Former Archbishop of Canterbury asked BBC ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ about Archers storyline where vicar married a Hindu

BBC radio drama The Archers allegedly received a complaint from the former Archbishop of Canterbury after one of its stories saw a priest marry a Hindu woman.

Rowan Williams, who led the Church of England from 2002 to 2012, was allegedly left disgruntled by the long-running pastoral drama following the marriage of Alan Franks and barrister Usha Gupta.

The vicar of St Stephens church proposed to Ms Gupta in March 2008 and had two weddings in the fictional village of Ambridge: a Hindu wedding on August 27, 2008, and a Christian wedding two days later.

The mating caused shockwaves in the fictional village of Ambridge; their families and some locals voiced their disapproval of their relationship.

But this also seems to have upset the former Archbishop, who questioned why the story continued.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday program yesterday, actor John Telfer, who plays Alan, claimed the team received a complaint from Mr Williams’ office shortly after the fictional wedding took place.

When asked if the episode received any reaction from viewers, Telfer said: ‘I don’t think I’ve had any negative personal reactions from viewers.

‘Interestingly enough, I think the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office contacted the team and said: “What do you think you’re doing? Church of England vicar marrying a Hindu?”

‘The team were able to say: “We actually looked into this and it was based on one of your vicars who was married to a Hindu in the south-west of England.”‘

Alan Franks (pictured), played by actor John Telfer, married lawyer Usha Gupta in March 2008 and had two weddings in the fictional village of Ambridge.

Mr. Telfer did not name the real-life priest he was referring to.

In 1990, Church of England minister Derek Barnes married a Hindu woman named Rohini and they had two children, Himal and Niraj.

Mr Barnes, now in his early 80s, told the Independent in 1998: ‘It wasn’t a problem for us, it was just a problem for other people.

‘Soon after we met some of my colleagues started pressuring me and said they would be happier if he converted.’

He added: ‘But when we married we agreed that we would keep our separate beliefs; We never saw them as two watertight compartments, but rather as compartments that flow into each other.’

Rhohini also told the paper about the backlash she received for their relationship: ‘We got a pretty surprising backlash.

‘People behaved very badly; There are still people praying for us because I’m not a ‘Christian’.

‘For a while they asked me to stay away from ‘baby Christians’, that is, people who had recently converted. ‘I really have no idea why.’

The couple had a church wedding, with ‘one or two Hindu and African elements’ incorporated into the ceremony, and a Hindu ceremony some time later when Rohini was pregnant with their first child.

Rowan Williams officiated the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

Archers was previously accused of ‘lacking racial diversity’ after a photo of 70 cast members celebrating its 70th anniversary in December 2020 showed three players being from BAME backgrounds.

However, the series has taken steps to expand its cast and character diversity by introducing a Muslim family to the series in 2023.

Azra Malik first appeared in the series in September 2023; she then moved her family, including her husband Akram, daughter Zainab, and son Khalil, to Ambridge in the fall of 2024.

Archer writer Nick Warbuton said on Sunday’s show that the move was ‘good for the writing team’ because it allowed them ‘to get to know the traditions, needs and implications of a different faith’.

He added that they sometimes received ‘professional guidance’ from priests themselves regarding particular events and ‘so the Church of England in the narrow sense has our back’.

The BBC declined to comment. The Archbishop of Canterbury has been contacted for comment.