BREAKING NEWS: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Makes Surprise Appearance on Popular BBC Programme as She Reveals a Special Reason.
The Duchess of Edinburgh made a guest appearance on the show (Image: PA)
The Duchess of Edinburgh has made a surprise appearance on the long-running BBC Radio 4 show, The Archers. Sophie has been a self-professed fan of the series for many years and recently joined stars on Thursday’s episode.
Behind-the-scenes photographs show Sophie wearing a light blue polka-dot dress, grinning in a recording studio as she reads her lines. She secretly recorded her segment at the BBC Mailbox in Birmingham back in May. For her big moment, Sophie was joined by actors Tim Bentinck, who plays David Archer, David Troughton, who plays Tony Archer, and Susie Riddell, who plays Tracy Horrobin. The memorable episode has been recorded in the drama’s 75th anniversary year and aired at 7pm on Thursday.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh made a guest appearance on the show (Image: PA)
The Duchess of Edinburgh is a self-professed fan of the show (Image: PA)
The Duchess was revealed as a surprise guest at the fictional Borchester Show, in her real-life role as honorary president of Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf).
Before the show aired, the BBC website revealed the plot: “Nerves are frayed on the day of the Borchester Show, and a surprise guest makes their mark.”
Given the show’s longevity, the Duchess is not the first member of the Royal Family to dabble in some voice acting on the series.
An equally devoted fan of the series, Queen Camilla previously appeared on the soap in 2011 in her role as President of the National Osteoporosis Society in a special episode to mark The Archers’ 60th anniversary.
Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, also made a cameo appearance in 1984, when she was a surprise guest at a fundraising fashion show for the NSPCC in the ballroom of Ambridge’s local hotel, Grey Gables.
The Duchess of Edinburgh joined stars in the recording booth (Image: PA)
Queen Camilla previously appeared on the series in 2011 (Image: Getty)
The Duchess met the cast and crew before recording the episode and chatted with Charles Collingwood, who plays Brian Aldridge.
The Archers has been aired on BBC Radio since 1951 and has clocked up more than 20,000 episodes – more than any other continuous drama serial in the world.
It reaches millions of devoted fans who tune in to hear about the ups and downs of the residents of the fictional village of Ambridge.
Pressing topical issues such as climate change, the economic challenges faced by farmers, alcoholism, modern slavery, domestic abuse and coercive control have all been tackled by the show.
