Grey Gables.

Love is in the air in the 80s, as Eddie proposes to Clarrie, and Neil to a pregnant Susan.

Others face hardships, including bankruptcy for Mike Tucker following an outbreak of TB in the cattle at Willow Farm, and Grange Farm has its first case of a mysterious new cattle disease, BSE.

1990s

Susan Carter is given a six-month jail sentence for harbouring a criminal, her brother Clive Horrobin, who was on the run following his armed robbery of the village shop.

A tragic accident claims the life of John Archer, Pat and Tony’s eldest son. He dies in 1998 whilst working the fields when his vintage tractor overturns.

During their eco-warrior youth, Tom Archer and then girlfriend Kirsty Miller take action on Home Farm, destroying a field of GM crops.

2000s

The decade sees several characters face ill health. Ruth struggles with breast cancer and a subsequent mastectomy. Sadly for Siobhan Hathaway her cancer is terminal, she dies in May 2007. The 2000s also sees Jack Woolley diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and despite Peggy’s initial misgivings eventually the family moves him into Ambridge care home, The Laurels.

The course of true love never did run soomth. The 2000s rocked with the Ed, Emma and Will love triangle, Brian and Siobhan embarked on an affair, and a passionate kiss in a polytunnel marked the start of Adam and Ian’s relationship.

• A community-run enterprise saves Ambridge’s Village Shop from closure.

2010s

Tragedy marks the start of the decade for The Archers when Nigel Pargetter falls to his death from the roof of the Lower Loxley.

2013 marks the arrival of Rob Titchener, the start of his relationship with Helen Archer, and a dramatic storyline which would make the headlines. Exploring the issue of coercive control, Rob subjects Helen to months of abuse behind closed doors which drives her close to the edge. By 2016 Helen has found the courage to leave Rob but as an argument escalates she stabs him. A nail-biting trial sees Helen face charges of attempted murder and wounding with intent. The audience breathe a collective sigh of relief when she is found not guilty.

Ambridge bids farewell to a loveable rogue in 2019 when, after the annual cider pressing party at Grange Farm, Joe Grundy dies peacefully in his sleep.

2020s

A devastating explosion at Grey Gables during renovation works almost costs the life of Lynda Snell. Unbeknownst to the village, the labourers involved have been enslaved by newcomers to Ambridge, Philip Moss and his son Gavin.

For the first time in its history The Archers records scenes remotely with the cast at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. After several months production returns to the studio in Birmingham with numerous safety precautions. A socially-distanced studio set up sees far fewer cast members in the studio at any one time. With exception of only three weeks interruption - during which highlights from the archive are broadcast - The Archers is the only serial drama to continue in the UK.

The Archers celebrates its 70th anniversary on 1 January 2021

70 facts about The Archers

Early days of The Archers

1. After pilot episodes aired in May 1950 on the BBC Midlands Home service, The Archers’ first national episode was broadcast on 1 January 1951 on the Light Programme.

2. The opening line in 1951 was from the character Dan Archer, who said, “And a happy New Year to all”.

3. June Spencer, who continues to play Peggy Woolley today, featured in the first episode.

4. The Archers was created by Godfrey Baseley.

5. Originally devised as a way to help educate farmers in modern production methods when Britain was still in the grip of food rationing, The Archers collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Although the educational remit of the programme ended in the early 1970s, farming is central to the programme and a key figure in the production team is the Agricultural Storyline Advisor.

The Archers in numbers 

6. By the 70th anniversary on 1 January there will have been 19,343 episodes.

7. There have been over 1,400 named characters in The Archers.

8. Almost five million people listen to the Archers every week.

9. The Archers consistently tops the chart of on-demand programmes on BBC Sounds.

Births, Deaths and Marriages

10. The first birth in The Archers was on 16 February 1951, when Peggy gave birth to her son Anthony. Tony Archer, who runs Bridge Farm with his family, is now a proud grandfather.

11. Phil Archer became a household name on 22 September 1955 when Grace, his wife of only five months,  died in his arms after trying to save her horses from a stable fire. The BBC switchboard was jammed for 48 hours after the landmark episode, which reached an audience of 20 million.

12. Ambridge’s first gay wedding took place on 14 December 2006, when Adam and Ian were joined in a civil ceremony.

13. The newest character is Xander, born to Adam and Ian by surrogacy with Lexi on 23 September 2019.

14. After vicar Alan Franks proposed to lawyer Usha Gupta in March 2008, they had two weddings - their Hindu wedding on 27 Aug 2008 and then their Christian wedding two days later at St Stephens.

