The Archers

BBC Radio 4

Contemporary drama in a rural setting.

  • 13 minutes 10 seconds
    21/02/2025

    WRITER: Keri Davies DIRECTORS: Jessica Bunch & Dave Payne EDITOR: Jeremy Howe

    Helen Archer…. Louiza Patikas Jolene Archer…. Buffy Davis Kenton Archer…. Richard Attlee Natasha Archer…. Mali Harries Pat Archer…. Patricia Gallimore Tom Archer…. William Troughton Tony Archer…. David Troughton Mick Fadmoor…. Martin Barrass Clarrie Grundy…. Heather Bell Emma Grundy…. Emerald O‘Hanrahan Tracy Horrobin…. Susie Riddell Joy Horville…. Jackie Lye Alistair Lloyd…. Michael Lumsden Khalil Malik…. Krish Bassi Zainab Malik…. Priyasasha Kumari Kirsty Miller…. Annabelle Dowler Fallon Rogers…. Joanna Van Kampen Robert Snell…. Michael Bertenshaw Celia Sparrow…. Toni Midlane

    21 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 12 seconds
    20/02/2025

    Robert is taking Khalil out to reward him for spotting Constanza the llama’s injury, and he has high hopes for a great day out. Zainab tags along to the annoyance of her younger brother. They arrive at Arkwright Lake and both are disappointed to find that the treat is birdwatching at the hide. Khalil particularly is unimpressed, and cold. He loves animals close up, but not birds at a distance. Zainab, however, gets more drawn in and enjoys herself. Robert says they’re welcome to visit any time. Zainab admits that this won’t be often, but doesn’t rule out another visit.

    Jolene reports to Kenton that Wayne has been offered a regular guitar gig at a bar in Panama, which he visited when docked on the cruise. The two of them offer Fallon her dad’s job on a permanent basis, but Fallon feels she needs to think it over. Kenton realises that Fallon’s been hit with the news that her dad is moving to the other side of the world, and also that working in the kitchen of The Bull might well not be her dream. He talks to her again and offers more incentives; she’d be part of the management team and one day could possibly buy into the business. This is food for thought, and Fallon agrees to call Harrison to discuss it. Later, she has great news for her mum and Kenton – she’d love to accept. They celebrate their new partnership.

    20 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 3 seconds
    19/02/2025

    Helen visits Celia Sparrow about the milk deal with trepidation. Their last encounter was when Helen deliberately gave Celia’s cheese a low score at a food fair. Now Helen hopes for a fair price for their waste Montbeliardes milk. Celia makes Helen sample her cheeses, so that she can taste how the milk will be used. One of them is the Cordwell Cream that Helen marked down in the competition. Helen has to agree it’s excellent. Using this as leverage, Celia offers way below the recommended rate for the Bridge Farm milk. Helen pushes for more but has no luck and they agree on a disappointing price. Later, Helen and Tom reflect on the deal. Helen recognises that her previous behaviour has cost them dearly. Tom reassures her; it’s a short term deal and better than nothing. They both agree they need to come up with something big to get business back in the shop and Tearoom. Tom’s sure they’ll think of something.

    At The Bull, Tracy and Fallon discuss Wayne’s valuable skills, and fear customers will go elsewhere when they discover he’s to be sacked. They ambush Jolene with a plan: a soufflé Pancake Day promotion. Wayne would be the perfect person to cook this difficult style. Jolene reluctantly agrees that he would – adding that she’d been hasty in her decision to fire him on his return. Still excited by the promotion, Jolene receives a text from Wayne. She’s furious as she reports to Fallon he’s not coming home – after all they’ve done for him!

    19 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 3 seconds
    18/02/2025

    Joy and Mick are dazzled by the opulence and tech at Home Farm. As they look round, closely followed by the robot vacuum cleaner, Joy marvels at the white and shiny kitchen. A bearded dragon in a tank freaks her out, but Mick promises he’ll take responsibility for feeding duties. Joy needs a cuppa, but everything in the house is operated from a master controller, which they can’t find… With no heating or cooking facilities, they’re forced to snuggle under a duvet with takeaway pizza. This isn’t quite what Joy expected.

    Kirsty confides to Fallon it wouldn’t surprise her if the sale of Beechwood fell through. Fallon tries to reassure her. Fallon admits she’s starting to miss Harrison. She’s hoping to take her mind off it by focusing on getting her dad’s job back for him.

    Clarrie can’t work out why Bridge Farm has failed its cleanliness tests. As far as she’s concerned everywhere’s spotless. She hints that the blame might lie with Chelsea, but later apologises to Pat for her meanness. She shouldn’t have said it. Pat tries to rally her; it’s been an awful time for everyone. Later Helen points out some dirt on a freezer to Clarrie. Clarrie’s affronted and they bicker. Pat interrupts them with the news that Summer Orchard has had a cancellation from a longstanding customer. This situation is destroying everything. Finally Helen receives good news; they have a taker for the waste milk. But then she discovers the offer’s from Celia Sparrow.

