Brookfield, Borsetshire and The Bull, as much a part of English country life as pesticide and cow poo, at least in the minds of millions of listeners to the venerable soap. The BBC would not be the same without it; indeed its original remit fitted perfectly with that of the corporation: it was to entertain, based on the model of Dick Barton on which two of its creators had worked; it was also to educate, until the 1970s cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Archers encapsulates many elements of Britishness: a flawed rural idyll; the proper country pub; the class divide (put-upon Grundys, posh Pargetters, solid yeomen Archers). The scriptwriters have moved with the times, introducing ethnically Asian Usha; featuring stories on gay marriage; incomers; GM crops; Alzheimer’s; and The Countryside Alliance.
The series which had a pilot run in May 1950, and began in earnest on January 1 1951 – has racked up more than 16,000 episodes; and claims many celebrity fans, some of whom have appeared on the show: Princess Margaret ; John Peel; and Humphrey Lyttleton among them. And it has not been immune to controversy – the BBC trying to scupper ITV’s launch on September 22 1955 with a storyline involving the death of Grace Archer.
For some that ‘dum de dum de dum de dum’ theme means a rush to the off-switch; some fans would rather confess to Satanism than enjoying the programme; and many claim never to have heard it – then agree on how annoying Lynda Snell is. It’s a British institution.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
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