BBC legend June Spencer dies aged 105

She had worked for the broadcaster for 70 years

Spencer played Peggy Woolley in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers until she retired in 2022 age 103.

She had played the character since the show began in 1951 and was credited as the show’s longest-serving characters.

A statement released by the BBC said: “June Spencer, aged 105, best known for playing Peggy in BBC Radio 4 The Archers, died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of this morning.

“Her family would like to pay particular tribute and thanks to the staff team at Liberham Lodge, who so lovingly cared for her in the last two years.”

Spencer first joined The Archers for a pilot episode in 1950, and her character tackled storylines such as alcoholism, gambling and bereavement.

Jeremy Howe, editor of The Archers, said working with Spencer was ‘one of the great privileges of my time at the BBC’ and hailed her a ‘brilliant actress’.

He also said: “One of the cast once remarked that in all her time in the show he had only ever heard her fluff her lines the once.

“She was an actress who revelled in her craft, someone who could score a bullseye with a gently insulting cough as if it were a bon mot from Oscar Wilde.

“She was also a great company member – funny, sharp, warm, never gossipy, but with wonderful stories of the early days of radio drama, self-deprecating and a great companion.”

The Queen was said to be a fan of the show and invited Spencer and the rest of the cast to Clarence House to celebrate the show’s 70^th anniversary in 2021.

More to follow.