All About The Archers

Listen and watch on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-about-the-archers/id1706526260Katie and Philippa review events in Ambridge from Sunday 27 to Tuesday 29 September. And we're worried, because Emma has just said life's good. Tornado, flood or loose elephant in the dog field: something is coming.Philippa has done her research (badly) and brings three baby name suggestions for George and Amber, all better than theirs, obviously. Katie wonders how the name will sound with Grundy on the end, and hopes Joe survives as a middle name.We also talk about Amber's first days as a mum. We thought the writing was beautifully done, from the pain and exhaustion to that shopping list left on the side, and we're sending her solidarity. Susan steps in brilliantly, and gets a gossip in about Harrison and Lily while she's at it.Plus: team Martyn or team Brian, Lynda's dog field plans, Martyn telling Ed to "talk to the Archers", where the Grundys are all going to live, and Brian and Adam. Brian is still not reading the room.Philippa also thanks Julie and Morgan at the BBC office for letting her join their event, where she read the parts of Adam and Lilian, sound effects and all.We finish with Star of the Week, Twit of the Week and our predictions. Katie's are very wise. Philippa's are not.We're back next Tuesday. Share your baby name ideas for George and Amber in the Facebook group.Topics covered: Amber Gordon | George Grundy | Emma Grundy | Ed Grundy | Eddie Grundy | Clarrie Grundy | Will Grundy | Poppy Grundy | Joe Grundy | Susan Carter | Harrison Burns | Lily Pargetter | Brian Aldridge | Adam Macy | Ian Craig | Xander Macy | Lynda Snell | Martyn Gibson | Oliver Sterling | Lilian Bellamy | The Archers September 2026

Philippa is back with Dr Charlotte Martin, who plays Susan Carter in The Archers, for part two — and the Facebook group have come up with some brilliant questions.Charlotte answers whether she would actually be friends with Susan in real life (probably not — she'd want to know too much about your personal life), whether Tracy is scared of Susan (she's not, she looks up to her), and whether Susan was secretly right to side with Bert against Chris. She talks about what it was like playing the prison storyline when it first aired, why George working in the shop after coming out of prison was so personal to Susan, and why Clive and Bert will probably continue to haunt her no matter how far she climbs.Also covered: the much-missed partnership with Clary in the dairy and what Helen did to end it, why so many Ambridge characters are still working past sixty, the long-running question of why Susan and Tracy have such different accents, how scripts get tweaked when a word does not quite feel like Susan, and Emerald Sherwood's remarkable job of studying Charlotte's accent to play Emma.Plus Charlotte's dream of Susan and Jolene doing Race Across the World together, confirmation that she really does want that radio show back, and one of the best descriptions of Susan ever committed to podcast: a WhatsApp group with a tabard.Topics covered: Susan Carter | Tracy Fuller | Bert Horrobin | Clive Horrobin | Emma Grundy | George Grundy | Clary | Charlotte Martin | Prison storyline | Race Across the World | The Archers 2026

Quentin is away this week, so it's just Katie and Philippa reviewing events in Ambridge from Sunday 20 to Tuesday 22 September. And Katie has a lot to say.We start with the wedding. Pip and Stella were clear about whose names went on the invites, so how have Seren and Nova ended up on the guest list? Katie, veteran of a child-free wedding, is not impressed. We also wonder just how bejewelled the twins' dresses will be.Then there's Ruth's visit to Anna, and a shepherd's pie we're fairly sure belonged to Leonard. Is Ruth being kind, or does she need to read the room? The Facebook group is split, and so are we. We also give Alan some well-deserved praise for being a real friend to Anna this week.Plus: Lynda and Robert go house hunting, what Bridge Farm Botanicals will actually have to do with Bridge Farm, Brad's forensic knowledge of the bus timetable and his first driving lesson with Jazzer, George and Eddie in the community (and Grundy) orchard, and whether Amber is really on board with the name Josephine.We finish with Star of the Week, Twit of the Week and our predictions.Listening on Apple Podcasts but don't want the video? Tap "Turn video off" under the episode to hear the audio only. Or press the side button to lock your phone, and the audio will keep playing. Listen and watch on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-about-the-archers/id1706526260Coming this weekend: part two of our interview with Charlotte Martin, who plays Susan, answering your questions.

