The Archers: Ambridge At War

By: Catherine Miller

Narrated by: Patricia Hodge

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, Ambridge at War takes readers back to before it all began . . .

‘Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar’ Katie Fforde

It’s 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that opened the very first radio episode – 'And a Happy New Year to you all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was expecting.

From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving, hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community.

As the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing those secrets to the whole village . . .

Critic reviews

‘Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar’ Katie Fforde

‘The opening words of the first radio episode of The Archers 70 years ago set the scene for a novel that takes readers back to before the much-loved “everyday story of country folk” began . . . Nostalgia for avid listeners with long memories’ Choice

‘In this new novel celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved radio show, we follow the lives of the families of Ambridge before it all began . . . families that listeners have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep their secrets hidden’ Countryside

‘An inventive cosy crime prequel to the “everyday story of country folk”, first aired 70 years ago . . . a good novel tautly constructed and often laugh-aloud funny’ The Times

‘You don’t need to be a fan of The Archers to enjoy this . . . It’s a comfort blanket of a book with a rich vein of spicy intrigue’ Woman