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The Archers

The Archers is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural setting". Having aired over 20,000 episodes, it is the world's longest-running present-day drama by number of episodes.

Five pilot episodes were aired in 1950, and the first episode was broadcast nationally on New Year's Day 1951. A significant show in British popular culture, and with over five million listeners, it is Radio 4's most listened-to non-news programme,  and with over one million listeners via the internet, the programme holds the record for BBC Radio online listening figures. In February 2019, a panel of 46 broadcasting industry experts, of which 42 had a professional connection to the BBC, listed The Archers as the second-greatest radio programme of all time. Partly established with the aim towards educating farmers following World War II, The Archers soon became a popular source of entertainment for the population at large, attracting nine million listeners by 1953.

Setting
The Archers is set in the fictional village of Ambridge in the fictional county of Borsetshire, in England. Borsetshire is situated between what are, in reality, the contiguous counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, south of Birmingham in The Midlands of England. Ambridge is possibly based on the village of Cutnall Green, though various other villages claim to be the inspiration for Ambridge; The Bull, Ambridge's pub, is modelled on The Old Bull in Inkberrow, whereas Hanbury's St Mary the Virgin is often used as a stand-in for Ambridge's parish church, St Stephen's.

Other fictional villages include Penny Hassett, Loxley Barrett, Darrington, Hollerton, Edgeley, Waterley Cross and Lakey Green. The county town of Borsetshire is Borchester, and the nearest big city is the cathedral city of Felpersham. Felpersham also has a university. Anywhere further from Ambridge may be referred to humorously with comments such as "that's on the other side of Felpersham!", but characters do occasionally venture further: several attended the Countryside Alliance march in London, there have been references to the gay scene in Manchester's Canal Street. There have been scenes set in other places in the United Kingdom and abroad, with some characters residing overseas such as in South Africa and Hungary.

Characters

 * The Archers' family farm, Brookfield, combines arable, dairy, beef, and sheep. It is a typical example of mixed farming which has been passed down the generations from Dan, the original farmer, to his son Phil and is now co-owned by Phil and Jill's four children: David, who manages it with his wife Ruth; Shula Hebden-Lloyd, owner of the riding stables, was married to Alistair, a vet; her twin Kenton, runs the village's only pub with his wife Jolene; and the widowed Elizabeth Pargeter. Jill lives in Brookfield with her son David, his wife Ruth and their children Pip, Josh and Ben, and Pip's daughter, Rosie.
 * The Aldridges at Home Farm. Brian, who is portrayed as a money-driven agribusinessman and his late wife Jennifer. They have five children: the two Jennifer brought into their marriage: Adam, a farmer married to chef Ian Craig and Debbie, a farmer based in Hungary; two born into the marriage, Kate with a family abandoned in South Africa, and Alice divorced from farrier Chris Carter; and university student Ruairi, Brian's son by one of his affairs. The family also includes Kate's daughter Phoebe and Jennifer's sister Lilian.
 * The Bridge Farm Archers, Tony and Pat, practise organic farming. Their operations include a farm shop, a farm café, a vegetable box scheme and a dairy. The whole family is involved, Tony and Pat and their children Helen and Tom. They also have five grandchildren: Johnny, the son of their deceased son John; Helen's sons, Henry and Jack, and Tom's twin girls Nova and Seren.
 * The Pargetters, a landed gentry family who have to make their stately home, Lower Loxley Hall, pay the bills as a public attraction. The family includes Nigel Pargetter's widow, Elizabeth Archer, and her twin children, a son, Freddie and a daughter, Lily.
 * The Grundys, formerly struggling tenant farmers were brought to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Initially seen as comic characters, they are now seen as doggedly battling adversity. The family includes Eddie, his wife Clarrie, and their sons Will and Edward.
 * The Carters, Neil and Susan. Their son, Chris, was married to Alice Aldridge; their daughter, Emma, has successively married brothers Will and Edward Grundy.
 * The Snells; Lynda, married to the long-suffering Robert, is the butt of many jokes, but also an absolute stalwart of village life.

Ambridge
Ambridge still has a village shop and post office, originally thanks to the philanthropy of Jack Woolley (d. 2014). The business subsequently became a community shop managed by Susan and run by a team of volunteers. The Bull, the village's only pub, is perhaps the most recognisable structure in Ambridge while St. Stephen's Church, established in 1281, dates back to Norman times. The church has undergone many changes over the years, including a number of different vicars. The eight bells are rung by a group led by Neil Carter.
 * Bridge Farm is a 168 acre farm previously on Berrow Estate, but now owned by Pat and Tony Archer. The farm became wholly dedicated to organic farming in 1984, in a storyline inspired by a scriptwriter's visit to Brynllys farm in Ceredigion, the home of Rachel's Organic. In 2003, Tom Archer began producing his Bridge Farm pork sausages. In early 2013, the family decided to sell their dairy herd and buy organic milk instead and the following year, Tony Archer bought a small Aberdeen Angus herd.
 * Brookfield Farm is a 469 acre mixed farm which was managed, and subsequently purchased, by Dan Archer and then by his son Phil. After Phil's retirement in 2001, his son David Archer took over.
 * Grange Farm was a working farm run by the Grundys until their eviction in 2000. The farmhouse, along with 50 acre of land, was sold to Oliver Sterling.
 * Home Farm is a 1922 acre farm, by far the largest in Ambridge, owned by the Aldridge family. In recent years, Home Farm expanded into soft fruit and deer farming.
 * Willow Farm was owned by the Tucker family. Following Betty's death in 2005, the house was divided to accommodate Roy and his family. The farmland is home to Neil Carter's pigs.
 * Arkwright Hall is a large Victorian mansion with a 17th-century atmosphere. The building served as a community centre for many years, containing a soundproofed room and field studies centre. Later it fell into disrepair, but was renovated when Jack Woolley leased the mansion to the Landmark Trust; architect Lewis Carmichael led the restoration of the building to its Victorian splendour.
 * Grey Gables, once a country club, is now a luxurious hotel. The late Caroline Sterling bought it with her husband Oliver. The hotel boasts a pool, spa, health club and a golf course. The hotel was sold in 2022 and is closed while undergoing extensive refurbishment.
 * Lower Loxley Hall is a large 300-year-old country house located just outside Ambridge. It serves primarily as a conference centre.

Topicality
Unlike some soap operas, episodes of The Archers portray events taking place on the date of broadcast, allowing many topical subjects to be included. Real-life events which can be readily predicted are often written into the script, such as the annual Oxford Farming Conference and the FIFA World Cup. On some occasions, scenes recorded at these events are planned and edited into episodes shortly before transmission.

More challengingly for the production team, some significant but unforeseen events require scenes to be rewritten and rerecorded at short notice, such as the death of Princess Margaret (particularly poignant because she had appeared as herself on the programme), the World Trade Center attacks, and the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The events and implications of the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis required many "topical inserts"   and the rewriting of several storylines.

In January 2012, Oliver Sterling, owner of Grange Farm, together with his tenant, Ed Grundy, elected to vaccinate the badgers on their farm in an attempt to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The plotline came within weeks of the government confirming a badger cull trial.

It was announced on 29 March 2020 that the programme would include reference to the COVID-19 pandemic from 4 May onwards.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 was discussed by Lynda Snell and Lilian Bellamy as the first section of the episode broadcast on Sunday 11 September.

Actors
The Archers actors are not held on retainers and usually work on episodes for a few days a month. By the nature of the storylines concentrating on particular groups of characters, in any one week out of a cast of about 60, the episodes include approximately 20–30 speaking-characters. Most of the cast do acting work on other projects and can disappear for long periods if they are working on commitments such as films or television series. Tamsin Greig plays Debbie Aldridge and has appeared on many television series such as Green Wing, Love Soup, Black Books and Episodes, so Debbie manages a farm in Hungary and her visits to Ambridge are infrequent. Felicity Jones played Emma Carter from the age of 15 but after a period of studying at Wadham College, Oxford, she gave up the role to move into television and cinema.

Some of the actors, when not playing their characters, earn their money through different jobs altogether: Charlotte Connor, when not playing Susan Carter (credited as Charlotte Martin), works full-time as a senior research psychologist at the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation; her office is a short walk from BBC Birmingham, and thus she is able to fit her work around recordings. Graham Blockey, who played Robert Snell before his death in 2022, worked until 2017 as a full-time general practitioner in Surrey, commuting to and from BBC Birmingham at weekends and on his days off. He kept his role secret from his patients, for fear of losing their respect, until his retirement from medicine in March 2017. Other examples include Felicity Finch (Ruth Archer), who also works as a BBC journalist having travelled on a number of occasions to Afghanistan; and Ian Pepperell (Roy Tucker), before his death at the age of 53 on 22 December 2023, managed a pub in the New Forest.

History
A five-episode pilot series started on Whit Monday, 29 May 1950, and continued throughout that week. It was created by Godfrey Baseley and was broadcast to the English Midlands in the Regional Home Service, as 'a farming Dick Barton'. Recordings were sent to London, and the BBC decided to commission the series for a longer national run. In the five pilots the Archers owned Wimberton Farm, rather than Brookfield. Baseley subsequently edited The Archers for 22 years.

Since 1 January 1951, five 15-minute episodes (since 1998, six 12½-minute episodes) have been transmitted each week, at first on the BBC Light Programme and subsequently on the BBC Home Service (and Radio 4 from 1 October 1967). Early afternoon repeats of the previous evening's episode began on 14 December 1964. The original scriptwriters were Geoffrey Webb and Edward J. Mason, who were also working on the nightly thriller series about the special agent Dick Barton. The popularity of his adventures partly inspired The Archers, which eventually took over Barton's evening slot. At first, however, the national launch placed the serial at the "terrible" time of 11.45 am, but it moved to Dick Barton's former slot of 6.45 pm from 2 April 1951. An omnibus edition of the week's episodes began on 5 January 1952.

Originally produced with collaborative input from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, The Archers was conceived as a means of disseminating information to farmers and smallholders to help increase productivity in the Postwar era of rationing and food shortages.

The Archers originally centred on the lives of three farmers; Dan Archer, farming efficiently with little cash, Walter Gabriel, farming inefficiently with little cash, and George Fairbrother, a wealthy businessman farming at a loss for tax purposes (which one could do in those days). The programme was hugely successful, winning the National Radio Awards' 'Most entertaining programme of the Year' award jointly with Take It from Here in 1954, and winning the award outright in 1955, in which year the audience was reported to have peaked at 20 million.

In the late 1950s, despite the growth of television and radio's consequent decline, the programme was still claiming 11 million listeners and was also being transmitted in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. By the mid-1970s, however, the audience for the two daily broadcasts and the weekend omnibus combined was less than three million and in 1976 the BBC Radio Four Review Board twice considered whether or not to axe the programme. The serial's woes at this time were seen to mirror the poor standing of radio drama in general, described as "a failure to fully shake off the conventions of non-realism which had prevailed in the 1940s and 1950s."

