Princess Margaret makes a guest appearance on The Archers

In 1984 for the first time a member of the royal family took part in a BBC drama when Princess Margaret played herself in an episode of the long running soap opera The Archers. The brief scene featured the princess as a surprise guest at a fundraising fashion show held in Ambridge.

The fictional fundraiser was in aid of the NSPCC, and the original plan was for the Duke of Westminster to appear in his capacity as chairman of the charity, at the invitation of Caroline Bone, who was a relation in the fiction. However, when Princess Margaret was informed she asked to take part too, in her role as NSPCC president.

Rather than travel to Birmingham for the recording the library at Kensington Palace stood in for Grey Gables. Producer William Smethurst said the Princess quickly mastered the microphone techniques required for radio drama.

The Princess's appearance cemented The Archers' reputation and position in the soap opera firmament. Although the first member of the royal family to take part in The Archers, she was not the only real person to appear as themselves, and over the years other guests included Gilbert Harding, John Peel, Britt Ekland, Alan Titchmarsh and Humphrey Lyttelton.