Talk:The Archers

Theme tune

It says that the theme tune was referenced during the Olympic opening ceremony on August 27, 2012. Olympics opened in July. Should it be July 27, or closing ceremony, or Paralympic opening ceremony? I don't know! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.178.255.25 (talk) 12:27, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Bert Fry

There is no subentry for Bert Fry, despite being referred to in the subentry for Freda Fry. --quentin72

I have added a short entry for Bert Fry

Socksysquirrel 11:52, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

And a short entry for Robert Snell

Socksysquirrel 01:23, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Start Date

I'm not quite sure what this is supposed to mean, Starting on Whit Monday 1950 and continuing over Easter, a pilot series was broadcast to the English Midlands, so i won't change it, but isn't Whit Monday fiftyone days after Easter? Does anyone know, off-hand, just what was intended here? Cheers, Lindsay 18:15, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

Worked it out, changed it. Cheers, Lindsay 15:07, 13 June 2007 (UTC)

Nelson Gabriel

Corrected this section by referring to the article on the official website.[1] Philip Cross 21:58, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

Nigel Pargetter

Can anyone tell me what is meant by: "Nigel Pargetter (played by Graham Seed, formerly by Nigel Caliburn, now Carrington)"

Thanks.

Seems it means that the actor Caliburn changed his name to Carrington. Added Spotlight CV link accordingly. - Ralphbk 13:41, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Souad Faress

I just created a stub page for Souad (I was amazed to find that there wasn't one), which immediately gets landed with a 'speedy deletion' tag - can anyone else contribute to it and (perhaps even) explain how to satisfy the wikipedia criteria for a worthy article subject? Thanks! --Ndaisley (talk) 20:21, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Cite error:

At the bottom of the article it says (in red) "Cite error:". Anybody know why? I looked at all the <ref>s, but could see nothing obviously wrong. HairyWombat (talk) 21:16, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Fixed, thanks for noticing - looks like it was broken back on the 1st August, when the reflist was moved above the External links section. Moving it below has fixed the "Cite error:" mark. Stephenb (Talk) 22:31, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

I have had to revert your edit. You reinstated some things that should be there (a Billy Connolly quote, "See also" link to radio soaps list), re-linked dates (which goes against MoS) and moved back the episode count to last May!--UpDown (talk) 11:18, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Sorry about that, perhaps I edited the wrong version. Having said that, you could have re-done the fix, since you are continually editing the article anyway... Stephenb (Talk) 13:52, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

I was unaware of the fix you meant to do or how to correct the problem.--UpDown (talk) 15:56, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

I've re-corrected it, as per my description above Stephenb (Talk) 17:23, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Number of episodes

I put a fact tag on the number of episodes. I cannot see how that number can be accurate and encyclopaedic without a proper citation. I see that a citation to a book has been added. If that is to stand then the number of episodes should be listed as of the date given in the book. If the current number of episodes is to be listed then it needs a citation. Further, I really don't see why the number of episodes needs to be updated every other day as it is right now. If we have a perfectly good citation that gives the number of episodes as of a particular date (some time in 2008 according to the citation) then why shouldn't it be left at that until another up to date citation comes along. --TimTay (talk) 10:20, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Completely agree, if the episode count is being updated as the result of a calculation rather than in direct reference to a reliable source then it starts to stumble in to the arena of original research. Nancy ^talk 11:26, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

I just removed the book citation from the number of episodes as it does not support the figures given in the infobox. I repeat that the number of episodes listed as of a specific date should be supported by a citation. --TimTay (talk) 08:05, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

"Original research" - are you being serious. This is how episode counts are done across Wikipedia, and is it quite riduclous to on this page suddently declare otherwise. There is a ref for episodes as of 1 January 2009 (the book I cited), and you count from there. Then when the next ref comes, you use that. It is done with most programmes, especially soaps, to keep them up to date. And you say "I cannot see how that number can be accurate...without a proper citation" - what, so because there is not cite, it has to be wrong. In that case there is an awful lot of wrong info on Wikipedia. Episode counts are normally done in this way, not every piece of information in Wikipedia has to be referenced (otherwise you'd have ref tags at the end of every line). This episode count is fine.--UpDown (talk) 08:30, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Looking at some TV programme featured articles, very few seem to have ref next to the episode total. --UpDown (talk) 08:44, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia policy would appear to state the opposite; from WP:VER - "The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth—that is, whether readers are able to check that material added to Wikipedia has already been published by a reliable source, not whether we think it is true." Nancy ^talk 14:39, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

And as with all guidelines there are some exceptions.--UpDown (talk) 17:35, 19 March 2009 (UTC)

For the sake of accuracy I should point out that it's not a guideline, it's a policy. Nancy ^talk 07:29, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, and my last comment still applies.--UpDown (talk) 08:01, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Ambridge merger

I found a rather short Ambridge page, so I merged the content here. I made a few edits in the process, but it still needs a little more work. I hope I can leave it in the hands of some regular listeners (I only listen occasionally). Borsetshire would be another target for inclusion, if someone is feeling keen. GyroMagician (talk) 16:21, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Prequel novels

It is incorrect to state that two prequel novels were published in the 1970s. Only one of the novels was set in the early 1900s, the other in the 1970s. I believe that at least one of the novels published in the 1980s was also a prequel. Two other novelisations not listed here - "The Archers" and "The Archers Intervene" were published in the 1950s, and at least one reference book appeared during the 1980s.

