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NarrativeelementsinTheArchers:Ananalysisofalong-runningradiosoapopera

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Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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Narrative elements in The Archers: the oldest become the newest1

Emma Rodero Antón2 Emma.Rodero@upf.edu

Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona

Lluís Mas Manchón3 Lluis.Mas@upf.edu

Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona

Olatz Larrea Estefanía4 Olatz.Larrea@upf.edu

Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona

María Blanco Hernández5 mblancohe@gmail.com

Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

 Abstract

First broadcast on BBC Radio in 1951, The Archers is the oldest radio soap opera in the world still running. The 60th anniversary was celebrated in 2011. Therefore, this can be an excellent moment to devote an analysis to the main narrative elements of The Archers. So, the main goal of this paper is to describe the environments, the characters, the timeline and the podcast of this mythic radio drama.

First, this report will describe the places and the environments of The Archers; therefore, showing how the different sound elements recreate three-dimensional spaces and actions, and how the atmosphere in the story is created.

Second, this paper will study the characters of The Archers with special attention to the definition of their personalities in the web. These characters have been born, have grown and have died as if they were real people, achieving very well defined personalities.

Third, the study will define the use of time in this story. During these years, a lot of events have been going on. But listeners do not forget these events because they have a timeline available online. This timeline represents the picture of the story.

                                                                                                               1 Rodero, E.; Mas, Ll.; Larrea, O. & Blanco, M. (2014). Narrative elements in The Archers: An analysis of a long-running radio soap opera. In Oliveira, Madalena; Stachyra, Grazyna and Starkey, Guy (ed.). Radio The Resilient Medium. Papers from the third conference of the ECREA Radio Research Section, Septembre 2013, pp. 169-178. Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK. 2 Emma Rodero is senior lecturer at the Department of Communication, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. PhD. Communication, Master in Cognitive and Communication Psychology, Specialist in Voice Pathologies, Bachelor in Journalism. Her main research lines are the following: Voice and Prosody on Radio and Television; Analysis of Cognitive Processes in media messages (Attention and Memory); Radio Narrative and Advertising; Non verbal Communication. 3 Lluís Mas is a visiting professor in the Universidad Pompeu Fabra. His research interests are media discourse analysis, TV and radio news locution, radio drama, and advertising (mainly radio sound advertising). His main publications are “Superstructural Model for TV News”, “The Intensity of the TV Spoken News” and “Television Discourse Structure: Towards a Theory of Gender”. He has also published two books: “El papel de la inclusion comunicativa sobre el potencial de desarrollo” and “La Entonación en la Noticia Televisva”. 4 Olatz Larrea is doctoral student in the Department of Communication, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain. Her academic training includes a Journalist degree at Navarra University (2005) and MA in Social Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2009). Her main research lines are Voice perception on Radio and Tv , Radio and advertising research and the analysis of Cognitive Processes in media messages (Attention and Memory). Her current research is her phd tittled "The perception of a broadcasting voice: imagination, impression, attention and recall”. 5 Maria Blanco is a Doctor in Communication with the qualification of distinction Cum Laude. She is licensed in Audio-visual Communication by the University of Salamanca and graduate in Technical Engineering of Management by the University Pontificia of Salamanca. His investigative activity centers on podcasts, matter on the one that has realized some interventions, has taken part in projects of investigation and contributed in diverse publications. In his professional path it possesses works of draft and phrase in different local mass media. At present it is technical in the Office of Transfer of the Knowledge of the Foundation of the University Pontificia of Salamanca, where it manages, among other things, the results of investigation generated in the University.  

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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Finally, the podcast of the radio drama will be analysed as a huge part of its current renovation. With it, it is possible to listen to The Archers anytime and anywhere, through a mobile device. Consequently, it is interesting to analyse the characteristics of The Archers in a podcast format.

