The Archers: The Ambridge Players

Six BBC Full-Cast Drama Productions Including Blithe Spirit, Calendar Girls and More

By: Tim Firth, Noel Coward, William Chaucer, E.F.Benson, M.R.James, W.W.Jacobs

Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pam Ferris, Miles Jupp, Sian Philips, Eleanor Bron, Trevor Harrison, Timothy Bentinck, Felicity Finch, full cast

Classic plays and ghost stories, as performed by the residents of Ambridge and friends - plus bonus drama Dead Girls Tell No Tales.

Borsetshire's queen of amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, never misses the chance to put on a Christmas show. Her productions are always a big hit with Ambridge audiences - and now, Archers fans can enjoy these top-notch performances alongside them (as well as eavesdropping on the shenanigans backstage).

In Blithe Spirit, the Ambridge Am-Dram Society and guest star Julian Rhind-Tutt recreate Noël Coward's ghostly masterpiece, and Lynda finds herself in sympathy with eccentric medium Madame Arcati as she attempts to conjure some festive high spirits. Calendar Girls sees the group taking on Tim Firth's comedy of jam and Jerusalem, along with honorary resident Siân Phillips (who starred in the original West End show). Will the intrepid cast really bare all? And in the two-parter The Canterbury Tales, the company present barnstorming adaptations of Chaucer's classic stories of courtly love, deadly rivalry and boisterous sex - with a little bit of magic thrown in.

In Ambridge Ghost Stories, it's a cold December night, in the darkened attic of Lower Loxley. Then Jim Llloyd (John Rowe) takes to the stage to recount three spine-chilling supernatural tales from the turn of the last century - 'The Room in the Tower' by E. F. Benson, 'Lost Hearts' by M. R. James and 'The Monkey's Paw' by W. W. Jacobs. Prepare to be enthralled - and terrified....

Also included are two special seasonal pageants, The Ambridge Mystery Plays - The Nativity and The Passion - and a stunning original drama by Joanna Toye. Starring Eleanor Tomlinson, Ysette Churchman and Miles Jupp, Dead Girls Tell No Tales explores the real story behind the death of Grace Archer: a watershed moment in the history of broadcasting and one of the defining cultural events of the 1950s.

Production credits:

Blithe Spirit

Written by Noël Coward.

Adapted and directed by Sean O'Connor.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th December 2014.

Calendar Girls

The accompanying pianist was Simon Taranczuk.

Written by Tim Firth and based on the motion picture Calendar Girls written by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi. Adapted and directed by Sean O'Connor.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27th December 2015.

The Canterbury Tales, Parts 1 & 2

'Tellers of the Tales'

'The Knights Tale'

'The Miller's Tale'

'The Wife of Bath's Tale'

'The Sailor's Tale'

'The Pardoner's Tale'

'The Friar's Tale'

'The Franklin's Tale'

'The Bailiff's Tale'

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Dramatised by Nick Warburton. Directed by Kim Greengrass. Produced by Alison Hindell.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29th December 2018-5th January 2019.

The Ambridge Mystery Plays

The Nativity

The Passion

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th December 2021 and 2nd January 2022.

Ambridge Ghost Stories

Abridged by Jeremy Osborne.

'The Room in the Tower' written by E F Benson.

Produced and directed by Charlotte Davey.

'Lost Hearts' written by M. R. James.

Produced and directed by Mel Ward.

'The Monkey's Paw' written by W. W. Jacobs.

Produced and directed by Charlotte Davey.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30th December 2019-1st January 2020.

Dead Girls Tell No Tales

Cast: Jon Culshaw, Pam Ferris, Lex Shrapnel, Eleanor Tomlinson, Georgie Fuller, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Sally Bretton, Simon Russell Beale, John Hopkins, Claudie Blakley, David Reed, Miles Jupp, Zeb Soanes, Paddy O'Connell, Ysanne Churchman, David Hounslow, Sam Dale, Chris Pavlo, Jessica Turner and Alex Tregear.

Written by Joanna Toye. Directed by Sean O'Connor.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19th September 2015.

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