The Archers radio star June Spencer dies aged 105

June Spencer, who played matriarch Peggy successful BBC Radio 4's long-running play The Archers from 1951 until her status successful 2022, has died astatine the property of 105.

A connection said she died peacefully successful her slumber successful the aboriginal hours of Friday.

"Her household would similar to wage peculiar tribute and acknowledgment to the unit squad astatine Liberham Lodge, who truthful lovingly cared for her successful the past 2 years," it said.

Her quality Peggy Woolley (formerly Archer) was often viewed arsenic a traditionalist, blimpish quality successful the long-running play charting the ups and downs of beingness successful fictional Ambridge.

Speaking arsenic the show's lone archetypal formed subordinate successful 2019, she said: "I had nary thought I'd beryllium ever beryllium 100 for a start, fto unsocial inactive working!

"It's been marvellous, I anticipation I tin support connected doing it for a bit, and possibly acceptable an illustration to older radical who person conscionable fixed up," she said.

Three years later, erstwhile she did determine it was clip to permission the show, she said: "In 1950 I helped to works an acorn. It took basal and successful January 1951 it was planted retired and called The Archers."

She added that "over the years it has thrived and go a splendid large histrion with galore branches. But present this aged branch, known arsenic Peggy, has go anemic and unsafe truthful I decided it was precocious clip she 'boughed' out, truthful I person duly lopped her".

The contiguous Queen was among Spencer's galore fans, and arsenic Duchess of Cornwall she invited the histrion and her co-stars to Clarence House for a reception successful 2021, marking the show's 70th anniversary.

She called Peggy "a existent nationalist treasure who has been portion of my life, and millions of others, for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember".

Last twelvemonth the Queen celebrated the 20,000th occurrence of the amusement by raising a solid to the "joy, tears and laughter" it gives.