June Spencer, who has died aged 105, was the last surviving original cast member of The Archers. For nearly 70 years, she played Peggy Woolley in the long-running radio drama: one of the best-loved matriarchs in British broadcasting.

June Spencer, who has died aged 105, became one of the best known voices on BBC radio as Peggy Woolley (née Perkins, formerly Archer) in The Archers for more than 60 years; Clement Attlee was still prime minister when she began and by the time she retired in 2022,

Spencer was best known for playing Peggy Woolley in the BBC 4 Radio show for a total of 62 years, starting with the very first episode in 1951. The actor left the radio soap three years later to raise her children,

Spencer first joined The Archers for a pilot episode in 1950, and on-air her storylines saw her character deal with alcoholism, gambling and bereavement. Jeremy Howe, editor of Th

June Spencer, who played matriarch Peggy Woolley in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama The Archers from 1951 until her retirement in 2022, has died at the age of 105. Spencer was one of the programme's original cast members,