Read this: 08/08/2024 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts and welcome to feedback, it has 5 million every week world's longest running radio drama and it's the number one program that you contact feedback about Barnham the Archers on today's feedback BBC Birmingham to get a peek behind the scenes put your arms talk to to the leading characters, let's go inside.

Hello Andrea welcome to ambridge.

I'm turning off.

I'm one of the technical produces here at the mailbox in Birmingham and we're standing outside studio 9 where ambridges create and I'm going to take you through into the studio.

There's two parts the studio.

That's what we got the cubicle with the control room where we sit and mix the program and the studio itself.

Where are the actors are which have all different acoustic explain to you as we go along fantastic.

Standby studio, please, thank you.

Red light is showing on the studio beside me and inside the Actors are working.

So this is no an active workspace.

That was George that we could hear they're finishing their seen them done with a relationship.

That's been Rocky at times and maybe about to get even more fraught as George whose behaviour has often been aggravating has nice boots and Alice any further go back and work out just how the Archers became part of Middle England cultural fabric.

There's one prints for breakfast table topic of conversation The Orchards started as a five-part pilot series on BBC Midlands in May 1950.

It was conceived as a form of light touch propaganda.

Educate farmers on how to be more productive after the Second World War the man behind it was the BBC's head of agricultural programming Godfrey baseley.

I wasn't very happy about the programme going on Farming I was a family producer Ifield to you and the people who could understand why people who knew anyway and the people who want to be going out this could understand they were so I did the hide all the messages and tips in an everyday drama of country folk with the accent on drama from Lincolnshire and then call Henry bird.

So what we need is a hello mister.

Just took over Dick Barton slots.on home service and employed many of the same writers to give it some dramatic home.

Established itself in the schedules and edit side had over 20 million listeners and it's been going strong ever since I think I am listening around 15 years ago even though it wasn't exactly sure who all the characters wear by certainly remember listening to this on catch up just after New Year 2011 Nigel positive death remains to this day the most commented on event in back history from hundreds of complaints from listeners.

I found the 60th anniversary episode insulting to listeners intelligence with a weak Lines the Unbelievable script.

I thought the acting was Paul Radio 4 letters morning wailing and Winding they're never going to listen to the program again.

Nigel hate to break it to you, but the Archers is not real Nigel scream.

Even got the more or less treatment from Tim Harford calculations given 3.5 seconds Nigel over 60 m.

That's the height of York Minster and it's suggest that lower Loxley Hall is as much as 20 storeys high quite a while since Archers aficionados have been gripped by storylines featuring everything from modern slavery to rewilding although Rob titchener is coercive controlling relationship with Helen it's probably the most memorable.

I want to see you play at least half of your place right now another life-changing storyline is unfolding in ambridge after Alice has been blamed for causing a serious car accident whilst being black.

However for weeks only we the listeners and the real driver George Grundy knew the truth.

Well, I'll be hearing more from George or at least the actor who plays them in a moment but for now.

It's back to our guided tour with technical producer Tony

so coming in night at the room.

That's called the cubicle.

It's actually a large gallery and it's where all the mixing and the directing is done for the so won't let me take you over to the sound desk.

This is the listeners know lots and lots of things called faders or not so all the microphones coming to hear and the faded up on recording faded faded up on on these controls here and then I have controls here which are the outputs the computers which I give me things so for instance if we're on the village green often have ducks.

I'm going to play The Duck Song we might also want to go into cash it so we might want some cals moving away.

You've got lots of cars moving.

So so yeah the same different types of the texels what kind of thing we have we have different shaped different breeds of sheep.

And that's what this is love.

I think I think if you're in the middle of London on a horrible day and you hear the Archers and here.

It is lovely country backgrounds that transports you into that wonderful environment.

You know there's a mixed effects of mixed together here as I said live and we only take I think it's 2 and a quarter H to make an episode and seems take about 10 to 15 minutes.

So you have to do a couple of run through with the actors and usually the first or second takes will we do?

After you.

Thank you now.

We're in the studio and we're standing at the moment.

