For three generations of listeners, the familiar strains of Barwick Green have been an invitation into another world. A world of village fêtes, family feuds, affairs, farming crises, pub gossip and the endlessly complicated lives of the people of Ambridge. Now, as The Archers celebrates its remarkable 75th anniversary, that world is leaving the radio studio and heading for the stage.
On Monday 28 September, The Archers: Live at 75 comes to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, promising a one-off theatrical celebration of the world’s longest-running radio drama. An apt venue indeed for such a broadcasting institution.
First broadcast on New Year’s Day 1951, The Archers has become one of the great constants of British cultural life. Across more than 20,000 episodes, the fictional Borsetshire village has reflected the changing face of Britain, tackling contemporary social issues alongside the traditional rhythms of rural life. Broadcasting six times a week and reaching millions of listeners, it remains one of the BBC’s most popular programmes – a remarkable achievement for a drama that has now been part of the national conversation for three quarters of a century.
However, this isn’t simply an anniversary tour with a few familiar faces and a nostalgic clip reel. Set within a playful reimagining of the Ambridge Flower & Produce Show, The Archers: Live at 75 offers audiences the opportunity to see – and, crucially, hear – how the magic of Ambridge is made. Specially written scenes will be performed live on stage, accompanied by real-time foley sound effects, while archive material from seven decades of broadcasting will offer a fascinating journey through the programme’s extraordinary history.
The Liverpool date features what the tour affectionately calls its “Produce Cast”: Charles Collingwood, who has played the formidable Brian Aldridge for decades; Ryan Kelly, the voice behind my personal favourite character Jazzer McCreary; Susie Riddell as Tracy Horrobin; and Sunny Ormonde, who brings the gloriously irrepressible Lillian Bellamy to life.
They will be joined by The Archers’ live sound-effects specialist Vanessa Nuttall and comedian Angela Barnes, an award-winning performer and self-confessed Ambridge obsessive, who hosts the evening.
For those who have ever wondered how a kitchen door slams, rain falls on a Borsetshire farm or footsteps crunch convincingly across a country lane when none of those things are actually happening, the sound-effects demonstrations alone should make this a fascinating experience. Radio drama has always depended upon the imagination, but it also depends upon an astonishing amount of craftsmanship. The Archers: Live at 75 pulls back the curtain on that craft.
But there is more:- expect insider stories and gossip, audience questions, an interactive pub quiz inspired by The Bull, archive treasures from the BBC vaults and, naturally, a communal sing-along to that famous theme tune.
Charles Collingwood, whose character Brian Aldridge would apparently be less enthusiastic about the prospect of touring, is looking forward to the celebrations. “May The Produce Show produce the goods in every way,” he says, promising “a show full of fun, laughter and surprises”.
For Barnes, meanwhile, the job is something close to a dream ticket. “I am not just an Archers superfan, I am obsessed with all things Ambridge,” she says. Hosting the anniversary show, she adds, feels like winning a prize at the Flower and Produce Show while being cast as the lead in a Lynda Snell production.
The beauty of this production is that it should appeal to both sides of the Ambridge divide. For lifelong listeners, it offers a rare opportunity to get closer to the actors, characters and production techniques behind a programme woven into their lives for decades. For newcomers, it provides an accessible and entertaining way into a world that, after 75 years, continues to find new listeners.
Ambridge may only exist in our collective imagination, but on 28 September, Liverpool audiences will have the chance to step a little closer to it.
The Archers: Live at 75
Monday 28 September 2026
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Tickets