Programme chief Jock Gallagher, responsible for The Archers, described these as the serial's "dog days". Sweeping editorial reforms followed, included the introduction of women writers (there had been none before 1975), two of whom, Helen Leadbeater and Margaret Phelan, were credited with giving the programme a new definitive style of writing and content, although some listeners complained about their radical feminism.

In 1980 Julie Burchill commented that the women of Ambridge were no longer stuck with "the gallons of greengage jam old-guard male scriptwriters kept them occupied with for over twenty years"; but were 'into post-natal depression and alcoholism on the way to self-discovery'. By the mid-1980s the Radio Four Review Board noted that scripts, directing and acting was "very good" and sometimes "better than ever". In August 1985 The Listener said that the programme's revival was "sustained by some of the best acting, direction and writing on radio."

Tony Shryane MBE was the programme's producer from 1 January 1951 to 19 January 1979. Vanessa Whitburn was the programme's editor from 1992 till 2013. Whitburn took service leave from March to July 2012, and John Yorke, a former executive producer of EastEnders, came in as acting editor. Yorke's arrival prompted charges that the programme was importing the values of EastEnders to Borsetshire, with fans and commentators complaining that characters were behaving unrealistically simply to generate conflict. This was denied by Yorke, who wrote that he agreed to take over "on one condition – that it stayed exactly as it was and that I didn't have to change anything."

Whitburn was succeeded as editor by Sean O'Connor in September 2013. In September 2016, Huw Kennair-Jones took over as editor though O'Connor continued to oversee the Helen and Rob storyline until its conclusion. Kennair-Jones announced in October 2017 that he was to leave the BBC to work as commissioning editor for ITV. The short tenure of two successive Archers editors led to concerns of a trend of radio drama editing being seen as "training ground" for higher-paid positions in TV. Alison Hindell, the BBC's head of Audio Drama until October 2018, took over as acting editor before and after Kennair-Jones's time in charge. She effectively swapped roles with Jeremy Howe when she succeeded him as the BBC's commissioning editor for drama and fiction and he started as editor of the Archers in late August 2018.

Since 2007, The Archers has been available as a podcast.

Since Easter Sunday 1998, there have been six episodes a week, from Sunday to Friday, broadcast at around 19:03 following the news summary. Episodes are repeated the following day at 14:02 except the Friday evening episode that repeats on Saturday at 14:45, (from 6th April 2024). The six episodes are re-run unabridged in the Sunday morning omnibus at 10:00. On Remembrance Sunday, the omnibus edition begins at the earlier time of 09:15. In March 2024, the BBC announced scheduling changes that will see the Sunday omnibus begin one hour later, at 11.00.

Death of Grace Archer
One of the most controversial Archers episodes was broadcast on 22 September 1955, coinciding with the launch of the UK's first commercial television station. Phil and Grace Archer had been married just a few months earlier, and their blossoming relationship was the talk of the nation. However, searching for a story which would demonstrate real tragedy among increasingly unconvincing episode cliff-hangers, Godfrey Baseley decided that Grace would have to die. The scripts for the week commencing 19 September 1955 were written, recorded, and broadcast on each day, with an "exercise in topicality" given as the explanation to the cast. On Thursday, listeners heard the sound effects of Grace trying to rescue Midnight, her horse, from a fire in the stable at Brookfield and the crash of a falling timber beam.

Whether the timing of the episode was a deliberate attempt to overshadow the opening night of the BBC's first commercial rival has been debated ever since. It was certainly planned some months in advance, but it may well be that the actual date of the death was changed during the scriptwriting stage to coincide with the launch of Associated-Rediffusion. Deliberate or not, the episode attracted widespread media attention, reported by newspapers around the world.

This controversy has been parodied twice: in "The Bowmans", an episode of the television comedy programme Hancock, and in the play The Killing of Sister George and its 1968 film adaptation. On the 50th anniversary of ITV's launch, Ysanne Churchman, who played Grace, sent them a congratulatory card signed "Grace Archer".

In 1996, William Smethurst recounted a conversation with Baseley in which he reveals his real motivation for killing off Grace Archer: Churchman had been encouraging the other actors to join a trade union.

Longevity
The actor Norman Painting played Phil Archer continuously from the first trial series in 1950 until his death on 29 October 2009. His last Archers performance was recorded just two days before his death, and was broadcast on 22 November. He is cited in Guinness World Records as the longest-serving actor in a single soap opera. Under the pseudonym "Bruno Milna", Painting also wrote around 1,200 complete episodes, which culminated in the 10,000th episode.

June Spencer, who celebrated her 100th birthday in 2019, played Peggy Woolley in the pilot episode and continued in the role until 2022.

Sixtieth anniversary
The Archers reached its 60th anniversary on 1 January 2011 and to mark this achievement, a special half-hour episode was broadcast on Sunday, 2 January, on BBC Radio 4 from 7pm. The episode had been advertised as containing events that would "shake Ambridge to the core". This phrase even gave rise to the initialism #SATTC trending on the website Twitter during that weekend as listeners speculated about what might happen, and then reported their views as the story unfolded.

The main events in the episode were Helen Archer giving birth to her son Henry and Nigel Pargetter falling to his death from the roof of Lower Loxley Hall. This unlikely event provoked interest in the frequency and causes of death in the series. In fact, although the incidence of accidental death and suicide is seven times the national average, the overall mortality rate in Ambridge is almost exactly what would be expected.

The demise of Nigel caused controversy among some listeners, with a number of complaints variously expressing dismay at the death of a popular character, concerns over the manner of the dismissal of the actor, belief that the promise to "shake Ambridge to the core" had been over-hyped, criticism of the credibility of the script (for example, the duration of his plummeting cry caused calculation of the building's height at considerably more than had been imagined); also a perceived unwillingness of the editorial team to engage with these listener complaints.

COVID-19 pandemic
Topical subjects have been added to the script, but this was not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Actors were initially recorded in their homes and included references to the pandemic from some of the characters sharing their private thoughts with the listener. From 4 May 2020 to 14 August 2021, the broadcast was reduced to four episodes (Monday - Thursday). Sunday episodes resumed on 15 August 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, weekly programming reduced to four episodes, omitting episodes on Sunday and Friday. The Sunday omnibus was correspondingly reduced in length. After continuing with pre-recorded episodes and repeating some classic episodes, new episodes started that had been recorded remotely, to a mixed reception. On 15 August 2021, the Sunday evening episode resumed regular broadcast, as did the Friday evening episode on 3 June 2022.

Broadcasting in other countries
The Archers has been broadcast in countries outside the UK, in particular in New Zealand from inception until September 1982, when Radio New Zealand decided not to continue purchasing episodes. Arrangements were made for a special episode without the usual closing cliffhanger.

Themes
The programme has tackled many serious, contemporary social issues: rural drug addiction; rape, including rape in marriage; inter-racial relationships; direct action against genetically modified crops and badger culling; family break-ups; and civil partnerships, and a family being threatened by a gang of farm thieves. There has been criticism from conservative commentators, such as Peter Hitchens in 1999 that the series has become a vehicle for liberal and left-wing values and agendas, with characters behaving out of character to achieve those goals. However, one of the show's charms is to make much out of everyday, small concerns, such as the possible closure of the village shop, the loss and rediscovery of a pair of spectacles, competitive marmalade-making, or nonsense such as a 'spile troshing' competition, rather than the large-scale and improbable events that form the plots of many soap operas. Godfrey Baseley was quoted in The Independent as objecting to the homosexuality in the programme, saying "It is disgusting ... It is distasteful because being gay is such a minority interest. Country folk don't do that kind of thing. They have sex the proper way."

According to some of the actors, and confirmed in the writings of Godfrey Baseley, in its early days the show was used as a conduit for educational announcements from the Ministry of Agriculture, one actor reading an announcement almost verbatim to another. Direct involvement of the government ended in 1972. The show has reacted within a day to agricultural emergencies such as outbreaks of foot and mouth disease which affect farmers nationwide when livestock movements are restricted.

Cameo appearances
Many famous people have made cameo appearances on the programme:
 * Princess Margaret and the Duke of Westminster appeared in 1984 in connection with a fashion show to commemorate the centenary of the NSPCC.
 * Dame Judi Dench made an appearance as the (hitherto usually silent) Pru Forrest in 1989 for the 10,000th episode. Terry Wogan was featured and Esther Rantzen was responsible for the sound effects.
 * Radio presenter John Peel appeared as himself in 1991.
 * Gardener Alan Titchmarsh judged Ambridge's entries in the National Gardens Scheme open gardens competition in May 2003.
 * Radio presenter Chris Moyles appeared in June 2004 as a random customer—and suspected National Pub of the Year judge—in The Bull.
 * Comedian Griff Rhys Jones appeared as himself in July 2004, when he was drafted into Lynda's campaign to restore the Cat and Fiddle pub.
 * Zandra Rhodes played herself in an episode in September 2006 in connection with a charity fashion show.
 * Robert Winston appeared as a fertility specialist consulted by Hayley and Roy Tucker in January and February 2007.
 * Mike Gatting appeared in September 2007 at the centre of a misunderstanding between Sid and Jolene Perks during the npower Village Cup final at Lord's Cricket Ground.
 * Crime novelist Colin Dexter made a cameo in 2010.
 * Queen Camilla appeared on 16 February 2011 in connection with the National Osteoporosis Society's 25th anniversary as well as the show's 60th anniversary.
 * In 2011, a recording of the show Gardeners' Question Time was followed by a special recording session in which Archers characters, notably Brian Aldridge, took part asking questions of the regular panellists while sitting with the audience.
 * Bradley Wiggins appeared in an April 2014 episode, presenting prizes at the Ambridge Sport Relief Rough and Tumble event Challenge.
 * Kirstie Allsopp appeared in July 2014 to open the village fete.
 * In August 2014, the Pet Shop Boys were last-minute headliners at the music festival Loxfest.
 * Anneka Rice has appeared twice in Ambridge; in March 1993 and in March 2016.
 * In September 2016, in an hour-long episode concluding a highly publicised storyline in which Helen Titchener had stabbed her abusive husband Rob, some notable names guest starred as jury members, including Dame Eileen Atkins, Catherine Tate and Nigel Havers.
 * In August 2021, Jackie Weaver, a council officer in the news, appeared as herself, judging a scarecrow competition in the village, and warning off some protestors.
 * In August 2022, Toyah Willcox appeared as herself in two episodes, enjoying Bridge Farm cheese at Cotstravaganza festival and buying a piece of Will Grundy's pottery at the Ambridge village fete.
 * In May 2023, Rylan Clark appeared as himself, to judge the village’s Eurovision Variety Show.
 * Others who have made appearances include Britt Ekland, Humphrey Lyttelton (1956), Dame Edna Everage and Antony Gormley (2009).

