Radio
Archers prequel pays tribute to Peggy Woolley
The production celebrates the actress behind Peggy, June Spencer, who died last year as well as VE Day 80th…
Beginning on 4th May, BBC Radio 4 listeners will have the chance to step back in time in Victory at Ambridge, a two-part audio drama marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Based on the novel by Catherine Miller and dramatized by The Archers writer Tim Stimpson, this prequel takes audiences to the heart of rural England during one of history’s most significant turning points and stars the much-loved voices of The Archers cast.
Producer Kim Greengrass:
“Victory at Ambridge is a heartfelt tribute to resilience, community, and the triumphs and tribulations of everyday life during World War II. This special prequel takes listeners on a thrilling, wartime adventure, and gives Archers fans a unique glimpse into the hidden history which shaped modern-day Ambridge.”
Set six years before The Archers began in 1951, during the twelve months leading up to VE Day in 1945, Victory at Ambridge captures the resilience of village life as it continues amidst the backdrop of the seemingly unending war: including births, deaths, Flower and Produce Show rivalries, Women’s Institute in-fighting, and blossoming romance.
During excavations of an 18th century grotto in the grounds of Lower Loxley, a series of enigmatic prophecies are unearthed, predicting death and destruction, and the residents of wartime Ambridge are drawn into solving a cryptic mystery which sets the village alight, and which comes to a dramatic climax on VE Day, 8th May 1945.
June Spencer in a BBC Midlands PR Photo from the 1950s
The drama will give new insights into the early lives of many of Ambridge’s most loved characters, including Peggy Archer (later to become Peggy Woolley), paying tribute to June Spencer, who played the role of Peggy for over seventy years before her death last year aged 105.
At Brookfield Farm, Dan and Doris Archer (Timothy Bentinck and Felicity Finch) worry about their eldest son Jack’s pregnant wife, Peggy (Emerald O’Hanrahan), stuck in bomb-stricken London, whilst Jack is away at war. Is inviting her to live with them in Ambridge the right thing to do – and how will a city-girl like Peggy cope with life in the sticks?
The Brookfield land girl, Wanda Lafromboise (Madeleine Lesley), is embracing rural life, especially when dashing RAF officer and war hero, Max Gilpin (Angus Stobie), arrives in the village. Bob Little (Ryan Kelly), publican at The Bull, is mired in grief at the death of his son in action and offers a home to Roza (Susie Riddell), a Polish refugee. Local scoundrel Walter Gabriel (Nick Barber) makes sure that there is a thriving black market.
And at Lower Loxley, which has been requisitioned as a care home for wounded RAF officers, Pamela Pargetter (also played by Susie Riddell) struggles to keep up with the ever-changing plans of her easily-led son, Gerald (also played by Nick Barber).
Part one of Victory at Ambridge will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 4th May at 15:00, with part two at the same time the following week. Both parts will be available on BBC Sounds from 4th May.
