Archers Star Slams BBC as "Disingenuous" Over Birmingham Studio Decision

Veteran Archers actress Susie Riddell has accused the BBC of being "disingenuous" following the decision to move the recording studio for the long-running Radio 4 drama away from Birmingham, ending a 75-year tradition.

Staff were recently informed that plans for a £1.5 million specialist studio at the Tea Factory in Digbeth, the BBC's new Birmingham headquarters, had been canceled. While production will still relocate to the new headquarters, the BBC is considering moving the recording of The Archers to an existing studio, likely in London, as part of a wider £500 million cost-cutting initiative.

Riddell, who has played Tracy Horrobin for 15 years, stated on the Today Programme that the £1.5 million investment for a "flagship BBC programme and an iconic British institution" that is listened to by five million people would have been "well worth the money" and would make a negligible impact on the overall savings target.

Riddell is among over 100 cast and crew members, including Dame Judi Dench, who signed a letter to Director General Matt Brittin protesting the move. The letter argued that The Archers leaving the Midlands would be comparable to Coronation Street leaving the North West or EastEnders leaving the South East, emphasizing the drama's deep roots in the region.

She added that for the past two years, the team had been led to believe they would be moving into the new Birmingham studio. Riddell expressed concern that Birmingham has been consistently overlooked by the BBC and that The Archers is the last remaining homegrown program in the region. She suggested that the cost of transporting people to another studio, likely in London, could ultimately outweigh the expense of building the new facility.