Theme tune
The theme tune of The Archers is called "Barwick Green" and is a maypole dance from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood. The Sunday omnibus broadcast of The Archers starts with a more rustic, accordion-arranged rendition by The Yetties. The theme for BBC Radio 4 Extra's The Archers spinoff, Ambridge Extra, is a version arranged by Bellowhead.

A library music recording of Barwick Green was used for the pilot and during the early years of the national version, because a bid by Godfrey Baseley to have a special theme composed had been turned down on the grounds of cost, put at £250–£300. However, once the serial had become undeniably established, a new recording of Barwick Green was authorised and performed by the BBC Midland Light Orchestra on 24 March 1954. This mono recording was also accompanied by four movements entitled "A Village Suite", composed by Kenneth Pakeman to complement Barwick Green. Excerpts from these movements were then used for a time as bridging music between scenes. The 1954 recordings were never made available to the public and their use was restricted even inside the BBC, partly because of an agreement with the Musicians' Union.

In 1992, the theme was re-recorded in stereo, retaining the previous arrangements. The venue was Symphony Hall, Birmingham, the conductor Ron Goodwin, producer David Welsby and the sound mixer Norman McLeod. The slightly different sound mixing and more leisurely tempo reportedly led some listeners to consider the new version inferior, specifically that it lacked "brio", although the BBC publicised the fact that the orchestra contained some of the musicians who had played in the previous recording, including Harold Rich (piano) and Norman Parker (percussion).

Robert Robinson once compared the tune to "the genteel abandon of a lifelong teetotaller who has suddenly taken to drink". On April Fool's Day 2004 both The Independent and The Today Programme claimed that BBC executives had commissioned composer Brian Eno to record an electronic version of "Barwick Green" as a replacement for the current theme, while comedian Billy Connolly included in his act the joke that the theme was so typically British that it should be the national anthem of the United Kingdom.

In 2009, comedian Rainer Hersch conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance of the theme, live from the Royal Festival Hall to a listening BBC Radio 3 audience in an attempt to confuse them. He then went on to show how similar it is to "Montagues and Capulets" – "Dance of the Knights" – from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev, claiming that this was a result of Russian spies going through the BBC's rubbish bins looking for the scripts.

Serious events
At times, a cliffhanger involving the death of a major character or a disaster was marked by the traditional closing theme being replaced by the final dramatic section of Barwick Green involving trombones, cymbals and the closing bars of the signature tune – known as the "doom music" to some fan groups. This tradition has been dropped more recently, with events such as the death of Nigel Pargetter being followed by the normal closing music despite the gravity of the incident. This has irritated some followers, who consider the jollity of the normal segment inappropriate in such circumstances.

A brief extract from The Dream of Gerontius was played following the death of Phil Archer. When John Archer died no music was played.

There was a nod to The Archers in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London on 27 July 2012, where the theme tune was played at the beginning of a segment celebrating British culture: the sound of a radio could be heard being tuned in as Barwick Green was played.

Ambridge Extra
BBC Radio 4 Extra ran an occasional short supplement, Ambridge Extra, between 2011 and 2013, featuring characters away from the Ambridge environs. Series 1 and 2 had 26 episodes and series 3, 4 and 5 had 20. The reason offered for non-renewal was limited resources.

Fan clubs
Two organisations dedicated to the programme were established in the 1990s. Archers Addicts was the official body, run by members of the cast. The club had five thousand members and an online shop where Archers memorabilia was sold under licence. It closed as a club on 31 December 2013 but still has a Facebook page and Twitter feed. Archers Anarchists was formed sometime later, objecting to the "castist" assumptions propagated by the BBC, and claiming that the characters are real.

The usenet newsgroup uk.media.radio.archers (referred to as UMRA by its users, who call themselves umrats) has been running since 1995. Its users include experts on subjects covered by the programme, such as the many aspects of farming, the running of small businesses, bell ringing; lengthy discussions ensue – as well as light-hearted matters, and plot speculation. Various gatherings occur where umrats come together. The first was a series of about ten annual barbecues. The first was attended by Carole Boyd (Lynda Snell). They have included participants from Europe and the Americas. It has nicknames for many of the main Archers characters, such as S'aint for Shula. (There are nicknames for most of the regular characters.) Due perhaps to it being initially more accessible in academia, the discussions can be quite detailed, though UMRA considers itself to be a friendly and welcoming group, where in particular flamewars and the like are not welcome. Despite the general decline of usenet with the advent of trendier media such as Facebook and Twitter, UMRA remains a very active newsgroup compared to many. Its one-time T-shirts and mugs bore the legend (in yellow on "Barwick Green", of course) "An everyday story of internet folk."

The Academic Archers, founded in 2016, is a community of fans who share an academic approach to the programme. It organises an annual conference at which papers are presented which draw on academic expertise along with enjoyment. Papers from these have been published as The Archers in Fact and Fiction: Academic Analyses of Life in Rural Borsetshire (2016, Peter Lang:ISBN 9781787071193), Custard, Culverts and Cake (2017, Emerald: ISBN 9781787432864 and Gender, Sex and Gossip: Women in The Archers (2019, Emerald: ISBN 9781787699489 ) The group aims to be "curious, generous and joyful".

There are four weekly fan podcasts about The Archers: All About The Archers ,'DumTeeDum, The Cider Shed and Ambridge on the Couch''.

Parallels
In 1994, the BBC World Service began broadcasting in Afghanistan Naway Kor, Naway Jwand ("New Home, New Life") an everyday story of country folk incorporating pieces of useful information. Although the useful information was more likely to concern unexploded land mines and opium addiction than the latest modern farming techniques, the inspiration and model of Naway Kor, Naway Jwand was The Archers, and the initial workshopping with Afghan writers included an Archers scriptwriter. A 1997 study found that listeners to the soap opera were significantly less likely to be injured by a mine than non-listeners.

In Rwanda, the BBC World Service's Rwanda-Rundi service has been broadcasting the Archers-inspired soap opera Urunana ("Hand in Hand") since 1999.

The Archers was the model for the Russian radio soap opera Dom 7, Podyezd 4 ("House 7, Entrance 4"), on which the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, once made a cameo appearance.

Parodies
Tony Hancock starred in the Galton and Simpson spoof "The Bowmans" in an episode of BBC Television's Hancock's Half Hour.

Ned Sherrin produced a short 1973 film called The Cobblers of Umbridge. The cast included Joan Sims, Lance Percival, Roy Kinnear, Derek Griffiths and John Fortune.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme has parodied The Archers with its recurring "The Archers Accidentally" sketches; the sketches claim to portray The Archers the way it sounds to people who only listen to the show inadvertently.

The radio series of Dead Ringers has frequently parodied characters from The Archers, including a special edition.

The subtitle was parodied by Bill Tidy in his long-running cartoon of The Cloggies, "an Everyday Saga in the Life of Clog Dancing Folk", which ran in the satirical magazine Private Eye, and later in The Listener.

Reference works

 * Forever Ambridge — 25 Years of The Archers (1975) by Norman Painting ASIN B0012UT8XM
 * The Archers: The First Thirty Years compiled by William Smethurst (1980). ISBN 0-413-47830-0
 * The Archers: The Official Companion by William Smethurst (1985). ISBN 0-297-78715-2
 * The Book of The Archers (1994) by Patricia Greene, Charles Collingwood and Hedli Niklaus ISBN 0-7181-3849-X
 * Jennifer Aldridge's Archers Cookbook by Angela Piper (1994). ISBN 0-7153-0141-1
 * The Archers: The True Story (1996) by William Smethurst ISBN 1-85833-620-1
 * The Archers: The Official Inside Story by Vanessa Whitburn (1996). ISBN 1-85227-660-6
 * The Archers' Pantry: Jennifer Aldridge by Angela Piper (1997). ISBN 0-091-85407-5
 * The Archers Anarchists' A-Z: An Unofficial and Utterly Outrageous Guide by Ian Sanderson (1998). ISBN 0-7522-2442-5
 * The Archers Annual 2000 by Kate Willmott and Hedli Niklaus ISBN 0-563-38415-8
 * The Archers Annual 2001 by Kate Willmott and Hedli Niklaus ISBN 0-563-53716-7
 * The Archers Encyclopaedia (2001) by Joanna Toye and Adrian Flynn ISBN 0-563-53718-3, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Archers
 * Who's Who in The Archers 2008 by Keri Davies. ISBN 1-84607-326-X
 * Who's Who in The Archers 2011 by Graham Harvey. ISBN 978-1-849-90015-7
 * Jennifer Aldridge's Archers Cookbook by Angela Piper (2009). ISBN 0-7153-3338-0
 * The Archers Miscellany (2010) by Joanna Toye. ISBN 978-1-84607-754-8
 * The Road to Ambridge (2010) by June Spencer. ISBN 978-1-907532-25-2
 * The Archers Archives (2010) by Simon Frith & Chris Arnot. ISBN 978-1-84990-013-3
 * Borsetshire Life (2011). The county magazine. ISBN 978-1-902685-14-4 see borsetshire-life
 * The Ambridge Chronicles by Joanna Toye and Karen Farrington (2013) ISBN 978-1-84990-577-0
 * For the Love of The Archers: An Unofficial Companion by Beth Miller (2015) ISBN 978-1-84953-773-5

