Escape to Ambridge

Ambridge is boring. Researchers say the people living in the fictional home of The Archers lead even more prosaic lives than their listeners. An analysis of crime statistics in the Worcestershire village of Inkberrow, on which Ambridge was loosely based, suggests real life is more actionpacked than the plotlines of The Archers. Inkberrow is pretty peaceful itself but has more “incidents” than Ambridge. But don’t we tune into The Archers to escape from the real world? Wasn’t the house fire that tragically killed Grace Archer in 1956 drama enough? When an ex-eastenders producer took over the show and introduced edgy stories of marital violence, some listeners were appalled. Give us more jam making, cricket on the green and Linda Snell’s am-dram disasters. Real life can surely take a break for 15 minutes each day.