Fandom and The Archers audio book Chapter 2, Sarah Kate Merry

When the Script Hits the Fan: Why Archers fans stop listening (and why they can't completely keep away)

Sarah Kate Merry

According to the BBC Archers website, ‘Listeners to The Archers are loyal fans but take no prisoners’ (BBC, 2016). But are fans of The Archers always loyal in their listening? This chapter presents stories of Archers fans who stopped listening, for various lengths of time, but still considered themselves to be fans of the show. ‘I listen so that you don’t have to’; ‘Well, I won’t be listening for a while – again!’; ‘I have only listened once since they murdered Nigel.’. These comments come from one online Archers fan community, and are not uncommon among those who continue to have an interest in Ambridge, despite choosing not to listen regularly. The assumption regarding people who identify as fans of serialised media is that they watch or listen to all of the episodes. This chapter considers the phenomenon of non-consuming fans of The Archers, and asks: If someone doesn’t listen, can they be called a fan? Why do Archers fans stop listening? and Why do they start again (or not)?

Dr Sarah Kate Merry is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Postdigital Cultures at Coventry University. Her PhD is in the field of Information Studies, and her research is primarily concerned with the impact of the internet on friendship and the nature of community, including the value of non-participatory membership of online communities. Sarah was exposed to The Archers at a distressingly young age and has finally accepted that she will never fully break free from her indoctrination.