Dame Eileen Atkins, Nigel Havers and Catherine Tate to deliberate over Helen Titchener’s fate as jurors in The Archers Jury Special this Sunday

Fans of The Archers tuning in to hear the much anticipated verdict of Helen Titchener’s trial on Sunday evening will have to wait a little longer than usual, as the episode has been extended to allow time for the deliberation of the jurors at Borchester Crown Court. On air, listeners will hear from eight of the jurors as three are silent and one has been dismissed for contempt of court. The jury are played by a stellar cast including Dame Eileen Atkins, Nigel Havers and Catherine Tate as well as the familiar voice of Graham Seed, who played Nigel Pargetter in the soap for twenty-seven years. They will deliver the verdict at the end of the episode.

Sean O’Connor, outgoing editor of The Archers, says: “To make up the jury, we assembled a fantastic cross section of British acting talent from radio, TV, stage and film led by Dame Eileen Atkins, Nigel Havers and Catherine Tate. Everybody we approached agreed to take part with such enthusiasm - some without even reading the script – wanting to be part of this unique moment in the history of the programme. It was a particular delight for me to ask Graham Seed to take part. I know many Archers listeners still miss Nigel Pargetter and it seemed fitting that in my last ever episode of The Archers as Director and Editor, I could offer Graham an appearance in the programme - without him actually turning up in the shower like Bobby Ewing in Dallas.”

Graham Seed says: "How lovely to be asked back to be in this special episode. An honour! A very different character to play of course, and the challenge was not to sound like lovely old Nigel Pargetter. We had a busy day in the studio with a script hot off the press. And what a great cast of actors to work with."

Nigel Havers says: “There were three things I wanted to do as an actor… Play Max de Winter in Rebecca…Tick. Be in Coronation Street... Tick. Do an episode of The Archers... Big tick!!”

Rakhee Thakrar says: “Working on this jury special was an absolute joy. Being part of such an iconic and important story for The Archers was an honour. Especially getting to work with the phenomenal cast, some of who I've been a long-time fan of! I'm very grateful to have been involved.”

The full jury cast includes:

• Dame Eileen Atkins (Creator of Upstairs Downstairs, writer of Mrs Dalloway, Vita and Virginia)
• Aimee Ffion Edwards (Skins, Peaky Blinders)
• Cerith Flinn (Wolfblood, Strike Back)
• Nigel Havers (A Passage to India, Chariots of Fire, The Charmer)
• Graham Seed (Nigel Pargetter in The Archers, Brideshead Revisited)
• Catherine Tate (Dr Who, Catherine Tate Show)
• Rakhee Thakrar (Shabnam in EastEnders)
• Tam Williams (Stage and TV actor. Played Nigel Havers' role in the recent stage version of Chariots of Fire)

Over the past week, listeners have heard evidence from both sides, with the Prosecution attempting to paint a picture of Helen as an unstable and volatile perpetrator and the Defence arguing that she acted in self-defence, driven by months of abuse and the need to protect her child.

Key witnesses have included Helen’s five-year-old son Henry, who was present when she stabbed Rob; Helen’s best friend Kirsty, who roused cheers from the court room when giving her evidence and offered an impassioned defence of Helen; Rob’s mother Ursula who fiercely defended her son and claimed that Helen was unbalanced and a danger to her family; and Jess, Rob’s ex-wife, who was a surprise late addition to the defence’s case, offering valuable testimony about her own suffering when married to Rob.

In a moving testimony on Tuesday evening Helen finally opened up about Rob’s controlling and abusive behaviour, eventually breaking down to reveal, for the first time, that Rob had raped her. While Rob, hoping to draw on sympathy from the court room, put on an Oscar-worthy performance of a broken man, and suggested that he was, in fact, the victim in their marriage. The verdict now lies in the hands of the jury.

Sean O’Connor adds “I have done jury service three times and found the process fascinating. Twelve randomly selected strangers have the power to make or break another individual’s life. The reality, for me, was an extraordinary insight into who the British public are. On the one hand I met some amazing people who exhibited a depth of humanity and care about people they had never met, which I found deeply moving. At the same time, I also experienced the ugly, iron face of British prejudice; it was a real eye-opener.”

“The stakes are enormously high for Helen. We know her and have been with her every step of her painful story. But how might it seem to an objective group who have not had that privilege? In many court cases the debate comes down to one person’s word against another. I wanted to explore that process in The Archers, so a special episode focusing on the secret world of the jury room seemed a wonderful opportunity to do so.”

This is the first time in The Archers' sixty-five-year history that a single episode of the programme has been extended to a whole hour.

Long-standing Archers’ fans will recall the 1999 storyline involving Helen’s brother, Tom Archer, when a forty-five minute episode was also given over to the jury room, as he stood trial for trashing GM crops.

The Archers Jury Special will broadcast this Sunday 11 September, 7-8pm on BBC Radio 4

SW 

Notes to editors
Graham Seed played 'Nigel Pargetter' who died on 2 January 2011 in a special episode marking The Archers 60th Anniversary.

Related Media Centre Links

• Court Artist Julia Quenzler illustrates The Archers Trial Week for BBC Radio 4
• Radio 4’s The Archers announces the start date for Helen’s trial

Related BBC Links

• BBC Radio 4