Q&A with The Archers' Tim Bentinck 31 March

Esmeralda

Hi Tim,
Congratulations on the new book. I read that you made up the story for your children when they were small, what do they think of seeing their story in print? Maybe we will see you at some VW festivals in the summer, that would be fun ...

Esmeralda, that is precisely the plan. Summer festivals here I come! Will is now 30 and Jasper 26 – they love it!

papaowen

Well done on the new career! If it was writing or The Archers, which would you choose? Do you have any other hidden talents hidden up your sleeve that we may see emerging in future?

Papaowen I earn a living from the Archers and haven’t yet made a single penny from writing, so I’m glad I don’t have to make that choice, I’d miss writing dreadfully! As for other things I do, see here: www.bentinck.net.

eGJ

Why, oh WHY has Hazel (a new voiced one) returned??? No one's favourite EVER?

Sorry eGJ no idea, but Annette Badland is a brilliant actress, this looks like it will be fun!

Marmight

I see (having Googled you!) that you were born in Tasmania. Have you ever returned to your roots? I am in NSW on a prolonged visit and have visited Tassie in the past and just love it.

Marmight, I have, once. It’s really beautiful, and moving for me as we came back when I was two, so all I ever had were black and white photos of my Pa working on a sheep-station, my mum who died when I was thirteen, and me as a baby. I went back with Judy to write an article for the Mail on Sunday - it’s here:

www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/holidaytypeshub/article-608173/Return-laddie-Tazzie.html

ScouseEm

Hi Tim, well done on the book! What made you decide to write it? why a childrens one rather than an adults? what was the inspiration behind it?
Also, what age group would it be suitable for?
thank you.

Oh ScouseEm, thank you! I’ve just spent ages justifying something that I just act in, I don’t write it!

Finally I can talk about my book, which is why I’m here! Of course I’m now knackered and it’s bedtime, but here’s your answer:

‘Colin the Campervan’ was written 20 years ago when my boys were 10 and 6. We had an old, unreliable, left hand drive campervan that we took on family holidays and that I would sleep in parked in a field when recording the Archers to save on hotel bills. The heater didn’t work and we’d sometimes scrape ice off the inside of the windscreen. So I wrote a wish-fulfillment story about turning it into a supervan and told it to my boys. It then lay dormant on my computer until Kindle books came along. I’m a bit of a computer geek, programmer and that, so I turned it into Kindle format and put it on Amazon. It sat there for years, until a publisher found it, and asked if I’d like to publish an illustrated version of it. No brainer. Next thing I knew I was getting pencil sketches from the wonderful Owen Claxton in Edinburgh. A few months later, Colin was born. It’s a sweet story, and I’m writing the sequel now. Age? A friend bought it to read to a 2 year old, but I’d say any age really. Officially 6-14.

Leticia

Rob's comeuppance is one story that I actually like.
Why did they come out from linking the story to seasons/happenings? I was irritated that when swathes of the country were underwater the winter before this one Ambridge went happily on as normal and then , after a very dry winter, it starts to rain one day and they have a catastrophic flood!

Good point Leticia, let me explain. We went to a farm during last year’s catastrophic floods and heard and saw first hand what the devastation meant. If we’d done it then we’d have been rightly accused of jumping on the bandwagon. Borsetshire has its own completely unique weather system which very seldom syncs with the rest of the country, so a flood was entirely plausible. The story was written having learned lessons from last year, and acting as a public health message about preparing for the next real ones, which will come. Better that we didn't fictionalise it when people were going through the real thing.

Candelle

I, too, am a long-term listener but have been dismayed by the recent silly story-lines, sorry! Particularly galling was the 'flood'. I thought the Archers tried to be true to seasons/happenings etc., but Borsetshire seems to have been flooded in a very special way! Not your fault, obviously but perhaps you can relate my ire to the producers!

It was obvious that David would not leave Brookfield, thank goodness! Ruth, however, is a different matter. Are you sure she wouldn't be better employed looking after her mother.....?! Just a thought.

Please tell the scriptwriters to concentrate on intense characterisation: we want to know/love/hate Ambridge folk. Silly superfluous story lines just don't do it for some of us.

Oh, when is Rob going to have his comeuppance?! We can't wait!

Many thanks for a mostly enjoyable part of our day.

