June Spencer
June Rosalind Spencer CBE (born 14 June 1919) is an English actress best known for her role as Peggy Woolley in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera "The Archers". Spencer played the character from 1950 to 1954, and again from 1961 to the present day. Her total of 65 years in the role as of 2022 make her the second-longest-serving actor in a soap opera worldwide in any medium, surpassed only by her colleague in "The Archers": Lesley Saweard as Christine Barford (67 years). Career. Born in Nottingham, Spencer left Nottingham Girls' High School to join  an amateur dramatic society and gained a London Guildhall School of Music and Drama certificate. She has played the role of Peggy Woolley ("née" Perkins, formerly Archer) for over sixty years, beginning with the pilot episode in 1950, and is the sole survivor from the original cast. In 1953–54, she left the cast to look after her family, and the role of Peggy was taken over by Thelma Rogers. Spencer later returned to the series to play Rita Flynn, a role she had originally performed in tandem with that of Peggy. In 1961-62, Rogers left "The Archers" to return  to the stage, and Spencer returned to the role of Peggy. She has also appeared on television on "Songs of Praise" and in the drama "Doctors". Personal life. Spencer was the guest on "Desert Island Discs" on 28 February 2010. Spencer spoke of the long-running "Archers" story line of Jack Woolley, her character's husband, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and of her real-life husband of 59 years, Roger Brocksom, who died from the disease in 2001. Honours. On 12 July 2012, Spencer was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Nottingham as a Doctor of Letters  for her services to broadcasting. She was given a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2014 BBC Audio Drama Awards. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. Spencer turned 100 in 2019.