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Stepping down, the woman who sexed up The Archers with plots about affairs, drugs and gay marriageVanessa Whitburn has edited the BBC show for more than two decadesShe introduced racier plotlines to genteel radio soap operaMiss Whitburn said running the show was ‘wonderful’ and ‘exciting'<br /> By <br> Published: 02:55 BST, 27 March 2013 | Updated: 09:30 BST, 27 March 2013 <br>

Vanessa Whitburn: She introduced racier plotlines to the long-running BBC Radio 4 show<br> <br>The editor of The Archers is stepping down after 22 years leaving a legacy of racy storylines on controversial topics.<br /><br><br> Vanessa Whitburn, who is the longest serving editor in the Radio 4 soap’s history, will move on at the end of May.<br><br>Under her stewardship, there have been a number of controversial storylines such as Ruth Archer’s affair with herdsman Sam Batton which upset some viewers to the extent it was said to have led to a drop in the show’s audience.<br /><br><br>Other notable storylines have included Nigel Pargetter plummeting to his death from a roof in the 60th anniversary edition.<br /><br><br>Miss Whitburn said: ‘I have had a wonderful time running the Archers, always interesting and exciting.

<br /><br><br>‘But I want to step down now in order to take a holiday, develop a project for TV drama and get involved in some more training overseas.<br /><br><br>‘I leave the programme in good shape with some strong storylines planned.

The BBC is a great place to work and I’ve been privileged to work with some very creative people along the way.'<br /><br><br>Last year Miss Whitburn took several months off from the show after being given long-service leave.<br /><br><br>Gwyneth Williams, мультики 2022 онлайн the controller of Radio 4, said: ‘Vanessa has been an excellent editor of The Archers over many years.<br><br>‘She has kept the nation’s longest-running drama at the heart of Radio 4 and we are very grateful to her.<br> RELATED ARTICLES

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<br>‘She leaves Ambridge in good health with almost five million listeners eagerly looking forward to the next episode.'<br /><br><br>Whitburn was responsible for the introduction of companion series, Ambridge Extra, on the digital sister station BBC Radio 4 Extra.<br /><br><br>In addition to her duties for the Archers, she has been responsible for Asian Network series Silver Street as well as many plays and serials for Radios 3 and 4.

No successor has been named.<br> The Archers is set in the fictional village of Ambridge, as mapped out in this official BBC map<br> Ratings: Miss Whitburn’s overhaul initially led to the popular show achieving record ratings in 2005 due to its ‘Who’s the daddy?’ storyline involving brothers Ed and William Grundy and William’s wife Emma<br>

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