Keywords: Radio fiction, soap opera, narrative elements, broadcast, BBC . Places and environments of The Archers

Atmosphere of the story

As shown in the cover music of the serial, The Archers can be framed within the classic

British fiction genre coming from the theatre tradition, with topics focused on the real life

regarding the working-class life, from a courtesan or a genuinely picturesque regional custom

perspective (Thomas 2009). The Archers is a contemporary soap opera, in which a sort of a

British middle-class rural ambience is reproduced: from the very beginning (Toye 1998), it has

been based on family life and a villager social community, strongly connected to the idea of a

nation-state (Reeve & Aggleton 1998). In fact, its locations, constantly dichotomized between

“the traditional home (indoors) VS the field or the farm (outdoors)”, refer to a type of society that

is strongly attached to the countryside, but connected to the working class through the Industrial

Revolution in Great Britain, a country where modernity always embraces customs and roots.

Ambridge, county of Borsetshire

The village of Ambridge, in the county of Borsetshire (Midlands), is the area where the different

settings of The Archers’ plots are located. This imaginary county is placed between the true

counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, in the south of Birmingham and the West

Midlands. Next, the different locations of the current storyline are presented and described,

taking the information from the official website.

Ambridge is a rural village that takes its name from the River Am. The main economic

activity is the farming production. The “Home Farm” (fig. 1) is the biggest, and its production

goes to the State, Brookfield farm and other local farms. The Brookfield Farm is owned by the

main characters of the story: it has been inherited from generation to generation, from Dan to

Phil Archer and, nowadays, it belongs to David Archer and his brother and sister, Kenton and

Elisabeth. Also, there is the farm acquired by Tony and Pat Archer in 2008 and dedicated to

organic products (“Bridge Farm”, fig. 2), the “Grange Farm”, owned by Oliver and Caroline, and

the “Grange Spinney” farmstead, amongst others. One can also find the cider bar, “Grundy’s

Field” (fig. 3), and two former farms: “Hollow tree” and “Marney’s” which, currently, are used for

all types of works, serving the Brookfield Farm. Lastly, the “Nightingales Farm” is an old farm

that does not work as such anymore, and it is owned by a foreigner:

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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Figure 1, 2 & 3: Home Farm, Bridge Farm and Grundy’s Field, 2013 (Source: The Archers BBC

website).

The city council of Ambridge is called “No. 6 The Green”, which replaced the “No. 1 the

Green” (a property for renting since 2008). “St Stephen’s Church”, with an old cemetery next to

it, dates from 1281. The parish house, “The Vicarage” (fig. 4), was built in 1970 to replace the

old Gregorian parish. Also, Ambridge has a facility for community events too, called the “Village

Hall”, where the annual flower production show takes place. The “Village Shop” is a community

shop managed by volunteers. Ambridge also has a hotel called “Grey Gables”, and an area of

dwellings for elder people called “Manorfield Close”. “Ambridge Hall” (fig. 5) is a charming guest

house, and “Arkwright Hall” is an old Victorian house from the XVIIth century (fig. 6):

Figure 4, 5 & 6: The Vicarage, Ambridge Hall and Arkwright Hall, 2013 (Source: The Archers

BBC website).

Regarding the main characters’ specific housing, Matt Crawford and Lillian Bellamy live

in “” (fig. 7); Susan Carter and Neil live in the “Willow Cottage” (fig. 8), built by Neil and placed

next to the “Willow Farm”; also, The Archers have a summer house called “Glebe Cottage” (fig.

9):

Figure 7, 8 & 9: The Dower House, Willow Cottage and Glebe Cottage, 2013 (Source: The

Archers BBC website).

Peggy lives in “The Lodge” (fig. 10), and Shula Hebden Lloyd lives and works in “The

Stables” (fig. 11). The “Glebelands” little houses are located in the Village Green, where we can

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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also find the bungalow of Bert Fry, a worker in the Brookfield Farm, and his wife Freda, who

works in the near Bull (fig. 12), a bar and restaurant with homemade food:

Figure 10, 11 & 12: The Lodge, The Stables and Brookfield Farm, 2013 (Source: The Archers

BBC website).

Finally, several cottages are spread over the countryside, such as the “April Cottage”,

built in 1960 by the land-owner, Charles Greenville; “Blossom Hill Cottage”, where Peggy

Woolley lived; the “Honeysuckle Cottage” owned by Adam Macy and Ian Craig; the “Rickyard

Cottage”, which used to be for vacation rentals in the past; and the “Woodbine Cottage”, owned

by the Bradford’s.

