The Archers: The Ambridge Players

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 2-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 and 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, 26 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, 27 December 2015

The Canterbury Tales, Parts 1 & 2

Tellers of the Tales

The Knight's 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, 29 December 2018-5 January 2019

The Ambridge Mystery Plays

The Nativity

The Passion

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26th December 2021 & 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, 30 December 2019-1 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, 19 September 2015

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