Image: The Archers - Lesley Saweard as Christine, Harry Oakes as Dan, Gwen Berryman as Doris, and Norman Painting as Philip.
The Archers, the longest running daily serial in the world, began its national run on 1 January 1951. It started life the previous year on the Midlands Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Service, specifically intended for the farming community, but it soon became clear there was a large general audience for the "serial play of country life", as the Radio Times described it on its national launch.
According to creator Godfrey Baseley, the idea for The Archers was hatched at a meeting with farmers in Birmingham. One farmer said "what we really want is a farming Dick Barton!" The writers of Dick Barton were brought in to write the scripts, but there was also an insistence that real life rural affairs and the latest developments in farming were depicted in the programme. In one major event in the first year Dan Archer retired his working horses, Boxer and Blossom - reflecting the increased mechanisation of agriculture.
The Archers continues to reflect changes in country life, though it is no longer overtly educational. Its presence on the airwaves for 60 years makes it in many ways the kingpin of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio output, and it is a genuine national institution. The Archers theme tune, "Barwick Green" by Arthur Wood, is instantly recognisable, and it remains the most popular non-news programme on Radio 4.
Further reading
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The Archers at 70
The world’s longest running radio drama series reaches its 70th birthday in 2021! The Archers’ cast and crew will be marking this milestone throughout the year, and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ History has been doing its bit to document the series’ extraordinary history. Some of the original characters from the programme, its first editor, and a host of scholars explore The Archers phenomenon.
January anniversaries
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1 January 1970 -
The Brains Trust
1 January 1941 -
The Archers
1 January 1951 -
Z Cars
2 January 1962 -
Trumpton
3 January 1967 -
Open University
3 January 1971 -
Camberwick Green
3 January 1966 -
Final edition of The Listener published
3 January 1991 -
Gardeners' World
5 January 1968 -
A Question of Sport
5 January 1970 -
Forces Programme
7 January 1940 -
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
10 January 1990 -
First in-vision television weather forecaster
11 January 1954 -
The League of Gentlemen
11 January 1999 -
Goodness Gracious Me
12 January 1998 -
Listen with Mother
16 January 1950 -
Life On Earth
16 January 1979 -
First episode of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Breakfast Time
17 January 1983 -
Blankety Blank
18 January 1979 -
The Week's Good Cause
24 January 1926 -
Under Milk Wood
25 January 1954 -
Television Dancing Club
27 January 1948 -
Desert Island Discs
29 January 1942 -
Newsnight
30 January 1980 -
The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
30 January 1965 -
Alas Smith and Jones
31 January 1984