Novelisations

 * The Archers of Ambridge by Geoffrey Webb and Edward J. Mason (1954)
 * The Archers Intervene by Geoffrey Webb and Edward J. Mason (1956)
 * Ambridge Summer by Keith Miles (1975). ISBN 0-85523-065-7
 * The Archers by Jock Gallagher
 * Doris Archer's Diary (1971). ISBN 0-563-12118-1
 * The Archers: To The Victor The Spoils (1988). ISBN 0-563-20599-7
 * The Archers: Return to Ambridge (1988). ISBN 0-563-20606-3
 * The Archers: Borchester Echoes (1988). ISBN 0-563-20607-1
 * The Archers: Omnibus Edition (1988). ISBN 0-563-36001-1
 * Tom Forrest's Country Calendar (1978) compiled by Charles Lefeaux ISBN 0-563-1741-10
 * Ambridge: An English Village Through The Ages by William Smethurst (1981). ISBN 0-413-50170-1
 * Dan Archer: The Ambridge Years by William Smethurst and Anthony Parkin (1984). ISBN 0-7181-2437-5
 * Shula's Story by Joanna Toye (1995). ISBN 0-563-38703-3
 * Lynda Snell's Heritage of Ambridge by Carole Boyd (1997). ISBN 185227-658-4
 * The Ambridge Chronicles by Joanna Toye
 * The Archers 1951–1967: Family Ties (1998). ISBN 0-563-38397-6
 * The Archers 1968–1986: Looking For Love (1999). ISBN 0-563-55125-9
 * The Archers 1987–2000: Back to the Land (2000). ISBN 0-563-53701-9
 * The Archers 1951–1967: Family Ties (1998, audiobook, narrated by Miriam Margolyes). ISBN 0-563-55714-1
 * The Archers 1968–1986: Looking For Love (1999, audiobook, narrated by Stella Gonet). ISBN 0-563-55813-X
 * The Archers 1987–2000: Back to the Land (2000, audiobook, narrated by Stephanie Cole). ISBN 0-563-55818-0
 * In 1975, Tandem published a prequel novel about Ambridge in the early 1900s
 * Spring at Brookfield by Brian Hayles (1975). ISBN 978-0-426-16520-0
 * Jennifer's Diary by Joanna Toye (2003). ISBN 0-563-48767-4
 * The Archers: Ambridge At War by Catherine Miller (2020). ISBN 978-1-4711-9548-8

Published audio episodes

 * Vintage Archers
 * Vintage Archers: Volume 1 (1988). ISBN 0-563-22586-6
 * Vintage Archers: Volume 2 (1988). ISBN 0-563-22704-4
 * Vintage Archers: Volume 3 (1998). ISBN 0-563-55740-0 (contains several "lost episodes" which have been digitally restored)
 * The Archers: The Wedding Jack and Peggy tie the knot
 * Vintage Archers: Volumes 1–3 (2001). ISBN 0-563-38281-3
 * Ambridge Affairs
 * Ambridge Affairs: Love Triangles (2007). ISBN 1-4056-7733-3
 * Ambridge Affairs: Heartache at Home Farm (2007). ISBN 1-4056-8785-1

Maps
In addition to books and audiobooks, purported maps of Ambridge and Borsetshire have been published.

Documentaries
An episode of Arena, broadcast on BBC Four on 1 January 2007, focused on The Archers. It was narrated by Stephen Fry and included interviews with current actors and scriptwriters.

title: The Archers


text:
Douglas Smith (broadcaster)

Douglas Arthur Smith (11 February 1924 – 15 October 1972) was a British radio announcer and comedian who spent 25 years with the BBC. He began his broadcasting career with the BBC European Service (now the World Service) in 1946 and later worked as an announcer and newsreader on the Home Service and the Third Programme. He is probably best remembered as the formal announcer on Beyond Our Ken (1958–1964), its successor Round the Horne (1965–1968) and the short-lived Stop Messing About (1969–1970), where his "BBC accent" was used to comic effect. In this role, he advertised Dobbiroids (a fictional product for horses) and the huge number of naïve sound effects he made to assist in the development of humorous and often bizarre plots. Smith performed "Nobody Loves a Fairy When She's Forty" in an episode of Round the Horne. Many of his roles were portrayals of inanimate objects, e.g., volcanoes, "and I, Douglas Smith, play the part of the volcano", and "I, Douglas Smith, in my most taxing role to date, play the part of the world." (spoof on 'Around the World in 80 Days').

A Croydonian, he died aged 48 in Kingston upon Thames.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Douglas Smith (broadcaster)


text:
Betty Marsden

Betty Marsden (24 February 1919 – 18 July 1998) was an English comedy actress. She is particularly remembered as a cast member of the radio series Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne. Marsden appeared in two Carry On films, Carry On Regardless (1961) and Carry On Camping (1969).

Early life
Marsden was born in West Derby, Liverpool, and grew up in near poverty in Somerset. Her music teacher recognised her talent at the age of six, and became her guardian. She attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and during the Second World War she entertained the troops as a member of ENSA.

Career
From 1958 to 1968, Marsden was a cast member of the radio series Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne, where she played most of the female characters. Perhaps her most famous catchphrase was "many, many, many times", delivered in the dry, reedy tones of Bea Clissold, the ancient actress who was renowned for having given pleasure to many, particularly in "The Little Hut" on Shaftesbury Avenue. This long outlasted the Clissold character and was deployed to much audience appreciation on a few occasions in later series, possibly as an ad lib. Another was " 'allo, cheeky face!", shouted into the microphone in the less-than-couth London tones of Buttercup Gruntfuttock. Marsden's vocal range was impressive and also included the husky Daphne Whitethigh, the strident stereotypical Aussie tones of the ultra feminist (but conflicted) Judy Coolibar, and the cut-glass Received Pronunciation of Dame Celia Molestrangler (in a series of loose pastiches of the stilted dialogue in 1930s and 1940s romances and melodramas – for example, The Astonished Heart became The Hasty Nose – partnered with Hugh Paddick's 'ageing juvenile Binkie Huckaback', with the denouement inevitably bringing the lovers crashing back to earth).

In 1958, Marsden played the Fairy Godmother, in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the London Coliseum with Tommy Steele, Kenneth Williams, Yana and Jimmy Edwards.

Her two Carry On films were Carry On Regardless (1961), as Mata Hari, and Carry On Camping (1969), as Terry Scott's wife Harriet, with a braying laugh and jolly bossiness.

Her other film roles included Ramsbottom Rides Again (1956), The Big Day (1960), The Boys (1962), The Wild Affair (1964), The Leather Boys (1964), The Best House in London (1969), and Eyewitness (1970). She later played Hermione in Britannia Hospital (1982), Violet Manning in The Dresser (1983), Princess Troubetskaya in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986 TV movie), and Mrs. Barnacle in Little Dorrit (1987).

Her theatre roles included Mrs. Prentice in What the Butler Saw at the Royal Court Theatre in 1975, and Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1982. Her role of Aunt Dahlia was removed from Andrew Lloyd Webber's flop musical Jeeves (1975) before opening night.

Her television appearances included Blake's 7 (Series 4, 1981), The Bill (Series 5, 1989) and Inspector Morse (1990).

Personal life and death
During the Second World War, Marsden met and married Dr Jimmy Wilson Muggoch, an army doctor from Edinburgh. From 1963 until their deaths the couple lived in Brentford on their houseboat Chilham, a converted Thames lighter.

Prior to her death, Marsden had been suffering from heart problems and pneumonia. She was believed to be recovering, but died suddenly while socialising with friends in the bar of Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors, in Northwood in London.

title: Betty Marsden


text:
Michael Howard (disambiguation)

Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born 1941) is a British politician.

Michael Howard may also refer to:

Arts and entertainment

 * Michael Howard (comedian) (1916–1988), British actor and comedian
 * Michael Howard (musician) (1922–2002), English choral conductor, organist and composer
 * Michael Howard (American actor) (1923–2019), American actor and teacher
 * Michael Howard (filmmaker) (born 1978), American filmmaker, photographer, and actor
 * Michael Howard Studios, an acting studio in Manhattan, New York

Sports

 * Michael Howard (fencer) (born 1928), British Olympian
 * Mike Howard (born 1958), baseball player
 * Michael Howard (Australian footballer) (born 1965)
 * Michael Howard (footballer, born 1978), English footballer
 * Michael Howard (footballer, born 1999), English footballer

Other

 * Michael Howard (Irish politician) (1933–2009), Fine Gael politician
 * Michael Howard (historian) (1922–2019), British military historian
 * Michael Howard, 21st Earl of Suffolk (1935–2022), English peer
 * Michael Howard (Microsoft) (born 1965), in software security
 * Michael Howard (Luciferian) (1948–2015), English author
 * Michael Howard (American politician) (born 1983/84)
 * Michael L. Howard, US Army general

title: Michael Howard (disambiguation)


text:
Tyrosine kinase

A tyrosine kinase is an enzyme that can transfer a phosphate group from ATP to the tyrosine residues of specific proteins inside a cell. It functions as an "on" or "off" switch in many cellular functions.

Tyrosine kinases belong to a larger class of enzymes known as protein kinases which also attach phosphates to other amino acids such as serine and threonine. Phosphorylation of proteins by kinases is an important mechanism for communicating signals within a cell (signal transduction) and regulating cellular activity, such as cell division.

Protein kinases can become mutated, stuck in the "on" position, and cause unregulated growth of the cell, which is a necessary step for the development of cancer. Therefore, kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib and osimertinib, are often effective cancer treatments.

Most tyrosine kinases have an associated protein tyrosine phosphatase, which removes the phosphate group.

Reaction
Protein kinases are a group of enzymes that possess a catalytic subunit that transfers the gamma (terminal) phosphate from nucleoside triphosphates (often ATP) to one or more amino acid residues in a protein substrate side-chain, resulting in a conformational change affecting protein function. The enzymes fall into two broad classes, characterised with respect to substrate specificity: serine/threonine-specific, and tyrosine-specific (the subject of this article).

Function
Kinase is a large family of enzymes that are responsible for catalyzing the transfer of a phosphoryl group from a nucleoside triphosphate donor, such as ATP, to an acceptor molecule. Tyrosine kinases catalyze the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in proteins. The phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in turn causes a change in the function of the protein that they are contained in.

Phosphorylation at tyrosine residues controls a wide range of properties in proteins such as enzyme activity, subcellular localization, and interaction between molecules. Furthermore, tyrosine kinases function in many signal transduction cascades wherein extracellular signals are transmitted through the cell membrane to the cytoplasm and often to the nucleus, where gene expression may be modified. Finally mutations can cause some tyrosine kinases to become constitutively active, a nonstop functional state that may contribute to initiation or progression of cancer.

Tyrosine kinases function in a variety of processes, pathways, and actions, and are responsible for key events in the body. The receptor tyrosine kinases function in transmembrane signaling, whereas tyrosine kinases within the cell function in signal transduction to the nucleus. Tyrosine kinase activity in the nucleus involves cell-cycle control and properties of transcription factors. In this way, in fact, tyrosine kinase activity is involved in mitogenesis, or the induction of mitosis in a cell; proteins in the cytosol and proteins in the nucleus are phosphorylated at tyrosine residues during this process. Cellular growth and reproduction may rely to some degree on tyrosine kinase. Tyrosine kinase function has been observed in the nuclear matrix, which comprises not the chromatin but rather the nuclear envelope and a “fibrous web” that serves to physically stabilize DNA. To be specific, Lyn, a type of kinase in the Src family that was identified in the nuclear matrix, appears to control the cell cycle. Src family tyrosine kinases are closely related but demonstrate a wide variety of functionality. Roles or expressions of Src family tyrosine kinases vary significantly according to cell type, as well as during cell growth and differentiation. Lyn and Src family tyrosine kinases in general have been known to function in signal transduction pathways. There is evidence that Lyn is localized at the cell membrane; Lyn is associated both physically and functionally with a variety of receptor molecules.