Listen and watch on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-about-the-archers/id1706526260Philippa and Quentin cover the week in Ambridge — Sunday 13th to Tuesday 15th September — and it has been a week of rank hypocrisy, a destroyed watch and some very Barbara Windsor energy from Jolene.Jolene finds out about Harrison and Lily and delivers one of the most EastEnders moments in recent Archers history. Quentin points out that Jolene is perhaps not best placed to take the moral high ground given her own history. Philippa agrees but also thinks Fallon was quietly adding fuel to the fire throughout. Harrison is getting it from every side and is trying to be honest about everything, which is not going well for him. He has also suggested to Lily that this could be long term — both hosts think he needs to slow down considerably. And Fallon has left a permanent contract for a cut of participants at the Cruck Barn while Harrison still pays most of the bills at the cottage. Quentin thinks the sooner they sell it the better.Leonard and Tony try to do something kind for Carol and it goes spectacularly wrong when the watch they fix turns out to be the one that stopped at the moment Richard died. Quentin finds a surprisingly moving reason to understand Carol's reaction. Philippa suggests just taking the battery out again.Carol is driving most people in the Facebook group mad, though some listeners who have been through similar situations are firmly on her side. One Facebook commenter says Carol makes them miss Bert. Joy turns out to have a City and Guilds in jewellery. The repair grotto — or ghetto, Quentin was not sure — is getting too big for Tony to manage. And Lynda and Robert are going to have to sell Ambridge Hall.Plus Kenton's reaction still to come, Amber must be due soon, and Philippa's predictions involve Joy as a highly qualified hitwoman hired by Jolene to kill Harrison.Star of the Week, Twit of the Week and a reminder that the Charlotte Martin interview part one is out now and the love for it has been wonderful.Topics covered: Jolene Archer | Harrison Burns | Fallon Rogers | Lily Pargetter | Carol | Anna | Leonard | Joy | Mick | Lynda Snell | Robert Snell | The Archers September 2026

Philippa sits down with Dr Charlotte Martin, who plays Susan Carter in The Archers, for the first of two episodes — for a conversation about one of Ambridge's most beloved and most underestimated characters.Charlotte talks about how Susan has changed almost imperceptibly over the decades — from naive young girl to gossip to, increasingly, the person people come to for genuinely good advice. She reflects on the solid foundation of Susan and Neil's marriage, Susan's complicated relationship with social aspiration and what Jennifer Aldridge represented to her, and why the moment Alice and Chris got together felt like Susan finally arriving.They discuss the George storyline in depth — the awful dilemma of reporting your own grandson, the echoes of the Clive situation, and why Charlotte believes George has always had a good core and is now finally finding his way. There is a warm and considered defence of George that may well change how you hear him.Bert gets his own section. Charlotte reveals she was in awe of the actor who plays him because of The Detectorists, explains why Tracy has always borne the brunt of his care and what that says about their different childhoods, and confirms they have had enormous fun recording those scenes including the walker coming up to the microphone.Plus: Keira and the audition that made Charlotte's mind up immediately, what Susan's friendship with Jolene could look like and why it should happen, the case for Susan getting her radio show back with an agony aunt slot, the 75th anniversary tour and what it has been like playing to packed houses of genuine fans, and the biscuit question.Part two, with listener questions from the Facebook group, follows in two weeks.Topics covered: Susan Carter | Neil Carter | George Grundy | Amber | Keira | Bert Horrobin | Tracy | Jennifer Aldridge | Alice Carter | Jolene Archer | 75th anniversary tour | Angela Barnes | The Archers 2026

Philippa and Katie cover the week in Ambridge — Sunday 6th to Tuesday 8th September — and Harrison and Lily have moved considerably faster than anyone predicted.From moving trestle tables on Sunday to moving furniture of a different kind entirely by Tuesday, Harrison and Lily have gone for it. Fallon has commented that Lily is such a sweetheart. Harrison has mentioned a walk up Lakey Hill. Jolene has offered bacon sandwiches. Nobody has said anything out loud yet but it is only a matter of time. Both hosts are here for it, worried about how clingy Lily might get, and absolutely certain Fallon is going to find out the worst possible way.The Flower and Produce Show on Sunday was a genuine highlight — eleven characters, four types of cake, Dom from the Repair Shop fixing Tony's model tractor, Keira winning a prize, Usha's extraordinary fruit tableau, and Martyn's speech about excellent garlic that neither host heard enough of. Clarrie is back. Leonard is back. It felt like proper Archers.Carol rings Anna at half past six in the morning about a baby bat. It does not go well. Robert and Lynda are getting cancellations at the B&B and Lynda says she is exhausted. Both hosts think it is time to downsize.Plus: whether Jolene's smoothie could really have won anything, Rex's narrowboat as a potential Harrison and Lily love nest, the Charlotte Martin interview out this weekend, and a reminder that All About The Archers is now available as video on Apple Podcasts.Star of the Week, Twitter of the Week and predictions including Usha becoming a judge on a radish-based television programme.Topics covered: Harrison Burns | Lily Pargetter | Fallon Rogers | Jolene Archer | Carol | Anna | Robert Snell | Lynda Snell | Flower and Produce Show | Tony Archer | Keira | Usha Franks | Dom | The Archers September 2026