Regards

Oh Candelle, it’s not silly, it’s utterly character-based and I don’t think it’s superfluous at all, quite the opposite. My wife Judy never normally listens to the programme, but we sat down on the sofa after supper that Sunday, in font of a roaring log fire, glass of wine in our hand, and listened to the flood story omnibus from start to finish in stereo on good speakers, a thing we have never done in the 33 years I’ve been doing it. Technically it was a masterpiece of radio drama. Andy Partington, our brilliant engineer, told me they spent two hours in post production on Eddie in the drain. Poor old Trevor Harrison (Eddie) has got a bad back, and he was doubled up on a chair with his head between his knees, with water being thrown on his face, and every groan was for real! He sounded like he was in a drain, and David and Pip were clearly above him – radio drama is 3D, not 2D and the whole picture was there, in colour. At the end we both had tears in our eyes. I admit that listening to the flood episodically may have been a bit difficult, but as an hour and a quarter radio play it was superb.

For your other point, please see above but let me add that of course you knew in your heart that D&R wouldn’t leave Brookfield, you were meant to, these things don’t happen by accident! The question was WHY wouldn’t they. The whole point was that Sean, our erudite, thoughtful, traditionalist, old-fashioned value, Archers-adoring new producer was selflessly prepared to take four months of flak and be hugely unjustly accused of turning it into trite soap, in order to make the point that The Archers is about families, about the land, about being a custodian of the land, about community and responsibility, loyalty and friendship. All things that I’m sure you all agree should be what the programme is about. It is only when you threaten those things, that you understand better their value.

Frustrated as you are, I'm so glad you enjoy it. Rob? My lips are sealed. (Actually I’ve no idea!).

GrannyLondon

North London! How ever do you get to Ambridge in time for the early morning milking?

I love the Archers & think the present story lines are great. I'm often heard bellowing at the radio while I'm doing the evening washing up.

I'm afraid David drives me nuts, in fact they nearly all do, but that's families for you. I'm sure you are lovely.

Thanks GrannyLondon, I’m sure you are too! Great – see above! Bellowing at the radio is precisely what we want you to do. Wouldn’t it be dull if you didn’t!

GrannyRose

Melodramatic storylines occasionally disrupt our own humdrum lives - and sometimes the impact on survivors is very profound. I just happened to listen while washing up as Tony was paralysed by sudden Spinal Cord Injury - which has affected our family. I was stunned. I anticipated an announcement "if affected by these issues" at the end pf the episode, but I don't think there was one. Please plug the support available from the Spinal Injuries Association, the inspired work of Spinal Research, and the need for continued physio after the NHS has done it's great patch-up work. Spinal Cord injury is relatively rare - and the effects need further publicity. Melanie Reid writes very evocatively in her articles in Saturday Times magazine. They can be hard to read - but we need her insight.

Thank you Grannyrose, I will certainly pass that on.

chloe1984

Do you ever find yourself thinking " what would David do?" Over situations in your own life? By the way if you get the chance could you have a quiet word with Helen over her unsuitable partner .

Hi Chloe1984

Sorry, no not really, because he’s a farmer and I’m an actor and we really are very different people. If you want David to have a quiet word with Helen, you’ll need to persuade a scriptwriter to engineer it. Otherwise Louisa Patikas will think I’ve gone a bit bonkers!

Leticia

You will find feedback and suggestions all over the Internet. I particularly like commenting on Twitter, as it happens. I would love to know if it is read.

I did when it started but unfortunately it seems to have been rather taken over by trolls, so I don’t any more. It’s difficult isn’t it. The RAJAR figures probably give a more accurate figure, and the huge increase in the listenership seems to be saying that people love the programme, even if they find themselves shouting at the radio sometimes! Interestingly, if you analyse the Twitter API, there are far more instances of a search for “thearchers” and “love” than there are “thearchers” and “hate”, also the number of posts to hashtag “thearchers” and “bbcthearchers” are in the low thousands, which is a very small percentage of the 5 million listeners.

Nelliemoser

Hello David Tim I have also been a regular listener for years. I was also sceptical about the selling up of Brookfield ever happening. This was widely speculated about here on GN by us Archers fans.

Do the actors ever get any chance of influencing the script by suggesting that their character would never do or say or act in the manner the scriptwriters have written up for them?

Tell the script writers we don't need high dramatic stories. The Archers works on its characters and their, often irritating, consistencies in behaviour. That is just how real people behave.

My favourite episodes in recent years were about Jenny's reaction to Alice's marriage to Chris Carter and the realisation that Susan Horribin would become a family member. That was really funny and the sort of social comedy that keeps me listening.

