The Archers: a slice of my life

176 Pages·1971·15.14 MB·English

by  Godfrey Baseley

A SLICE OF M Y LIFE
GODFREY BASELEY
Creator of the famous BBC Radio Programme
j odfrey Baseley
’wenty-one years ago the first Archers
pisode went on the air. Now Godfrey Baseley
rovides the inside story of the radio pro-
ramme that has become a national institu-
on. ‘an everyday story of
The Archers,
ountry folk’, was Godfrey Baseley’s brain-
hild, and he has continued to watch over it
s Editor and master-mind during its entire
xistence. At the beginning, no one could
ossibly have predicted the impact it was to
lake as a permanent ingredient of sound
roadcasting; nor could they have pre-
icted that at its peak it would attract a regular
udience of over ten million listeners in
ireat Britain.
With all the charm and humour one would
xpect of creator, Godfrey
The Archers
laseley describes his country childhood and
arly days at the B.B.C., and how he longed
a launch a programme based on farmers and
tieir lives. The ultimate conception of
The
was the result of an apparently
Irchers
tughable suggestion that the B.B.C. should
lunch a country Dick Barton. Thus, Doris
nd Dan, Walter Gabriel, Tom Forrest, and
11 the familiar and well-beloved characters of
.mbridge were born.
T o celebrate the twenty-first birthday of this
ttraordinary programme, Godfrey Baseley
ikes us behind the scenes and describes
11 the writers, actors, and technicians who
ave helped to make what it is.
The Archers
le tells how the future of Ambridge is planned
3 far as ten years ahead, and how the various
laracters are built up, how the actors are
>und, and how the fates of all the inhabitants
f Ambridge are decided.
Through it all, runs his unswerving loyalty
) farmers, and his love of the countryside,
his is a book that will delight all those to
hom the Archers and their friends are
imost as familiar as members of their own
imily.
£1.95
SBN.0.283.48498.5 in U.K. only
THE ARCHERS
A Slice o f M y Life
A portrait of the author by Peter Rasmussen
THE ARCHERS
A Slice o f M y L ife
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Godfrey Baseley
SIDGWICK <2? JACKSON
LONDON
First published in U.K. by
Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd., 1971
Copyright @ 1971 by Godfrey Baseley
All rights reserved, including the right
to reproduce this book or portions
thereof in any form.
ISBN 0 283 48495 5
Printed by The Whitefriars Press Ltd.,
Tonbridge, Kent
for Sidgwick & Jackson Limited
1 Tavistock Chambers, Bloomsbury Way
London WC1
CONTENTS
PAGE
List of illustrations ... ... ... ... ... 6
Preface ... ... ... ... ... ... 9
Childhood ... ... ... ... ... ... 11
Early days of broadcasting ... ............... 23
A ‘farming Dick Barton1 ... ... ... ... 38
The first edition of The Archers ... ... ... 46
Behind the scenes ... ... ... ... ... 59
The team ... ... ... ... ... ... 70
How it’s all planned ... ... ... ... 81
The Archers and television ... ... ... 89
The writers ... ... ... ... ... 100
The cast ... ... ... ... ... ... 112
The Archers and its audience ... ... ... 133
A typical day at Brookfield Farm ... ... 152
ILLUSTRATIONS
A portrait of the author by Peter Rasmussen frontispiece
f acing page
May Day celebrations at Elvechurch Infants School, 1910 32
An early introduction to motor cycling 32
Trying to climb ‘The Ladder’ 33
Interviewing miners at the Snubston Colliery 64
Interviewing a Trappist monk 64
The author with Audrey Russell and Wynford Vaughan Thomas 65
Mr and Mrs Longford at their farm 65
John Ellison 80
June Ball 80
Interview with Jack Tropman 80
Denis Morris 80
Geoffrey Webb and Edward J. Mason 81
Tony Shryane 81
John Keir Cross 81
David Turner 96
Bruno Milna 96
Brian Hayles 96
Front page of War Cry mourning the death of Grace Archer 97
The first page of the first script of The Archers 97
An insurance certificate made out to George Fairbrother 97
Two typical front pages of the Borchester Sketch 128
The author at work on a script 129
The author with his wife Betty 129
The imaginary layout of Brookfield Farm page 154
This book is dedicated to my wife Betty, in grateful
recognition of her patience and help in adopting and
accepting this very large family as a natural part of
her life