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For 11 years William Smethurst was first writer, then editor of The Archers, the longest-running radio serial in the world. He reveals the behind-the-scenes dramas that listeners never heard, and the truth behind many rumours and legends.
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Pre-order Victory for Ambridge, the brilliant new novel in The Archers series, coming in paperback in 2025. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, Ambridge at War takes readers back to before it all began . . . ‘Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar’ Katie Fforde It’s 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode – 'And a Happy New Year to you all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting. From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community. As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . .
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‘Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar’ Katie Fforde ‘The BBC’s most downloaded radio show’ The Guardian ‘Incredible legacy’ ?The BBC ‘Longest running drama in the world’ The i News 'Wonderfully nostalgic and comforting' Culture Fly It's 1941 and the war rumbles on. Nowhere is immune to the effects of war, not even Ambridge. But in England's favourite village, something else is occupying the residents... When a prominent villager dies, the main beneficiary's name is a mystery, and no one knows who is set to inherit the estate, cottage and all. The name is hidden within a locked box and the villagers much uncover the password to find out the name of the beneficiary. So when five people are each sent a packet of seeds, the mystery deepens – could the seeds be part of a clue? And can they all work together to unlock the mystery and to discover who is set to inherit? This is the perfect read for all Archers fans.
The must-have look at the world from the team behind Radio 4's THE NOW SHOW. THE NOW SHOW BOOK boldly tackles all the superlatives that other books avoid. It does this by means of making stuff up and scrupulously avoiding too much research, insight, or fact. Unless the fact is funnier. And legal to mention. Split into illuminating subject sections, categories include: Biggest Scare Story Worst Political Gaffe Most Hated Corporate Jargon Most Annoying Recorded Announcement Most Stressful Special Occasion Most Baffling Commercial Most Inaccurate Weather Forecast - and many more! With Marcus Brigstocke and Mitch Benn adding their own fine touches, this book is a fascinating, engrossing - and brilliantly entertaining - look at the modern world ...
Now in its tenth edition, Who's Who in the Archers has become a perennial favourite among the show's listeners. It's the first point of reference when those niggling questions arise, such as: How old is David Archer? What does Jessica do at Lower Loxley? Where does Derek Fletcher live? Who works at Jaxx Caff? This essential pocket guide provides an A-Z listing of the key characters and places from Britain's best loved, and most enduring, radio drama. It will help you master the intricate and tangled web of relations in Ambridge, uncover the secrets behind the most recent feuds and scandals, and gain insight into the most up-to-date happenings on the show. Complete with full Archer family tree and an index of character forenames, Who's Who in the Archers is an indispensable guide for long-standing fans and newcomers alike
The first official trivia collection from Britain's best-loved radio drama. Have you ever wondered about the attractions at Ambridge fetes? Puzzled over who the winners were at the Flower and Produce Show? Been curious about details of past Bonfire Nights, or even menus at The Bull? Discover the whos, whats, wheres and whys of the show's past 60 years in The Archers Miscellany. Discover which resident has the most names and meet the animals of Ambridge; learn the order of illumination for the Christmas lights switch-on; ponder Great Ambridge Mysteries and remember Ambridge Wanderers football team fixtures from the glory days of the 1970s. Containing information gathered from the vast BBC Birmingham Archers archives and beautifully illustrated throughout, The Archers Miscellany is the ultimate trivia book for all things Ambridge.
The Archers Academics are joined by former The Archers editor, Alison Hindell and actor Dr Charlotte Connor (a.k.a. Susan Carter), to examine the power of gossip in Ambridge, portrayals of love, marriage, motherhood, female education and career expectations, women's mental health and the hard-won right of women to play cricket.
LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 'To tell the story of a country or a continent is surely a great and complex undertaking; but the story of a quiet, unnoticed place where there are few people, fewer memories and almost no reliable records - a place such as Glen Conach - may actually be harder to piece together. The hazier everything becomes, the more whatever facts there are become entangled with myth and legend. . .' Deep in the mountains of north-east Scotland lies Glen Conach, a place of secrets and memories, fable and history. In particular, it holds the stories of three different eras, separated by centuries yet linked by location, by an ancient manuscript an...