The Archers is a long-running British radio soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. Originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", it is now described as "contemporary drama in a rural setting". With over 17,600 episodes, it is the world's longest-running radio soap opera production. The Archers, which debuted on 1 January 1951 (with the pilot premiering in 1950), is the most listened to Radio 4 non-news programme, with over five million listeners, and, with over one million listeners via the Internet, the programme holds that BBC Radio record. (read more on wikipedia)
Links To Peel[]
Peel was a fan of the British radio soap and appeared twice on separate occasions (the first in 1982 and the last in 1991). In a piece published in the Guardian on 28 October 1994 (later reprinted in the Olivetti Chronicles), Peel mentioned what he did on The Archers:
"Actually I have featured in The Archers on two distinctly occasions. On the first I was heard on the radio 'on the radio', as it were. Eddie Grundy and the hapless Clarrie were listening to Radio 1 in the kitchen at Grange Farm when I played one of Eddie's records. On the second, my work was spread over several episodes and I even got to sing 'Yellow Submarine' in a van with Eddie and that nice Mrs Antrobus."
In the early Eighties, actor Trevor Harrison released several singles under the name Eddie Grundy, the character he plays in the radio soap [1]. Peel aired at least two tracks; ‘Lambs to the Slaughter’ on his show of 09 July 1981 (after which he remarked ‘That even reduced Walters to silence’) and 'Clarries Song' (from the 'Poor Pig' single) on his programme of 07 December 1982. Evidence of other plays has yet to emerge from the playlists. Peel also claimed to have formed the Eddie Grundy Fan Club along with producer John Walters. By 2000 however, Peel had become disillusioned with the programme, as he mentioned on the show of 30 January 2000 (BFBS):
"I've never got into television soap operas at all. I used to be into the Archers at one time until it became too kind of issue-driven. I just felt uncomfortable with that... I don't want that in the Archers. I used to like it back in the days when they did, "Well, looks like it's going to be dark soon"... I used to like that because I could cope with the pace of it."
In 2003, Peel interviewed members of the cast at the Glastonbury Festival. In an interview on the BBC Four website, actor Barry Farimond, who played Eddie's son Ed in the soap, described being interviewed by "the late, great John Peel" as one of his highlights of the festival [2].
Mentioned In Shows[]
- 27 October 1980: "This programme should have been dedicated right from the start to Doris Archer - gone but not forgotten - Shula Archer, who found her gran and delivered herself of the immortal line, 'I thought she was sleeping'. And Dan Archer who doesn't know yet. I'd better say no more."
- Peel July 1981: Peel mentions a letter from a listener suggesting that some of the characters on The Archers should do a session for his show which he thinks is not a bad idea.
- 21 July 1981: "The Archers is getting terribly exciting."
- 15 June 2004: "Years and years and years ago, I used to be a great fan of The Archers, was a founder member of a thing called the Eddie Grundy Fanclub with John Walters, former producer of this programme, who I think was member in good standing no. 2. But one of the things that turned me off The Archers - first of all it became kind of issue-driven, which I wasn't very keen on. I liked it when it was all about silage and things. And also the fact that Sid Perks, who was the landlord of the pub, used to call his wife of the time 'Poll Doll'. I hated that so much."