There is vigorous competition among the royal family regarding which member is the biggest fan of The Archers. The late Princess Margaret was such a devotee that she appeared as herself on the world's longest-running soap opera in 1984 and would "shush" Queen Elizabeth II if her sister tried to talk to her during an episode.
But the current cast of the BBC Radio 4 show, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year with a live tour, believe that Queen Camilla is as ardent as fans come.
Camilla, who describes herself as an "Archers addict", played herself in an episode in 2011 and has met the cast on several occasions.
© Getty ImagesTim Bentinck, 73, who has played the patriarch David Archer since 1982 and in real life is the 12th Earl of Portland, tells HELLO! that during his investiture for his MBE in 2018, the King leaned over and told him: "My wife would be so jealous. She's such a fan."
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Love of gin
Sunny Ormonde, 78, the voice behind the bonne vivante and property developer Lilian Bellamy since 2000, recalls her encounter with the Queen during her 2011 visit.
"She came into the show and was absolutely delightful," Sunny tells HELLO!. "She asked me where my [distinctive] laugh came from. I said to her: 'From the bottom of a gin bottle, ma'am.'
"I don't know if she winked at me. I was a bit flustered. The Archers has been a source of comfort to her. She said that in times of stress, she knows she can come back home, throw off her shoes and listen to The Archers."
Live tour
The cast are marking the show's longevity with a tour of the UK, which will feature specially written scenes, question-and-answer sessions with the audience and the opportunity to see how the sound effects are made.
© Getty ImagesShould any calves be born in the live episodes, the spot effects artist Vanessa Nuttall will be on hand with a rubber glove and a bucket of natural yoghurt.
Tim was absent on the day that Princess Margaret visited for her performance, but he did have a memorable encounter with the then Princess Royal at an agricultural show.
"I was up on stage performing a reggae version of The Archers’ theme tune," he recalls. "I looked at the audience and there she was, looking at me as if I was completely barking mad."
Did she sway to the reggae beat? "She was frowning."
He had a warmer reception from Camilla, whom he finds "so easy and so lovely", he says. "The last time we met, I raised my eyebrow as if to say: 'Gosh, you're the Queen.' She looked at me with a look on her face as if to say: 'I know!'”
© PA Images via Getty ImagesHe says that the show’s royal following gives The Archers "a certain cachet" but that it also appeals to taxi drivers who have told him: "I know that voice."
Tim learnt his craft at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School alongside Sir Daniel Day-Lewis. Whatever happened to him?
"I shared a flat with Dan for our first year,” he says. “Our parents knew each other. He was just Dan, one of us. Nobody had any idea that he was going to get three Oscars. We were very good friends.
“It's a shame; I haven't seen him since. I got a message through to him at one point. He has three Oscars – all right, mate, but you didn't get David Archer."
Royal roles
Despite being an earl, thanks to his seventh cousin having died without a male heir, Tim had to lobby hard to get a part in the TV series The Crown. He eventually succeeded when he was cast in a voiceover role as Sir John Betjeman in season three, later appearing on screen as Henry “Porchey” Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon, the late Queen Elizabeth's racing manager, in season six.
It was a bittersweet experience. He recorded two scenes, one set in The Ritz in which he had no lines, and a second in a field chatting to Imelda Staunton, who played Elizabeth.
© BBC"They cut that scene. I was slightly hurt by that. People say: 'I saw you in The Crown, Tim. You didn't have much to say.'"
He has also been James Bond, in the video-game version of The World Is Not Enough, and the voice of the "mind the gap" announcements on one of the London Underground’s lines.
"My boys used to travel on the Tube and it was nice because their pa was looking after them while they were on the Piccadilly line,” he says.
The Archers: Live at 75, a new theatre show featuring live episodes and sound effects, is touring the UK until November; fane.co.uk/the-archers
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