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The Archers at 75 - and how Birmingham-based BBC Radio 4 show was inspired by a village in the West Midlands

BBC Radio 4's The Archers was today broadcasting special programmes to mark its 75th anniversary.

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Broadcast for the first time on January 1 1951, the milestone will be marked with the modern-day cast recreating the first-ever scene from the original episode of the West Midlands-based radio drama. 

Timothy Bentinck, Felicity Finch, Daisy Badger, Ben Norris and Wilf Scolding will play Dan, Doris, Grace, Philip and Jack Archer, gathering in the kitchen of Brookfield Farm to ring in the New Year. 

This will be a chance to hear The Archers' very first episode brought back to life, as the original recording no longer survives. 

In the present day, fans of the radio soap were left on tenterhooks by the latest episode, after a dramatic New Year's Eve attack shook the village. 

Princess Margaret rehearses for her guest role in the BBC radio serial The Archers, with cast members Arnold Peters and Sara Coward in 1984
Princess Margaret rehearses for her guest role in the BBC radio serial The Archers, with cast members Arnold Peters and Sara Coward in 1984

A search for the culprit is now under way, and a New Year's Day special drama at 7.15pm will delve deeper into the mystery, led by special guest Claire Skinner . 

This will be followed by The Archers Podcast at 8pm , where Emma Freud and guests will bring fans closer to the drama. 

Special episodes of Radio 4 programmes including Woman's Hour and This Week In History will also celebrate the enduring appeal of the fictional village of Ambridge and its inhabitants. 

The show is based in a rural community in the West Midlands and is recorded at the BBC studios in the Mailbox in Birmingham., having previously spent many years at Pebble Mill.

Members of 'The Archers' at Broadcasting House. From left June Spencer, Lesley Saweard, Judy Bennett, Patricia Greene, Norman Painting, Alison Dowling, Colin Skipp and Angela Piper.
Members of 'The Archers' at Broadcasting House. From left June Spencer, Lesley Saweard, Judy Bennett, Patricia Greene, Norman Painting, Alison Dowling, Colin Skipp and Angela Piper.

It also has links to the Worcestershire village of Hanbury. The show took inspiration from the village when it was first conceived and the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin in Hanbury has become the regular sound recording location for church-related storylines surrounding St Stephens parish church, Ambridge. Many marriages in the Archers were recorded in the church with a congregation watching on.

The church in Hanbury
The church in Hanbury

Originally intended to educate both farmers and the public on modern agricultural methods, The Archers has evolved over the past 75 years and continues to reflect contemporary rural life in the England of today.

It has tackled pressing topical issues such as climate change, the economic challenges faced by farmers, domestic abuse, alcoholism and modern slavery, all while continuing to entertain listeners. 

It has also attracted some star names over the years, including a guest appearance from Princess Margaret.

Today it remains one of the BBC's most popular programmes and is currently the top on-demand show for listeners of all ages - as well as regularly topping the list of most popular on-demand programmes for listeners under 35 - on BBC Sounds. 

Ysanne Churchman, the original Grace Archer, and Norman Painting, Phil Archer, in The Archers, at the microphone at the BBC's Pebble Mill studios, Birmingham, when they re-recorded the death of Grace in a fire.
Ysanne Churchman, the original Grace Archer, and Norman Painting, Phil Archer, in The Archers, at the microphone at the BBC's Pebble Mill studios, Birmingham, when they re-recorded the death of Grace in a fire.

To mark the anniversary, episodes of The Archers will now be available on BBC Sounds for five years after broadcast, an increase from the previous 30-day window. 

Mohit Bakaya , Radio 4 controller and director of speech, said: "One of the cornerstones of British broadcasting, The Archers is unique - portraying rural life, whilst reflecting social change, over the last three-quarters of a century. 

"The world today is very different to when it was first broadcast in 1951, and I'm delighted that the programme continues to be such a huge hit with audiences of all ages. 

"The devotion of Archers listeners should never be underestimated and I'm looking forward to celebrating this national institution with them over the next 12 months." 

Jeremy Howe, editor of The Archers, said: "The first baby born in the show, Tony Archer, has lived his whole life in The Archers - as have many of our listeners, who have tuned in for the whole of their lives. What is brilliant is that the programme continues to attract new listeners and appeal to a whole new generation. 

"That ability to connect with listeners is what makes The Archers so special - it has timeless appeal, and yet it manages to speak to the times we live in today. 

David and Ruth Archer (alias actors Timothy Bentinck and Felicity French) celebrate with a drop of bubbly the 12,000 episode of the BBC Radio serial 'The Archers'
David and Ruth Archer (alias actors Timothy Bentinck and Felicity French) celebrate with a drop of bubbly the 12,000 episode of the BBC Radio serial 'The Archers'

"We look forward to seeing what the next 75 years will bring." 

BBC Archives teams have begun to digitise 2,500 episodes of The Archers from 1959-69. 

They come from the BBC's Transcription Service, which distributed copies of BBC programmes for broadcast overseas, so listeners in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and elsewhere could hear The Archers on the same day as the UK broadcast.

Ted Kelsey, Joe Grundy in The Archers, dons a red nose for the 1999 Comic Relief appeal.
Ted Kelsey, Joe Grundy in The Archers, dons a red nose for the 1999 Comic Relief appeal.