Fibroblasts – a type of cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen and is involved in wound healing – that have been transformed by the polyomavirus possess higher tyrosine activity in the cellular matrix. Furthermore, tyrosine kinase activity has been determined to be correlated to cellular transformation. It has also been demonstrated that phosphorylation of a middle-T antigen on tyrosine is also associated with cell transformation, a change that is similar to cellular growth or reproduction.

The transmission of mechanical force and regulatory signals are quite fundamental in the normal survival of a living organism. Protein tyrosine kinase plays a role in this task, too. A protein tyrosine kinase called pp125, also referred to as focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is likely at hand in the influence of cellular focal adhesions, as indicated by an immunofluorescent localization of FAK. Focal adhesions are macromolecular structures that function in the transmission of mechanical force and regulatory signals.

Cellular proliferation, as explained in some detail above, may rely in some part on tyrosine kinase. Tyrosine kinase function has been observed in the nuclear matrix. Lyn, the type of kinase that was the first to be discovered in the nuclear matrix, is part of Src family of tyrosine kinases, which can be contained in the nucleus of differentiating, calcium-provoked kertinocytes. Lyn, in the nuclear matrix, among the nuclear envelope and the “fibrous web” that physically stabilizes DNA, was found functioning in association with the matrix. Also, it appeared to be conditional to cell cycle. The contribution of the Lyn protein to the total tyrosine kinase activity within the nuclear matrix is unknown, however; because the Lyn was extracted only partially, an accurate measurement of its activity could not be managed. Indications, as such, are that, according to Vegesna et al. (1996), Lyn polypeptides are associated with tyrosine kinase activity in the nuclear matrix. The extracted Lyn was enzymatically active, offering support for this notion.

Yet another possible and probable role of protein tyrosine kinase is that in the event of circulatory failure and organ dysfunction caused by endotoxin in rats, where the effects of inhibitors tyrphostin and genistein are involved with protein tyrosine kinase. Signals in the surroundings received by receptors in the membranes of cells are transmitted into the cell cytoplasm. Transmembrane signaling due to receptor tyrosine kinases, according to Bae et al. (2009), relies heavily on interactions, for example, mediated by the SH2 protein domain; it has been determined via experimentation that the SH2 protein domain selectivity is functional in mediating cellular processes involving tyrosine kinase. Receptor tyrosine kinases may, by this method, influence growth factor receptor signaling. This is one of the more fundamental cellular communication functions metazoans.

Regulation
Major changes are sometimes induced when the tyrosine kinase enzyme is affected by other factors. One of the factors is a molecule that is bound reversibly by a protein, called a ligand. A number of receptor tyrosine kinases, though certainly not all, do not perform protein-kinase activity until they are occupied, or activated, by one of these ligands. Although more research indicates that receptors remain active within endosomes, it was once thought that endocytosis caused by ligands was the event responsible for the process in which receptors are inactivated. Activated receptor tyrosine kinase receptors are internalized (recycled back into the system) in short time and are ultimately delivered to lysosomes, where they become work-adjacent to the catabolic acid hydrolases that partake in digestion. Internalized signaling complexes are involved in different roles in different receptor tyrosine kinase systems, the specifics of which were researched. In addition, ligands participate in reversible binding, with inhibitors binding non-covalently (inhibition of different types are effected depending on whether these inhibitors bind the enzyme, the enzyme-substrate complex, or both). Multivalency, which is an attribute that bears particular interest to some people involved in related scientific research, is a phenomenon characterized by the concurrent binding of several ligands positioned on one unit to several coinciding receptors on another. In any case, the binding of the ligand to its partner is apparent owing to the effects that it can have on the functionality of many proteins. Ligand-activated receptor tyrosine kinases, as they are sometimes referred to, demonstrate a unique attribute. Once a tyrosine receptor kinase is bonded to its ligand, it is able to bind to tyrosine kinase residing in the cytosol of the cell.

Erythrocytes
An example of this trigger-system in action is the process by which the formation of erythrocytes is regulated. Mammals possess this system, which begins in the kidneys where the developmental signal is manufactured. The developmental signal, also called a cytokine, is erythropoietin in this case. (Cytokines are key regulators of hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation.) Erythropoietin's activity is initiated when hematopoietic cytokine receptors become activated. In erythrocyte regulation, erythropoietin is a protein containing 165 amino acids that plays a role in activating the cytoplasmic protein kinase JAK. The results of some newer research have also indicated that the aforementioned cytokine receptors function with members of the JAK tyrosine kinase family. The cytokine receptors activate the JAK kinases. This then results in the phosphorylation of several signaling proteins located in the cell membrane. This subsequently affects both the stimulation of ligand-mediated receptors and intracellular signaling pathway activation. Substrates for JAK kinases mediate some gene responses and more. The process is also responsible for mediating the production of blood cells. In this case, erythropoietin binds to the corresponding plasma membrane receptor, dimerizing the receptor. The dimer is responsible for activating the kinase JAK via binding. Tyrosine residues located in the cytoplasmic domain of the erythropoietin receptor are consequently phosphorylated by the activated protein kinase JAK. Overall, this is also how a receptor tyrosine kinase might be activated by a ligand to regulate erythrocyte formation.

Other examples
Additional instances of factor-influenced protein tyrosine kinase activity, similar to this one, exist. An adapter protein such as Grb2 will bind to phosphate-tyrosine residues under the influence of receptor protein kinases. This mechanism is an ordinary one that provokes protein-protein interactions.

Furthermore, to illustrate an extra circumstance, insulin-associated factors have been determined to influence tyrosine kinase. Insulin receptor substrates are molecules that function in signaling by regulating the effects of insulin. Many receptor enzymes have closely related structure and receptor tyrosine kinase activity, and it has been determined that the foundational or prototypical receptor enzyme is insulin. Insulin receptor substrates IRS2 and IRS3 each have unique characteristic tissue function and distribution that serves to enhance signaling capabilities in pathways that are initiated by receptor tyrosine kinases. Activated IRS-1 molecules enhance the signal created by insulin. The insulin receptor system, in contrast, appears to diminish the efficacy of endosomal signaling.

The epidermal growth factor receptor system, as such, has been used as an intermediate example. Some signals are produced from the actual cell surface in this case but other signals seem to emanate from within the endosomes. This variety of function may be a means to create ligand-specific signals. This supports the notion that trafficking, a term for the modification of proteins subsequent to mRNA translation, may be vital to the function of receptor signaling.

Structure
Protein tyrosine kinase proteins contain a Protein kinase domain, which consists of an N-terminal lobe comprising 5 beta sheet strands and an alpha helix called the C-helix, and a C-terminal domain usually comprising 6 alpha helices (helices D, E, F, G, H, and I). Two loops in the center of the kinase domain control catalysis. The catalytic loop contains the HRD motif (usually with sequence His-Arg-Asp). The aspartic acid of this motif forms a hydrogen bond with the substrate OH group on Tyr during catalysis. The other loop is the activation loop, whose position and conformation determine in part whether the kinase is active or inactive. The activation loop begins with the DFG motif (usually with sequence Asp-Phe-Gly).

There are over 1800 3D structures of tyrosine kinases available in the Protein Data Bank. An example is, the crystal structure of the tyrosine kinase domain of the human insulin receptor.

Families
There are 90 human genes that contain a total of 94 protein tyrosine kinase domains (PTKs). Four genes contain both a catalytically active kinase domain and a pseudokinase domain (a kinase domain with no catalytic activity: JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2). Including these four genes, there are 82 human genes that contain a catalytically active tyrosine kinase domain They are divided into two classes, receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases.

Receptor
By 2004, 58 human receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) were known, grouped into 20 subfamilies. Eight of these membrane proteins which contain tyrosine protein kinase domains are actually pseudokinases, without catalytic activity (EPHA10, EPHB6, ERBB3, PTK7, ROR1, ROR2, RYK, and STYK1). Receptor tyrosine kinases play pivotal roles in diverse cellular activities including growth (by signaling neurotrophins), differentiation, metabolism, adhesion, motility, and death. RTKs are composed of an extracellular domain, which is able to bind a specific ligand, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular catalytic domain, which is able to bind and phosphorylate selected substrates. Binding of a ligand to the extracellular region causes a series of structural rearrangements in the RTK that lead to its enzymatic activation. In particular, movement of some parts of the kinase domain gives free access to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the substrate to the active site. This triggers a cascade of events through phosphorylation of intracellular proteins that ultimately transmit ("transduce") the extracellular signal to the nucleus, causing changes in gene expression. Many RTKs are involved in oncogenesis, either by gene mutation, or chromosome translocation, or simply by over-expression. In every case, the result is a hyper-active kinase, that confers an aberrant, ligand-independent, non-regulated growth stimulus to the cancer cells.

Cytoplasmic/non-receptor
In humans, there are 32 cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases.

The first non-receptor tyrosine kinase identified was the v-src oncogenic protein. Most animal cells contain one or more members of the Src family of tyrosine kinases. A chicken sarcoma virus, the Rous sarcoma virus mentioned above, was found to carry mutated versions of the normal cellular Src gene. The mutated v-src gene has lost the normal built-in inhibition of enzyme activity that is characteristic of cellular SRC (c-src) genes. SRC family members have been found to regulate many cellular processes. For example, the T-cell antigen receptor leads to intracellular signalling by activation of Lck and Fyn, two proteins that are structurally similar to Src.

Clinical significance
Tyrosine kinases are particularly important today because of their implications in the treatment of cancer. A mutation that causes certain tyrosine kinases to be constitutively active has been associated with several cancers. Imatinib (brand names Gleevec and Glivec) is a drug able to bind the catalytic cleft of these tyrosine kinases, inhibiting its activity.

Tyrosine kinase activity is also significantly involved in other events that are sometimes considered highly unfavorable. For instance, enhanced activity of the enzyme has been implicated in the derangement of the function of certain systems, such as cell division. Also included are numerous diseases related to local inflammation such as atherosclerosis and psoriasis, or systemic inflammation such as sepsis and septic shock. A number of viruses target tyrosine kinase function during infection. The polyoma virus affects tyrosine kinase activity inside the nuclear matrix. Fibroblasts are cells involved in wound healing and cell structure formation in mammalian cells. When these cells are transformed by the polyoma virus, higher tyrosine activity is observed in the cellular matrix, which is also correlated to cellular proliferation. Another virus that targets tyrosine kinase is the Rous sarcoma virus, a retrovirus that causes sarcoma in chickens. Infected cells display obvious structure modifications and cell growth regulation that is extremely unusual. Protein tyrosine kinases that are encoded by the Rous sarcoma virus cause cellular transformation, and are termed oncoproteins. In addition, tyrosine kinase can sometimes function incorrectly in such a way that leads to non-small cell lung cancer. A common, widespread cancer, non-small cell lung cancer is the cause of death in more people than the total number in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer together.

