Archers actor claims ex-Archbishop's office complained about episode

The BBC radio drama The Archers supposedly received a complaint from the office of the former Archbishop of Canterbury after one its storylines saw a vicar marry a Hindu woman. 

Rowan Williams led the Church of England from 2002 to 2012, during which the long running rural drama saw the marriage of Alan Franks and lawyer Usha Gupta.

The St Stephens church vicar proposed to Ms Gupta in March 2008, and went on to have two weddings in the fictional village of Ambridge - a Hindu wedding on August 27, 2008, and their Christian wedding two days later.

The pairing caused shockwaves throughout the fictional village of Ambridge, with their families and some locals voicing disapproving of their relationship.  

But, it also supposedly led to a complaint from the Archbishop's office, with one of the show's actors claiming they questioned why the storyline went ahead. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme yesterday, actor John Telfer, who plays Alan, claimed the team received a complaint from Mr Williams' office shortly after the fictional wedding took place.

Asked whether the episode triggered any reaction from audiences, Mr Telfer said: 'I have had no negative personal reactions from the audience I don't think.

'There was, interestingly enough, I think the team were contacted by the Archbishop of Canterbury's office to say: "What the hell do you think you're doing? A Church of England vicar marrying a Hindu?"

'The team were able to say: "Well, actually, we researched it and it is based on one of your vicars in the south west of England who is married to a Hindu."'

A Lambeth Palace source told the Daily Mail it was looking into the incident and had not found any record of such a complaint being made. 

They were also 'skeptical' over whether the interaction had taken place, adding such language would not be used by its interfaith advisors 'in any situation'.

Mr Telfer did not name the real life vicar he was referring to. 

In 1990, Derek Barnes, a Church of England vicar, married a Hindu woman called Rohini, and went on to have two children named Hi mal and Niraj. 

Mr Barnes, who would now be in his early 80s, told the Independent in 1998: 'There were no problems for us, only for other people. 

'Soon after we met, some of my colleagues started to put pressure on me, and said that they'd be happier if she converted.'

He added: 'But we accepted that when we married, we'd keep our separate faiths; we never saw them as two watertight compartments, but ones that would flow into each other.'

Rhohini also described the backlash she received for their relationship, telling the paper: 'We did have quite an amazing reaction. 

'People have been horrid - we still have people praying for us because I'm not "Christian".

'For a time, they wanted me to stay away from "baby Christians" - people who had just been converted. I really have no idea why.'

The couple had a church wedding, which incorporated 'one or two Hindu and African elements' into the service, and a Hindu service sometime later when Rohini was pregnant with their first child. 

The Archers has previously been accused of 'lacking racial diversity' after a photograph of 70 cast members marking its 70th anniversary in December 2020 showed three actors were from BAME backgrounds.

But the show has since made steps to broaden the diversity of its actors and characters, having introduced a Muslim family into the show in 2023.

Azra Malik first appeared in the show in September 2023, before moving her family, including husband Akram, daughter Zainab and son Khalil, to Ambridge in the autumn of 2024. 

Archer's writer Nick Warbuton told the Sunday show that the move 'was good for the writing team' as it allowed them to become 'acquainted with the mores, needs and reflections of a different faith.'

He added they sometimes get 'professional guidance' from vicars themselves in relation to certain storylines, adding 'so in the narrow sense, the Church of England is behind us.' 

The BBC declined to comment. The Archbishop of Canterbury was contacted for comment.