The Archers is a long-running soap-opera on the BBC (Image: BBC)
A flagship show on the has sparked anger after it seemed to downplay the impact of the Budget on farmers.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in October that when passing down their land.
The change has sparked anger amongst farmers, earlier this month to voice their anger.
In the latest episode of The Archers, a long-running soap opera based on a farm, the main character David Archer says: “There’s a lot of anger about this new inheritance tax on farms.”
Leonard Berry, his friend, replied: “But we need those taxes to pay for things like the NHS.”
[COMMENT]
Farmers protested against the inheritance tax changes (Image: Getty)
Many farmers who watch the show have criticised the brief mention of the inheritance tax changes.
One user on the Digital Spy said: “So the whole [massive] issue of the proposal to make inheritance tax applicable to farmland was given just these astonishingly bad three lines of dialogue.
“It’s what all farmers in every part of the country are talking about incessantly, [including] all the farmers in my family, which is a lot.”
Another said: “So The Archers is about ‘everyday country folk’ but ignores the inheritance tax [issue] bar a 30-second conversation.”
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, : “It is frankly very strange indeed.
“In the past The Archers has reflected the grassroots feeling in the farming and rural community even on contentious issues.”
The BBC has come under fire (Image: Getty)
He added that his group is concerned that there is still a “metropolitan bias” in the ‘s coverage, while issuing a blistering response: “If even the Archers – which is a programme about farming families – can’t tackle the really challenging issues – that only reinforces people’s concerns about the ’s approach to the countryside.”
Mr Bonner added: “David Archer’s farm is almost certainly a farm which would be caught by the new inheritance tax rules, he has 400 or 500 acres – so that is absolutely guaranteed.
“If he drops down dead tomorrow then there is going to be a whopping great IHT bill.
“So that begs the question whether The Archers would be able to farm or would have to sell up?”
The has also come under fire recently after it reported that just 500 farms a year will be affected by the inheritance tax changes, echoing the Government’s figures.
Farming groups, many of whom travelled to London to stage a protest earlier this month, have claimed that as many as 2,500 farmers will face tax duties each year in a hammer blow to the industry.
From April 2026, farmers will only be exempt from paying tax up until the £1million mark. However, other exemptions mean a married couple could pass down assets worth £3million tax-free.
The Express has contacted the for comment, while a spokesperson told the public broadcaster Telegraph: “The Archers team meticulously research every farming story with our dedicated Farming and Countryside Advisor to ensure we accurately reflect the big issues within the rural community.
“We have plans to explore inheritance tax in more depth in future episodes, but The Archers is a drama which is recorded many months in advance and is not able to respond to topical stories in the same way that other programmes can, such as Farming Today – where we have covered the story fully – as well as across News.”