Research has shown that protein phosphorylation occurs on residues of tyrosine by both transmembrane receptor- and membrane-associated protein tyrosine kinases in normal cells. Phosphorylation plays a significant role in cellular signalling that regulates the number and variety of growth factors. This is evidenced by the observation that cells affected by the Rous sarcoma virus display obvious structural modifications and a total lack of normal cell growth regulation. Rous sarcoma virus-encoded oncoproteins are protein tyrosine kinases that are the cause of, and are required for, this cellular transformation. Tyrosine phosphorylation activity also increases or decreases in conjunction with changes in cell composition and growth regulation. In this way, a certain transformation exhibited by cells is dependent on a role that tyrosine kinase demonstrates. Protein tyrosine kinases, have a major role in the activation of lymphocytes. In addition, they are functional in mediating communication pathways in cell types such as adrenal chromaffin, platelets, and neural cells.

A tyrosine kinase can become an unregulated enzyme within an organism due to influences discussed, such as mutations and more. This behavior causes havoc; essential processes become disorganized. Systems on which the organism relies malfunction, resulting often in cancers. Preventing this type of circumstance is highly desirable. Much research has already noted the significant effect that inhibitors of the radically functioning protein tyrosine kinase enzymes have on related ailments. (See Tyrosine-kinase inhibitor )

Non-small cell lung cancer
Cancer's response to an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase was assessed in a clinical trial. In this case, Gefitinib is the inhibitor of tyrosine kinase. Incorrect tyrosine kinase function can lead to non-small cell lung cancer. Gefitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor, inducing favorable outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancers. A common, widespread cancer, non-small cell lung cancer is the cause of death in more people than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer together. This is strong motivation to perform research on tyrosine kinase inhibitors as potential targets in cancer treatment. Gefitinib, functioning as an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, improved symptoms related to non-small cell lung cancer and resulted in radiographic tumor regressions. This is an example of the efficacy of such an inhibitor. The process of inhibition shows how the cancer sustains. Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor activate signalling pathways that promote cell survival. Non-small cell lung cancer cells become dependent on these survival signals. Gefitinib's inhibition of the survival signals may be a contributing factor to its efficacy as a drug for non-small cell cancer treatment.

Gefitinib is well endured by humans, and treatment resulted in a symptom improvement rate of 43% (with 95% confidence in a 33%–53% interval) for patients that received 250 mg of Gefitinib and 35% (with 95% confidence in a 26%–45% interval) for those that received 500 mg. In the trial, epidermal growth factor receptor showed a rapid response to the inhibitor, as demonstrated by the improvement of the cancer symptoms. In each group, improvements were noted after a single week of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. Gefitinib application once per day caused “rapid” symptom improvement and tumor regressions in non-small cell lung cancer patients. In the field of medical research, this is an especially significant example of the use of an inhibitor to treat tyrosine kinase-associated cancer. Chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy were the only major options available prior to the discoveries made in this trial. The side-effects of Gefitinib oral treatment once per day were considered significant. Diarrhea was reported in 57% of patients in the 250 mg group and in 75% of the 500 mg group. One patient had diarrhea more severe than Grade 2, with up to six bowel movements in only one day. Also, a death occurred possibly due to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment; however, the correlation is not exactly clear. In addition, skin toxicity was observed in 62% of patients in the 250 mg group. Nevertheless, the side-effects of Gefitinib were only “generally mild, manageable, noncumulative, and reversible.” Unfortunately, ceasing to take the inhibitor may be the only reversal strategy of the unfavorable symptoms. Gefitinib still represents a reasonably safe and effective treatment compared to other cancer therapies.

Furthermore, epidermal growth factor receptor plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis, which is the production of a new tumor. By 2010 Two monoclonal antibodies and another small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor called Erlotinib had also been developed to treat cancer.

July 12, 2013 FDA approved afatinib "multiple receptor, irreversible TKI"  for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation

Chronic myeloid leukemia
BCR-ABL is a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase that is associated with chronic myeloid leukemia. It is formed from a fusion gene when pieces of chromosomes 9 and 22 break off and trade places. The ABL gene from chromosome 9 joins to the BCR gene on chromosome 22, to form the BCR-ABL fusion gene. Tyrosine kinase activity is crucial for the transformation of BCR-ABL. Therefore, inhibiting it improves cancer symptoms. Among currently available inhibitors to treat CML are imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib and ponatinib.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are known to withstand cancer chemotherapy treatment and do not respond to any kind of therapy (in 2001) in advanced cases. However, tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 (imatinib) is effective in the treatment of patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors consist of a cluster of mesenchymal neoplasms that are formed from precursors to cells that make up the connective-tissue in the gastrointestinal tract. Most of these tumors are found in the stomach, though they can also be located in the small intestine or elsewhere in the intestinal tract. The cells of these tumors have a growth factor receptor associated with tyrosine kinase activity. This growth factor receptor is called c-kit and is produced by a proto-oncogene (c-kit). Mutation of c-kit causes the constitutive activity of tyrosine kinase, which results in cancerous gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Results of c-kit mutation include unrestricted tyrosine kinase activity and cell proliferation, unregulated phosphorylation of c-kit, and disruption of some communication pathways. Therapy with imatinib can inhibit the non-normal cell signaling mechanisms in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. This results in significant responses in patients and sustained disease control. By 2001 it was no longer doubted that this inhibitor can be effective and safe in humans. In similar manner, protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 was found to significantly reduce the physical size of tumors; they decreased roughly 65% in size in 4 months of trialing, and continued to diminish. New lesions did not appear, and a number of the liver metastases completely reduced to non-existence. The single patient in the study remained healthy following treatment. There are no effective means of treatment for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors, but that STI571 represents an effective treatment in early stage cancer associated with constitutively active c-kit, by inhibiting unfavourable tyrosine kinase activity.

Inhibitors
To reduce enzyme activity, inhibitor molecules bind to enzymes. Reducing enzyme activity can disable a pathogen or correct an incorrectly function system; as such, many enzyme inhibitors are developed to be used as drugs by the general public.

GIST and Imatinib
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are mesenchymal tumors that affect the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment options have been limited. However Imatinib, as an inhibitor to the malfunctioning enzyme, can be effective.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia and nilotinib
If imatinib does not work, patients with advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia can use nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib, ponatinib, or another inhibitor to the malfunction enzyme that causes the leukemia. This inhibitor is a highly selective Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Others
Sunitinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that acts upon vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), stem cell factor receptor, and colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (Burstein et al. 2008)

Gefitinib and erlotinib inhibit the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and can be used to treat lung and pancreatic cancer where there is often over-expression of this cell-surface receptor tyrosine kinase.

Kinase inhibitors can also be mediated. Paracrine signalling mediates the response to epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitors. Paracrine activates epidermal growth factor receptor in endothelial cells of the tumor to do this.

Dasatinib is a Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is effective both as a senolytic and as therapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Examples
Human proteins containing this domain include:

AATK;     ABL;      ABL2; ALK; AXL; BLK; BMX; BTK;           CSF1R; CSK;              DDR1; DDR2; EGFR; EPHA1;    EPHA2;     EPHA3;     EPHA4;     EPHA5;     EPHA6;     EPHA7;     EPHA8;     EPHA10; EPHB1;    EPHB2;     EPHB3;     EPHB4;     EPHB6;     ERBB2;     ERBB3;     ERBB4; FER; FES; FGFR1;    FGFR2;     FGFR3;     FGFR4; FGR;          FLT1;      FLT3;      FLT4; FRK;  FYN;       GSG2;      HCK;       IGF1R;     ILK;       INSR; INSRR;    IRAK4; ITK;          JAK1;      JAK2;      JAK3; KDR;      KIT; KSR1;      LCK;   LMTK2;     LMTK3; LTK; LYN;       MATK;      MERTK;     MET; MLTK; MST1R;    MUSK;      NPR1;      NTRK1;     NTRK2;     NTRK3;     PDGFRA;    PDGFRB;  PKDCC; PLK4;     PTK2;      PTK2B;     PTK6;      PTK7; RET;  ROR1;      ROR2;      ROS1;      RYK;           SRC; SRMS;        STYK1; SYK;  TEC; TEK; TEX14;     TIE1;      TNK1;      TNK2;      TNNI3K;    TXK; TYK2;     TYRO3;     YES1;      ZAP70

title: Tyrosine kinase


text:
Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini (born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

His works include the theme and soundtrack for the Peter Gunn television series as well as the music for The Pink Panther film series ("The Pink Panther Theme") and "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Music from Peter Gunn won the inaugural Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Mancini enjoyed a long collaboration in composing film scores for the film director Blake Edwards. Mancini also scored a No. 1 hit single during the rock era on the Hot 100: his arrangement and recording of the "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" spent two weeks at the top, starting with the week ending June 28, 1969.

Early life
Henry Mancini was born Enrico Nicola Mancini in Maple Heights, Ohio, and raised in West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Both his parents were Italian immigrants. Originally from Scanno, Abruzzo, his father Quintiliano "Quinto" Mancini was a laborer at the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company and amateur musician who first came to the U.S. as a teenager around 1910. His mother Anna came to the U.S. from Forlì del Sannio, Molise, as an infant.

At age eight, Mancini began learning the piccolo. Mancini said that hearing Rudolph G. Kopp's score in the 1935 Cecil B. DeMille film The Crusades inspired him to pursue film music composition despite his father's wishes for him to become a teacher.

At age 12, he began studying piano and orchestral arrangement under Pittsburgh concert pianist and Stanley Theatre (now Benedum Center) conductor Max Adkins. Not only did Mancini produce arrangements for the Stanley Theatre bands, but he also wrote an arrangement for Benny Goodman, an up-and-coming bandleader introduced to him by Adkins. According to Mancini biographer John Caps, the young Mancini "preferred music arranging to any kind of musical performance, but taking apart a Chopin mazurka or Schumann sonata in order to play it helped him see...how the puzzle of form, meter, melody, harmony, and counterpoint had been solved by previous composers."

After graduating from Aliquippa High School in 1942, Mancini first attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh. Later that year, Mancini transferred to the Juilliard School of Music in New York City following a successful audition in which he performed a Beethoven sonata and improvisation on "Night and Day" by Cole Porter. Because he could only take orchestration and composition courses in his second year, Mancini studied only piano in his first year at Juilliard, in a condition Caps called "aimless and oppressed—a far cry from Adkins's enabling protective environment."

