2. Soap Opera Genre
• The Archers belongs to the ‘soap opera’ genre
• The Archers shares soap opera conventions with TV programmes like
Eastenders, Coronation Street, and Hollyoaks
• Soap operas have multi-stranded narratives, meaning there are many
storylines taking place at the same time.
• Soap opera episodes tend to end with a cliff-hanger, creating enigma
that encourages the audience to watch/listen to the next episode
• Soap operas have a large cast of characters and usually focuses on family
relationships and friendships in a close community
• Soap operas happen in real time, meaning the events take place on the day
of broadcast
3. History of The Archers
• The Archers was first broadcast in 1951
• It is the world’s longest-running soap opera
• It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4
• It is set in a rural community in the fictional village of ‘Ambridge’.
• The original target audience was farmers
• The purpose of the programme was to educate farmers to help them to
increase food production after WW2
• The government’s Ministry of Culture thought the show could be used to
communicate important information to farmers
• The tagline is ‘contemporary drama in a rural setting’
• The show attracted 9m listeners by 1953.
4. The BBC
• The Archers is broadcast on BBC Radio 4
• The BBC is a public service broadcaster
• This means that it is funded through the TV license that every household in
the UK with a TV has to pay
• There is no advertising on the BBC
• This then means that the BBC has to put the needs of the audience first
• Their remit is to ‘inform, educate, and entertain’.
• All programming has to satisfy these purposes
• The BBC also makes money by selling its programming to other networks
e.g. Luther and Sherlock on Netflix
5. Commercial Broadcasters
• The BBC is a public service broadcast, run for the audience and not
for profit
• ITV and Channel 4 are examples of commercial TV channels
• Capital Radio, Kiss, and Heart radio are all examples of commercial
radio stations
• They make money through selling advertising slots
• These stations and channels need to attract big
audiences in order to sell advertising spots at a
premium price
6. Storylines
• The Archers happens in real time, meaning that is portrays
events taking place on the date of the broadcast.
• This allows the storylines to be topical, meaning they reflect
events that are happening in real life.
• If a real- life event can be predicted, it is often written into
the script.
• Even unexpected events can be written into the script with
scenes being re-written and re-recorded at short notice e.g.
the death of Princess Diana, or the 9/11 attacks.
• The storylines tend to focus on rural and middle class
concerns
• Every Spring we visit the lambing shed, while most summers
feature a cricket story and a village fete.
7. Primary Audience
• The largest audience for The Archers is white middle-
class middle-aged women
• The Archers’ version of traditional rural life is the
same nostalgic white Englishness that we find in
Downton Abbey
• The characters in The Archers are middle or upper-
middle class, and any characters who fall on hard
time are immediately rescued by other richer
characters in the village.
• The show comes on the radio at 2pm and 7pm Mon-
Fri – this directly appeals to people who are at home
during the daytime e.g. people who have retired.
