In your GCSE, you could be asked a media industries, audiences or contexts questions about BBC's The Archers. This post will help you understand the key information surrounding the show that you need to know. We'll tackle industries first and audiences second. You'll find relevant context information in both sections.
Industries
Let's start with the situation right now: Set in the fictional farming village of Ambridge in the fictional county of Borsetshire,The Archers celebrated its 70th birthday in 2021. It is, to date, the longest running soap opera in the world. It airs primarily on BBC Radio 4, but you can also listen to it via BBC Sounds (old factsheets might refer to this by its old name of BBC iPlayer Radio) on the Internet. The show is considered to be a key component of (and representative of) British culture.
What's staggering is that - despite the subject matter - five million people listen to the show's six episodes every week. For comparison, a Sunday night BBC2 programme would be delighted with an audience this large, and the show is often mentioned in discussions about the future of the TV licence.
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The Archers started in 1951. World War II was still but six years in the past and, though the war was over, the rationing of food and the challenges of moving production back to civilian life remained. As such, the show was an important outlet of information from the Ministry of Agriculture to inform farmers how to best grow food.
The BBC has long been founded on a mission statement of inform, educate and entertain - and The Archers does all three. That's because since then, the show's dramatic portrayal of rural life has overtaken its original purpose, yet it still remains factual and informative in its outlook on rural life. Not only does it reflect life in the fictional community of Ambridge, but also the wider world: The Archers happens in real time, referring to and even setting its stories within events in the real world.
The show is planned long term but separated into monthly blocks. Four writers each write one week in a month. Actors are then brought in to record in four week blocks. They record twenty four, 13-minute episodes (just over 5 hours' audio). Because the timings are so tight, there is little room for error, but equally, it means that actors can enter and leave the show regularly. The finished episodes are then broadcast as little as 3 weeks after recording.
Like all radio content, the Archers is regulated by Ofcom. You can read more about them here.
The Archers isn't just a radio show - it's a whole multimedia brand unto itself. As well as the six episodes each week, there is an omnibus on Sundays, which link together the six episodes into one big episode. There is also a podcast, a website and both Facebook and Twitter pages!
Audiences
Now let's take a look at the show's audience. I said that The Archers' dramatisation of rural life has long been the main reason listeners tune in rather than getting tips on how to best grow crops in a post-war world.
A such, the show's storylines have changed somewhat in 70 years - and these changes have not been without criticism or benefit. While a challenging domestic abuse storyline between the characters of Rob and Helen opened the gates to a less-discussed topic, its realism and attention to detail generated awareness around the topic. The result was not only fundraising for linked charities but a number of listeners realising they were in a similar situation and seeking help.
Don't assume from that that the show goes for the sensationalist storylines. The Archers bills itself as a high-status show, and while its characters are from many walks of life (as in any real village) the show is squarely aimed at ONS group A-C1 listeners, much like the rest of Radio 4's output. The Archers in particular counts 35-year-old+ white women among its most frequent listeners. VALS groups most likely to listen would include Succeeders, Reformers and Explorers. Storylines like Rob and Helen's, however, have opened the show to criticism that its once friendly, easy-going tone has been abandoned to keep up with TV soap operas like Eastenders. Remember that though the radio is regulated by Ofcom, the BBC has its own internal complaints process and plaintiffs must follow this in full before complaining to Ofcom.
The show's influence goes beyond bringing crucial information and assistance to those in need. Given that the BBC has a worldwide radio service, many Brits living abroad like to listen to the show as a way to have a little piece of home with them. At home itself, many listeners have given up urban lifestyles to live in the country, inspired by the show and its setting. The Archers is a comprehensive product when it comes to meeting Blumler & Katz' Uses and Gratifications Theory, which perhaps explains its success. Consider the following questions:
Personal Identity
Information
Entertainment
Social Interaction
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