We call the live end, so the floor is wouldn't we have my ceiling there is some acoustic panelling which we can move around we have screens and easily areas they use for like the barn with the village hall of the church if we in the church for instance.

We use this as the base for the sound that then we had Reverberation obviously in the studio in the cubicle where I sit as explained so it makes the sound bigger or or less or less big so where in the librarian.

Let's walk through now into what we call the soft area a soft because this carpet on the floor.

So you probably notice already that my my voice is changing quality and let's just go into where we used to do the living room.

So if you go first and keep speaking all around and it does feel and now a lot more homely.

It's a bit of these.

The general rooms in the Houses normally where the living rooms that kind of thing sometimes we use it for the ball as well if we in the snog or one of the areas away from the bar and you have got you got seats with a little bit like a piano stand with a space for actors to put the scripts and then of course microphones.

Yes, we have a stereo microphone hear the is used to hold the Script becoming more difficult with the paper.

I know it sounds like it all, but we can't get the paper we used to have used to have a very heavy paper which didn't Russell can't get that anymore so we have to have normal paper and it makes it much more difficult to keep scripts quiet the illusion is that these are real people talking of people Reading from Script so obviously don't want to hear the script and that seemed to really careful when recording.

Black in the control room watching the setup for the next seen as a listener I get very invested in The Archers it's so easy get tied up in the storylines and I know it's the same from many dedicated and Bridge fan, so let's listen to some of them now.

They're I'm Bernadette Hawkes and I've been listening to the Archers well, subliminally since about 7, I'm Richard Jones from the West Midlands I've been listening to the Archers since about on and off since Christmas 1982 when I am FM radio as a Christmas present from Canterbury and I can pinpoint exactly when I first started listen to The Archers 1980 because I had a little baby and I will try and arrange that time so that she was she was asleep, and it was my time to listen to The Archers and I forgot to say I'm from Margate

Originally from London so we used to listen to it in London not a hint of countryside about to listen to it because it became part of my life and then then we got this thing as a lot of people doing a place in France and it was really interesting cos I could actually talk to the French farmers about things affected them because I heard it on the Archers and it was a recent episode about haymaking and it took me right back to watching farmers in France haymaking.

It's the smell of a brilliant romantic about it, but I said I started listening to my mum used to listen and I asked her much later on in her life.

Why she's listening she said.

Grew up in the country and it was about families, but she's lost her family is what it is about and that's where it starts the rest is window dressing and it's the tensions between us all the parents and the the Offspring and some stories continue don't know that's all like recycled.

That's all that between the Offspring wanting to do something that the parents don't but that's true to Relight My parents and teenagers having your child becomes somebody different you need thank you.

Don't know if you were around long enough to go to remember the trauma Jennifer going to the vicar to say please.

Tell my mummy and daddy.

I'm pregnant and still can't I'm pleased about it.

I give us anything but not to be true to be able to put the clock back.

I've been a complete fool and I hate myself for it.

My eyes open I knew what I was doing so I thought I regret it.

Oh, yes, I regret it alright.

I do listen to it my mum and she looking at me and thinking should she be listening to this? It's true.

I can never been absolutely gobsmacked when they did that scene in the shower pole know I could you save this is the Archers sex scene from The Archers 7:10 on it on it said having been to the gym with his new gym buddy and there is wife Jolene when you were still married to Cathy and Jolie said all come back to mine for a shower.

Who was a bit more than having a bit of a love-hate relationship with at the moment, but you hating then? I'm not coping very well with the storyline is the Jenny darling and my mum go early years ago.

So they're David Tyres and I couldn't listen.

I know when my mother died and it was not quite the same time, but they're all the marks of their because Jenny was mother to us all.

Yes, yes, she was yeah everything they could.

Strong enough that 12 1/2 minutes every nights.

Yeah, that little oil that little there's I think it's something like 3 million of Us listening cross the way can and that's 3 million different experiences and yet.

It's still all our ambridge.

Yeah, and that is something that I would miss and I would probably never listen to Radio 4 again if I'm Bridge or left her airwaves all the actors are gathered in a green room there.

