On 1 January 2021 episode number 19,343 of The Archers on BBC Radio 4 will mark 70 years of the world’s longest running serial drama.
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.
