Further education

The Archers academic conference: hot ticket for Radio 4 fans and insurgency experts

At this year’s event a Nato adviser talks about terrorism in Ambridge. Plus: papers on public lying and the housing crisis

Louise Tickle

@louisetickle

Tue 13 Feb 2018 07.00 GMT

Britain in 2026. A minority government is struggling to maintain control as a radical insurgent movement led by a charismatic fanatic with links to terror groups is wreaking havoc. Intelligence reports suggest a small village in the English countryside has become the hub of this revolutionary activity.

The scenario will be discussed earnestly on Saturday by, among others, James Armstrong, a political adviser to Nato in Afghanistan, who will give a talk that seeks, he says, to 「unite the unfashionable disciplines of Archers studies and counter-insurgency doctrine」.

Yes, this is the third academic Archers conference, this year being held at the British Library, where varied disciplines will meet to delve into plotlines, motives, and sociological and ecological interpretations of the long-running Radio 4 soap about country life.

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Armstrong’s talk will look at how the US army counter-insurgency manual might be applied to a simulated insurgency in Ambridge, the famous Archers village. Western militaries, Armstrong’s abstract explains, 「have struggled to develop realistic simulations for counter-insurgency training. It is hoped that the paper will demonstrate the difficulties of applying a universal counter-insurgency approach.」

A revolutionary insurgency in Ambridge might seem to stretch credibility. But the academic discussion of Archers storylines has become a hot ticket for the soap’s 5 million fans. Treats in store for delegates include a session on 「The housing crisis in Borsetshire」 – currently a pressing concern for the young couple Emma and Ed Grundy, who are struggling to buy a home in an area where house prices are out of reach for locals – and an afternoon spent discussing 「Women of Ambridge」, during which 「gossip, power and the working-class matriarch」 will be explored.

Co-founded by three Archers devotees, Cara Courage, from Tate Modern, Nicola Headlam, of Oxford University, and Peter Matthews, from Stirling university, the conference is serious – speakers are research academics or respected experts in their field – and, quite explicitly, 「a way of getting fans together to have a whole day talking about The Archers」, says Courage. Part of the reason that 5 million people listen in regularly, Courage says, is that the storylines 「bring up really important issues: it’s not just a bucolic idea of the countryside」.

Last year, the domestic abuse storyline involving Helen and Rob Titchener prompted a psychology research paper exploring why someone might turn violent and controlling. A forensic scientist explained blood-spatter patterning after Helen’s knife attack on Rob, and a nutritionist looked at the quality of food provided to pregnant and lactating women in prison, drawing on the fact that Helen gave birth while on remand. There was a gasp from Archers fans when it was revealed that the budget for a prisoner’s food is £1.86 per day.

Charlotte Martin, the actor who plays Susan Carter is, in her non-thespian life, a research psychologist at Warwick University, specialising in young people’s mental health. Charlotte Connor, as she’s known in academic circles, tweeted about the conference on both previous occasions. 「There were papers about mental health that were of real interest to me,」 she says.

This time, she’s chairing the afternoon session. 「How could I resist?」 she asks, explaining her fascination at the prospect of hearing fellow academics discuss her character’s tendency to gossip.

Gossip is one thing. Out and out lies are quite another. Who is Ambridge’s biggest fibber? At the Institute of Education, researcher Ruth Heilbronn, a listener for 30 years, is giving a talk on Fibbing in The Archers in tandem with her colleague, archeologist Rosalind Janssen, who first listened to the programme as a child in the 1960s. 「We』re looking at the topic of lying in public and the implications this raises for trust,」 says Heilbronn. All highly topical in the era of fake news.

Claire Astbury, head of housing strategy and development for Luton council, has been a listener for 15 years. Astbury is drawing on her professional expertise for her paper, 「Rich Relatives or Ambridge Fairy: Patronage and Expectation in Ambridge Housing Pathways」. Given the pressing housing dilemmas causing concern for many Archers families, she may well have hit a nerve.

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The Ambridge Fairy to which Astbury refers is a wry nod to the good fortune that smiles on certain characters in the Archers who have well-off relatives – Pip bunks up in lavish style at her aunt’s stately home, and Harrison the policeman gets family help to buy a house with his girlfriend, Fallon.

Astbury also questions whether Pat and Tony Archer have done the right thing by flogging off a wodge of their land for nearly a million pounds to the local developer Justin Elliott. 「The land isn』t being used in the best way for the most community benefit,」 she says. 「And how realistic is it that Emma [Grundy] will be able to buy even a starter home at 80% of full market value?」

But, in truth, is this conference really an academic endeavour? 「We wouldn』t do something naff using our institution’s name, says Heilbronn. 「What we do is academically respectable. It’s great fun as well.」

Tickets are available at academicarchers.net. The conference will be live-streamed.

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本文來源：https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/feb/13/archers-conference-ticket-radio-4-ambridge