The Archers is bringing a new live theatrical experience to Liverpool.
BBC Radio 4’s long-running drama is inviting audiences to take in the village of Ambridge as they’ve never seen (or heard) it before with a ‘Live at 75’ show.
Award-winning comedian and Archers devotee Angela Barnes will host a cast of four actors alongside the programme’s live sound effects specialist Vanessa Nuttall.
Charles Collingwood, Ryan Kelly, Susie Riddell and Sunny Ormonde will provide some of Ambridge’s most beloved voices as the tour’s ‘Produce Cast’.
First broadcast on New Year’s Day 1951, The Archers is the world’s longest-running radio drama and continues to broadcasting six times a week to millions of listeners.
The programme follows the everyday lives, loves, and dramas of the residents of the fictional village of Ambridge, deep in the heart of the English countryside.
Over the course of more than 20,000 episodes, the show has chronicled significant social and cultural changes in Britain, dealing with complex contemporary issues alongside the traditional rhythms of rural life, earning its place as a cornerstone of the British cultural landscape.
Set within a playful reimagining of the Ambridge Flower & Produce Show, The Archers: Live at 75 blends theatricality, nostalgia, comedy and behind-the-scenes insight.
The evening will include on-stage interviews, insider stories and gossip, live performances with live foley sound effects of specially written scenes created exclusively for the tour.
There will also be archive treasures spanning seven decades from the vaults, fascinating demonstrations of the sound-effects artistry that brings the fields, kitchens and barns of Ambridge so vividly to life, audience questions, an interactive pub quiz straight out of The Bull and of course, a sing-along to the programme’s famous theme tune.
This is a theatrical, one-of-a-kind celebration of, and a unique insight into, the people, stories and distinctive production craft that have cemented The Archers as a beloved British institution for three generations.
Charles Collingwood, who plays Brian Aldridge, said: “My character Brian would never want to go on tour; he would find it a distraction from the ongoing problems at Home Farm!
“I, however, am longing to celebrate the Archers 75th Anniversary with enthusiastic vigour. May The Produce Show produce the goods in every way, a show full of fun, laughter and surprises! Roll up Roll up!!”
The Archers: Live at 75 takes place at the Philharmonic Hall on Monday, September 28, starting at 7.30pm. For tickets, visit liverpoolphil.com/events/the-archers-live-at-75