Archers fans slam Radio 4 drama for featuring dog being put to sleep

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Archers fans slam scriptwriters of the Radio 4 drama for featuring a storyline of a dog being put to sleep on air

  • Farm manager Stella Pryor’s greyhound Weaver was badly injured in the drama
  • Scene provoked a backlash from listeners left upset by dog’s final moments 
  •  Distressed fans took to social media to leave their thoughts about the episode

Distressed fans of The Archers have hit out at scriptwriters after Friday’s episode featured a dog being put to sleep.

Farm manager Stella Pryor’s greyhound, Weaver, was badly injured after being knocked down by a trailer while chasing a hare.

And vet Alistair Lloyd finally tells her on the Radio 4 flagship drama that it would be kinder to have him put down.

But the scene has provoked a backlash from listeners, left upset by the fictional dog’s final moments.

One fan, Jo Hextor, wrote on Facebook’s ‘The Archers – the Official Unofficial Discussion Group’: ‘Why on earth have we heard a dog being put to sleep?

Distressed fans of The Archers have hit out at scriptwriters after Friday’s episode featured a dog being put to sleep

‘Listeners were right there whilst it happened.’

Ken Little told group members: ‘Don’t listen. The scenes are distressing and I thought gratuitous. I know it’s fictional and a pet dog, but I did find it distressful.’

Graeme Bell added: ‘Not sure the production team really understands its audience. It was unnecessarily distressing.’

And Frieda Button complained: ‘It’s getting ridiculous. What are the scriptwriters trying to do? Just going for shock value all the time. Is this the only way they think they can attract a younger audience?’

Jennifer Pulling added: ‘This isn’t the place for all this stuff. The Archers was always a comforting few minutes not for shocking and upsetting listeners. Scriptwriters get a grip.

‘The Archers has definitely lost the plot. I am really beginning to wonder why I continue to listen.’

Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed the BBC had banned fans of the rural radio soap, which was launched in 1951, from putting messages on the show’s official Facebook page after they criticised its ‘woke’ storylines.

The Corporation told the show’s 92,000 Facebook users ‘regular posting to this page is being paused’.

Diehard fans claimed the move was an attempt to silence critics who believed the Radio 4 show, set in the fictitious village of Ambridge, was focusing too much on politically correct issues such as climate change.

Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed the BBC had banned fans of the rural radio soap, which was launched in 1951, from putting messages on the show’s official Facebook page after they criticised its ‘woke’ storylines. (Pictured – Tim Bentinck and Felicity Finch as David and Ruth Archer)

Prior to the ban, several fans had used the official page to vent their fury about recent plotlines. Now, numerous unofficial pages have sprung up elsewhere on the social media giant.

Yesterday, however, among the general outrage over Weaver’s controversial passing, there was one lone voice of support from Facebook user, Rose Ashton, who said: ‘It wasn’t brutal at all, just sad. 

‘It is, after all, the everyday story of country folk where life and death is always around.

‘It would be ridiculous if every day was full of jolly, happy stories. That’s not real life.’

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