Specific locations

Spaces “shown” in The Archers can be classified as indoors and outdoors, because this is the

main contribution of the variable space for the portrayed characters to evolve and interact

(Rodero 2010: 85), and it is where actions progress. In the first place, the outdoor locations are

pictured in a very general manner, that is to say: the outdoors of either the farm or the house.

On the one hand, the “farm-outdoors” are described as totally connected to the work in

progress: animal effects, mainly cows and pigeons, gates and machinery effects, or the effects

of specific actions of the character performing: his/her own steps, tying ropes, holding and

moving great objects… This space gets bigger with the sound planning of the various

characters moving and/or doing things. The space described as being next to the machinery –

foreground of mechanical noises- does not last for long. On the other hand, the “house-

outdoors” space is described by the street sound –cars passing by every once in a while, and

birds singing in the background, plus some action from the characters. For instance, there could

be some car approaching and stopping, and someone who gets out of a car –brakes and stop

effect, car door effect and steps of the character approaching, having the “hearing perspective”

(the ‘point ici’, Fuzellier, 1965) in the house threshold, where another character is waiting –

alone or, more often, chatting with someone else.

In second place, the indoor spaces are quite varied. One could classify them between

public and private. Amongst the former, there abound situations in the pub –conversations and

background music, chair effects, drinking effects, voice reverberation…; in the laundry –

characters moving, clothes lumps…; and interior facilities for animal competitions –

reverberating voices over the tannoy and the crowd muttering. Amongst the latter, one may find

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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a great variety of rooms in the different private houses of Ambridge. In general, the place of

interaction par excellence is the living room, usually described by wind and traffic background

and some bird keynotes. Basically, this is a an intimate location where, quite commonly, close

chats between characters strike up -whisper talks with no sound landscape, or where the phone

dialogues take place –with one filtered voice. Another very common space in The Archers is the

“Office” –with the background sound of computer hardware, stirring paper effect, telephone ring,

etc., especially in what may be called the “in front of the computer” subspace: a lonely character

or two concentrated characters with occasional whispers and desktop typing effect. As said

before, eventually, some action is placed in the farm-indoors by placing the noisy sound of

machinery in a far background. In addition, the “house-indoors” is also depicted by placing

characters in different rooms and having long-distance chats –filtered and undirected voices,

quite often involving children. Lastly, the inside-car is used very often in the plot by simply

making the engine sound as foreground and the other cars’ sound as background, as well as

with reverberant, directed and stereophonic voices. In general, the constant background sound

of birds singing –although in different intensities, depending on the location- is the main

descriptive ambient sound feature of the soap opera itself –in what could be named the “The

Archers” space.

Actions: Three-dimensional spaces

The Archers defines not only some physical spaces where different plots evolve, but also some

specific spaces where characters behave, move and talk: movements, distances and positions,

mostly during interaction. This interaction can be the sole and shared task of the two characters

involved or it can be the “something else” that is happening while some other activity is carried

out by the two or just one of them. Firstly, if it is the case of having an interaction as a unique

task of two or more characters, two situations are identified according to the characters’

position:

1. Standing: it is more common outdoors as a timeout before or after some farm specific

work (tying a horse, feeding hens…). The effect of the action sounds for 2 or 3 seconds

right before the coming character intervenes in a gradual foreground; subsequently, the

parallel action fades out progressively. Indoors, the direction of the voices is multiple as

it depends on the movements that the parallel action in question implies; it is often the

case that a character enters the space by raising his/her voice from far and projecting it

forward before reaching the “close-chat space”.

2. Seating: in this case, the intensity and rhythm are lower, and the “hearing perspective”

tends to be central and close to all speakers. It is very used for coffee or tea time, so

the sound of sipping is important, as well as the sound of a chair or a deck chair when

someone seats or lies down beforehand, or the sound of a table when someone rests

on it to create the intimate space for conversation. Furthermore, voices tend to be in a

close foreground and very directed to the other listener; it may happen that a third

character comes in raising the voice and making the space sound (reverberation).

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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In both cases, when there are more than two speakers placed in a set, a central hearing

perspective is used, so an intimate ring is created with their words.

