The cast of the Archers is coming to Brighton Dome tomorrow night for an Ambridge village experience the audience will have never seen – or indeed heard – before.
The brand-new live production of the Radio 4 soap, now on tour, is hosted by award-winning comedian and Archers devotee Angela Barnes. The Brighton performance includes Tim Bentinck (David Archer), Annabelle Dowler (Kirsty Miller), Charlotte Martin (Susan Carter) and Ben Norris (Ben Archer), alongside alongside Vanessa Nuttall, The Archers’ live sound-effects specialist.
First broadcast on January 1, 1951, The Archers is the world’s longest-running radio drama. Broadcasting six times a week to millions of listeners, the programme follows the everyday lives, loves, and dramas of the residents of the fictional village of Ambridge, deep in the heart of the English countryside.
Over the course of more than 20,000 episodes, the show has chronicled significant social and cultural changes in Britain, dealing with complex contemporary issues alongside the traditional rhythms of rural life, earning its place as a cornerstone of the British cultural landscape.
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.
Set within a playful reimagining of the Ambridge Flower and Produce Show, The Archers: Live at 75 blends theatricality, nostalgia, comedy and behind-the-scenes insight.
The evening will include on-stage interviews, insider stories and gossip, live performances with live foley sound effects of specially written scenes created exclusively for the tour, archive treasures spanning seven decades from the BBC vaults, fascinating demonstrations of the sound-effects artistry that brings the fields, kitchens and barns of Ambridge so vividly to life, audience questions, an interactive pub quiz straight out of The Bull and of course, a sing-along to the programme’s famous theme tune.
Charlotte Martin said: “I’m so thrilled to be part of The Archers tour – bringing 75 magical years of Ambridge to the stage is an absolute dream come true.
“I can’t wait to share the laughter, tears and heart of Ambridge with fans everywhere.”
Timothy Bentinck said: “I’m so excited to be part of the upcoming The Archers national tour of the UK. We’ll be on stage but the show will be very interactive, and Archers listeners and fans will be just as much a part of it as us.
“Come and join us at the Flower and Produce Show, and as an added treat get to see how the clever sound effects are achieved. Hint, it’s all done with yoghurt and ironing boards.”
Angela Barnes said: “I am not just an Archers superfan, I am obsessed with all things Ambridge. So to be asked to host The Archers: Live at 75 is like winning a prize at the Flower and Produce Show and being cast as the lead in a Lynda Snell production, all rolled into one.
“I can’t wait to hang out with all of my favourite characters and really immerse myself in Borsetshire life.”
Alison Hindell, Drama and Fiction Commissioner, BBC Radio 4, said: “The Archers is one of the BBC’s most-loved programmes and we are tremendously proud of it as it reaches its 75th year.
“We hope that the live show will give fans even more of what they love, joining in the celebrations with an extra slice of Ambridge life.”
The show is on at Brighton Dome tonight. Click here for tickets.
