Ysanne Churchman (Grace Archer)

I was 11 at the time and every playtime the girls played at being Grace Archer and spent the whole time galloping around the playground on her horse! We were devastated when she died - we couldn't believe out heroine was dead!
Christine Farmer

We were sitting down to watch Channel 9, I think it was called [ITV] when the lady from next door came knocking on the back door. "Grace is dead," she shouted. That was the end of our viewing for the night!
Susan Robson

I was on the cusp of my 9th birthday. Few of our neighbours had television sets in South Wales and so the radio still dominated our lives. Playing in a friends house, we were asked to "turn down the noise, as The Archers was about to start." My friend's Mum moved forward on her seat and she hissed at every noise we made (breathing was allowed - just). At the moment when Phil tried to get in to the stables to rescue Grace, we were suddenly taken aback by the shrieks of torment and floods of tears from my pal's Mum. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, my friend pushed me through the door and we escaped from the room, leaving behind one very distraught woman.
John Matthews

I went into the pub and they were all quiet. "What's happened?" I asked. "Haven't you heard?" they all said.
Arthur Winter

I was a very naughty little girl. I was supposed to be tucked up in bed, going to sleep. Instead, I had "borrowed" the radio from the kitchen, and tuned in - I think mainly to listen to Take It From Here which came on just before The Archers. However, I continued to listen, and heard the episode where Grace died, and managed to return the radio to the kitchen before being caught. Not bad for a seven year old! Needless to say, I failed to drift off to sleep easily with all the excitement of the episode.
"Auntie Prue"

I don't have any memories of my own since I was born just a few hours before Grace was burnt to a crisp. My mother didn't listen that evening, being fairly worn out, but the other mothers in the ward had their head sets on and she remembers watching as their jaws dropped and their eyes widened in horror. It was a while before she found out what had happened and she was cross to have missed it. Sadly, in those days, there was no "listen again" facility! Being told the story of how I was born almost as Grace died remains one of my earliest memories and I've felt an affinity with the programme ever since.
Di Smith

I was nine-years-old when this episode was broadcast. We had no television so the radio was an important part of family life. I remember vividly listening and being quite frightened but fascinated by Phil's actions. After all these years I am still a devoted fan and loyal listener. There is no other comparable serial on either the radio or television.
Patricia Dennis

The memory of that evening is very vivid. I was 14 and each evening sat and listened with my mother to The Archers. Events seemed to escalate very quickly in that episode and when Phil uttered those fateful words we were absolutely stunned, speechless - how could the sophisticated lady of the series be no more? Why had they done it? The rest of the evening seemed deflated and no, we hadn't a TV then so we couldn't look in at the new ITV to take our minds off it. What a scoop for the scriptwriters!
Glenys Collins

My lasting memory is of the day following Grace's death. Our neighbour in Aberporth, West Wales was called Ruth Richards, a very respectable Welsh woman with two young daughters who were our friends. I was walking on the high wall that divided our two houses. Ruth was pegging out the clothes on her washing line, and sobbing - her face was red with grief. Picking up the signals, I nipped into our house to tell my mother that Mrs Richards was distressed, and my Ma rushed round to see Ruth. "Oh Win," she cried, "haven't you heard, Grace is dead?" It took a long time to console Ruth, and a bit longer for Ma to explain to me who Grace was. Of course - you've guessed it - I've been hooked on The Archers ever since.
Wendy Sturgess-Ousey

I was still getting over having passed (just) enough O levels to be "allowed" to go into the sixth form at my grammar school and take A levels. I'd got my first homework in French to do, and was reciting some poetry from Lamartine (I think). Since everything was done in the dining room, all the family - but me - was listening to The Archers. I was shushed ... "Grace might die ..." somebody said. In my new world I thought someone was saying Grace à Dieu (with an uneducated working class pronunciation), so I proceeded to give them the right pronunciation - I was finally closed down by smotheration.
Barrie Wilson

