BARWICK GREEN

Arthur Wood (1875-1953) was an established London theatre orchestra conductor and a prolific, self-taught composer. As a staff composer at Boosey and Hawkes he composed a great number of orchestral pieces – many relating to his Yorkshire upbringing – including 'My Native Heath' (1924), of which 'Barwick Green' (a ‘maypole dance’) forms one movement.

In 1950 five pilot episodes of a new radio soap opera called 'The Archers' were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Having a specially written theme for the series was deemed too costly, so a library music recording of Barwick Green was used as the programme’s opening music. With millions of listeners the ‘everyday story of country folk’ The Archers has aired ever since, making it the world’s longest-running present-day drama.

The theme is now so ingrained in the British psyche that Scottish comedian Billy Connolly joked that the theme should be the national anthem of the United Kingdom!

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