The Archers listening figures. Partly established with the aim towards educating farmers following World War II, "The Archers" soon became a popular source of entertainment for the population at large, attracting nine million listeners by 1953. "The Archers" is set in the fictional village of Ambridge in the fictional county of Borsetshire, in England. Borsetshire is situated between, in reality, the contiguous counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, south of Birmingham in The Midlands. Possibly based on the village of Cutnall Green, various other villages claim to be the inspiration for Ambridge; "The Bull", Ambridge's pub, is modelled on The Old Bull in
Soap opera was cancelled after a steady decline in ratings following the departures of many of its original characters. The most successful soap opera in Italy is the evening series "Un posto al sole" ("A Place Under the Sun"), which had aired on Rai 3 since 1996 (whose format is based on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours"). Several other Italian soaps have been produced such as "Ricominciare" ("Starting Over"), "Cuori rubati" ("Stolen Hearts"), "Vivere" ("Living"), "Sottocasa" ("Downstairs"), "Agrodolce" ("Bittersweet") and "Centovetrine" ("Hundred Shop Windows"). The most popular Italian prime-time drama series, "Incantesimo" ("Enchantment"), which ran from 1998 to 2008, became a daytime