Ben Norris, the actor portraying Ben Archer in the Radio 4 soap opera The Archers, has shared that he received hateful messages from individuals within farming communities. These messages stemmed from his character's stance against farmers' protests concerning inheritance tax.
Norris, 34, stated that he was receiving messages from farming friends and individuals in farm families who were strongly critical of his character's position. He explained that he had to clarify, "I'm not him!" to those sending the messages. Some individuals expressed disappointment, noting that their fathers were fans of his work and that the issue significantly impacted them.
He recounted the experience during a discussion at The Archers stage show, held at the New Wimbledon Theatre in south London to commemorate the show's 75th anniversary. Norris explained that his character was written to represent one side of a balanced argument, irrespective of his personal views.
The storyline, broadcast in April of the previous year, followed criticism directed at the BBC for not incorporating the farmers' protests into the show's scripts. Farmers had been blocking central London to demonstrate against proposed inheritance tax plans by the Labour party. These plans initially threatened to impose a 20% tax on inherited assets exceeding £1 million, a measure farmers argued would lead to the closure of smaller farms.
In the episode, Norris's character, Ben, engages in a heated discussion with his on-screen father, David, who laments the high operational costs of farming. David's character expresses concern that small and medium-sized family farms would disappear due to the tax, calling it "desperately unfair."
Ben questions this perspective, asking if the policy is not intended to promote greater fairness. He argues that farmers have historically benefited from taxpayer subsidies and would still receive more favorable tax treatment compared to ordinary estates under the proposed rules. The scene concludes with the characters calculating that their farm, Brookfield, would incur nearly £1 million in taxes over a decade under the policy.
The broadcast of these scenes occurred six months after the initial large-scale farmers' demonstration in London. The Countryside Alliance had previously criticized the BBC for its delayed coverage of the issue within The Archers.
Following significant public outcry, the government revised its tax proposals. The updated plans now apply only to agricultural and business assets exceeding a £2.5 million threshold.
Timothy Bentinck, 73, who plays David Archer, defended the show's initial decision to omit the farmers' demonstrations. He suggested that listeners might not want to engage with the "ghastliness" of real-life events outside the context of the soap opera, describing The Archers as a refuge from the realities of the news.