Charles Collingwood reflects on 50 years on The Archers
"It's that time when people are getting supper or they're driving back from the station, they're having their first drink before putting the children to bed. "You can commit to 15 minutes. Half an hour, forty minutes is an event."
Set in the fictional Midlands village of Ambridge, it has been recorded at various locations in Birmingham since 1950, including making its home at The Mailbox, in 2004. Mr Collingwood's character, Brian, a wealthy young farmer, was introduced to the Radio 4 drama in 1975.
'Turned him into a womaniser'
A year later, he married Jennifer Archer, and they were together until her death in January 2023."He was very happily married and wealthy and brought up Jennifer's children, and I think they were in danger of being written out of the programme, because lovely as that is in real life, there's not much drama in that," said Mr Collingwood."And then they overnight turned him into a womaniser and it rather changed my life."
Back in real life, Aldridge recalls how a new teacher of his daughter, Jane, had a passionate reaction about the prospect of her in the classroom."We met the staff and they met us and I think I asked a question," he remembered."It came back to me later that her new form teacher stormed into the staff room saying, 'I'm not teaching that girl, her father's Brian Aldridge!'."Only about a month ago, my grandson who's nine - Jane's son - came back from school saying: 'My teacher said, is it true that your grandpa is Brian in The Archers?'"So there we are, that's an illustration of how long I've been playing this part," he laughed.
Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
35 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Breakfast legend returns to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting sofa
A BREAKFAST legend has returned to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting the sofa. The presenter previously fronted the corporation's flagship morning show for nine years. 4 Louise Minchin returned to BBC daytime Credit: BBC 4 She appeared on Morning Live with Gaby Roslin and Rav Wilding Credit: BBC Louise Minchin, 56, became a regular anchor on BBC Breakfast in 2012 when she hosted the programme for three days a week. Initially she sat on the red sofa alongside the likes of Bill Turnbull and Charlie Stayt, 63. This was before she established a regular partnership with Dan Walker, 48, who now presents the news on 5. In June 2021, she announced she was leaving the show after 20 years on air before making her final departure in September. Now the star returned to daytime broadcasting on BBC One as she made an appearance on Morning Live. Gaby Roslin, 60, and Rav Wilding, 47, introduced the star as a 'consumer expert'. She appeared on the main rival to ITV's This Morning to give her take on the drop in car insurance costs. This comes after bosses at the publicly funded corporation chose Louise to replace Angela Rippon on Rip Off Britain. The TV personality was sat on the kitchen island alongside the likes of Dr Kiran Morjaria and gardener Mark Lane. Gaby took to her Instagram grid page as she revelled in the company of the broadcast veteran. BBC Breakfast hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt forced to pull live broadcast after 'dead dog' shown on-screen She could be seen pushing Louise who swung on one of the show's plush swivel chairs in the brightly lit studio. She captioned the video: "Good morning everyone. Pre show shenanigans here @bbcmorninglive with @louiseminchin and we are so ready to spin around on this Friday morning." Before she took to the airwaves, Naga Munchetty and Charlie fronted the Friday edition of BBC Breakfast amid growing tensions. It has previously been revealed the show's editor Richard Frediani, has taken an extended period of leave amid claims of bullying. Who are the current presenters of BBC Breakfast? The flagship BBC show has had dozens of presenters during its impressive 40 years on air but the current stars are: Jon Kay - Since 2022 Sally Nugent - Since 2021 Charlie Stayt - Since 2006 Naga Munchetty - Since 2014 Carol Kirkwood - Since 1997 Naga, 50, is said to be at the 'end of her tether' with Frediani and the fractious working environment. She was also alleged to have used a slang term for a sexual act off-air in separate damning claims. A BBC spokesperson previously said: "While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values. "We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.' The fresh claims emerged as Beeb bosses urged any member of staff with concerns to raise them. 4 The presenter was introduced as a 'consumer expert' as she now fronts Rip Off Britain Credit: BBC
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
Breakfast legend returns to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting sofa
