Peter Branston’s letter (28 September) on the genesis of The Archers, stated that his father, a BBC talks producer based in Leeds, had submitted an idea for a radio series about “country folk” to a BBC producer. He also mentioned that his father’s book, Breeding for Production, was dedicated to Yorkshire farmers Ted and Nora Drake. It was in fact Ted and Nora who suggested the idea to Peter’s father. As former Workers’ Educational Association tutor-organisers in the Yorkshire Dales, Ted and Nora were well known to us as stalwart supporters of our adult education programmes. They were highly respected in the farming community and, a little unusually for Yorkshire farmers, committed socialists.
Roger Fieldhouse Thorverton, Devon,
John Morrison Scarborough, Yorkshire