In second place, the conversation can be combined with other tasks both in the farm-

outdoors and in the house-indoors. The latter is more common and enriches the spaces as

action gives more information on the space’s size and shape, and the objects there are. In fact,

the former is treated as just a conversation while “standing” outdoors: the main parallel action is

set aside –probably, the noisy sound would be too high in intensity for the conversation to catch

the listener’s attention. Then, typically, the double task interaction would imply someone alone

carrying out some task by him/herself (either some handicrafts combined with moving in the

room and/or cooking) when, all of a sudden, someone shows up, says hi and makes a demand;

in this moment, the dynamics of the characters’ positions, distances and movements begin.

Let’s see what positions the main character may adopt in these interactions, because it usually

makes a contribution to the definition of the characters’ psychological state, the context of the

situation and the relationship between them (Crook 2001):

• “Seated focused”: a character is found making a handicraft or watching television. It

could also be the case that he/she is standing, making a mechanical task (e.g. cutting

vegetables in the kitchen). Two kinds of vocal attitudes alternate in the face of the

coming character: the still character either keeps on doing the same activity and speaks

downwards, or he/she quits temporarily the task and directs the voice high away

towards his/her interlocutor.

• “Standing still”: brief and occasional conversations between two characters that stand,

so one can hear some ground effects: a few isolated steps and movements. What is

more, this situation takes place after the coming character has entered the room and he

or she has not sounded like seating, but as just approaching the still character while

making the first contact.

• “Standing and moving”: this is very common in The Archers. In this case, the hearing

perspective is placed in the space created between both characters, so the changing

distance in between is noticed. This happens a lot when someone is preparing tea,

looking for something, gathering stuff or preparing him/herself to leave.

• “Already in the middle of a conversation”: two characters speak calmly about a topic,

normally seating relaxed, when a third one gets in through the door, greets from far,

gets closer and makes the sound of seating, thus closing a circle around the two

previous characters and starting a three way conversation as explained before.

Characters of The Archers

The construction and adaptation of the characters, besides reflecting the spatiotemporal

changes that occur in the scenes of dramatic programs, are particularly slight issues in radio

narrative (Rodero 2010). Therefore, in a radio fiction as The Archers, a strict characterization is

essential to achieve identification and empathy with the audience. A character with a defined

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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personality will always be outlined as more appealing and attractive to listeners. It's easy to

understand with an example. Most of the characters we remember are those provided with a

strong characterization; otherwise, they would have gone unnoticed or they would have been

simply forgotten (Rodero 2012).

Moreover, a good characterization is always a useful insurance to avoid behavioural

contradictions. Adequate knowledge of a character’s personality, as a consequence of a strict

design, prevents certain incoherent ways of acting or some improper comments of that person.

For example, if we have defined our character as outgoing, we cannot keep him silent in a

crucial situation. In short, provoking a reaction in the audience and avoiding contradictions in

the behaviour of the character requires an adequate job in the characterization of the main

character (Rodero 2010).

By analysing the radio sound of the fiction and also the website, we can observe that

The Archers radio series develops well-defined characters. In the webpage, the listener can

access two sections: 'major characters' and 'all characters'. There, users can find a detailed

description of all the characters that appear in the series and also the name of the real actors

(Rodero, 2011).

The website itself shows the large number of characters that perform in the series. A

total of 118 faces, some of which can be considered major characters (63). These 63 are

divided according to the different branches of families that exist in The Archers:

-Aldridge family, with eight key characters.

-Archer family, Bridge Farm branch, consisting of five characters.

-Archer family, Brookfield Farm branch, consisting of five characters.

-Carter family, with five key characters.

-Frank family, with three key characters.

-Grundy family, with seven key characters.

-Lloyd family, with four key characters.

-Pargetter family, with four key characters.

-Perks family, with two key characters.

-Snells family, with two key characters.

-Sterling family, with two key characters.

-Tucker family, with two key characters.

-Other characters: 10 individuals.

On the other hand, a well-defined portrayal of the characters includes personal, physical,

psychological, social and cultural data. In the specific case of The Archers, we can find a

comprehensive characterization of those, by accessing the corresponding bibliography card in

the webpage (Rodero 2005):

1. Personal data. It is important to specify every character’s place of birth or home,

birthdate and age. Seemingly obvious, those are fundamental data in order to make

the character act and speak coherently. In this case, every bibliography card for

each character begins with his/her name, the name of the actor and his/her

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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birthdate. Alongside, a genealogy that allows the listener to know his or her close

relatives and marital status is included. Finally, the city where the character lives is

specified.

