Part Two: Candleford

The residents of Ambridge take us on a journey back in time, acting as our guides in this sparkling new adaptation of Flora Thompson’s classic tales of rural life in the late nineteenth century. Young Laura’s horizons are widened significantly as she settles into her new life, working in the post office close to the bustling market town of Candleford, and unwittingly becoming the protegee of the formidable local postmistress, Dorcas Lane. Miss Lane presides over the Candleford Green post office as an 1890s Susan Carter, keeping an eye on all the goings-on on the village green and (unlike Susan in Ambridge) guarding her customers' intimate secrets. As in Ambridge, (only some 30 miles away), the Candleford Green post office is the hub of the community, used by everyone from jovial local squire, Sir Timothy, to the Irish labourers who charm the post mistress into opening late on a Saturday so that they can send their wages back home on pay day. As Laura gradually learns the ropes in her new job, her eyes are opened to a wealth of new attitudes and experiences - and romance appears on the horizon. Steeped in a world where small things matter, the cast of The Archers tells the story of Laura's journey from Lark Rise to Candleford, and beyond. Written by Flora Thompson Adapted by Katie Hims Producer & Director: Kim Greengrass Executive Editor: Jeremy Howe Technical Producers: Andy Partington & Vanessa Nuttall Musical Director: Rosemary Watts Production Coordinators: Sally Lloyd & Julie Sadler Ambridge narrators: Jim Lloyd … John Rowe Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin Tracy Horrobin … Susie Riddell Jazzer McCreary … Ryan Kelly Candleford residents: Laura … Molly Pipe Dorcas Lane … Louiza Patikas Mrs Macey … Emerald O’Hanrahan Tommy Macey … Blayke Darby Godfrey … Taylor Uttley Philip … Angus Stobie Sir Timothy and Ben … Timothy Bentinck. Other roles played by members of the company. A BBC Audio Drama Birmingham production.