COUNTRYSIDE planning specialist Dr Malcolm Bell has taken on a complex planning role with a difference in the fictional town of Ambridge.
Dr Bell, head of Newcastle law firm Ward Hadaway's property department, was drafted in to give scriptwriters on the BBC Radio Four show the Archers help.
He said: "I am a listener and follow the characters and their stories closely.
"My involvement started when Graham Harvey, the agricultural story editor at the BBC, discussed a plot involving the character Joe Grundy and his failed application to retain a barn.
"The information I gave to Graham meant that they could adapt the storyline to offer a solution that would allow Joe to overcome planning issues that were affecting his livelihood."
The writers were so pleased with the results that they have asked Dr Bell to give advice on a storyline involving building issues for Susan and Neil Carter's pig farm.
Dr Bell said: "It is quite strange to hear the advice I have given being relayed on a programme that is listened to worldwide."
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