Just about to go back into the studio, so I've come out to find Jeremy who is the editor of The Archers and have a chat with him and he's in his office just at the back of the studios.

Show me let's start with a big picture stuff.

You know it's it's such a successful program.

That's been going for so many years.

What is that? What is the the secret sauce the Archers that keeps people listening.

It's a constant is dependable it goes out every day every episode pretty well is set on the day that it goes out and it has a rhythm that has the rhythm of Life and I think that's very kind of them.

It's very beguiling but I think the real USP of The Archers is the extraordinary characters for example.

I mean Tony Archer was born 2 months after it went on there and we followed his whole life 70 + years which is an extraordinary to do and I think that is a very attractive thing nothing you don't it plays out like real life you talked about Tony Archer they're being 70 years old and there are so many characters.

In The Archers that have been around for a long time and many of your listeners and our listeners on feedback know their backstories really intimate as a very long time does addict on several occasions recently.

I've been very frustrated by the short memories of the script writers for instance.

When is and Emma Grundy will first thing about going into tree surgery.

Why didn't somebody suggest talking to Mike Tucker who was also tree surgeon does that somebody check for events or people in a history, but it won't happen.

How do you how do you avoid having a repetition or having any inconsistencies even done too kind of birthdays and what everybody is done before the story.

You must have new writers coming in how do they know exactly what these people have been doing for 70 + years.

We have an enormous collective memory but we also have two things what we have.

Story which is the archive and secondly we have to breed assistant producer to know that you know the back door of The Archers just extraordinarily well and there is to say at never been done before answer for example when we decided to do the Alice as an alcoholic story get we were scoping the story and one of these two producers said to me yeah, but in 1972 Peggy had the same issues with Jack I mean that is annexed and so what will you do you make a decision to you? Do you tell the story in a different way or do you do you kind of make it similar but make sure that Peggy reference.

Is it stands alcoholism as well as anyone with in ambridge.

So you kind of you always build on your archive in the way.

It's really interesting that you say that because we've had quite a lot of comments.

News about the storyline of Alice and bite her alcoholism.

Hello, my name is Jeff I am calling from Swansea I'm very concerned about what the doctor said about alcohol and medication Archers programme with regards, Alice it's truly incorrecto Brno description drugs treat alcohol misuse you need to correct this ASAP you giving the family snow hope with inaccurate story that I am an alcoholic off it now, but you'd never not an alcoholic.

I'm calling from Buckinghamshire as a pair of the daughter with an alcohol dependency.

I feel the BBC has missed an opportunity to share more support for people with this addiction constantly rehab is mentioned, but this is not answer for most alcoholics realistic option.

I feel this would have been a prime opportunity to give people more hope and a seemingly hopeless situation.

I wonder if you could just tell us a little bit more about the kind of research that you do really interesting about research.

Is you follow you follow the research always follow the research because it will takes his place that you weren't expecting so of course.

I'm glad the loaded with money or ages you send Alice of the rehab so we started exploring rehab Brian Brian houses dad basic forces Alice to go to rehab and the chances of that succeeding.

We learn are roughly 0 Alice has to want to do it herself.

I'll be there are there are drugs you can use as talking to GPS they're very very reluctant to prescribe them and what Dr Malik gave her.

Was you have to stop drinking if you take this that will take away the side effects so you won't have alcohol withdrawal, but you have to want to stop drinking.

It was a stop-gap measure than that's exactly what we did so she goes to court.

Relative December and the other criticism that we here quite a lot is the idea that it's sensationalised.

It's a little bit like Eastenders my name is Deborah waters and I'm calling from having listens for 60 or 2 years.

I enjoyed learning about countryways the community spirit.

What's the characters grow up and laughter some of the scenarios sadly I know that this show is adopting some more of them or farfetch storylines and noxious characters that turns me away from TV perhaps the scriptwriter should be reminded of the programs original strapline and everyday tale of country life every so often we will we will explode a big story but everything happens very slowly I think that's a real the genius of The Archers I think one of my proudest moments ever was sending an email to the greater the good and the BBC say you need to listen to tonight's episode.

Paying off a story which broke 14 years ago and it was the episode where on Rory's 18th birthday.