After turning 18, Mancini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1943. While in basic training in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he met musicians being recruited by Glenn Miller. Owing to a recommendation by Miller, Mancini was first assigned to the 28th Air Force Band before being reassigned overseas to the 1306th Engineers Brigade in France. In 1945, he helped liberate the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria.

Career
Newly discharged from the military, Mancini entered the music industry. In 1946, he became a pianist and arranger for the newly re-formed Glenn Miller Orchestra, led by 'Everyman' Tex Beneke. After World War II, Mancini broadened his skills in composition, counterpoint, harmony and orchestration during studies, opening with the composers Ernst Krenek and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

In 1952, Mancini joined Universal-International's music department. During the next six years, he contributed music to over 100 movies, most notably Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Creature Walks Among Us, It Came from Outer Space, Tarantula, This Island Earth, The Glenn Miller Story (for which he received his first Academy Award nomination), The Benny Goodman Story and Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. His first hit as a pop songwriter was a single by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians titled "I Won't Let You Out of My Heart".

Mancini left Universal-International to work as an independent composer/arranger in 1958. Soon afterward, he scored the television series Peter Gunn for writer/producer Blake Edwards. This was the genesis of a relationship in which Edwards and Mancini collaborated on 30 films over 35 years. Along with Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Leith Stevens and Johnny Mandel, Henry Mancini was a pioneer of the inclusion of jazz elements in the late romantic orchestral film and TV scoring prevalent at the time. Mancini's scores for Blake Edwards included Breakfast at Tiffany's (with the standard "Moon River") and Days of Wine and Roses (with the title song, "Days of Wine and Roses"), as well as Experiment in Terror, The Pink Panther (and all of its sequels), The Great Race, The Party, 10 (including "It's Easy to Say") and Victor Victoria. Another director with whom Mancini had a longstanding partnership was Stanley Donen (Charade, Arabesque, Two for the Road). Mancini also composed for Howard Hawks (Man's Favorite Sport?, Hatari! – which included the "Baby Elephant Walk"), Martin Ritt (The Molly Maguires), Vittorio de Sica (Sunflower), Norman Jewison (Gaily, Gaily), Paul Newman (Sometimes a Great Notion, The Glass Menagerie), Stanley Kramer (Oklahoma Crude), George Roy Hill (The Great Waldo Pepper), Arthur Hiller (Silver Streak), Ted Kotcheff (Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?), and others. Mancini's score for the Alfred Hitchcock film Frenzy (1972) in Bachian organ andante, for organ and an orchestra of strings was rejected and replaced by Ron Goodwin's work.

Mancini scored many TV movies, including The Moneychangers, The Thorn Birds and The Shadow Box. He wrote many television themes, including Mr. Lucky (starring John Vivyan and Ross Martin), NBC Mystery Movie, Tic Tac Dough (1990 version), Once Is Not Enough, and What's Happening!! In the 1984–85 television season, four series featured original Mancini themes:  Newhart, Hotel, Remington Steele, and Ripley's Believe It or Not. Mancini also composed the "Viewer Mail" theme for Late Night with David Letterman. Mancini composed the theme for NBC Nightly News used beginning in 1975, and a different theme by him, titled Salute to the President was used by NBC News for its election coverage (including primaries and conventions) from 1976 to 1992. Salute to the President was published only in a school-band arrangement, although Mancini performed it frequently with symphony orchestras on his concert tours.

Songs with music by Mancini were staples of the easy listening radio format from the 1960s to the 1980s. To advertisers, Mancini's style symbolized the bright, confident, hospitable voice of bourgeois America. Some of the artists who have recorded Mancini songs include Andy Williams, Paul Anka, Pat Boone, Anita Bryant, Jack Jones, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Connie Francis, Eydie Gorme, Steve Lawrence, Trini Lopez, George Maharis, Johnny Mathis, Jerry Vale, Ray Conniff, Quincy Jones, The Lennon Sisters, The Lettermen, Herb Alpert, Eddie Cano, Frank Chacksfield, Warren Covington, Sarah Vaughan, Shelly Manne, James Moody, Percy Faith, Ferrante & Teicher, Horst Jankowski, Andre Kostelanetz, Peter Nero, Liberace, Mantovani, Tony Bennett, Julie London, Wayne Newton, Arthur Fiedler, Secret Agent and the Boston Pops Orchestra, Peggy Lee, and Matt Monro. The Anita Kerr Quartet won a Grammy award (1965) for their album We Dig Mancini, a cover of his songs. Lawrence Welk held Mancini in very high regard, and frequently featured Mancini's music on The Lawrence Welk Show (Mancini made at least two guest appearances on the show). Mancini briefly hosted his own musical variety TV show in a similar format to Welk's, The Mancini Generation, which aired in syndication during the 1972–73 season.

Mancini recorded over 90 albums, in styles ranging from big band to light classical to pop. Eight of these albums were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. He had a 20-year contract with RCA Victor, resulting in 60 commercial record albums that made him a household name among artists of easy listening music. Mancini's earliest recordings in the 1950s and early 1960s were of the jazz idiom; with the success of Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, and Breakfast at Tiffany's, Mancini shifted to recording primarily his own music in record albums and film soundtracks. (Relatively little of his music was written for recordings compared to the amount that was written for film and television.) Beginning with his 1969 hit arrangement of Nino Rota's A Time for Us (as his only Billboard Hot 100 top 10 entry, the No. 1 hit "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet") and its accompanying album A Warm Shade of Ivory, Mancini began to function more as a piano soloist and easy-listening artist recording music primarily written by other people. In this period, for two of his best-selling albums he was joined by trumpet virtuoso and The Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen.

Among Mancini's orchestral scores are (Lifeforce, The Great Mouse Detective, Sunflower, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Molly Maguires, The Hawaiians), and darker themes (Experiment in Terror, The White Dawn, Wait Until Dark, The Night Visitor).

Mancini was also a concert performer, conducting over fifty engagements per year, resulting in over 600 symphony performances during his lifetime. He conducted nearly all of the leading symphony orchestras of the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of his favorites was the Minnesota Orchestra, where he debuted the Thorn Birds Suite in June 1983. He appeared in 1966, 1980 and 1984 in command performances for the British Royal Family. He also toured several times with Johnny Mathis and also with Andy Williams, who had both sung many of Mancini's songs; Mathis and Mancini collaborated on the 1986 album The Hollywood Musicals. In 1987 he conducted an impromptu charity concert in London in aid of Children In Need. The concert included Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture with firework accompaniment over the River Thames.

Cameos
Shortly before his death in 1994, he made a one-off cameo appearance in the first season of the sitcom series Frasier, as a call-in patient to Dr. Frasier Crane's radio show. Mancini voiced the character Al, who speaks with a melancholy drawl and hates the sound of his own voice, in the episode "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?" Moments after Mancini's cameo ends, Frasier's radio broadcast plays "Moon River".

Mancini also had an uncredited performance as a pianist in the 1967 film Gunn, based on the Peter Gunn television series.

In the 1966 Pink Panther cartoon Pink, Plunk, Plink, the panther commandeered an orchestra and proceeded to conduct Mancini's theme for the series. At the end, the shot switched to rare live action, and Mancini was seen alone applauding in the audience. Mancini also made a brief appearance in the title sequence of 1993's Son of the Pink Panther, allowing the panther to conduct Bobby McFerrin in performing the film's theme tune.

In 1969 at the 41st Academy Awards ceremony, Mancini played the harpsichord in a special number. Marni Nixon sang the rules for nomination in the category of Best Score of a Musical Motion Picture (Original or Adaptation), and together they sang the names of the films and musicians nominated. Mancini was the music director of the 41st Academy Awards broadcast.

Death
Mancini died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles on June 14, 1994. He was working at the time on the Broadway stage version of Victor/Victoria, which he never saw on stage.

Personal life
Mancini was survived by his wife of 47 years, singer Virginia "Ginny" O'Connor, with whom he had three children. She died on October 25, 2021, at age 97.

They had met while both were members of the Tex Beneke orchestra, just after World War II. In 1948, Mrs. Mancini was one of the founders of the Society of Singers, a non-profit organization which benefits the health and welfare of professional singers worldwide.

One of Mancini's twin daughters, Monica Mancini, is a professional singer; her sister Felice runs The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation (MHOF). His son Christopher is a music publisher and promoter in Los Angeles.

Legacy
Henry Mancini created a scholarship at UCLA and some of his library and works are archived in the music library at UCLA, with additional materials preserved at the Library of Congress.

In 1996, the Henry Mancini Institute, an academy for young music professionals, was founded by Jack Elliott in Mancini's honor, and was later under the direction of composer-conductor Patrick Williams. By the mid-2000s, however, the institute could not sustain itself and closed its doors on December 30, 2006. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation "Henry Mancini Music Scholarship" has been awarded annually since 2001.

In 2005, the Henry Mancini Arts Academy was opened as a division of the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center. The center is located in Midland, Pennsylvania, minutes away from Mancini's hometown of Aliquippa. The Henry Mancini Arts Academy is an evening-and-weekend performing arts program for children from pre-K to grade 12, with some classes also available for adults. The program includes dance, voice, musical theater, and instrumental lessons.

In 2017, the Municipality of Scanno dedicated a street to Mancini, called "Via Henry Mancini".

The American Film Institute ranked Mancini's songs "Moon River" No. 4 and "Days of Wine and Roses" No. 39 on their 100 Years...100 Songs list, and his score for The Pink Panther No. 20 on their list of the greatest film scores. His scores for Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Charade (1963), Hatari! (1962), Touch of Evil (1958) and Wait Until Dark (1967) were also nominated for the list.

Awards and nominations
Mancini was nominated for 72 Grammy Awards and won 20. He was nominated for 18 Academy Awards and won four. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmy Awards.

In 1961, Mancini won two Academy Awards, one for "Moon River" for Best Original Song and one for Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. In 1962, he won Best Original Song again, this time for "Days of Wine and Roses". He won Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score again in 1982 for the movie Victor/Victoria.

In 1989, Mancini received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

In 1997, Mancini was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.

On April 13, 2004, the United States Postal Service honored Mancini with a thirty-seven cent commemorative stamp. Painted by artist Victor Stabin, the stamp shows Mancini conducting in front of a list of some of his film and television themes.

