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 it in terms of nudity and sexual situations and was scheduled in a nighttime slot. Produced by Crawford Productions, many critics considered "The Box" to be a more slickly produced and better written show than "Number 96". "The Box" also aired on the Ten Network, programmed to run right after "Number 96". For 1974 "Number 96" was again the highest rating show on Australian television, and that year "The Box" occupied the number two spot. Also in 1974, the Reg Grundy Organisation created its first soap opera, and significantly Australia's first "teen" soap opera, "Class of '74". With its attempts