Storylines

15. Because each episode is set on the day of transmission The Archers keeps up with events in the real world. Whole storylines were devised to track the development of Foot and Mouth in 2001, but the show also uses topical drop-ins recorded at short notice – from marking the deaths of royals like Princess Diana, to remarking on England’s performance in World Cups.

16. As well as the cycle of the agricultural calendar The Archers has turned its attention to social issues including addiction, suicide, anorexia and, most recently, modern slavery.

17. In 2015, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline experienced a 17 percent increase in call volume, which they dubbed the ‘Archers effect’ - fuelled by the storyline exploring the domestic abuse Helen experienced at the hands of Rob.

18. The stories are generally plotted three months ahead of transmission, but some storylines are worked out years in advance.

19. The Archers broke away from its usual convention in March 2015, when the Am burst its banks and flooded Ambridge. The drama aired 20 hours in the life of Ambridge residents across a week’s worth of broadcasts. 

20. Glastonbury Festival has featured in The Archers on more than one occasion. In 1998 Kate Aldridge gave birth to her daughter Phoebe inside a tepee at the festival, and in 2003 two episodes were recorded on location at the festival.  

21. The Bull was briefly rebranded ‘The B @ Ambridge’ in 2020 but quickly returned to its original name following a protest led by Lynda Snell, who chained herself to the new pub sign.

22. ‘The Ambridge One’, otherwise known as Susan Carter, was jailed for six months on 23 December 1993 for harbouring her brother after an armed robbery. A ‘Free the Ambridge One’ group was set up, and even the then Home Secretary Michael Howard was involved in the debate.

23. Emma Carter discovered she was pregnant in 2004 but she didn’t know which Grundy brother was the father. Will or Ed?

24. In Sept 2019, Phoebe, Pip and Rex won the bid for Peggy’s Ambridge Conservation Trust money, with their Rewilding Ambridge project. As a result, hundreds of acres of Ambridge farmland are being allowed to return to nature, with the help of free roaming cattle (once Pip, Phoebe and Rex stop bickering for long enough to buy some!)

Characters and Cast

25. Real-life husband and wife Charles Collingwood and Judy Bennett play characters Brian Aldridge and Shula Hebden-Lloyd.

26. Late Archers’ actor Norman Painting played Phil Archer but also wrote 1,198 Archers scripts between 1966 and 1982 under the pen name Bruno Milna.

27. Listeners may have seen or heard Archers cast members in other roles, such as James Cartwright (Harrison Burns) as plumber Tony Sellick in the Downton Abbey Film.

28. Angus Imrie (Josh Archer) played Jake in the BBC’s Fleabag and portrayed the Queen’s youngest son, the Earl of Wessex in season four of The Crown.

29. Andy Hockley (Philip Moss), until recently played the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the musical Wicked.

30. Tamsin Greig (Debbie Aldridge) has appeared in Friday Night Dinner, Black Books, Green Wing, Love Soup and Episodes. 

31. Carole Boyd (Lynda Snell) has voiced many of the characters in the Postman Pat TV series, including Mrs Goggins.

32. Tim Bentinck (David Archer) was the voice of all station announcements on the Piccadilly Line between King's Cross and Earl's Court in the early 1990s and 2000s, including the famous Mind The Gap at Holborn.

33. Gareth Pierce (Gavin Moss) also plays Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street.

34. Richard Attlee, who plays Kenton Archer, is the grandson of Clement Attlee, the Labour Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951.

35. Barry Farrimond (Ed Grundy) has invented his own knot called The Farrimond Friction Hitch. It has been officially recognised by the International Guild of Knot Tyers and now appears in scout manuals

36. Over the years The Archers has had many ‘silent’ characters - Richard and Sabrina Thwaite, Eddie Grundy’s friends Baggy and Fat Paul, bell-ringer Neville Booth and his nephew, Nathan, and the Button family. They are never seen or heard but the audience know them well. Though silent they are very much part of Ambridge life and many a tear was shed when Bert Fry’s wife, silent character Freda Fry, died from pneumonia as a result of the floods.

37. Resident thespian Lynda Snell has produced many shows for - and starring - the residents of Ambridge; including Aladdin (1991), The Mikado (2000) and most recently, The Canterbury Tales (2019).