Albums

 * The Versatile Henry Mancini (Liberty LST-7121, 1957)
 * Sousa in Stereo (Warner Bros. BS-1209, 1958)
 * March Step in Hi-Fi (Warner Bros. BS-1312, 1959)
 * The Music from Peter Gunn (RCA Victor LSP-1956, 1959)
 * More Music from Peter Gunn (RCA Victor LSP-2040, 1959)
 * The Mancini Touch (RCA Victor LSP-2101, 1959)
 * The Blues and the Beat (RCA Victor LSP-2147, 1960)
 * Music from Mr. Lucky, (RCA Victor LSP-2198, 1960)
 * Combo! (RCA Victor LSP-2258, 1960)
 * Mr. Lucky Goes Latin (RCA Victor LSP-2360, 1961)
 * Our Man in Hollywood (RCA Victor LSP-2604, 1963)
 * Uniquely Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-2692, 1963)
 * The Best of Mancini [compilation] (RCA Victor LSP-2693, 1964)
 * Mancini Plays Mancini (RCA Camden CAS-2158)
 * Everybody's Favorite (RCA Camden CXS-9034)
 * The Concert Sound of Henry Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-2897, 1964)
 * Dear Heart (And Other Songs About Love) (RCA Victor LSP-2990, 1965)
 * The Latin Sound of Henry Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-3356, 1965)
 * The Academy Award Songs (RCA Victor LSP-6013, 1966)
 * A Merry Mancini Christmas (RCA Victor LSP-3612, 1966)
 * Mancini '67: The Big Band Sound of Henry Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-3694, 1967)
 * Music of Hawaii (RCA Victor LSP-3713, 1967)
 * Encore! More of the Concert Sound of Henry Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-3887, 1967)
 * The Mancini Sound (RCA Victor LSP-3943, 1968)
 * The Big Latin Band of Henry Mancini (RCA Victor LSP-4049, 1968)
 * Debut! Henry Mancini Conducting the First Recording of the Philadelphia Orchestra Pops (RCA Red Seal LSC-3106, 1969)
 * A Warm Shade of Ivory (RCA Victor LSP-4140, 1969)
 * Six Hours Past Sunset (RCA Victor LSP-4239, 1969)
 * Mancini Country (RCA Victor LSP-4307, 1970)
 * Theme from "Z" and Other Film Music (RCA Victor LSP-4350, 1970)
 * Mancini Plays the Theme from "Love Story" (RCA Victor LSP-4466, 1970)
 * This Is Henry Mancini [compilation] (RCA Victor VPS-6029, 1970)
 * Mancini Concert (RCA Victor LSP-4542, 1971)
 * Brass on Ivory with Doc Severinsen (RCA Victor LSP-4629, 1972)
 * Big Screen - Little Screen (RCA Victor LSP-4630, 1972)
 * Music from the TV Series "The Mancini Generation" (RCA Victor LSP-4689, 1972)
 * Brass, Ivory & Strings with Doc Severinsen (RCA APL1-0098, 1973)
 * Country Gentleman (RCA APL1-0270, 1974)
 * Hangin' Out (RCA CPL1-0672, 1974)
 * Pure Gold [compilation] (RCA ANL1-0980, 1975)
 * Symphonic Soul (RCA APL1-1025, 1975)
 * The Cop Show Themes (RCA Victor APL1-1896, 1976)
 * Mancini's Angels (RCA CPL1-2290, 1977)
 * The Theme Scene (RCA APL1-3052, 1978)
 * In the Pink with James Galway (RCA Red Seal RCD1-5315, 1984)
 * The Hollywood Musicals with Johnny Mathis (Columbia CK-40372, 1986)
 * As Time Goes by and Other Classic Movie Love Songs (RCA Victor 09026-60974-2, 1992)

Ballets

 * Coffee House (1959), written for the Gene Kelly Show

Soundtracks
Note: Most of Mancini's scores were not released on LP soundtrack albums. His TV movie music albums were not soundtrack albums but are titled "Music from ..." or "Music from the Motion Picture ..." He routinely retained the rights to his music. Mancini's contracts allowed him to release his own albums for which he rearranged the score music into arrangements more appropriate for listening outside of the context of the film/theater. Actual film scores using players from Hollywood unions recording under major motion picture studio contracts were expensive to release on LP (ex: the soundtrack for Our Man Flint (not a Mancini score) cost $1 more than other LP albums of the day). Many soundtrack albums used to claim "Original Soundtrack" or words to that effect, but were not necessarily the actual soundtrack recordings. These albums were usually recorded with a smaller orchestra than that used for the actual scoring (ex: Dimitri Tiomkin's score to The Alamo). However, many Hollywood musicians were featured on Mancini's albums recorded in RCA's Hollywood recording studios and faux "Original Soundtrack" albums. Eventually some of his scores and faux "Original Soundtrack" scores by numerous composers were released in limited edition CDs.

 * Arabesque, RCA Victor LSP-3623
 * Bachelor in Paradise, Film Score Monthly FSMCD vol. 7 nr. 18
 * Breakfast at Tiffany's, RCA Victor LSP-2362
 * Charade, RCA Victor LSP-2755
 * Darling Lili, RCA LSPX-1000
 * Experiment in Terror, RCA Victor LSP-2442
 * Frenzy (along with the Ron Goodwin score), Quartet Records QR505
 * Gaily, Gaily, United Artists UAS-5202
 * The Glass Menagerie, MCA MCAD-6222
 * The Great Mouse Detective, Varèse Sarabande/MCA VSD-5359
 * The Great Race, RCA Victor LSP-3402
 * The Great Waldo Pepper, MCA MCA-2085
 * Gunn ...Number One!, RCA Victor LSP-3840
 * Harry & Son, Quartet Records QRSCE-023
 * Hatari!, RCA Victor LSP-2559
 * The Hawaiians, United Artists UAS-5210
 * High Time, RCA Victor LSP-2314
 * Lifeforce, Varèse Sarabande STV-81249
 * Me, Natalie, Columbia OS-03350
 * The Molly Maguires, Paramount PAS-6000
 * Mommie Dearest, Real Gone Music RGM-0640
 * Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, Intrada special collection vol. 11
 * Nightwing, Varèse Sarabande VCL-0309-1091
 * Oklahoma Crude, RCA Victor APL1-0271
 * The Party, RCA Victor LSP-3997
 * The Pink Panther, RCA Victor LSP-2795
 * The Return of the Pink Panther, RCA Victor ABL1-0968
 * The Pink Panther Strikes Again, United Artists UA-LA694
 * Revenge of the Pink Panther, United Artists UA-LA913-H
 * Santa Claus: The Movie, EMI America SJ-17177
 * Silver Streak, Intrada special collection vol. 5
 * Sometimes a Great Notion, Decca DL-79185
 * Son of the Pink Panther, Milan/BMG 74321-16461-2
 * Sunflower, Avco Embassy AVE-0-11001
 * Sunset, Quartet Records QRSCE-045
 * The Thief Who Came to Dinner, Warner Bros. BS-2700
 * The Thorn Birds, Varèse Sarabande/UMG 302 066 564-2
 * Tom and Jerry – The Movie, MCA MCAD-10721
 * Touch of Evil, Challenge CHL-602
 * Two for the Road, RCA Victor LSP-3802
 * Victor Victoria, GNP Crescendo GNPD-8038
 * Visions of Eight, RCA Victor ABL1-0231
 * W.C. Fields and Me, MCA MCA-2092
 * What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?, RCA Victor LSP-3648
 * Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, Epic SE-35692
 * Without a Clue, BSX BSXCD-8832

Filmography

 * The Raiders (1952)
 * The Glenn Miller Story (1953)
 * Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
 * Law and Order (1953)
 * City Beneath the Sea (1953)
 * Destry (1954)
 * Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
 * The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
 * The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
 * The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
 * Rock, Pretty Baby (1956)
 * Summer Love (1957)
 * Damn Citizen (1958)
 * Touch of Evil (1958)
 * The Big Beat (1958)
 * Operation Petticoat (1959)
 * High Time (1960)
 * The Great Impostor (1960)
 * Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
 * Bachelor in Paradise (1961)
 * Experiment in Terror (1962)
 * Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
 * Hatari! (1962)
 * Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
 * Soldier in the Rain (1963)
 * Charade (1963)
 * The Pink Panther (1963)
 * Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
 * A Shot in the Dark (1964)
 * Dear Heart (1964)
 * The Great Race (1965)
 * Moment to Moment (1966)
 * Arabesque (1966)
 * What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
 * Two for the Road (1967)
 * Gunn ...Number One! (1967)
 * Wait Until Dark (1967)
 * The Party (1968)
 * Me, Natalie (1969)
 * Gaily, Gaily (1969)
 * The Molly Maguires (1970)
 * Sunflower (1970)
 * The Hawaiians (1970)
 * Darling Lili (1970)
 * The Night Visitor (1971)
 * Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
 * Frenzy (Rejected Score) (1972)
 * The Thief Who Came To Dinner (1973)
 * Visions of Eight (1973)
 * Oklahoma Crude (1973)
 * That's Entertainment! (1974)
 * The White Dawn (1974)
 * The Girl from Petrovka (1974)
 * 99 and 44/100% Dead (1974)
 * The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)
 * The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
 * Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough (1975)
 * W.C. Fields and Me (1976)
 * Silver Streak (1976)
 * The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
 * Angela (1977)
 * House Calls (1978)
 * Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
 * Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978)
 * The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
 * Nightwing (1979)
 * 10 (1979)
 * Little Miss Marker (1980)
 * A Change of Seasons (1980)
 * Back Roads (1981)
 * S.O.B. (1981)
 * Condorman (1981)
 * Mommie Dearest (1981)
 * Victor Victoria (1982)
 * Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
 * Better Late Than Never (1983)
 * Second Thoughts (1983)
 * Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
 * The Man Who Loved Women (1983)
 * Harry & Son (1984)
 * That's Dancing (1985)
 * Lifeforce (1985)
 * Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
 * The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
 * A Fine Mess (1986)
 * That's Life! (1986)
 * Blind Date (1987)
 * The Glass Menagerie (1987)
 * Sunset (1988)
 * Without a Clue (1988)
 * Physical Evidence (1989)
 * Welcome Home (1989)
 * Ghost Dad (1990)
 * Fear (1990)
 * Switch (1991)
 * Married to It (1991)
 * Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)
 * Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

TV themes

 * Peter Gunn (1958)
 * Mr. Lucky (1959)
 * Man of the World (1962)
 * The Richard Boone Show (1963)
 * Blaulicht (1968)
 * The Pink Panther Show (1969)
 * Cade's County (1971)
 * The NBC Mystery Movie (1971)
 * The Blue Knight (1975)
 * What's Happening!! (1976)
 * Kingston: Confidential (1977)
 * Sanford Arms (1977)
 * The All-New Pink Panther Show (1978)
 * NBC Nightly News (1978)
 * Newhart (1982, one of the few shows to credit Mancini in the opening credits)
 * Remington Steele (1982)
 * ''Ripley's Believe It or Not! (1982)
 * Hotel (1983)
 * Pink Panther and Sons (1984)
 * What's Happening Now!! (1985)
 * Tic Tac Dough (1990)
 * Julie (1992)
 * Pink Panther and Pals (2010)

title: Henry Mancini