(Solidsandie (talk) 01:08, 8 July 2010 (UTC))

I have a copy of "The Archers of Ambridge" a novel by Edward J Mason, published in the 1950s and picked up in a second hand bookshop about 35 years ago. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Thermosoverfil (talk • contribs) 19:01, 13 August 2011 (UTC)

The Gillans

I note that CBC started making the Canadian series The Gillans, with a very similar idea to The Archers, from at least the mid-1940s. I wonder if anyone confirm whether the later series drew conscious inspiration from The Gillans? _{Personal interest disclaimer: my father, David Murray, played a role in this programme for some years around 1950.} --Oolong (talk) 22:32, 28 August 2011 (UTC)

Sentence about "The Guiding Light" is unclear, please make clarifications suggested below

The sentence in the opening paragraph "With over 16,700 episodes, it is both the world's longest running radio soap and, since the cancellation of the American soap opera Guiding Light in September 2009, the world's longest running soap opera in any format.[4]" is confusing and needs greater clarification.

This should be cited as two separate sentences. The first would state that "The Archers" is the world's longest running radio soap. I'm sure this is understood.

The second sentence should state that this makes "The Archers" the world's currently longest running soap in any format. But it is not the longest-running soap ever produced.

For the record "The Guiding Light" is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest story ever told. The show premiered on NBC's Red Radio Network January 25, 1937. The show moved to CBS Television on June 29, 1952, where it remained until its cancellation in 2009. It had a total and uninterrupted run of 72 years, and just over 7 months.

Ultimately, I suggest you remove all reference to "The Guiding Light" and simply state that "The Archers" is currently the world's longest running soap opera in any format.Joemalvern (talk) 17:26, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

John Yorke as (acting) editor

John Yorke has been editing The Archers since March 2012, and the series has acquired a distinctly different tone under his stewardship, with lots of implausible plotlines involving jeopardy and extreme behaviour. This has attracted considerable criticism from fans who accuse the programme of dumbing down in a (probably doomed) search for new listeners. Would somebody familiar with the wider Archers world like to document this in a new section? --Ef80 (talk) 20:35, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

It is funny that you raise this here - as my Mum had noticed a "dumbing down" of the Archers many years before March 2012. In fact, I think it may have been as long ago as 2004 that my Mum stopped listening to the Archers because she felt it had been dumbed down, and then some years later, on holiday in 2008, my family and I heard a man (who was actually a professional farmer) say that the agricultural editors of the Archers should have been sacked. I think that there is evidence that the programme has been dumbed down over the past few years now. I wonder whether any one feels that it would be worth discussing this theme in the article? ACEOREVIVED (talk) 14:26, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

I have altered the heading to this section because in March 2012 Yorke became (acting) editor of The Archers while Vanessa Whitburn took four months leave. Vanessa had planned to use her four months off to travel, and had planned (in March) to return to The Archers last July.
Yes, I do think there has been a change; one that appears to feature the young characters more now than the stories used to when Vanessa Whitburn was Managing Editor. Rosemary Cheese (talk) 15:13, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

As is mentioned above, John Yorke was acting editor for 4 months and during that time stated on a number of occasions (after a first inerview whan he talked about "darker" story lines) that he was simply carrying on the story lines already laid down. If you read the Achers MB the posters there complain continuously about the "dumbing down and "stenderisation" of the The Archers under Vanessa Whitbirn, who has been editor since 1992. However since the fire that killed Grace Archer and Jennifer's illegitimate son we've had sensation aplenty and plenty of silliness so I don't think an encyclopedia entry should go there, unless it wants simply to state tht this view os held by some (how many?) listeners.PhilomenaO'M (talk) 19:31, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Yes, it was rather a ridiculous claim by those who, not liking the storyline, looked for someone to blame, even though he did not plan it. I've updated the entry a bit - I've not removed Yorke nor the linked criticism (even though the link is to the Daily Express - hardly reliable!) but added something of his rebuttal. Stephenb (Talk) 20:58, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Guiding Light ran for 72 years and had 18,262 episodes

There was no truth whatsoever in the unsubstantiated WP:OR that The Archers is the world's longest-running soap opera in any format. Guiding Light ran from 1937 to 2009 (72 years), and had 18,262 episodes. I deleted that error from the lede, and also deleted the footnote, which said nothing of the kind, and didn't even say The Archers was the world's longest-running radio soap opera (which, again, is unsubstantiated WP:OR or opinion unless cited with a WP:RS). Softlavender (talk) 06:04, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

External links modified

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