The Archers has been running for more than 50 years

The record was set by people catching up on missed episodes - fans can listen to programmes on demand up to a week after the original broadcast.

The long-running Radio 4 show regularly tops the BBC's online radio chart.

The Archers, which is set in the fictional village of Ambridge, was first broadcast on 1 January 1951.

It was originally the brainchild of civil servants at the then Ministry of Agriculture who hoped the programme would encourage people back to farming after the war.

It has gone on to become an institution, followed by millions of listeners throughout the UK who tune in to the trials and tribulations of the Archer family and their friends in and around Ambridge.