Actor June Spencer bids farewell to BBC Radio show 'The Archers' after spending 71 years

The popular BBC Radio 4 show, The Archers, is bidding farewell to its last original cast member, actor June Spencer. The 103-year-old English actor has served the programme for 71 years, playing the character of Peggy Woolley, the family's matriarch. She recorded the last episodes of the family drama, and the episodes were broadcasted on July 31 this year.

When asked about her retirement, Spencer said she had been thinking about it for a long time. She said that the show’s producers didn’t want her to retire because they didn’t want to lose the character of the much-loved Peggy Woolley. She said that the producers created more episodes for her to record whenever she tried to stop.
The Archers is a family drama where Spencer’s character was cast as a conservative matriarch. The show showed the ups and downs of the family living in the fictional town of Ambridge. The show first started in 1951, and ever since, it has become quite popular in the UK.


Spencer has garnered many fans with her stint as Peggy Woolley. One among her many fans includes the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles. Last year, the Duchess invited Spencer and the show's whole cast to Clarence House to mark the 70-year anniversary of the programme.

Camilla has sung praises about Spencer, calling her a true national treasure. She said that Spencer had been a part of her and others’ lives for the longest possible time.

On the production front, the producers have not written off Spencer’s character, Peggy. However, Spencer stated that she had a few ideas on how to mark her character's exit. Mentioning one of her ideas, Spencer said that the most straightforward exit for her character Peggy would be a fall from the stairs. After the fall, she can go to Laurels, a care home in Ambridge. There she can spend the rest of her life.

How the producers would write off the character is yet to be seen, but June Spencer has finally hung up her boots at the age of 103.