On 7 November 2006, The Archers hit the headlines of every national newspaper when it brought to a climax one of its biggest ever storylines - the love triangle between David Archer, his wife Ruth Archer and herdsman Sam Batton. In the final seconds of the 15,000th episode of the soap, Ruth decided not to consummate her relationship with Sam, and five million listeners across Britain either heaved a collective sigh of relief, or felt cruelly disappointed. In the days that followed, the official Archers website received 1.2 million page impressions.
The Ruth / Sam / David storyline is an important one, but it is only the latest in a long line of stories that stretch back to
1 January 1951, when The Archers was first broadcast to the nation. As things start to return to normal at Brookfield, who knows what new stories will unfold for the 60-odd other Ambridge residents on whose lives we eavesdrop every weekday, just after 7pm?
In this film, broadcast 56 years to the day since the series began, Arena goes behind the scenes at the Archers production office and tracks the development of that dramatic 15,000th episode, from the script meeting last August where the story was mapped out by the team of writers under editor Vanessa Whitburn, through to the writing of the scripts, the studio recording and the response from listeners. We also catch a glimpse of the team preparing for the New Year's Day episode which will have gone out just before the film is broadcast.
With extracts from episodes through the ages, and interviews with actors, editors, writers and fans, plus comic moments from spoofs, Arena examines the enduring appeal of The Archers. How has an agricultural soap opera, based in deepest Borsetshire (allegedly somewhere near Worcestershire) but produced in the urban sprawl of Birmingham become so deeply embedded in the British consciousness? And could its theme tune be the nation's single most loved and loathed piece of music?
Stephen Fry narrates the film, which is directed and produced by Emily Kennedy. Guy Crossman is the film editor and the researcher is Sue Fowler. Anthony Wall is the editor of Arena.
