More than 80 per cent of 'The Archers' listeners back its first gay wedding

Discrimination and prejudice faced by homosexual couples has been pushed to the fore by Radio 4's The Archers as two characters prepare for the programme's first gay "wedding".

But some listeners have declared they are unhappy with the storyline. A poll for the programme's website found that of nearly 7,000 respondents, a fifth thought it was wrong because same-sex marriages were inappropriate.

In this plotline, Jennifer Aldridge's son, Adam Macy, and his partner, Ian Craig, will celebrate their civil partnership on 14 December, a year after such ceremonies were given UK-wide recognition. But the pair have talked about how difficult it has been to find a venue in fictional Borsetshire willing to host the event.

Many real-life couples face a similar scenario. Andy Smith set up his website pinkweddingdays.com to stop other couples having to face the difficulties he had encountered. "We were turned down by two venues ... At one, the wedding co-ordinator told us that they didn't want people like us."