Bill's Comment Page

Shock! Horror! A gay kiss on 'The Archers'


To add a touch of lightness to a sober few days, this review of last nights's 'momentous' gay kiss, between characters Adam and Ian on BBC Radio4's longtime tale of country folk, touches just the right note. I have been an avid listener to 'The Archers' for many years (even when I lived in Hong Kong some years ago, where it was carried by the local relay of BFBS, the British forces' network) and while it has almost totally ceased to be about what it is supposed to be about (country folk), instead being much more an idealised portrayal of country life seen through the rosy view of many city-dwellers, it remains a very powerful piece of popular drama where, whatever disaster befalls some of its denizens (the death of character John under a tractor in recent years, for example) it still conveys the comforting notion that life in a small community must always be better than life in a big city, even though the reality may be slightly different.