Judi Dench joins more than 100 Archers cast and crew asking the BBC to keep the show in Birmingham

The story

Dame Judi Dench has added her name to a growing push to keep The Archers in Birmingham. She is one of more than 100 current and former cast and crew members who signed a letter to BBC director general Matt Brittin, along with Felicity Jones, Kellie Bright, and people from the actors union Equity and the Writers' Guild.

The row started when the BBC dropped plans for a purpose built studio for the show at its new Tea Factory headquarters in Digbeth. The broadcaster says it is part of wider cost cutting and that it is looking at other options, which could include studio space elsewhere in the country.

The letter warns that moving recordings away from the region would have a real impact on the programme. It compares the idea to Coronation Street leaving the north west or EastEnders leaving the south east, and says it risks ripping out the heart of Ambridge.

The Archers is set in a fictional West Midlands village, turned 75 this year, and has always been recorded in Birmingham. Brittin says the BBC is still committed to the show and will look at West Midlands options too. Regional mayor Richard Parker has also backed keeping it in the city, and Equity says the cast are angry.