For the Love of The Archers: An Unofficial Companion, by Beth Miller: A review of this recently published book (2015)

I have been an avid fan of ‘The Archers’ for about 30 years now and have acquired several Archers books over the years. I have to say that this is the most entertaining one to date. Of course it does help that this book is right up to date, and includes some very recent story-lines. That aside, I like the format which Beth Miller has used. There are ‘Meet the Characters’ sections and also ‘Welcome to Ambridge’ the latter which describes in more detail the various dwellings in the village and beyond. There are ‘memorable moments’ sections and also listener portraits; these are from a varied selection and include the scriptwriter Keri Davies and other authors, poets and well-known faces. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Gone but not forgotten’ features including of course Nigel Pargeter, John Archer and Grace Archer.
I should mention here that I am a member of two facebook groups, Ambridge Addicts and Archers Appreciation, the latter of which has a mention in the back of the book as a source of even more information. It is a testament to the popularity of radio today that there are so many fan groups devoted to just one soap/drama series. I would particularly recommend this book to my fellow Addicts/Appreciators. I think they would enjoy the who’s who of the silent characters, a list of all the named animals included and even some of the Christmas Village Productions which have taken place since the arrival of Lynda Snell in the village.
Finally, for Archers meet-ups and families who are addicted, there are 22 different themed quizzes for enjoying a real life ‘Quiz Night at the Bull.’ I strongly recommend that fans past, present and future put this book on their Christmas list, or better still buy it themselves just to be sure of getting a copy!