A grouse about The Archers

I can listen to Radio 4 for hours, but then something will come on which will make me lunge for the off switch. The Archers does this every time. Even the music irritates me. Now I know a lot of Field Day readers will find that sacrilegious - but I'm afraid I simply don't like the show.

So I smiled when I read Adam Sherwin's People slot in The Times today and discovered that Brian Aldridge - played by Charles Collingwood - got his dates rather muddled in one episode.

He announced after the so-called Glorious 12th that he was going on a partridge shoot (presumably not realising that the Glorious 12th only applied to grouse). The partridge season doesn't, in fact, open until September 1 - and anyone shooting one outside the season could face a fine of up to £200 per partridge bagged.

An Archers spokesman pointed out that the mistake was edited out of the omnibus edition that was broadcast on the following Sunday.

Adam tells me that there's nothing unusual about such inaccuracies on radio and TV, highlighting a series from a couple of years ago, The Tudors.

That show's faults included everything from Henry VIII having the wrong colour hair (it was black on TV, when it should have been red) to the appearance of modern radiators in the 16th century. 

For those of you who do like The Archers, you might be interested to know that Charles Collingwood was one of the actors we interviewed at the FW Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel. You can listen to the interview here.