Archers

I have never liked the Archers – along with fishing and golf it is something I would like to like but just doesnt work for me. So the spin in this article is nothing personal as far as the show is concerned.

The article itself explains: “Five million Archers addicts will find out at 10 o’clock this morning (Wednesday) whether the dumpty-dumpty-dumpty-dum signature tune of the world’s longest running drama can survive in the wild.

“The BBC’s most popular radio soap opera is spilling outside the safe sanctuary of Radio 4 with a spin-off series which will bring to centre-stage some of the peripheral personalities from the main programme. Even some non-speaking characters will find their voice.”

The serious question underpinning this latest venture is whether the Archers has a positive or negative impact on perceptions of rural England.

I know that entertainment can never substitute real life but bearing in mind this caveat do you think rural England benefits or gets “dumbed down” by the Archers and do you think the story lines have any impact on public policy?