    18 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 2 seconds
    17/02/2025

    It’s half term and Khalil is bored at Ambridge Hall. Robert’s plan to get him to reorganise the library books isn’t going down well with Khalil, so Robert suggests he helps feed the llamas instead, (which cheers him up). Khalil notices a graze on Constanza’s leg, so Alistair is alerted and Khalil watches with interest as the injury is treated. Zainab joins them and is unimpressed as Constanza spits in indignation. Robert observes Khalil has an affinity with animals. He’s grateful to Khalil for spotting the cut leg, and suggests he might have something in mind as a thank you treat. The Tearoom’s open again, and everyone’s exhausted and grateful not to have to do any more deep cleaning. Emma remarks to Clarrie that Chelsea in particular feels there are other things she’d rather be doing. Emma reports that Keira’s had a letter from George. She’s still had nothing though. Clarrie reassures her – it’s a start. Natasha suggests to Clarrie that with the no work in the dairy perhaps Clarrie could bake for the Tearoom, while Susan helps with some planting on the farm. Clarrie’s miffed at the inference that she’s too old for outdoor heavy work – Susan’s no spring chicken herself! Alistair remarks on the smell in the Tearoom, leading Clarrie to suggest putting jars of herbs out on tables to freshen things up. Natasha thinks it’s a nice touch. Their momentary optimism turns to despair when they discover Bridge Farm’s failed the lab tests. They’ll need to deep clean all over again. It’ll take days.

    17 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 12 minutes 57 seconds
    16/02/2025

    The clean-up at Bridge Farm continues. Helen expresses her gratitude to Joy for her help. She’s welcome to stay in the farmhouse as long as she needs. They speculate as to whether everywhere still seems to smell, or whether they’re imagining it. Helen reckons they’ll know tomorrow, when the Tearoom reopens. Joy worries that Rochelle might come back and find the house in a state. Helen’s surprised Joy hasn’t told Rochelle about the sewage leak. Joy brushes it off. She thinks Rochelle might be having trouble with her phone.

    Tom’s concerned his dad’s taking on too much. He seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders and isn’t even up for celebrating his birthday. Tom resolves to have a word with him. Helen tells Susan she can’t find anyone yet to take the waste milk for their calves. Susan senses the strain they’re under and offers to bake Tony a birthday cake, which proves a huge success.

    Mick has great news for Joy – he’s found somewhere for them to stay. She can’t believe it when he takes her to Home Farm. The owners have gone away, and Mick’s secured a house-sitting gig.

    Helen and Tom report that Tony was cheered by their birthday gift of an airbrush, and an interesting hat from Jack and Henry. Joy and Mick return with their news – they’ll be out of the Bridge Farmers’ hair by Tuesday. Susan feels a smidgen of envy, but the others are delighted things are looking up.

    16 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 13 seconds
    14/02/2025

    As Harrison packs his bag to leave for Yorkshire, he and Fallon reassure one another that they are doing the right thing. Harrison calls in to see Alice, to ask her to look out for Fallon. Fallon surprises Harrison as he departs with a Valentine’s gift, even though they’d said they wouldn’t exchange them this year. They embrace as he leaves. Fallon is soon joined by Alice who has brought a beautiful basket of heart shaped goodies – from Harrison to Fallon. Khalil compliments Lynda over breakfast ahead of her cricket magazine interview. They discuss first impressions, and how Khalil no longer sees Lynda’s scars. Khalil recalls a teacher who patronised his mum at parents’ evening because she was wearing Asian clothes. But they follow his dad’s advice, that there are people who see beauty in difference, and people who see a threat, and to steer clear of the latter. Lynda suggests to Zainab that she should approach other family members to help rebuild a collection of family photographs, and she decides to ring Adil, who is happy to help. Later, Khalil and Zainab ask Lynda about the interview and she says that she decided not to go, as Lawrence did not see the beauty in difference. The experience has made her reflect on her own prejudices and she confides in Khalil that this possibly clouded her first impressions of him. Lynda reminds Khalil of his own grandmother, which is why he thinks they get on so well, and Lynda delights in his quote from Casablanca, confirming their firm new friendship.

