// BBC ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS — MODA & SOCIETÀ
BBC shelves plans for new Archers studio as part of cost-cutting
The BBC has shelved plans to build a new bespoke studio for The Archers in Birmingham as part of its wider drive to cut costs, opening up the possibility it could be recorded outside of the city for the first time.
The world's longest-running soap opera, The Archers has been recording in the West Midlands city for 75 years.
The BBC had initially pledged to build the show a new studio in the Tea Factory, the corporation's new hub in Digbeth, central Birmingham.
The broadcaster said it was "currently assessing the BBC's existing studio facilities around the UK as well as other external studio options in the West Midlands".
"We recognise and value The Archers' long-standing relationship with the West Midlands, which remains an important part of the programme's future," the statement added.
The BBC Radio 4 drama, set in the fictional West Midlands village of Ambridge, first aired nationally on 1 January 1951. It celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this year.
Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker said he was "very disappointed by news that the BBC plans to move its production out of the city".
"The Archers was born in Birmingham and is a key part of our broadcasting heritage," he wrote in a statement shared to Facebook.
"We have the talent and the facilities here. There is no good reason why we should lose a programme that has called Birmingham home for decades."
Parker said he would meet Director General Matt Brittin later this week to "discuss every available option" to keep The Archers in Birmingham.