2. Physical Data. The goal is to define the physical image of the character; that is,

whether he/she is tall or short, blond or brunette…; in summary, how the character

is physically. This includes race, height, weight, constitution and the colour of the

eyes and the hair, in addition to any personal feature that might be particularly

significant of him or her. However, in The Archers, this physical description is not

needed, as the website includes a picture of each character. Although it is the

picture of the actor playing the role of the character, this one is portrayed just like

the character.

3. Psychological Data. It is necessary in order to define their personality, tastes,

desires and hobbies. Every character’s bibliography card on the website includes a

brief start-up description of their personality, as well as their likes and dislikes, and

also the top and bottom moments of their lives. One can also read a sentence

belonging to a character.

4. Social and cultural data. The social and cultural dimension closes down the

characterization by defining further aspects such as social class, career path,

education degree and cultural background and, in general, how characters connect

with the environment. In The Archers, the bibliography card includes, first of all, the

job of the character. Following the academic training and the most important

hobbies.

With all these data, a very complete bibliography card is presented, as we can see in the

following example:

Name: ADAM MACY

Played by: Andrew Wincott

Born: 22 June 1967

Status: Civil Partnership with Ian Craig

Occupation: Farmer

Lives at: Honeysuckle Cottage

Immediate family:

Ian Craig (Civil Partner)

Jennifer Aldridge (Mother)

Brian Aldridge (Stepfather)

Alice Carter (Half-sister)

Kate Madikane (Half-sister)

Debbie Aldridge (Half-sister)

Description:

Forthright, principled and mentally and physically tough from childhood,

Adam nevertheless has a sensitive side. This can be apparent in his

dealings with half-sister Debbie Aldridge, who he often fears is out to

undermine him over the farm's business. After graduating in agricultural

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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economics and working on development projects in Africa he returned to

Ambridge in 2003. He's a valuable member of the Ambridge cricket

team. Step-father Brian Aldridge found it hard to adjust to the news that

Adam was gay. Despite Adam's innovations at Home Farm, Brian still

favours Debbie's ideas for the farm's future.

Likes:

Likes - Most sports, Africa, cake

Dislikes - Sibling rivalry, disloyalty

Highs - Meeting the love of his life, Ian

Lows - When it looked like Ian was going to father a child for a friend, a

one night stand with one of the fruit pickers

Along with this, it is interesting to highlight the importance given to the actor or actress

playing the character. Not only his/her name and picture are shown but a brief bibliography with

his/her favourite actor, book and film, is included.

Finally, the character’s bibliography card encloses a clip where the listener may listen to

a scene starred by the character.

After all, one may conclude that The Archers’ characters are very well portrayed and

show authenticity by gathering the following features:

1. Characters seem very real, in part, due to the complete bibliography card from the

website (where a picture can be seen). In fact, rather than just a plain character, it

seems as if it was some true citizen’s card.

2. Characters are believable and authentic as their reactions and feelings are natural and

coherent with the features described in the website.

3. Characters have a well-defined temper and personality, which is observed clearly in the

comprehensive description of the card, besides their tastes and hobbies. In addition,

one can notice how all these features show up in the character’s performance through

the clips enclosed.

4. The characters are attractive, which helps in catching the audience attention. These

characters boost identification and rejection feelings, always shaking listeners’

emotions. This is, without a doubt, a great deal of the serial’s interest and success.

The timeline: available to keep followers updated

The Archers' website includes a section called Timetable, which works out as a table of

contents or index. Actually, it has become a very useful tool for Radio’s Soap Opera fans. It

might have something to do with the fact that The Archers is the longest lived Radio fiction in

the world with over 17.000 chapters. Starting up in 1951 The Archers has been on air at BBC 4

for more than 60 years; in fact, they celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2011.

During all this time, listeners have been witnesses of the growing up of the characters and the

farm business. Most of those characters were created, were born on air, they grew and died as

well as in real life, creating new generations of characters. So, both the listeners themselves

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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and the characters in the series have grown up in parallel, inheriting the rural life in the series,

and the habit of listening in real life.

