I look down on him – From Lord Netherborn to David Archer to Tracey Horrobin, Class in Ambridge: does it reflect the English experience? - Christine Narramore

Welcome to the fifth series in the annual podcast programme from Academic Archers, bringing you papers from our 2024 conference.

Please note: the sound quality on this recording is not as clear as usual. We apologise for this and thank you for your understanding.

This episode examines how class operates in The Archers and whether it mirrors wider English society.

I look down on him – From Lord Netherborn to David Archer to Tracey Horrobin, Class in Ambridge: does it reflect the English experience? - Christine Narramore

From Prince Philip’s reflections on the apparent flexibility of the class system to George Bernard Shaw’s sharp observations on English snobbery, the question of class runs deep through British life. The Archers provides fertile ground to test how those dynamics play out in microcosm.

This paper explores whether the shifting social structure of Ambridge mirrors real-world class experience. Taking a longitudinal approach, it maps social mobility in the village from Dan Archer to Freddie Pargeter. It considers how class is expressed through money, opportunity, and expectation, comparing experiences such as Fallon’s and Emma’s, who attended the same school but face very different futures.

By asking how privilege, barriers, and aspiration intersect in Ambridge, the paper sheds light on whether this fictional village really reflects the English class system — or if it creates its own version.

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