AFTER an interlude of 77 years, the pre-Second World War radio series Gunter's Farm is to get an airing at King's School in Gloucester on Saturday.

In 1935 the Gloucestershire poet and broadcaster FW Harvey wrote and participated in a series of four ground-breaking plays for radio produced at the new BBC Whiteladies Road Studios, Bristol.

He had been asked to prepare a series of plays that informed listeners about everyday life on a Gloucestershire Farm.

The programme's producer sought to introduce the Gloucestershire dialect to the regional airwaves and F.W. Harvey was an expert in this field, having composed many of his poems in Gloucestershire and Forest of Dean dialects.

Although there were common features to the Gloucestershire dialect, in the years before the Second World War there were differences across the county, and in the Forest it was said you could tell which village a person came from according to the particular dialect spoken. F.W. Harvey wrote the plays in 'dialect' and, with the producer, for authenticity decided to use ordinary members of a farming family to make the broadcast.

The series 'Gunter's Farm', named after a local family, was first broadcast live – on air, on October 14 1935. Each play reflected a season in the farming year, beginning in September and describing autumn events.

The first play dealt with a homecoming of newlyweds and the topical subject of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries regulations, imposed to manage Swine fever, and that are still in place today. The play was alive with humour, poetry and an appreciation of the rural world.

The F. W. Harvey Society have recently recovered the original script of the play and will be narrating it, exactly as first broadcast on radio, at King's School in Gloucester on the morning of Saturday (October 27) as part of the F.W. Harvey Legacy event (10am-1pm).

The leading parts of the farmer, his son and newlywed wife will be played by Eric Freeman from Huntley, himself a farmer, Geoff Davis from Bream and Carol Warren (Pensom) of Parkend and Gloucester. They will be narrating their parts in the dialect form in which they were written, supported by other parts, sound effects and music.

Tickets and further details from teresa.davies [email protected]">[email protected] or fw harveysociety.co.uk or contact Mrs Teresa Davies, Brackenwood, Woodside, Woolaston Lydney, Glos GL15 6PB, telephone 01594 529597.