'As hilarious, charming, eccentric, informative, addictive and delightful as the show itself' STEPHEN FRY

Much-loved radio drama The Archers has reflected British life for over seventy years, with the changing fortunes of Ambridge mirroring those of the nation. For more than three decades, scriptwriter Graham Harvey shaped its farming storylines, writing over 600 episodes and creating iconic moments such as the Great Flood, the destruction of Brian's GM crop, and the loss of the Grundy family farm.

In Underneath the Archers, Graham blends personal recollection with script extracts to reveal how key characters and plots evolved alongside real changes in rural life. He also examines the programme's role in Britain's shift from small-scale, sustainable farming to industrial agriculture, and asks whether it might now help inspire a return to nature-friendly methods.

Alongside this runs a deeply personal story: Graham's discovery of his father's dark wartime secret and its lasting impact on his family. Shaped by an unsettled childhood, he found stability in the fictional world of Ambridge and in a lasting love for England's land, soil, and farming traditions.



Graham Harvey is best known as a scriptwriter and agricultural story editor for The Archers, penning more than 600 episodes over 34 years and earning himself the nickname 'the other Minister for Farming'.

He has worked as a feature writer at Farmers Weekly and as a freelance journalist for a wide range of publications including the Sunday Times, Guardian, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, New Scientist and Country Life. For four years he wrote the Old Muckspreader column in Private Eye. Graham's first book, The Killing of the Countryside (Cape) won the BP Natural World Book Prize for environmental writing. Other books include The Forgiveness of Nature (Cape), We Want Real Food (Constable Robinson) and Grass-Fed Nation (Icon Books).

In 2008 Harvey co-founded the Oxford Real Farming Conference, which has become Britain's leading conference on ecological agriculture.



'Any fan of The Archers will down this book in grateful glugs ... As hilarious, charming, eccentric, informative, addictive and delightful as the show itself'



'A masterclass in how to weave environmental education and activism into popular media'



'A must for all Archers listeners'



'A fascinating insight into Britain's longest-running rural soap opera, diving into the characters, storylines and how they ebb and flow with British agriculture through the decades. Full of wit, humour and the realities of British agriculture.'