BBC shelves plans for new Archers studio as part of cost-cutting

The BBC has shelved plans to build a new bespoke studio for The Archers in Birmingham as part of its wider drive to cut costs, opening up the possibility that the Radio 4's series could be recorded outside the city for the first time.

The world's longest-running soap opera, The Archers has been recording in the West Midlands city for 75 years.

The BBC had initially pledged to build the show a new studio in the Tea Factory, the corporation's new hub in Digbeth, central Birmingham.

But the broadcaster said it was "currently assessing the BBC's existing studio facilities around the UK as well as other external studio options in the West Midlands".

"We recognise and value The Archers' long-standing relationship with the West Midlands, which remains an important part of the programme's future," the statement added.

The BBC Radio 4 drama, set in the fictional West Midlands village of Ambridge, first aired nationally on 1 January 1951. It celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this year.

The Equity entertainment union said cast members were "angry at the proposals and will fight them".

"The Archers is THE iconic radio drama, and it being recorded, and produced in the region where the story and characters are based is integral to the show," general secretary Paul W Fleming said.

"Equity cast members are up in arms at this short-sighted proposal which will disrupt the programme and leave the West Midlands, and the BBC, poorer."

One cast member, Tony Turner, who has played Vince Casey for seven years, told BBC Midlands Today the proposals were "all very troubling".

"I don't know anyone in the cast or in the building actually that's happy about it."

He said the show's history means it has "a commitment to Birmingham, and we're proud of that, and we'd like to stay here".

Turner added that the cast were "all a bit worried" that the BBC "might be thinking a bit short term, and that it might not be that great a saving after all".

He added: "It costs a certain amount of money to build a studio, but it also costs a hell of a lot of money to move into to a different city - say London or Cardiff, for instance - and run the show there.

"I think people would be very unhappy after 75 years to lose The Archers, or even to just to lose it to another city."

Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker said he was "very disappointed by news that the BBC plans to move its production out of the city".

"The Archers was born in Birmingham and is a key part of our broadcasting heritage," he wrote in a statement.

"We have the talent and the facilities here. There is no good reason why we should lose a programme that has called Birmingham home for decades."

Parker said he would meet BBC director general Matt Brittin later this week to "discuss every available option" to keep The Archers in Birmingham.

"The BBC promised to invest and support our regions, this is entirely the opposite of that," he said.

A spokesperson for the BBC said the corporation was looking to find a solution that would "deliver significant savings whilst also maintaining The Archers' high production standards".

They confirmed that the series' production team is still set to move "as planned" to Digbeth in early 2028, but, "after careful consideration", they would no longer be building a new recording studio in the Tea Factory.

The statement also noted that The Archers' recording schedule meant cast members are in the studio approximately eight days a month, with many actors travelling to the recordings because they live in locations across the UK.

"The impact on the cast will be fully considered as part of our assessment process," the spokesperson said, emphasising that "no final decision has been made".