DUE to celebrate 75 years on air in January, The Archers is widely believed to be based on a tiny village in the middle of the English countryside.
Inkberrow in Worcestershire is thought to be the inspiration behind the fictional village of Ambridge, from the world’s longest running soap opera.
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In particular, the pub – with the real village’s pub called The Old Bull.
Godfrey Baseley – the creator and editor of The Archers – used to live locally, according to the landlord at The Old Bull.
Inside, the pub boasts a lot of memorabilia from the BBC Radio 4 programme, including signed pictures of the cast and scripts.
The pub itself is a 16th Century inn and serves up traditional English pub grub.
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The interior features exposed wood beams, snug fireplaces and a traditional cosy feel too.
It is also said to have once been a stop-off point for William Shakespeare when he was travelling to Worcester to collect his marriage licence to Anne Hathaway.
Nearby is also the Inkberrow Millennium Green, just past the 13th century St Peter’s Church with a medieval moat.
Elsewhere in the village is another pub called The Bull’s Head, along with a shop, a primary school and a village hall.
Meanwhile, in the fields surrounding the village, visitors will find the Inkberrow tower, which was built in 1996.
However, it is no historic watch tower or countryside chapel – instead it is a phone base station for the mobile network, Orange.
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Around a 15-minute drive from Inkberrow, you can find Hanbury Hall – another spot believed to be used in some of the Archers’ 20,000 episodes.
The National Trust-owned property is believed to be the inspiration for Lower Loxley Hall from the show, which is the stately home of characters Nigel and Elizabeth Paragetter.
The real Hanbury Hall features 19th-century gardens and large wall paintings from artist James Thornhill.
Close to the hall is the church of St Mary the Virgin, which is believed to be the basis of St Stephen’s church in Ambridge.
Recordings of the church bells have been used in many Archers episodes.
At the edge of the village is Morton Hall Gardens, which features a range of plants and an expansive meadow.
Inside the English village that inspired one of UK’s top TV soaps
ANOTHER English village is the inspiration behind the hit series Emmerdale.
Esholt, a quaint English village near Bradford, was the original filming location for the popular soap opera Emmerdale from the 1970s to the 1990s.
The village still attracts fans who want to see the real-life inspirations behind the show, even though the production moved years ago.
The local pub, originally called The Commercial, was permanently renamed The Woolpack because the owner grew tired of constantly changing the sign for filming.
Other real locations included Home Farm, a centuries-old estate, and a row of cottages on Bunkers Hill that served as Demdyke Row.
The show’s departure was prompted by its increasing popularity, as noise from crowds of tourists made filming difficult.
In 1997, the crew built a replica of the village on the Harewood Estate, which they still use today.
Although Esholt is a quiet village, it is a short drive from the cities of Leeds and Bradford.
It is also near Shipley, a UNESCO World Heritage site with historic mills and a scenic cable tramway.
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