Archers’ writer takes aim at the Forest!

No Finer Life written by The Archers’ Graham Harvey comes to the Forest Arts Centre on Sunday 25 February at 3.00 p.m.

Graham Harvey, for twenty years the Agricultural Story Editor of The Archers and writer of more than 600 episodes, brings to the stage the true tale of an unlikely Cotswold hero, an enduring romance and the fight to retain the heart of rural Britain.

No Finer Life follows the story of Elizabeth (Rebecca Bailey) a Land Army Girl who falls in love with farmer George Henderson. As the author of The Farming Ladder – published in 1944 – George Henderson wrote a revolutionary book that asked farmers to re-evaluate their methods and think about going back to some of the tried and tested methods that have sustained the country for centuries.

So, what inspires a young Somerset land girl to set off in search of a best-selling author in the darkest days of war? The story moves between the 1940s and the current day and is set in the Oxfordshire countryside, rich in tradition and full of vivid, memorable characters.

But this is no nostalgic, bucolic ramble. No Finer Life is a story that is timeless, yet hugely relevant today as it questions our relationship with the countryside, the quality of the food we produce and our very own national identity. “When peace is won, we fight for the land we love”.

The show features new live music performed by award winning composer, Alastair Collingwood, composer of numerous TV and West End scores. Elizabeth is played by Rebecca Bailey, who sings all six of the show’s songs and is directed by James Le Lacheur, who has recently spent a year in London’s West End in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Helen Cundy, Director of New Milton’s Forest Arts Centre told us:

“No Finer Life is a performance about extraordinary country folk. Join us at The Forest for a story about country people that is both a romance and an examination of many of the issues facing rural Britain today.”