00:00The future home of The Archers is still being worked out
00:03after the BBC abandoned plans for a purpose-built recording studio
00:08at its new Birmingham headquarters.
00:11Director-General Matt Britton says the programme itself is going nowhere,
00:14but the corporation can no longer justify spending £1.5 million
00:19on a bespoke drama studio while trying to make £500 million in savings.
00:25The long-running Radio 4 soap has been recorded in Birmingham
00:29throughout its 75-year history
00:31and is set in the fictional West Midlands village of Ambridge.
00:35The original plan was for The Archers to move with other BBC teams
00:39to the new tea factory development in Digbeth in 2028.
00:44Instead, the BBC is now looking at other places
00:47where the programme could be recorded.
00:49Britton says there's suitable space elsewhere in the country,
00:53but alternatives in the West Midlands are also being explored.
00:56West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker met the Director-General this week
01:01and says he wants the programme to remain in the region.
01:04He argues The Archers is part of Birmingham's broadcasting heritage
01:08and says the city already has the talent and facilities to support it.
01:13The performers' union equity has also criticised the decision
01:17to drop the dedicated studio.
01:19The BBC says its wider commitment to Birmingham remains,
01:24pointing to increased production spending across the West Midlands.
