Every week, millions of people tune in to BBC Radio 4 to catch up on the latest goings-on in the village of Ambridge. But even though these events often hit the headlines, they are entirely fictional – as they're part of the longest-running soap opera in the world, The Archers.
First broadcast in 1951, the programme was initially created to help educate farmers after WWII. Now, The Archers follows the lives of the families within a fictional village in a rural West Midlands county, reflecting both social and agricultural issues.
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Unusual facts about The Archers
1. Elvis, Madonna and Marilyn were the names of three peacocks who lived at The Bull pub.
2. The first woman sent to jail on The Archers was Susan Carter, who was jailed in 1993 for harbouring her brother (an escaped prisoner). A “Free the Ambridge One” campaign swiftly followed, and the saga was even mentioned in the House of Commons by the then-Home Secretary, Michael Howard.
3. Twittington was another possible name for Ambridge.
4. Plenty of unusual things are utilised to create the programme's sound effects. In a scene where vets at The Stables operate on a horse, the cast used a corkscrew, potato masher, rubber gloves and blankets. The horse was 'played' by a rolled-up carpet.
5. Gavin & Stacey and The Other Bennet Sister actor Ruth Jones is a huge fan of The Archers, describing herself as a 'massive Archers addict' – she even guest-hosted an episode of The Archers Podcast. What does she love so much about the drama? "A long-running storyline that can sometimes take years to unpack; the way that comedy and tragedy sit next door to each other so comfortably, and the fact that people stay together in the Archers – you may have an affair every ten years or so, but you have to earn it!"
6. While the storylines are plotted out months and even years in advance, the actors sometimes have to do last-minute recordings in order to keep up with topical news events.
7. Two episodes were recorded on location at Worthy Farm's Glastonbury Festival.
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8. The Archers has many 'silent' characters who are not seen or heard, but are still well-known to loyal listeners. In the 10,000th episode (broadcast in in May 1989), Dame Judi Dench voiced the role of the previously-silent Pru Forrest.
9. In 2003, Lynda Snell introduced two llamas called Wolfgang and Constanza (named after Mozart and his wife).
10. Ambridge has its own gin: Scruff Gin, produced by Toby Fairbrother.
11. Stephen Fry appeared as himself in a 2005 Comic Relief spoof, which was written by the late Victoria Wood.
12. Oscar and Academy Award-nominated actor Felicity Jones (known for her roles in The Theory of Everything and The Brutalist) worked on The Archers, voicing Emma Carter (later Emma Grundy).
13. The theme tune is called 'Barwick Green', which was composed in 1924 by Arthur Wood. It appeared in Danny Boyle's London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
14. The Pet Shop Boys headlined Ambridge's answer to Glastonbury – Loxfest – in 2019. A mix of fictional (Honey Storm and Hideous Wellies) and real-life (Luke Sital-Singh and Slow Club) artists appeared on the bill, which was curated with help from BBC Radio 6 Music's Steve Lamacq.
15. Guest stars appearing as themselves include Princess Margaret, John Peel, Sir Terry Wogan and Alan Titchmarsh.
16. One of the programme's main farms, Bridge Farm, went organic in 1984.
17. Queen Camilla is a fan of The Archers and has marked the drama's milestones over the years. She made a cameo appearance as herself in her role as the National Osteoporosis Society’s president in 2011.
18. Ambridge hosted its own Eurovision Variety Show in 2023, with Rylan Clark stopping by on his way to host the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.
19. The opening line of the drama was "And a happy new year to you all."
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Top image: Timothy Bentinck (as David Archer) and Felicity Finch (as Ruth Archer) for BBC Radio 4's The Archers. Credit: BBC/Gary Moyes.