The Archers
Context
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The Archers follows the residents of the fictional farming community of Ambridge, in the fictional county of Borsetshire, in the English Midlands.
Its tagline is, “contemporary drama in a rural setting”. |
MEDIA INDUSTRIES |
MEDIA AUDIENCES |
Historical Context |
Social Context |
The Archers was originally established in 1951 to educate farmers which, it was hoped, would increase food production after the second world war.
It was thought that the show could be used as a way for the Ministry of Agriculture to communicate important information to farmers. Social & Cultural ContextWherever possible, The Archers happens in real time i.e. it portrays events taking place on the date of broadcast, allowing a variety of topical subjects to be included. If a real life event can be predicted, it is often written into the script.
Even unforeseen events have been weaved into the script with scenes being re-written and re-recorded at short notice such as the 9/11 attacks, the death of Princess Margaret and the 2001 foot and mouth crisis. Funding & ProductionLike TV, radio broadcasting falls into two categories: public service and commercial broadcasting.
Commercial broadcasting is funded by the sale of advertising slots Public service broadcasting is funded by public money either directly from the government or a licence fee. In the UK, BBC radio is funded by a licence fee. The Archers is aired on Radio Four, the BBC’s main spoken-word channel, and so is funded by the licence fee. The BBC has a public service remit (to educate, inform and entertain) and The Archers was originally established to educate farmers. The show soon became a major source of entertainment for people from all walks of life, not just the rural community. However, the show still prides itself on the quality of its research and its ability to portray real rural life. Producing a radio series like The Archers requires tight schedules and long term planning. » The production team meet biannually to plan the following months, and sometimes even years’ worth of storylines. » Monthly script meetings then take place where four writers have to produce a week’s worth of scripts each. » Recording takes place every four weeks and actors only receive their scripts a few days before. » Actors are employed for six days in which they record 24 episodes. » There is very little room for error as each 13 minute episode is only allocated two hours of studio time. » Episodes are then broadcast 3-6 weeks after recording. » Due to these recording schedules, actors are not held on retainers and are not employed full time . They often have careers in film, theatre, television and other radio shows. RegulationRadio broadcasting is regulated by Ofcom, the government-approved regulatory authority for broadcasting.
Ofcom sets standards for programmes and one of its duties is to examine specific complaints by listeners about programmes broadcast on channels that it has licenced. Convergence & TechnologiesIn order to keep up with the different ways people prefer to consume their media, there are a variety of ways for fans to engage with the show:
» Aside from the regular radio slot, listeners can catch up with the omnibus on a Sunday, hear recent episodes repeated on BBC Radio Four Extra, download the podcast, or listen ‘on demand’ through BBC iPlayer Radio. » Alternatively, they can check out The Archers’ page on the BBC website, follow the show on social media by following it on Twitter or liking their Facebook page. » All of these platforms are provided to help audiences increase their enjoyment of the show and make it as accessible as possible BrandThe Archers is big business for the BBC as it’s the most listened to BBC programme online.
In today’s society, market share and brand identity are massively important and The Archers succeeds on both of these. If the BBC was ever to lose its licence fee, there are certain shows that it is guaranteed people would pay to subscribe to – The Archers is one of these. Therefore, it’s important that the producers keep the show fresh. One way of doing this is by introducing new characters or pushing the boundaries on plot lines. |
Not one to shy away from controversy, the BBC has opened the gates to less talked about topics and issues in recent years.
The domestic abuse storyline of Rob and Helen has been building for some time. The listeners’ privileged position of being able to eavesdrop in on characters’ private conversation has added a very real touch to the storyline. Audiences have witnessed first-hand Rob’s controlling nature, his coercive behaviour and insidious ways (e.g. constantly undermining Helen’s looks and clothing), and listened whilst he has progressively isolated her from friends and family. The realistic portrayal of this storyline has even prompted audiences to raise over £100,000 in charitable donations, proving the importance of such a show – and the strong relationship it has forged with its audience. Targeting an AudienceHistorically, radio soap operas have always focused primarily on women’s lives, particularly family relationships, domesticity and marriage. Therefore the target audience was traditionally females who looked after the home.
Listeners from different walks of life could engage with the show in different ways due to its multi-stranded narratives. As a listener you might be rooting for one particular character whilst your friend might be interested in another character relationship entirely. The Archers is perceived as a high quality soap opera and distinguishes itself from TV soaps by providing soap for the ABC1s. Radio Four has a high cultural status and so the audience for The Archers consists mainly of well-educated skilled professionals, most of whom are middle aged and above, white women. Audience ResponseFor many of these listeners, The Archers was a familiar friend which provided a comforting background and, until fairly recently, there was an unwritten rule that nothing too terrible would ever happen.
However, in recent years some listeners have complained that The Archers is beginning to mimic the excesses of TV soaps such as EastEnders. The most notable example of this is the 2016/17 storyline of Rob’s abusive relationship with his wife. For some listeners, the show they once considered to be light, mellow drama, has now morphed into actual melodrama. That being said, such a move has attracted new listeners which are welcomed by the broadcasters, and there is an argument that such shows should reflect the society in which they are aired. This move has also given the BBC the opportunity to open a conversation about topics like domestic violence. Because the BBC can be accessed from around the world, it’s important to understand that some of the online audience is global, including British people living abroad. Listening to The Archers is a crucial way for them to keep in touch with British life. In fact, even within the UK, some listeners from urban areas have stated how they like the sense of rural life that is evident in the show. Perhaps, like many, they dream of getting away from the city and moving to the country and The Archers helps them imagine this for a short time. If we consider Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications theory, we could argue that audience members listen for all of those given reasons: » simply for entertainment/diversion from their everyday lives » to be informed or educated about rural life or topical issues that the storyline may be dealing with » for social interaction to discuss with family/friends or by continuing the conversation on Twitter or Facebook » for personal identity, to compare their life experiences with those of the characters. |