During the last 62 years of production, there have been so many things going on that,

sometimes, listeners forget about the details of the story: that’s why The Archers have their own

timeline available online.

These timeline only makes clear that The Archers is not an everyday story of country

folk. Most of the characters have had relationships with each other and, while some of the

storylines are frenetic, others are just plain odd. So, new listeners that want to know the past of

The Archers or the beginning of a particular frame discover, in the Timeline, a visual file

designed as an outline format that contains the highlights of the series in a chronological order.

Design, structure and content of the Timeline

Similar to a chronological picture of the whole Radio Drama, The Archers' timeline has been

built from the files of the series and converted into a visual and accessible design that allows

the user to scroll back and forward in search of the desired information. Its design is based on a

traditional timeline, and its content organizes the major events that occurred from 1951 to the

present and completes it with archival photographs, as well as audio clips of special moments.

Therefore, all those items have an additional function: to create community (community

building). Often, old and new listeners debate in the website forums about the origin of a

particular frame or chapter and, usually, they can find the answer to their questions in the

timeline. In addition to that, the timeline provides data and information, and completes the info

with pictures of the actors, giving realism to the story and increasing the viewer’s community

belonging feeling.

The Timeline’s temporary design is quite simple. It is divided into labels for every single

year since the series began, and once the users click inside, the 12 months of the year pop up.

In addition, each event reflected in the timeline has a brief abstract available.

Figure 13: The Archers Timeline, 2013 (Source: The Archers BBC website).

The events that are reflected in the timeline can be classified among the following thematic

groups:

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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1. Obituaries: Time going by (62 years) is reflected in the series mainly through the death

of the characters in fiction but also in real life. Both actors and characters passing away

has consequences in different frames of the series and, therefore, in the timeline. Since

1951 major deceases have been included in the index as part of the most dramatic

moments of the series:

- (1955) Phil Archer’s first wife, Grace died in a barn fire while trying to save a horse.

- (1982) Polly Perks was killed in a crash between Pat's car and a milk tanker.

- (2005) A specially sad year, as the script writers had to deal with the death of

actress Mary Wimbush (Julia Pargetter), and the sad demise of Betty Tucker

(played by Pamela Craig).

- (2009) Norman Painting, the voice of Phil Archers dies. His feature in the Guinness

Book of Records as the longest-serving actor in a single soap opera was especially

remarkable. (Since the very first chapter until the week before his death).

2. Weddings and births: Weddings and civil marriages are also a generational mark.

Sometimes the union of two characters can mean the merger of two farms or rural

properties, so that the event transcends. Some other times, these couples give birth to

new generations of heirs and residents of Ambridge (some examples)

- (1951) Peggy gave birth to her third child, Tony.

- (April 1955) Phil Archer marries Grace Fairbrother

- (Sept 1968) Jennifer Archer marries Roger Travers

- (Sept 1985) Shula Archer marries Mark Hebden

3. Rural life issues: Some of the most dramatic events of the series have to do with field

matters and, therefore, with the professional life of the farm. The purchase of areas, the

change of property of the infrastructures, the plagues or diseases that affect the cattle,

and also the parties and the markets, alter Ambridge's life and, therefore, they are

considered to be important events to understand their consequences in the future:

- (1972) Sid and Polly Perks became managers of The Bull, selling the shop to Jack

Woolley.

- (1981) A difficult year for Tony. He contracted tetanus and pigs swine vesicular

disease

- (2012) E Coli Virus arrives to Ambridge

4. Social Life Issues (Gossips): The essence of Ambridge’s social life revolves around

what is accepted or rejected in the society at that time. The soap opera has not stopped

treating, at any time during its existence, some of the hottest topics of society. The

abortion or racism in rural areas also exists in Ambridge. Sometimes, the social

thermometer about an issue is reflected in the conversations of the characters, the

content of those conversations show the impact caused by some events and the

reactions of the characters (gossip). Finally, the departure or return of characters that

once left Ambridge also disrupts frames, generating new events.

