The Archers Live: Charles Collingwood, who plays Brian Aldridge, to appear at the Guildhall in hometown show
A Portsmouth actor who has been a familiar voice to millions over several decades will appear on stage in his home town
An actor who lives in Portsmouth and who has played a radio soap character for more than 50 years will appear in his home town - so will not have far to travel to the theatre.
Charles Collingwood has played farmer Brian Aldridge in The Archers for decades. He will now appear at the Portsmouth Guildhall as part of a live version of the soap, bringing the fictional village of Ambridge to life around the country. It’s part of the programme’s 75th anniversary.
The tour runs from this month to November, and will be at The Kings on Sunday, June 21. Each performance features a cast of four actors alongside Vanessa Nuttall, The Archers’ live sound-effects specialist. Charles is part of the Produce Cast, with the Flower Cast appearing at other dates.
The Portsmouth date will see Charles and fellow Produce Cast members Ryan Kelly who plays Jazzer McCreary, Susie Riddell who is Tracy Horrobin and Sunny Ormonde, who plays Lilian Bellamy.
Charles said: “The venue is six miles from my house! My character Brian would never want to go on tour; he would find it a distraction from the ongoing problems at Home Farm! I, however, am longing to celebrate the Archers 75th Anniversary with enthusiastic vigour. May The Produce Show produce the goods in every way, a show full of fun, laughter and surprises! Roll up Roll up!”
Host Angela Barnes said: “I am not just an Archers superfan, I am obsessed with all things Ambridge. So to be asked to host The Archers: Live at 75 is like winning a prize at the Flower and Produce Show and being cast as the lead in a Lynda Snell production, all rolled into one. I can’t wait to hang out with all of my favourite characters and really immerse myself in Borsetshire life.”
First broadcast on January 1, 1951, The Archers is the world’s longest-running radio drama. It broadcasts six times a week to millions of listeners, and so far there have been more than 20,000 episodes.
The Archers: Live at 75 is set within a reimagining of the Ambridge Flower and Produce Show, and will include on-stage interviews, insider stories and gossip, live performances with live foley sound effects of specially written scenes created exclusively for the tour, and archive treasures spanning seven decades from the BBC vaults.
There will also be demonstrations of the sound-effects artistry that brings the fields, kitchens and barns of Ambridge to life, audience questions, and an interactive pub quiz from The Bull.