"The Archers isn’t a soap opera! It’s an everyday story of country folk. Their trials and tribulations. Their joys and sorrows. With a cliffhanger at the end of each episode to keep the listeners tuning in."

"You're right. It doesn't sound like a soap opera at all."

​

During a cold British December in 1950, a small cohort of passionate actors gathered in a humble studio to record the first episode of what was to become one of Britain’s most iconic and longest-running radio programs. Now, 75 years later, this new play celebrates the widespread pride that this Radio 4 soap brought to the nation, as well as the enduring magic and power of radio drama.

 

Haywire is an endearing and riotously funny celebration of one of Britain’s most beloved and enduring creations. This is our love letter to The Archers and the minds that made it happen – an exclusive peek behind the curtain of how a radio play is truly made.

​

This new play, commissioned by The Barn and licensed by the BBC, to be performed ahead of the 75th anniversary year of The Archers, uses the magic of radio drama and invites the audience to travel back to those halcyon days when the public gathered around their wireless to listen and lose themselves in the lives, trials, and tribulations of a fictional farming family.

​

"Directed by Joseph O’Malley, the play is as neatly and deeply layered as a hay bale...Featuring extraordinary voice acting, this play about the birth of the BBC’s farming drama will equally satisfy superfans and everyday folk "✭✭✭✭  
The Guardian

​​

​"An admirably ambitious venture, delivered with immaculate skill by a multitasking cast"

The Sunday Times 

​

"Under the nifty direction of Joseph O’Malley, Haywire is a love letter to the glory days of radio."✭✭✭✭✭

Stage Talk Magazine