For over 7 years, the Revd Canon Dr Sandra Millar, Director of Mission and Ministry, has been working behind the scenes as an informal advisor for one of Britain’s most beloved radio dramas, ‘The Archers’. Her work has been spotlighted in ‘The Archers’ podcast, where she was a featured guest on 21 December.
The podcast, which first aired in September, explores the stories and people behind the scenes of ‘The Archers’. The podcast’s host, Emma Freud, has conversations with different members of the team each week, including writers, actors, producers, and even fans.
Sandra said: “It was very exciting to be on the podcast, and we discussed a range of topics relating to my role, the show and its characters, and rural church life.
“Being an advisor on the show is something I haven’t really talked about, it always felt informal and confidential. Not many people really knew that I did this prior to the podcast. Then the podcast was created, and now people from behind the scenes are being talked about.”
‘The Archers’ is a long-running Radio 4 soap set in the fictional rural village of Ambridge, which has been broadcast in Britain since 1951.
“It’s about ordinary life, it’s about the way in which people have relationships, and go through life, death and love. Unlike other dramas where something significant happens to an individual or the community and its forgotten, the show reflects on the impact for years, just as we do in real life. That’s part of its appeal, it journeys with its characters through the ups and downs.
“As clergy, we often get frustrated by caricatures of clergy in the media. It’s important for shows to portray professions and lifestyles with integrity. I feel that ‘The Archers’ does this exceptionally well. They’re great at portraying grief and bereavement, following through on emotions and relationships in ways that feel very real.”
Sandra’s role for the show began during her tenure as the Church of England’s national lead for weddings, christenings, and funerals.
She explained: “A query came into the national communications team at that time, and they forwarded it to me. Although I’ve moved on from that role, the producers of the show still contact me when they need advice.
“Given that it’s fiction, they try to be as accurate as possible to make it seem real. This is where I come in. I advise the producers on whether storylines for the episodes accurately reflect contemporary life and work of rural clergy and the church.
“For example, in one storyline a character wanted to donate a stained-glass window, so I advised the producers on how that process might actually happen.
“In another storyline, there was a child’s christening taking place, and the producers wanted actual text from a real service. Lots of other shows might have gone to the Book of Common Prayer for this, but I was able to tell them that there is actually much newer liturgy for baptisms today, and I pointed them to some texts they could use.
“Sometimes I get asked a question, and the answer I give doesn’t work with the story the producers have written. They might ask ‘would this happen?’, to which I would answer with a yes or no. It’s then up to them to adapt the storyline as they see fit.”
You can catch Sandra’s appearance on ‘The Archers Podcast’ from 21 December on BBC sounds, linked here, and continue to enjoy ‘The Archers’ on BBC Radio 4.
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