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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- (1967) Jennifer's pregnancy shocked the Archer family. Jennifer named her baby

boy Adam, and escaped village gossip by moving to Bristol. She refused to name

the father, but Adam's shock of red hair suggested it might be Brookfield cowman

Paddy Redmond.

- (1976) After an affair with a colleague, Paul Johnson quit his job (in London) and

returned to Ambridge, The Stables and Christine.

- (1989) Vicar Jerry Buckle scandalised half the village by taking in Clive Horrobin

and his pregnant girlfriend, Sharon Richards. Clive disappeared soon after the birth

of baby Kylie.

5. Cameos: The appearance of celebrities in the cast, usually British society personalities,

acts as a promotion of the series, as well as a remarkable event in the Timeline:

- (2011) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall took part in an episode of The Archers twice.

The first time, regarding the National Osteoporosis Society's 25th anniversary, and

the second time regarding the show's 60th anniversary.

- (1991) Radio presenter and disc jockey John Peel appeared as himself.

- (1984) Princess Margaret and the Duke of Westminster appeared regarding a fashion

show to celebrate the centenary of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Children.

However, the lack of budget and new technologies involve that the timeline is not always

updated on the website. In order to overcome this disadvantage, editors have created other

updated sources as Facebook or Twitter, where users can discuss their doubts.

These sources are supplemented with the official blog of the series, called 'Diamond decades',

in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary, which includes the highlights and provides graphic

documents and sound archives. Finally, fans themselves are the ones who bring a great

amount of information about the past of Ambridge through the webpages, like the 'Archers'

addicts', the official fan club that gathers summaries since 1995.

Features of The Archers podcast

Finally, in 2007, the The Archers serial began, its distribution as a podcast (Gibson 2007). The

main advantage of having this serial in this format is that the listener can hear the episodes

wherever and whenever he/she wants, due to syndication and portability, because he/she does

not have to log in each time he/she issues a chapter but, after downloading a player, the listener

listens whenever he/she wants. So the podcast offers independence, mobility and freedom of

schedule. The Archers is a clear example of how conventional radio has adapted to modern

times, offering the serial as a podcast and creating a new community of listeners (Herschmann

& Kischinhevsky 2008; Kelly 2006).

The Archers podcast is issued in English by the BBC. Its content is only sound and

uses the mp3 as a format, with a chapter or episode duration of 13 minutes. As with all

podcasts, The Archers has assigned a “feed” that allows subscription and updates

automatically: http.downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/archers/rss.xml-

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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Structure

The two main areas where the The Archers podcast is available are the BBC website and

iTunes. Its structure consists of distinct parts:

- Heading: this part refers to the XML models that follow the RSS feeds, and currently

identifies them. It makes up the structure of the podcast.

- Header: it is formed by all the elements common to all items of the podcast:

Title

The Archers

Description

Contemporary drama in a rural setting from the world's longest running

soap opera. Follow the residents of the fictional farming community of

Ambridge. Original programmes broadcast 1900 hrs Sunday - Friday.

Episodes added daily (except Saturdays).

Author

BBC Radio 4

Language

en-gb

Category

Performing Arts

Details

Duration="PT12M" active="true" public="true" region="all"

launchDate="2009-01-21" frequency="daily" daysLive="7"

Image

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/assets/artwork/archers.jpg

Keys words

drama, Ambridge, Borsetshire, Brookfield, rural, soap, soap opera

- Items: these are the parts that form a chapter of the podcast, such as the date, the

summary and the duration. So it is the part regarding the information contained in the

file itself.

From the point of view of the content, a serial chapter is structured as follows: the first 20

seconds consist of the tune of the serial and the podcast presenting the BBC's The Archers.

Within the next 5 seconds, the chapter is presented through an indication (messages that inform

us about the podcast you are listening). In the case of The Archers, it is a jingle, which involves

the use of the voice as a way to inform about the podcast; in this case, it is also accompanied

by music: "You're listening to Friday's episode of The Archers, from BCC Radio 4". Then, the

various dialogues between the protagonists of the series start, always accompanied by sounds

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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that provide the listener with context on the setting where the action takes place (a conversation

taking place outdoors, on the farm, in the kitchen, etc.). The closing chapter presents a 15-

second tune, characteristic of the series, which also appears at the beginning of each episode.

