Radio 4’s The Archers announces the start date for Helen’s trial
Helen Titchener’s trial begins on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 4th September
Published: 29 August 2016
“I can promise both a shocking and deeply moving trial, as we reach the climax of this story that has had the nation gripped.
It has today been confirmed that Helen Titchener’s trial will begin on Radio 4 during the episode which is broadcast on Sunday 4th September at 7pm.
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Helen faces two charges, Attempted Murder and Wounding With Intent, after stabbing her abusive husband Rob. Helen's trial will follow the trajectory of a real-life court case, but to give the prosecution and defence time to explore evidence as realistically and in as much depth as possible, the events in court will unravel on air from Sunday night’s episode onwards.
Ambridge fans will know from the past that it’s not uncommon for the show to be slightly out of kilter with ‘real time’ during special editorial moments - from Grace Archer's death in 1955 to last year's floods and the recent dramatic events in Blossom Hill Cottage. This is done when the drama merits it, allowing the writers to bring the stories alive to listeners in the best possible way.
During The Archers Trial Week, evidence from both sides will be heard on-air, with the prosecution hoping to paint a picture of Helen as an unstable and volatile perpetrator and the defence likely to argue that she acted in self-defence, driven by months of abuse and the need to protect her child.
Sean O’Connor, outgoing Editor of The Archers, who created the storyline says: “I can promise both a shocking and deeply moving trial, as we reach the climax of this story that has had the nation gripped. Working with charities and legal advisors, we’ve been telling Helen’s story as realistically as possible over hundreds of episodes, in all its detail and horror, and it’s a kind of realism that only radio drama can achieve. When I joined as an editor I did wonder, was it possible in the 21st Century to create a moment as dramatic and memorable as the death of Grace Archer in 1955? It turns out that you can.”
The trial is part of the much discussed domestic abuse storyline that has been slowly developing on air over the past three years, over which time Rob’s controlling and abusive behaviour towards Helen escalated. It culminated in her stabbing him in the Blossom Hill Cottage in an episode on 3rd April 2016, which became the most requested radio programme across the BBC in April with 375,000 requests on BBC iPlayer Radio. The show has become a digital hit in the recent years and has dominated the most requested BBC Radio episodes chart this spring with the Helen and Rob storyline.
Listeners of The Archers will be aware of the abuse Helen has experienced at the hands of Rob. On air however the villagers remain split over who to believe, with many characters remaining in the dark about Rob’s true nature, believing him to be an innocent victim. Helen herself has felt unable to share many of her experiences with her lawyer Anna Tregorran.
The Archers production team have been working closely with women’s charities and various expert advisors to reflect the story as accurately and sensitively as possible. Both Women’s Aid and Refuge have helped the team develop a realistic understanding of the issues involved in coercive control and domestic violence, and Louiza Patikas, who plays Helen, has also met women through them who have suffered in the way Helen has.
When Helen started realising what was happening to her this spring, Sean O’Connor blogged about the team’s work with the charities: “Working with them has allowed us to dramatise the issue of domestic abuse and coercive control, shedding light on an often neglected area of women's lives and raising awareness about an extraordinarily sensitive and painful subject. And as the story continues to develop on air, it’s been deeply humbling to hear that our portrayal of a dark corner of Ambridge life has touched so many people in the real world.”
According to Refuge and Women’s Aid, which run in partnership the National Domestic Violence Helpline, in the month of February as the storyline intensified, there was a 17% increase in calls to the helpline.
The Archers is the world’s longest running soap and has an on-air audience of 4.95 million people each week according to the latest RAJARs (4.7m Q1 2016, 4.62m Q2 2015).
RH