Folks will nonetheless hearken to The Archers as farming is cool once more, says ex-editor
F
ormer agricultural story editor of The Archers Graham Harvey has mentioned that the radio present will proceed to usher in new audiences as “farming has started to be cool again with young people”.
The environmental campaigner, who was a scriptwriter on the long-running BBC Radio 4 present, thinks that the programme will draw within the youthful generations via storylines that discover local weather change, class and sustainable agricultural practices.
Speaking to the PA news company, he mentioned: “There are just unmistakable signs that young people are interested in farming and I think that it is linked in with nature and also climate change, and the threat to our planet.
There’s no sign that it’s (The Archers) failing to bring in new audiences.
“Nature is probably the best thing we have, governments pour money into high tech solutions like carbon capture and all that, but nature can do it better.
“Farmers can do more to fix it (climate-related issues) than any new technology.”
He added: “There’s no sign that it’s (The Archers) failing to bring in new audiences, young audiences. In a sense it’s always reinvented itself.”
Explaining how several types of storylines have captured the eye of youthful listeners, Harvey mentioned the Horrobin household and their affect.
He mentioned: “When I worked on the show, there were a couple of them, but they were kind of marginal characters.
“Now that family, working class family, are very central and the two key members are teenagers, Brad and Chelsea.
“They’re really strong characters and I’m sure they’re bringing in new listeners, young listeners.”
Harvey’s memoir, Underneath The Archers: Nature’s Secret Agent on Britain’s Longest-Running Drama, was printed on Thursday and it explores his time as a narrative editor and the way he would implement storylines about sustainable agricultural practices.
The author mentioned that The Archers as soon as inspired using pesticides and chemical substances because it was extra targeted on industrial farming, however he labored to alter this.
Harvey mentioned: “When The Archers started, it very much followed the government line that we had to increase the supply (of food) and at that time, they thought that meant using more fertiliser, so in a way The Archers encouraged the use of chemicals and so on.
“Now, I think The Archers could be showing the way out of that crisis we’ve got into with loss of diversity and soil damage by showing a different way of farming, regenerative, planet fixing and nature friendly.”
The Archers has been on the radio for greater than 70 years and explores the lives of individuals residing within the fictional rural village of Ambridge.
In his new ebook, Harvey writes about The Archers and his love for the British countryside, however he additionally traces his roots and uncovers a wartime secret of his father’s.
Harvey mentioned he had by no means dreamed of writing a memoir while he was writing for The Archers and described the ebook as a “personal journey”.