Pointless Archers poll. Satisfy my curiosity...

[commonorgarden]

... If you are a fan, would you say your love is a.) inherited from always having it on as a child, b.) found as an adult or c.) none of the above.

I'm certainly an a.

[2468Motorway]

a) when I left home, I listened to the omnibus and it made me not homesick.

[Hiphopopotamus]

Definitely A. I used to make fun of my mum for listening to it every day. Then I moved in to my own place and found I missed it

[AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves]

(d) Both of the above. I started listening actively when I was a student, but it wasn't such a leap in the dark as it was often on in the background when I was growing up.

[Haffdonga]

My parents were always glued to it when I was a child and I hated it. I left home and would get told off for ringing home at Archers time. I didn't listen to it for years until discovering it again when pregnant at the same time Kate was pregnant with Phoebe.

So b despite a

[Marrow]

A. Radio 4 was always on when I was a child. I started listening to The Archers when I was about 13/14. My parents gave a history of The Archers book for my 16th birthday which I was genuinely delighted with

DCs are now also growing up on a diet of Radio 4. It goes on at breakfast and stays on all day. (I leave it on for the dog when we go out!) I like to think they may be the Archers fans of the future!

[KillmeNow]

B for me. Ive always listened to the radio and The Archers came on after the 1 oclock news and before the afternoon play if I remember right.

I started getting interested when I a baby at round the same time one of the characters had one. Then when Ruth had breast cancer it was just before I had it too so I listened more carefully to any mention of her recovery .

[SarcyMare]

I introduced my mum to radio 4, archers were just on after the comedy, so got hooked

[misssmapp]

A) My mum always listened to it, I went to uni and found myself secretly listening to the omnibus!

over 20 yrs later...still an addict

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

A

[LizzieVereker]

B for me. Love it, consider myself to have been a deprived child, Archers wise.

[PotteringAlong]

A!

[Bowlersarm]

B)

[Icimoi]

B. My listening has been intermittent from my late 20s onwards, these days I'm pretty well hooked.

[MaryBennett]

A

[heritagewarrior]

A

[Jynxed]

A - also include "Just a Minute" in this category also.

[ToothpickCharlie]

A - though I rolled my eyes at it as a child. Rediscovered it about 5 years ago and am now an AA. Which delights my mum no end.

[HercShipwright]

(A)

[notnowImreading]

A

[LoxleyBarrett]

A for me - I can't remember not listening to it. DS2 (7) asked to listen to with me this week!

[commonorgarden]

Ah, very interesting.

Answer A is the majority. The Archers feels very safe territory for me, something reliable and comforting. Several were drawn to it despite themselves! Several who began listening as an adult did so because the radio remained on after something else and they became hooked.

I do feel as though it is entering a new era, what with the road threat and the Roy and Elizabeth bombshell .

I wonder if TV soaps have a similar sort of family/inter generational following; Corrie for example. The Archers is on at a peak 'radio' time of day for many too - I suppose more people have radios in their kitchens than TVs and that's when dinner's being prepared or put away.

Better stop musing. Should get on with some work!

[commonorgarden]

I have a 7 yo DS too Loxley . He likes to sing the 'dum de dum de dum de dum' but never really listens.

I like the cut of your DS' jib I do.

[Gherkinsmummy]

B

[RocknRollNerd]

b - no TV at university so got quite into Radio 4 - specifically the comedy and then the Archers afterwards. This continued as my first job after uni had a lot of driving and so I was generally in the car when it was on (with the aim of being home before Front Row ended).

[JessieMcJessie]

A. Both my parents are dead now (even though I'm only 40) and listening makes me feel close to them. I live in Hong Kong but podcast every day.