Classification

Regarding the content and genre, The Archers podcast can be classified as a drama program, a

main genre in the program schedules of the major radio stations around the world in the early

30's and 40's. These programs have the appeal of generating mental images to audio listeners,

as they have to use all the elements of radio language for their development (Lewis, 1981).

Therefore, the creative potential of this format is very evident. Thanks to podcasting, this radio

genre has been able to rise from its slumber.

Assuming that funding is received for its production, we can say it is a commercial

podcast, developed by producer Julie Beckett for a public company (BBC).

In terms of style or the way they produce the files, The Archers is considered a

professional podcast, as it is aimed at the conventional commercial radio, more related to the

traditional media as opposed to the so-called "amateur" podcasts, which are those that anyone

can make and put on the web, completely unrelated to the mainstream media.

Conclusions

The radio is “the” resilient medium and should be considered as such. From the description of

the narrative elements in The Archers carried out in this paper, we can infer that the key for The

Archers to be an up to date drama, connected to contemporary British society to the extent that

many consider it to be currently on fashion, is the way spaces, both literal and metaphorical, are

constructed; how characters evolve based on action; how action is set in time, and how the

radio drama adapts to new platforms by producing podcasts or clips to be consumed in rather

many devices.

First of all, although Ambridge is an imaginary village set in an imaginary county, we all

know it refers to the West Midlands, so neither the village –with every building and facility taking

part in the stories- nor the region are difficult to imagine. In that specific location, The Archers

has succeeded in creating a particular atmosphere in which everything Britain represents both

inside and outside the United Kingdom is implicit. They do this by putting characters in action in

different locations, mainly indoors (public or private) and outdoors (the farm or countryside, or

the house), and building psychological spaces of interaction as a unique task or a shared one,

depending on the location of the action and the character’s positions and movements. All this

gives us the keys for the places and environments to be accurately imagined by listeners.

Secondly, in The Archers, characters are appropriately defined, which is deduced from

both the sound and the website. In fact, the website provides a comprehensive portrayal in a

bibliography card; in which every character’s physical, personal, social and psychological data

is given. In general, the accurate characterization of the characters in The Archers boosts a

sense of reality, credibility and attractiveness on listeners. Already in the Ancient Greece, it was

Rodero,  E.;  Mas,  Ll.;  Larrea,  O.  &  Blanco,  M.  (2014).  Narrative  elements  in  The  Archers:  An  analysis  of  a  long-­‐running  radio  soap  opera.  

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known that theater had to create seemingly real characters for the audience to be identified or

projected. There should be a balance between stereotypes and individual action.

In third place, the Archer’s website has developed several tools to keep the audience

updated. One of them is the time line and its links to social networks and fan’s blogs. Designed

as a visual report of Ambridge everyday’s life, the time line and social networks have both an

extra goal apart of indexing contents. Both have community building sense. A myriad of online

users’ access the blog and the web page everyday in order to express and share their opinions

about old chapters. In those comments participants interact with each other and the media

creating online discussions and developing a feeling of virtual community. Forth, since podcasts

of The Archers were launched, followers can access any chapter at any time. Apart of that,

subscription to podcast makes chapters’ downloading an automatic task so loyalty fans

increases.

This is a challenging context for radio producers as, every six months, they face new

big decisions regarding technology, programming, and distribution. However, the magical

formula for a piece of sound to be successful is still the same: content. And content is about

storytelling6. In order to do so, the blindness of the medium should be exploited in the sense

that every imagined space, situation, character or timeline can be portrayed. The code of sound,

based on voice, music, effects and silence being sequenced or simultaneous and taking certain

combined perspective, should be the alphabet of every script. So effort should be put in scripts.

However, we all know this code of communication is enriched daily as long as quality radio and

quality sound such as The Archers are produced. This code is all but exclusively iconic, so it

can be made up. Indeed, radio can be literal, concrete, specific, visual… as much as abstract,

complex, literary…

Finally, we strongly believe that, through storytelling, content based on emotions can be

the basis for other radio genres to progress: news, sports, magazines, debates or advertising

should take advantage of this communication burst for the benefit of information, entertainment

and persuasion. Radio is about providing contents and contexts. The Archers are life. The

Archers are a friend.

References

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