Press Club Gets Exclusive Insight into Life at Ambridge

Taking aim at the Archers: Press Club chairman John Lamb with BBC presenter Nick Owen and Melissa Dickinson, Press Club director

09 May 2011

Birmingham Press Club – the oldest organisation of its kind in the world - is providing its members with an exclusive insight into life with The Archers, the world’s longest running radio drama.

And it will also be giving members a “sneak peek” inside the Birmingham studios where the programme is recorded.

The Press Club event takes place on June 6 at the BBC’s Mailbox Studios in Birmingham, when journalist Chris Arnot, co-author of The Archers’ Archives, will discuss life and stories from Ambridge, the fictional home of “everyday country folk” which has enthralled the nation for 60 years.

Chris will also be interviewed by popular BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen, who has agreed to take questions from the audience.

Press Club Chairman John Lamb said: “This promises to be a great event, bringing together two long-established Birmingham institutions.

“It is generating much excitement amongst Press Club members who are fans of The Archers and we are indebted to the BBC – and Chris - for providing us with a privileged insight into Ambridge life.”

Chris Arnot has been a freelance journalist for 20 years – and an ardent Archers listener for much longer! Formerly on the staff of the Coventry Telegraph, he writes for The Guardian and has also been a contributor to The Independent, Daily Telegraph and The Observer.

His co-author of The Archers Archives, scriptwriter Simon Frith, who lives in rural Gloucestershire, has been a regular contributor to the programme since 1983. He has also written for television series such as The Bill and Doctors.

The event is being supported by Clive Reeves Public Relations, whose managing director, Clive Reeves, is a self-confessed “Archers’ addict.”

¥ Attendance at the event is free, but spaces are limited. To book your place, please e-mail: mdickinson@st-philips.com