The Archers

BBC The Archers graphic of wellington boots next to a house with a water butt and plants in terracotta pots in the background.
BBC The Archers graphic of wellington boots next to a house with a water butt and plants in terracotta pots in the background.

Ever heard of The Archers? It is a VERY long running British soap opera (73 years and counting) broadcast in 15 minute episodes six days a week on BBC Radio 4.

I started listening as a teenager and have dipped in and out over the years and probably had my longest stint as a listener in the early 2000’s. Sunday morning listening to the “omnibus” edition became a family ritual.

I was a bit of an “addict” and when we moved to Canada, I could not wait for it to be launched as a podcast so I could easily download and listen.

And then it all went horribly wrong. A new writer offered a story line that would “Rock Ambridge to the Core” when in reality someone died falling off a roof and then everyone screamed at each other for ages afterwards. This was followed by trying to make the soap relevant to the “youth” audience and it just went downhill. I think I stopped listening for 15 or more years but I suddenly decided to give it another try… and I am loving it!

By Matthew Guy

An Englishman in New Scotland. My main social networking account is my Mastodon @matthewguy@mstdn.ca Follow my posts from any Fediverse enabled site @matthewguy@matthewguy.com or through the RSS feed https://matthewguy.com/rss