    14 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 16 seconds
    13/02/2025

    Jolene is furious when she hears about Wayne’s menu lies. Fallon defends her father, arguing that he was trying to save The Bull money but acknowledges that she would never mislead her own customers. Jolene is adamant – Wayne should be sacked. Fallon pleads for a second chance for him, but Jolene has had years of experience of Wayne and has had enough. If he is sacked, it will not be Fallon’s fault for exposing him, he did the damage himself. At Ambridge Hall, Lynda meets Lawrence to prepare for tomorrow’s interview with the cricket magazine. Khalil arrives home from school and is keen to walk Monty. Lynda explains that The Maliks have been welcomed to stay because of their home being affected by the sewage spill. As Khalil returns from his dog walk, Lawrence is heading for his car and asks if any more of his family will be arriving, as he heard that not just The Maliks, but his uncle had also stayed at Ambridge Hall. He reminds Khalil that Lynda should not be taken advantage of. Khalil explains that they are paying for their rooms. His sister Zainab, who has been to see the damage at Beechwood, reports that most of the family photos are now in the skip. Khalil tells her that he sometimes misses Solihull and she picks up on his unease following his exchange with Lawrence. Furious, Zainab confronts Lynda and tells her to keep Lawrence away from her brother. Lynda is sure that there’s been a misunderstanding. But when he returns to collect his glasses, Lawrence makes flippant remarks about race to Lynda.

    13 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 13 seconds
    12/02/2025

    Helen and Joy survey the damage to their homes, where heavy machinery has been pumping out the drains all night. Helen is also worried about delayed production at the dairy and their reputation– even loyal customers will be put off by sewage. Joy and Mick spent the night in their car, not wanting to spend money on accommodation until the insurance assessor’s visit. Helen insists that they take up Tony and Pat’s offer to stay at Bridge Farm, which Joy accepts. Helen and Joy are frustrated with Borsetshire Water, saying they are not investing enough in their infrastructure, knowing winters are getting wetter, and blame them for the damage to homes and businesses.

    The Maliks are staying with Lynda at Ambridge Hall, and a heartbroken Zainab confides in Lynda that she’s upset that the boxes she moved, containing precious family photos of her parents’ wedding and her late grandparents are ruined.

    Fallon is unpacking a food delivery at The Bull and stops in her tracks – her dad Wayne has a regular delivery of frozen pastry for his pies! Harrison teases her about false advertising when Fallon points out their menus show ‘Homemade Pies’. She is exasperated with her dad – where else is he cutting corners? Later, Harrison suggests that they just take the word ‘Homemade’ off, but Fallon dismisses the idea, saying it will lead to questions from customers. She admits that she’s discovered this is not Wayne’s only deception - the Cod & Chips on the menu actually uses a cheaper fish: whiting. She’s going to have to tell Jolene.

    12 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 12 minutes 58 seconds
    11/02/2025

    The exhausting task of cleaning Bridge Farm and the Dairy is in operation. Tom disposes of the morning’s milk. The dairy machinery clean up will take days, even before swabs can be sent off for the lab to show them clear of contamination and so all production is on hold. Tom and Helen hope there will not be further pollution after another wet night.

    As Mick and Joy enjoy breakfast, a gurgling noise and terrible smell stops them. As untreated sewage spills from the plugholes, shower and toilet, they try to stop the flow from the utility and shower room through the house.

    Meanwhile at their neighbours, The Maliks are horrified to find themselves in the same situation. Azra warns Zainab and Khalil to stay clear, leave the house and not to touch anything, it’s moving fast and could be full of disease.

    The affected Beechwood neighbours gather in the street. Zainab and Khalil remember they have left their tablets and laptops in the lounge but Azra forbids them to re-enter. Joy is distraught – her beautiful house and so many contents are destroyed. Zainab feels terrible - she’d moved her dad’s boxes of precious books and photos to the utility room, which will now be unsalvageable.

    Joy calls Tom and Helen with the bad news from Beechwood – their home’s ground floor has been filled with sewage and has also ruined Henry and Jack’s boxes, packed for moving. Joy confirms that none of them will be able to live in their houses as they are, and they’ll all need to move out.

    11 February 2025, 7:15 pm
  • 13 minutes 10 seconds
    10/02/2025

    Susan and Helen have a nice chat at Bridge Farm about Neil’s recent trip to meet Nelly and Helen’s house plans. Then a shocking incident stops everything, as a tide of raw sewage comes spilling out of the brook. Pat, Tony and Tom are desperate to stop it from reaching the house and dairy. Pat goes to warn Helen and Tom says he’ll call David – they need Brookfield’s yard scraper - while Tony fetches the power hose. Meanwhile, Pat tells Helen to save what she can in the dairy with Susan, before the sewage reaches the storage room.

    Ben arrives with the scraper while Tom explains there’s been a discharge from the treatment station into their brook and it’s overtopped the banks. Tom takes the driver’s seat in the scraper as Ben goes to help Helen at the Dairy. Susan and Helen work frantically to load cheeses onto trolleys and shift them out of the danger area, while Clarrie is sent to check on the Tearoom and Shop. Despite their best efforts many cheeses have already been ruined by the time Ben joins the fight to save as many of the rest as they can.

    Later, Pat, Helen and Ben survey the damage. The shop and Tea room seem ok, although the stench has driven customers away. Henry’s planned carpark event is ruined, but Helen says he’ll have to deal with it. Helen tries to calm catastrophising Pat, who remembers the e-coli disaster. Pat reckons the water company has a lot to answer for - but how are they going to get through this?

    10 February 2025, 7:15 pm
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