The Archers' Mia and Brad: 'They’ve struggled to find people they get on with'

As a reminder, Mia came to Ambridge in 2007 via her mother Nic Hanson’s relationship with Will Grundy.

Brad and his sister Chelsea are the children of Tracy.

What’s the key to Mia and Brad’s romance?

Molly: Well, it’s young love – that beautiful, instant young love, before you’ve experienced too much heartbreak.

Taylor: They’ve both struggled to find people their own age that they get on with – Mia because of her eco-warrior shenanigans, and Brad due to his complete lack of social acumen.

Brad’s very churned up, isn’t he?

Taylor: He’s a maths person and struggles to understand that socialising is not a maths equation.

And what about Mia. Have you met young people like her?

Molly: Well, the character reminds me of my younger self and all the embarrassing things I did as a teenager. Just being really ideological and annoying, but I would never have the confidence to ask someone to kiss me, whereas Mia seems to have that.

Taylor: Yes, I remember at 12 or 13 thinking, "Oh God, what’s the right thing to say? I have to be cool. So how are people cool? How do they do that?" But by the time I was 15, 16, I cared way less – less than Brad does.

Are your own lives a bit less complicated?

Taylor: I can’t imagine having a life as chaotic as Brad’s.

Molly: Yes, mine is. However, I know what it’s like to live in a really small community. I lived on one of the Scilly Isles, with a population of 120, so it was very [much] like Ambridge. The rumour mill was constantly grinding. You could sneeze at one end of the island and they’d know about it at the other.

Taylor: I grew up in Dudley, but at weekends I’d visit my grandmother who lives on a farm in Lancashire. It was lovely until I got to be 15, 16, and realised I hadn’t seen anyone my age for maybe four days.

Archers listeners tend to be older than you — how did the series come into your lives?

Molly: I started with the first Helen and Rob storyline seven or eight years ago, when I would have been about 17 or 18. I was like, "Oh, that’s interesting. And that’s not just about cows!" It had some great storylines. Then you get really into it, and you start to think that they’re real people in a way, and you’re chatting to your mates about it. And it’s weird now because obviously I’m in it, which is cool.

Taylor: I’ve a memory of Chelsea having driving lessons. But when I was at drama school in Bristol, we did radio plays and a teacher there turned out to have taught half the cast. I remember her saying, if you can get into The Archers, you’ll be sorted. And we were all like, "Oh, God, that’d be the dream!" And now it’s happened.

Read more:

• The Archers celebrates 20,000th episode: "It's just the beginning!"
• Coronation Street casts The Archers and Hollyoaks favourites as fiery new duo

The Archers is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 7pm Sundays to Fridays, with an Omnibus edition on Sundays at 10am, and is available to listen on BBC Sounds.

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