For the first time in its storied 75-year history, the beloved BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers is set to leave the airwaves for the stage. A major national tour, titled The Archers: Live at 75, will bring the fictional village of Ambridge to life for fans across the country in 2026.
What to Expect from the Ambridge Stage Experience
The live show will be set at the iconic Ambridge Flower & Produce Show, offering audiences an immersive slice of Borsetshire life. Attendees won't just be watching; they'll be invited to participate in a pub quiz at The Bull, put tricky questions to a BBC archivist, and join in a communal singalong of the programme's famous theme tune.
Comedian and self-confessed Archers obsessive Angela Barnes will host the celebrations. Each performance will feature a rotating cast of actors from the radio series, blending long-standing Ambridge favourites with newer voices. The full casting lineup is scheduled to be announced in early 2026.
A Major Tour for a Broadcasting Milestone
Produced by Fane Productions in collaboration with the BBC, the tour is a centrepiece of the show's diamond anniversary celebrations. The Archers: Live at 75 will run from June to November 2026, visiting 29 venues nationwide.
The tour will kick off in Manchester before travelling to locations including Oxford, Stockton-on-Tees, and Glasgow. The final performance is slated for Wolverhampton.
From Imagination to the Stage
This venture marks a significant moment for the world's longest-running drama, which has lived primarily in the imaginations of its listeners. Alison Hindell, BBC Radio 4's Drama and Fiction Commissioner, stated the live show aims to give fans "even more of what they love" during this milestone year.
Angela Barnes expressed her delight, saying: "To be asked to host The Archers: Live at 75 is like winning a prize at the Flower and Produce show... I can't wait to hang out with all of my favourite characters."
James Albrecht and Serena Brett of Fane Productions described the project as a "wonderfully fun creative challenge" to take a cherished BBC brand and make it "leap out of the studio and on to the stage".
This isn't the programme's first foray beyond radio. In 2019, fans were welcomed into its Birmingham studios, where they saw behind-the-scenes secrets like the distinctive doorbells for each property and the glass of Lego bricks used to simulate clinking ice in The Bull.
As the top on-demand show on BBC Sounds for listeners of all ages, including those under 35, this ambitious tour is poised to unite generations of fans in a unique, celebratory experience.
