The Archers: 70 Years of Radio's Longest-Running Serial
The Archers, the world's longest-running radio serial, was launched on January 1, 1951. It was born out of a 1948 conference where farmers suggested improving farming coverage on BBC. The show's creator, Godfrey Baseley, selected Barwick Green, the Archers theme tune, as his Desert Island Discs music in 1969.
Baseley, a Worcestershire-born son of a butcher, based many Archers characters on people he knew. Henry Burtt, a Lincolnshire farmer, inspired the 'farming Dick Barton' concept, leading to the creation of Dan and Phil Archer characters. The show's formula was 10% education, 30% general information, and 60% entertainment.
The Archers' theme tune, Barwick Green, is from Arthur Wood's 1924 suite Native Heath, named after Barwick-in-Elmet in West Yorkshire. Despite Baseley's disapproval of later storylines, finding 'too much sex and violence', the show continues to entertain audiences. Notably, Grace Archer was killed off in a fire in 1955 due to the actress, Ysanne Churchman, being a potentially troublesome trade unionist.
The Archers, now in its seventh decade, remains a beloved institution in British radio. Its unique blend of education, information, and entertainment continues to captivate listeners, all set against the backdrop of the fictional Ambridge village.
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