Author | Lightnews

Really? I’ve listened to #TheArchers from the beginning. Shouted sometimes but never switched off. Anyway, I thought that former Tweetalongers had all moved here

www.dailymail.co.uk/tv/article-1...

Older listeners of The Archers switch off after radio soap goes 'woke'

After 75 years on air, fans of the BBC's long-running Radio 4 soap The Archers have accused bosses of forcing them to switch off because it is now 'too woke'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

February 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

Some of the most-liked comments give us clues as what The Daily Mail thinks is "woke":

"Tried to listen recently & it seems practically the whole village is now in a same sex relationship?"

It's Daily Mail readers who are out-of-touch.
#TheArchers

Comment by
Polymath6, Southampton, 1 day ago

"I live in a rural area, and listened to the archers in the 70s and 80s, but stopped when it became unrepresentative of the real countryside 40 years ago. What is happening to our country, why do all ty ads show mixed race couples?"

February 9, 2026 at 1:17 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

I'm beginning to wonder whether the Pet Shop Boys were singing about another country entirely
youtu.be/LNBjMRvOB5M?...

Pet Shop Boys - Go West (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

YouTube video by PetShopBoys Parlophone

youtu.be

February 9, 2026 at 12:59 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

From The Times. Can confirm.

A Times cartoon depicting an ark filled with animals floating past a "Welcome to Exeter" sign in a deluge of rain.

The caption below reads: "The UK has had rain every day in 2026 (and it’s not over yet)."

February 9, 2026 at 11:07 AM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
Least delicious elements this week:

The brisket that never got eaten by Amber and George. Amber's dad probably struggled to enjoy it.

The cheesecake that never got eaten by Pip & Stella.

The journey of Pip's engagement ring.

February 8, 2026 at 3:01 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

Today's Waffle channeling Mary from #Gogglebox

WAFFLE.
DAILY WAFFLE #1479.

crept /kri:p/ verb. simple past tense and past participle of creep; to move slowly and quietly in a particular direction.

"If you continue to creep around the house like that Giles, I'Il have no choice but you with water."

From "kreupaną ("to twist, creep",
to spray Middle English crepen, from Old English
crẽopan ("to creep,
crawl"), from Proto-West
Germanic *kreupan, from
Proto-Germanic

February 8, 2026 at 2:39 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
It worked for Alice and Chris... until it didn't.

February 7, 2026 at 10:58 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

Maybe this says more about what The Algorithm knows about me than about a broadcaster making a mistake, but the Channel 4 app on my TV has just shown me (watching in Devon) a Cymraeg advert for Trafnidiaeth Cymru.

I'm not complaining though. 😊
#CymruAmByth

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 6d

Tesco sorry for putting up Welsh bilingual signs in Cornwall

Campaigners say they appreciate attempt to use Cornish but mistake points to need for more access to language Shoppers in Cornwall could have been forgiven for feeling bemused after a supermarket put up bilingual signs – in Welsh. A branch of Tesco in Helston – about 200 miles from south Wales by road – pointed shoppers towards pysgod, which is Welsh, not Cornish, for fish. It also labelled sweet potato as tatws melys – again Welsh instead of Cornish. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

February 7, 2026 at 12:21 AM

Reposted by James A

Philip Larkin Society

@plsoc.bsky.social

Larkin was certainly a keen listener to ‘The Archers’, as was his mother, Eva, and his girlfriend Monica Jones. He once wrote to Monica. “I lay in bed listening to the omnibus Archers - how dull it is. Wish I could have the writing of it for a week…” That would have been fascinating! #TheArchers

February 6, 2026 at 3:59 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

Thank you 🙂

February 6, 2026 at 4:02 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
Philip Larkin’s poem "The Mower" featured in Harrison & Fallon's troubled relationship in May 2024.

In Harrison's eyes, a would-be baby died because of George's driving.

The conclusion is very Fallon:

"We should be kind / While there is still time."
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

"The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time."

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48423/the-mower-56d229a740294

February 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
Though I can't testify as to the veracity of this AI (perhaps @plsoc.bsky.social might know?), Google Gemini claims:

Philip Larkin wasn't just a casual fan; he was a devoted listener who scheduled his day around the broadcast. For Larkin, the inhabitants of Ambridge were as real as his colleagues at the University of Hull. He reportedly took the soap opera quite seriously, finding in its slow-burning domestic dramas a reflection of the British life he captured in his poetry.
Key Connections
The "Archers" Letters: Larkin frequently discussed the show's plotlines in his correspondence, particularly with his long-time friend and lover, Monica Jones. He would dissect character motivations and complain about "unrealistic" script changes with the same analytical rigor he applied to jazz or literature.
A Source of Solace: During his later years, especially during bouts of illness or depression, the radio serial provided him with a sense of continuity. He once remarked that he didn't want to die because he would miss finding out what happened to the characters.
Common Themes: Both Larkin’s work and The Archers dwell on the mundane details of English life, the passage of time, and the subtle tensions within small communities. While Larkin's poetry is often bleaker, they share a certain "ordinariness" that defined 20th-century British identity.

The 1984 Cameo Offer: In 1984, to celebrate his 60th birthday (or perhaps just acknowledging his superfan status), the BBC reportedly considered inviting Larkin to make a guest appearance or have a character mention him.

The Reality: While he never appeared on the show, he did contribute a short piece to The Listener magazine about his love for the program, cementing his status as the show's most "high-brow" defender.

February 6, 2026 at 3:43 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

I'm reminded that Larkin was a keen listener to #TheArchers and moaned and speculated excitedly about it in equal measure, much as many of us do today

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Radio review: A Month in Ambridge

Nancy Banks-Smith: Nothing much happened this month in The Archers – and at some length

www.theguardian.com

February 6, 2026 at 3:36 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
I don't know. Not much sunny optimism in the Rob Titchener coercive control storyline. Or indeed George's and Amber's separate family dynamics.

Meanwhile "An Arundel Tomb" and "The Whitsun Weddings" could easily find parallels in Ambridge, don't you think?

February 6, 2026 at 3:19 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

Makes sense

February 5, 2026 at 11:28 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

😕😲

February 5, 2026 at 10:49 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

🤭

February 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

How far do penises normally fly?

February 5, 2026 at 8:57 PM

James A

@exeterdormouse.bsky.social

#TheArchers
Emma's been studying English. Maybe she'll introduce Amber and George to Larkin.

After all, that was Clarrie's maiden name...
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48419/...

This Be The Verse

But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats.

www.poetryfoundation.org

February 5, 2026 at 8:51 PM