W&N to publish books based on The Archers

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is publishing 10 books based on four popular BBC Radio 4 series, one of which is "The Archers". 

Alan Samson, publisher non-fiction, secured world rights to 10 books under licence from Luigi Bonomi of LBA working with Karl Batterbee, commercial executive, BBC Radio & Music. 

They include two books based on "The Archers", six books based on "The Life Scientific", created by Anna Buckley, the series producer, and a further title from each of the shows "Last Word" and "From Our Own Correspondent". 

The 10 books will be published on the Weidenfeld & Nicolson list from early 2018 onwards. W&N will use the transcripts as the basis for books but they will each be books in their own right (as opposed to books of scripts). 

W&N has contracted 10 titles but says it hopes there will be more now that the relationship with the BBC is up and running.

Samson said: “I am so pleased that we have secured from Luigi the licence to publish 10 titles based on such beloved Radio 4 programmes. To call 'The Archers' a timeless British institution is an understatement, whilst 'The Life Scientific' is successful because it offers the opportunity to some of the greatest names in modern science the chance to make science wonderfully accessible to the non-expert. I love listening to 'From Our Own Correspondent' and 'Last Word' too. We shall make sure that the books do justice to their origins, the programmes themselves, for their avid listeners.”

Bonomi said: “Alan Samson has been eager to publish books on these programmes ever since he heard they might be available. His huge talent and enthusiasm for them makes him and Weidenfeld the perfect publisher, and both myself and my colleagues at the BBC couldn’t be happier.”