Suggest your script writers look at our Archers threads, I think there are couple of them .They might enjoy reading our feedback and suggestions for future story lines.

Hi Nelliemoser

No. We have no say whatsoever, apart from tinkering with bits of dialogue here and there to make it a bit more readable sometimes. I often have to give out advice to farmers, not as much now as they did in the 50’s thank goodness, and that can be hard to get it to trip off the tongue!

‘High dramatic stories’? Well, ‘twas ever thus – just look back over the programme’s history, these things go in waves. David will be back to the milking soon, the Flower and Produce show will be upon us, and Lynda will be recruiting for the panto as normal. I personally thought the flood omnibus was some of the most realistic and moving bits of radio drama I’ve heard for years. And it is a drama series after all, it’s story, and we try to make it the best storytelling we can. Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!

Leticia

I am finding the current story lines are spoiling the programme. I could hardly be bothered to listen to the Brookfield move, it was such a waste of time when it clearly wasn't going to happen.
I hate the way that the script writers change characters to fit a story, e.g Elizabeth and Roy are not a couple who would even look at each other, apart from the work relationship.
I agree very much with Marmight.
Do the script writers/producers/production team take any account of the views of the listeners, who are very vocal in their criticisms?

Hi Leticia

Ah, well I hope I’ve answered some of your points in the above response. In answer to your last question though, yes they do take account of criticism, but they also take account of that other ‘imposter’, praise, too!

suzied

I'm one of the less vocal who are enjoying the new direction of the Archers. I thought the Brookfield move a bit far fetched, but it's had lots of repercussions which have been dramatic. Do the more racy story lines make it more interesting / fun for the actors?

Hi Suzied.

All the people I meet and Archers-mad friends agree with you. The story was carefully crafted to endorse the core traditional values of what the programme is all about. It wasn’t about whether they would move up north, but the absolutely believable and moving and real reasons why they didn’t. When David came to his senses, having read his granddad’s journals, and remembered his father’s words, he was aghast at how he had so nearly betrayed everything that he had been entrusted with, and his speech about ‘I am a farmer’ was really what the whole thing had been leading up to. We knew very well that a lot of people were going to be annoyed, and that the core values were threatened, but it was done with the intention of reminding the listener of what those values were. Sort of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’.

For your other question, well, I’m an actor and yes of course I like good writing, good actors to work with, and very high production values, ‘racy’ or not! I’m so privileged to be allowed to be a small part of this amazing programme.

Marmight

I can't believe that David ever entertained even the notion of selling up and moving to the NE for the sake of an ailing MiL who could have been so easily accommodated in the Midlands . What did you think of this story line and what do you think of the present state of script writing? I have listened, on and off, to the Archers since I was a little girl in the '50's and must say I am disappointed in its gradual descent down the slippery slope to soapdom with its ridiculous story lines. I just liked it as a gentle story of country and farming folk, without all this latest nonsense
Good luck with your books

Thanks for the good luck message Marmight. I think that if it were real life, then it’s entirely plausible that a farmer and his family, given the situation, would think about moving. If you look back at the programme’s history, Phil threatened to divide the farm equally in 2000 and David and Ruth threatened to move to Normandy and farm there. So there is absolutely a precedent for them leaving Brookfield under extreme circumstances.

It really wasn’t about the mother-in-law, it was an entirely practical decision, which real farmers I’ve spoken to have endorsed, about how to survive as a dairy farmer in the present economic climate. I think more difficult is the notion that David and Ruth will be able to continue to be viable by staying. Who knows what fascinating stories in the future will allow them to keep their herd? I’m afraid I’m as in the dark as you!

Gracesgran

I would just like to give you a little reassurance. We had a bypass built near our village which divided a farm in two but they seem to have survived. Worst hit were the local stables who had to find new routes to ride .

My question. Did you feel Elizabeth's and Shula's reaction to David deciding not to sell was in character and do you have any idea when the Archenders scripts will calm down?

Hi Gracegran, thanks for the reassurance, I’ll pass it on. Sorry for your bypass though! To answer your question, well I have two sisters of my own, and they’re not as well off as David’s sisters so they’d probably have been pretty annoyed, but when my wife and I nearly moved two years ago, the sister who lives near us was hugely relieved, because we’re a very loving family. I think David was very pleasantly surprised and touched by their reaction.

I’ve never seen Archenders, what is it?!