Curious World Staff
June Spencer, the actress who portrayed matriarch Peggy Woolley (formerly Archer) in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers from 1951 until her retirement in 2022, has died at the age of 105. Spencer passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday morning.
Her family expressed gratitude for the care she received at Liberham Lodge in her final years.
Spencer’s character, Peggy, was regarded as a traditionalist in the long-running drama set in the fictional community of Ambridge. Spencer, the show’s last surviving original cast member, commented on her career in 2019, stating she never planned to work until she was 100 years old.
When she retired in 2022, she compared the show to an oak tree, saying it had flourished over the years, while her own character had become “weak and unsafe”- a reason for her departure.
Spencer was highly appreciated by the Queen, who invited her and her co-stars to a reception to commemorate the show’s 70th anniversary in 2021. The Queen praised Peggy as “a true national treasure” and hailed the 20,000th episode last year.