He is sent a CD of his mother a happy 18th birthday and she died when he was 4, so I don't think it is sensational.

I think it is dramatic and show course the show needs to be dramatic.

Otherwise it will be like listening to paint dry.

I've just watched at the end of the scene with Emma and George Grundy and that's played by the actors that Emerald o'hanrahan and Angus Toby I'm just going to quickly before they go for the lunch.

Have a few words of them Emerald o'hanrahan is a fantastic night.

So you've got your obviously partly yes, yeah.

Yeah, Irish Heritage and I Married an Irish actor.

Yeah, I'm now and Eleni legally I know you've just literally come offset and you both you and Angus who plays George playing a very dramatic.

Line at the moment, what are you telling me? This was the accident you've had a really difficult can a mother and son relationship that you've been playing out for awhile.

What's that been like Georgia said some very horrible things to my over over the last few months hasn't and it's been a long time coming because the stuff that George has been through as a little kid and the stuff that they've just tried to brush under the carpet for years is all coming out by Tina and I just love how the Archer Street things in real-time so it's you're able to really live out like you say this difficult relationship.

It's just so much fun to play.

Character has changed quite a lot of place in The Archers has changed cuddle up from for listeners from being a kind of annoying teenager to really planning this very central role, I know you're in the middle of a major drama at the moment and I mean I don't know what's what's going to happen in it, but clearly you are a pivotal actor in the middle of all of this.

I wonder what that feels like for you to be playing nice such a pivotal part in this storyline.

Yeah, I mean it's great seeing lines developed over the past two years going from sitting post box on fire to know the story line.

We've had with Alice and the crash.

It's quite a development, but yeah, I think he's a great character.

He's very impulsive everything he does he does to try and protect himself or his family and in some case.

It's no not necessarily all right thing but it's the right thing to him.

Can I ask you about how far in advance? You know what's happening because there is a clearly a cliffhanger at the moment and in the storyline so far and I just wonder you know where you where you know a long time ago that this was going to happen or do you pick up the script and go yes, it's that I'm going well.

We only know when the Script pack comes in we prayer panda it so it's like life in that way.

You just don't know what's going to happen and the storyline yeah, when I open the description was thinking got it's really and it is that thing of you think what life going on way just fall off a cliff.

Yeah, so it's one of those moments for her.

It's really fun to play as I have to ask you if you're clearly not from Android from Scotland and I

That accent because you're clearly haven't put on when as indeed Emerald are you I mean neither of you sound like your characters, which channel is a very blindingly obvious things to say when I don't think you and George but you know in our heads.

We kind of do if we listen regularly, so how difficult was it to Angus to actually master George's accident? Yeah, so I'm from Edinburgh and some joined.

It was marking out on the scripts this sounds and the vowels and how they sound differently I think what through the office sometimes actually West Country and the Scots accent is more some you think there are a lot of similarities.

There are things going on and I've played this character more and more right so slowly become second nature and I can know what to stress and what valve stem size and day.

Yeah, I don't really have to think about there is the occasional slip and someone say Angus you've got a bit Scots there.

Can you do that again? But yeah, it's pretty smooth nowadays, thankfully.

Emerald you been doing this for quite a long time so do you find it you just slip into to Emma yeah? It's very much and then she's just there but I do it's lovely having seem to Charlotte who plays Susan because Emma is always been quite a mini Susan so when we get things together.

It's like plugging back into the correct place, it's wonderful.

Well, as I walked past the sign that says ambridge.

Please drive carefully through the village.

It's time for me to leave The Archers and indeed.

This is the end of the special edition of feedback whatever thank you very much for listening and giving us your feedback in 1962 President John F Kennedy articulated his vision for why we rather America would choose to go to the moon in the front and centre against the Ethical Dimension of space endeavour which says that when we take these Giant Steps they should always be for the benefit of all humankind.

Who gets to go and how it impacts our rest of us and space itself a vital questions to answer in a looming new era of space travel so come with me decide to explore the moral dilemmas that sit at the heart of space exploration and why they should matter to you sideways a New Frontier listen now on BBC sounds.