Controller visits Ambridge
3 February 2005

On Monday, Radio 4's new controller visited the Mailbox in Birmingham for his first meeting with The Archers team. After viewing the recording of an episode, Mark Damazer praised the programme's quality and hold on the audience, and assured the cast and production team that it has a secure future on the network.
Hedli Niklaus (Kathy), Mark Damazer and Kim Durham (Matt)

An enthusiastic Archers listener, Mark confessed to some difficulty in meeting cast members and viewing the production process: "When you're so familiar with this world of Ambridge, it's a strange adjustment to find that it doesn't just pop into existence." He was impressed by the pace of the studio recording, telling the actors he thought they were "driven very hard".

Mark toured the state-of-the-art studio, which is also home to the BBC Asian Network's soap Silver Street and many other plays and serials for Radio 4. In particular, he was intrigued by the sophisticated "snail" which simulates distant outdoor acoustics, used to good effect in recent Archers episodes.

After reading history at Cambridge, Mark went to Harvard University on the Harkness Fellowship and in 1981 joined the BBC World Service as a current affairs producer. Prior to taking over at Radio 4, he was deputy director of BBC News. In previous roles, as head of current affairs, and subsequently head of political programmes, he was responsible for much of Radio 4's news and current affairs output. But his interests extend beyond journalism, as a board member of the Institute of Contemporary British History and the Carl Rosa Opera company.





Mark Damazer and Vanessa Whitburn

Archers editor Vanessa Whitburn said "Mark is very supportive. His predecessor Helen Boaden was also a keen fan of the programme and I'm sure that the positive relationship we had with her will continue with Mark."

Mark Damazer's appointment
Mark Damazer biography

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