In most farming families, ‘succession planning’ – who in the next generation takes over the farm and who inherits what – is a thorny subject. Just so in Ambridge.
The tussles over the inheritance of Brookfield, with its farmhouse, land and farming business, date back to March 2000, when Ruth and David told Phil and Jill that they were planning for another baby. It prompted Jill to think that perhaps the time had come for her and Phil to retire, and let David and Ruth take over the farmhouse.
The farm was valued at about £1.5 million. Phil’s accountant recommended selling some of the land to David and Ruth, to release about £200,000 to buy Glebe Cottage. The farm business would also have to generate £18,000 a year as a pension for Phil and Jill. It was an exciting but daunting prospect for David and Ruth.
Kenton – now living in Australia – had already had his inheritance, having been bailed out of various business disasters. Shula was content to learn that she and Elizabeth would share the proceeds of Glebe Cottage when Phil and Jill died.
Battle lines drawn
But Elizabeth was not happy. Apparently oblivious to the fact that she lived in a stately home on a substantial estate, she protested that her children’s future was being ignored. The Archer siblings were soon at odds, to the extent that Elizabeth decided she didn’t want David and Ruth to be godparents to Lily and Freddie.
By May, Elizabeth had roped in Kenton on her side. Irritated Phil was ready simply to hand the farm and house over to David and Ruth, but David suggested a compromise, whereby his siblings might get a share of the proceeds if Brookfield were ever to be sold. But that wasn’t enough for Elizabeth.
When Ruth discovered she had breast cancer, leading to a mastectomy, the impasse was left unresolved. As she recovered, albeit with debilitating chemotherapy, Kenton’s Australian wife Mel became pregnant.
With his own family to consider for the first time, Kenton flew over for a family meeting on 8 October. It quickly became a full-scale row. Kenton and Elizabeth even objected to Ruth’s presence at the meeting, and remained staunchly opposed to Phil’s plan. With a fresh perspective thanks to her illness, Ruth started to think that maybe they would be better off away from Brookfield. David could become a farm manager and she a dairy consultant, and Phil could do whatever he wanted with the property.
With David overstretched and distracted, things were slipping on the farm. Milk had to be thrown away. They lost calves through leptospirosis, because of missed vaccinations. Encouraged by Machiavellian Elizabeth, who suggested that David might be losing his grip, Phil secretly engaged a consultant.
Unaware of this, David was preparing a plan for a proposed high-quality beef enterprise, while Ruth was still considering options outside the farm, and even the country.
The decision
On New Year’s Eve, David was furious to discover – from Elizabeth – about the consultant’s recommendations to move Brookfield to a much more intensive system of farming. In an angry confrontation, David told Phil he’d rather take up Ruth’s suggestion of a new life in Normandy.
But practicalities intervened. At midnight, the rest of the family waited, champagne in hand, for the arrival of the new millennium – and David. But he was trapped in a watery gully, three ribs broken as he tried to rescue a cow that had slipped down a muddy bank. Phil discovered him hours later.
After David’s return from hospital, Phil made an announcement. David’s heroic efforts had reminded him how much his son was committed to the farm, and he had come to a decision.
Brookfield would be formed into a limited company. Shula, Kenton and Elizabeth would hold a special category of shares that would entitle them to some of the proceeds if Brookfield were ever to be sold. (Note that the amount of these shares was never specified, and it is very unlikely to have been a quarter each, as some listeners have speculated). But David and Ruth were to be the inheritors of Brookfield.
The Archers toasted David, Ruth and the future of the farm.
Keri Davies is an Archers scriptwriter and web producer.
Learn more about Ruth, David, Jill, Kenton, Shula, Elizabeth, Lily, Freddie and Mel – and the actors who play them – in our Who’s Who.