A BREAKFAST legend has returned to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting the sofa. The presenter previously fronted the corporation's flagship morning show for nine years. 4 4 Louise Minchin, 56, became a regular anchor on BBC Breakfast in 2012 when she hosted the programme for three days a week. Initially she sat on the red sofa alongside the likes of Bill Turnbull and Charlie Stayt, 63. This was before she established a regular partnership with Dan Walker, 48, who now presents the news on 5. In June 2021, she announced she was leaving the show after 20 years on air before making her final departure in September. Now the star returned to daytime broadcasting on BBC One as she made an appearance on Morning Live. Gaby Roslin, 60, and Rav Wilding, 47, introduced the star as a 'consumer expert'. She appeared on the main rival to ITV 's This Morning to give her take on the drop in car insurance costs. Angela Rippon on Rip Off Britain. The TV personality was sat on the kitchen island alongside the likes of Dr Kiran Morjaria and gardener Mark Lane. Gaby took to her Instagram grid page as she revelled in the company of the broadcast veteran. BBC Breakfast hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt forced to pull live broadcast after 'dead dog' shown on-screen She could be seen pushing Louise who swung on one of the show's plush swivel chairs in the brightly lit studio. She captioned the video: "Good morning everyone. Pre show shenanigans here @bbcmorninglive with @louiseminchin and we are so ready to spin around on this Friday morning." Before she took to the airwaves, Naga Munchetty and Charlie fronted the Friday edition of BBC Breakfast amid growing tensions. It has previously been revealed the show's editor Richard Frediani, has taken an extended period of leave amid claims of bullying. Naga, 50, is said to be at the 'end of her tether' with Frediani and the fractious working environment. She was also alleged to have used a slang term for a sexual act off-air in separate damning claims. A BBC spokesperson previously said: "While we do not comment on individual cases, we take all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values. "We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed.' The fresh claims emerged as Beeb bosses urged any member of staff with concerns to raise them. 4 4
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Gary Lineker says BBC should ‘hold its head in shame' for dropping Gaza film
Gary Lineker has said the BBC should 'hold its head in shame' over its failure to show a documentary about the plight of medics in Gaza. The former Match of the Day presenter said people at 'the very top of the BBC' had been failing over the conflict, following the corporation's controversial decision to drop Gaza: Doctors Under Attack. It is the first time Lineker has criticised his former employer since he left the broadcaster in May. His departure came after he apologised for amplifying online material with antisemitic connotations. He had reposted a video about Gaza that contained a picture of a rat, imagery used in the Nazi era to attack Jews. A clearly emotional Lineker was speaking at a private viewing of the Gaza medics documentary in London on Thursday night, where he led a question and answer session with the producers after the showing. 'It needed to be seen, it really did need to be seen – I think everyone would agree with that,' he said. 'I think the BBC should hold its head in shame. 'As someone who's worked for the corporation for 30 years, to see the way it's declined in the last year or two has been devastating really, because I've defended it and defended it against claims that it's partial. It talks about impartiality all the time. 'The truth is at the moment, [there is a problem] at the very top of the BBC. Not [all] the BBC because there are thousands and thousands of people that work at the BBC, that are good people, that understand what is going on here and can see it. We see it on our phones every day. The problem is they're bowing to the pressure from the top. This is a worry and I think time's coming where a lot of people are going to be answerable to this, and complicity is something that will come to many.' The BBC Radio 5 presenter Nihal Arthanayake responded to a video of Lineker's comments by saying: 'Gary Lineker is a good man. He is spot on about the BBC.' The BBC has been approached over his comments. It has previously said it had been attempting to find ways to use the documentary material in news coverage, but a final decision was made to drop the film entirely after talks broke down with its producers, Basement Films. There has been considerable internal unrest over the failure to broadcast the programme, with the director general, Tim Davie, facing questions about it at a recent virtual meeting with staff. More than 100 BBC staff signed a letter criticising the decision to drop the film. It ends a torrid week for the BBC, which has also been hit with the fallout from its failure to cut the live feed of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance. Davie has come under significant pressure from ministers over the broadcast. During the live stream, Bobby Vylan, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, led chants of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces, at Glastonbury last Saturday. While Davie has received a vote of confidence from the BBC board and its chair, Samir Shah, more junior figures appear to be expected to take the blame for the incident. There have been unconfirmed reports that Lorna Clarke, who oversees pop music commissioning at the BBC, has stood back from her duties. A BBC spokesperson said: 'We would urge people not to speculate, particularly in relation to any individuals.' BBC insiders have pointed to editorial cuts as fuelling issues around the monitoring of live streams. One said many of the BBC staff who worked on Glastonbury were volunteers from other teams, especially on digital-only streams.