It's one of my earliest memories! I was aware of the theme tune from birth, I suspect, and always knew that, if it came on, then I was saved from bed for another stretch of time (didn't think of "15 minutes" in those days). I remember that I was playing with toy animals behind the sofa and then the screaming and shouting began. My grown ups were very quiet and I stayed downstairs for ages that night. I assume now that they were too horrified to deal with a 2-year-old.
Maureen Hazell

The people next door had a television and had invited me to join in the eventful launch of the new TV Channel. I said that only after The Archers could I accept their generous offer and they agreed. I never did see the beginning of the new TV channel. The sounds of dread in Graces voice, the crackling fire, the falling debris, the cry of the horse, and Phil's agonising voice are as clear now as they were then, and the tears are just as real now. Vivid memories from a ration book kid whose creativity and imaginative development owes a great deal to the wonderful writers and actors and special background sound creators and researchers all of whom have indelibly etched this tapestry for a nation to enjoy. It is true that the best pictures are on radio, Thank You All Very Very Much.
Terence Clark

I was four when Grace died. I used to lie in bed (children then went to bed at 6pm!) and listen to The Archers whilst Mum cooked supper for Dad (almost always in a pressure cooker - the wonder time saver of the era). I could almost feel the flames, but at the same time knew that we were in no danger. The memory of that evening lasted, and helped bring me back to be an Archers fan again after the teenage years, and now, if I am near a radio at 7pm or 2pm it will always be tuned to Radio 4.
Anne Gill

I was glued to our old radio as I was every night (we didn't have TV) and couldn't believe that Grace had been allowed to die. I cried all night and was sure that she would be back next evening. She wasn't and I still remember it vividly. It made a deeper impression than any serial episode I have seen on TV or heard on radio since.
Jo Johnson

My father said that he came home and found my mother in tears in front of the radio. My mother denied it.
Roderick Young

I remember the death of Grace Archer because my great friend Dorothy (an actress) was also a friend of Ysanne Churchman. She told me Ysanne was extremely shocked to find she had been written out of the script. As the only cast member to belong to Equity, she had asked the BBC for the Equity rate of pay, which was refused; result - exit the character Grace Archer!
Jill Murray

I was seven-years-old and although I can't remember any details I certainly recall the dramatic atmosphere in our house.
Linda

Having been tipped-off that something amazing was going to happen at 6.45pm that night, I recall my mum, dad, three sisters and I huddled around our old Ecko radio set to listen; of course we weren't disappointed.
David Knapper

I was four at the time and believe I remember my parents discussing how the BBC were scuppering the ITV. Of course this memory could come from later than the actual episode as this magnificent tale of BBC skulduggery was retold in our household many times.
Mike Gunn

As long as I can remember, The Archers was always was on at supper time. I remember sitting round the kitchen table with Mum and Dad listening to it. We had a TV but I doubt whether it could receive ITV. So it hadn't occurred to my parents (certainly not to me) that there would be anything special that night. I can remember the feeling of disbelief as the episode ended. In those days, stories always had a happy ending. Not this time ...
"Barefoot Devil"

I was frantic that the horses were going to be killed. My mother grabbed me and tried to cover my ears because she suspected that Something Terrible was about to happen and she thought me too young (at 7!) to be traumatised. I have to admit to being more concerned about whether Midnight was ok. ITV - what ITV? It didn't happen to us ...
Lesley Young

I was eight at the time and sitting on the stairs at our two up/two down terraced house in Birmingham hidden out of sight listening to the radio. I can still remember it as clear as where I was when Diana died.
Brian Thompson

My parents were just married and Dad came home from work, Mum was crying because Grace Archer had died. Dad (not an Archers fan at the time) thought she must have been a close friend and was naturally very upset. Later when he found out Grace was a radio character he was furious. This story is still told 50 years on!
Jeremy Major

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