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Ruyton-XI-Towns (pronounced rye-ton eleven towns) is a large Shropshire village, celebrating 700 years of existence. Check out the characters below to hear the stories behind the people who live there:

Brian and the Bells

Brian has rung bells in almost every bell tower in Australia and New Zealand - as well over a thousand up and down the UK. It's a sociable obsession and a real test for the mind. Even a few bells can produce hundreds of different combinations and patterns of ringing - it's Brian's own version of brain-training.

Listen to Brian's story

Dave and the village

What makes a village? Dave has lived in a city, a town and now the village of Ruyton XI Towns. He fears that the influx of new people and the current scale of house building is killing off the typical English village feel.

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Gary's house

For seven years Gary and Joanne have lived and worked amongst dust and building work as they've refurbished the village shop and post office. They left Liverpool to take on this new life in the village, and despite numerous knock-backs, for Gary the rewards are still worthwhile!

Listen to Gary's story

George and the fox

As a boy, George lived with a secret passion. He was fascinated by foxes and badgers. In the 1940s foxes were considered a curse and a farmer’s son who sat and studied them would have been frowned upon. So George kept his infatuation to himself. Sixty years on, he's now a respected environmental consultant and is looking forward to studying his new favourites - stoats and weasels.

Listen to George's story

Jerry on the cinema

As a child, Jerry fell in love with the magic of cinema. In 1945, at the age of 14, his dream came true when he got a job in the projection room of The Queen's Picture House in Wolverhampton. More than 60 years later he can still remember the smells and the sounds of those early days of film.

Listen to Jerry's story

Laura and Dorothy the Quakers

Imagine a religious service with no hymns, no sermon and no music - quite often, in fact, complete silence. This is the world of the Quakers. For Dorothy and Laura the Quaker faith has been a powerful influence in their lives - they reckon the meetings can be an overwhelming experience.

Listen to Laura and Dorothy's story

Marjorie the organist

It was always her mother’s dream that Marjorie would learn to play the church organ. Her wish came true as Marjorie played the organ in her local church - and continued to play for over 60 years! At 93 she's retired but still longs to have another go behind the keyboard.

Listen to Marjorie's story

Marjorie and the stars

Are triangles better than squares? Is it possible to see into the future? Marjorie thinks so. As a young girl Marjorie used to sit with her mother and read their horoscopes in the paper. Since then she's been fascinated by star signs, astrology and seeing into the future.

Listen to Marjorie's story

Merv the Mole

Mervyn is a popular character around the village. Affectionately known as Merv the Mole he’s found a job that keeps him permanently busy. Merv is the local mole catcher. When he retired from farming Mervyn became the groundsman for a local school and it was here that he found his new vocation, one that would require skill and cunning and not a small amount of patience. Merv wonders if he's caught all the moles in Ruyton… they've certainly been quiet for a while.

Listen to Merv's story

Ollie and the paper round

Fourteen-year-old Ollie has a paper round. He’s saving his weekly wages in the bank, to pay for driving lessons and to buy a house when he’s older. Deep down Ollie though he has other ambitions ...

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Pam's flower shop

When she left school Pam trained for a life on the farm, but a trip across Australia changed her outlook forever. She was so inspired by the range of beautiful flowers she saw down under that she decided to work as a florist. Today Pam runs a popular flower shop in the village she grew up in, Ruyton XI Towns.

Listen to Pam's story

Sue and her dogs

Sue grew up surrounded by dogs. As soon as she was old enough she decided she had to have one of her very own. Today Sue’s an award winning trainer and an experienced shepherd. She’s well known for her obedience classes in the village and it’s here that she tries to pass her passion on to others.

Listen to Sue's story

Vince and Ivy

Vincent and Ivy met at a local dance in the late 50s. When Vincent was offered the chance to buy a small cottage he decided it was time to propose. They’ve now been married for over 45 years, so long in fact they almost think as one. When things don't go so smoothly they have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to deal with disagreements.

Listen to Vince and Ivy's story

Trevor the walker

To escape the daily stresses of life, Trevor, goes out for a walk. But not just any old walk. He walks the length and breadth of Europe - striding from coast to coast, and shouting at God when it rains! Is he driven by faith, passion, or the desire to keep fit?

Listen to Trevor's story

Selina on motherhood

Selina's tempted to say she's a stripper rather than a mum when people ask "and what do you do?". She's not a stripper by the way, but feels people might think it's more interesting. She loves being a full-time mum but doesn't like the low status and lack of respect that goes with it.

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Ann and George

As a young woman Anne dreamed of travelling to Africa. Later in life she decided to pursue her dream. And as her love affair with Africa grew she made rare contact with George Adamson. George had become famous for his work with lions after the film ‘Born Free’ and Ann eventually went to stay with him on his reserve, an experience she will treasure forever!

Listen to Ann's story

Phil the artist

When Phil has no sense of time, and likes it that way. For 16 years he's worked alone in his studio, lost in an artist's world. He wouldn't swap his job for anything.

Listen to Phil's story

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