Archers is not our story, insist country folk

Poll accuses BBC of lacking impartiality amid calls for programming for the ‘minority rural audience’

RURAL viewers and listeners have complained even The Archers does not represent their lives properly, as they question if the BBC is value for money.

The corporation has been accused of lacking impartiality in a poll of 3,400 Countryside Alliance members, which found that two thirds believe the licence fee should be scrapped entirely. It has led to a call for the BBC to create “rural programming for the countryside, not just about the countryside”.

In the poll, Chris Packham’s Spring

watch and Autumn were judged among the worst shows for covering rural issues, with more than 90 per cent saying that they did not do so adequately.

The BBC’s national news was also found to be failing to represent rural issues by 92 per cent of respondents. It was closely followed by Countryfile, which 89 per cent of viewers surveyed did not feel covered “adequately” the issues that mattered to them.

And even Radio 4’s The Archers, the “everyday story of country folk” seen as the jewel in the crown of rural programming by many, was deemed not to reflect country life properly by 79 per cent of respondents. Farming Today fared slightly better, with just under half saying it properly covered issues.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told The Sunday Telegraph: “The BBC must appreciate the minority rural audience does not feel fully represented. There is a desire for rural programming for the countryside, not just about the countryside.

“[It] should not only take into account what urban viewers may find of interest and needs to showcase the value of rural activities like farming, shooting, hunting and angling.”

The impartiality of Countryfile is already under scrutiny in a BBC review into editorial standards. It has had complaints about its stance on Brexit, farming, hunting and environmental issues. Mr Bonner called for the corporation to extend a crackdown on outspoken stars to all BBC employees.

Mr Packham, whose shows have been singled out for criticism, is a fierce opponent of countryside sports and regularly uses his social media presence to orchestrate campaigns.

“If the BBC is to enjoy the support of rural viewers it needs to make robust decisions about whether to employ controversial presenters with an overt and aggressive campaigning agenda,” said Mr Bonner.

Almost 77 per cent of those surveyed said that the licence fee was not value for money, while 68 per cent said that it should be scrapped altogether.

It comes after both Tory leadership candidates questioned the current arrangements. Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, has suggested that she would review legal punishments for failing to pay the £159 fee while Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, has hinted he would consider scrapping it all together. The Countryside Alliance will be submitting their findings to the BBC as part of a “rural impartiality dossier”.

A BBC spokesman said: “Programmes such as Countryfile and Farming Today cover a range of topics and views when reporting on farming and rural life across the UK as well as within our news coverage.

“As part of ongoing work to ensure the highest editorial standards across all our output, Countryfile is one of many programmes to be reviewed – it has not been selected because of any particular impartiality concerns.”

‘There is a desire for rural programming for the countryside, not just about the countryside’