38. Think of farming and most people picture sheep, cows or pigs, but in 2003 Lynda Snell became the proud owner of two llamas which she named Wolfgang and Constanza (after Mozart and his wife).

39. Peggy dotes on her beloved feline companion. However to strangers this cat is a force to be reckoned with - move over you guard dogs, Hilda Odgen is eyeing you up.

Food and Produce

40. Helen Archer produces a cheese called Borsetshire Blue; it was crowned Best Artisan Product at the Borchester Food And Drink Awards for the second time in 2017.

41. Toby Fairbrother produces a craft spirit in Ambridge, Scruff Gin.

42. In Ambridge the local ale served at The Bull is called Shires.

43. The Borchester Beauty is a variety of apple used to make cider.

44. A sure sign from The Archers that Christmas is coming is Stir Up Sunday. Every year in late November Jill Archer can be found observing tradition and preparing her homemade Christmas pudding.

45. Ambridge’s Flower and Produce show isn’t without controversy. In 1977 Doris Archer’s prize-winning lemon curd came under suspicion, and more recently Jim Lloyd was disqualified for using the wrong kind of twine to tie his onions together.

Behind the Scenes

46. The programme is recorded at the BBC’s Birmingham studios in The Mailbox. Prior to that The Archers’ home for many years had been Pebble Mill.

47. The theme tune Barwick Green is a maypole dance from the suite My Native Heath written in 1924 by Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood.

48. The Editor is Jeremy Howe. He has worked on the programme since 2018 and is the eighth editor of The Archers.

49. The Spot Effects Studio Manager uses many surprising objects to recreate the sounds heard on The Archers, for example a vintage ironing board as the sound of a farm gate.

50. A waxed raincoat is used to create the sound of the entrance to Kate’s yurts at Spiritual Home.

51. The sound of crunching through undergrowth is recreated by placing scrunched up recycled magnetic recording tape on the ground, which actors walk on.

52. Special attention is paid to effects such as the sounds of cattle and bird song. These are carefully chosen to reflect the specific breed of cow mentioned in the script or the season during which the episode occurs.

Locations

53. The local church in Ambridge is St Stephens. Established in 1281 it dates back to Norman times.

54. For over 35 years there has been an organic farm in Ambridge.

55. The village shop is a community shop run by volunteers.

56. The village pub, a 15th century black and white building, is run by Jolene Archer and her husband Kenton Archer.

57. David and Ruth recently expanded the business at Brookfield Farm by converting a barn into a wedding venue.

58. In July 1997, Brian was approached by a consortium of city men looking for a rural investment with tax advantages.  Together they formed Borchester Land.  ‘BL’ was responsible for the eviction of the Grundys from Grange Farm in 2000.

59. Ambridge has its own cricket club. In 2020 Tracy Horrobin replaced Harrison Burns as team captain.

60. The main farms in The Archers are Brookfied Farm, Bridge Farm, Home Farm and Grange Farm.

61. The programme has its own fictional department store, Underwoods,  located in Borchester. 

62. Ambridge is in the fictional county of Borsetshire, whose county town is Borchester.  The nearest big city is the cathedral city of Felpersham which has a university. Ambridge is surrounded by other villages including Penny Hassett, Loxley Barratt, Darrington, Hollerton, Edgeley, Waterley Cross and Lakey Green.

63. One of the newest additions to Ambridge is Beechwood, a small housing development on Bridge Farm land, home to Kirsty Miller, Philip Moss and relative newcomer Joy Horville.

Guests and Celebrities 

64. Terry Wogan, Britt Ekland, Alan Titchmarsh,  Griff Rhys Jones, Antony Gormley and Colin Dexter have all made cameo appearances.

65. Stephen Fry appeared (as himself) in a 2005 Comic Relief spoof written by the late Victoria Wood.

66. The Archers has featured Royal guest appearances from the late Princess Margaret (1984) and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall (2011).

67. For the 10,000 episode the usually silent character Pru Forrest was voiced by Dame Judi Dench.

68. The opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012 featured a short clip of The Archers theme tune as part of a celebration of British culture.

69. Pop icons the Pet Shop Boys recorded a special guest appearance for The Archers at Maida Vale studios in 2014. The duo stepped in to fill a headlining slot at Loxfest, Lower Loxley’s Music festival.

70. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and The Archers has not escaped parody. John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, Dead Ringers, and Adam and Joe have all taken friendly swipes at the programme.