That 103-year-old June Spencer, as Peggy Wooley, has lasted 72 years as a character in BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Archers’ is something to be celebrated suggests Matthew Steeples
“She’s seen it all: Alcoholism, gambling and bereavement,” continued Waugh at that time and now, speaking after having broadcast her final performance on Sunday 31st July, the actress herself amusingly remarked:
“In 1950, I helped to plant an acorn. It took root and in January 1951 it was planted out and called The Archers.”
“Over the years it has thrived and become a splendid great tree with many branches. But now this old branch, known as Peggy, has become weak and unsafe so I decided it was high time she ‘boughed’ out, so I have duly lopped her.”
Hailed by the Duchess of Cornwall as “a true national treasure who has been part of my life, and millions of others, for as long as I can remember” and honoured in 1991 with an OBE and then with a CBE in 2017 for “services to drama and charity,” the legend that is June Spencer added:
“I’ve been trying to retire for at least a year. They didn’t want to lose her character. Every time I tried to stop, they gave me more episodes.”
“The idea was that the country characters having to explain things to Peggy educated the listeners.”
Of how she’ll be written out, Spencer admitted to not knowing. She concluded: “The simplest thing is if [Peggy has] a fall or something and goes into The Laurels [the fictional Ambridge care home]. She can languish for years there.”
“It’s a great bonus for me that ‘The Archers’ has run as long as it has, and I’ve gone along with it,” once observed the radio stalwart. On ‘Desert Island Discs,’ the ‘radio matriach’ chose a Scrabble board as her luxury and Jerome K. Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’ as her book. Her character was “often viewed as a traditionalist, a conservative character” and also as both “utterly charming, utterly ruthless, sharp as a knife and witty in spades.” Of her, the radio soap’s editor Jeremy Howe remarked: “To think that June has commanded the airwaves over an ‘Archers’ career of over 70 years beggars belief. I have rarely worked with such an inventive, focused and technically brilliant actor, or such a lovely person. Myself and ‘The Archers’ team and cast wish June a well-deserved and long retirement – and I know that if she doesn’t think the show is up to the mark, June will be letting us know. Bravo the legend that is June Spencer.”In June 2019, Sunny Ormonde – who plays Peggy Woolley’s gin loving daughter Lillian Bellamy – remarked: “She’s a phenomenon. She has her OBE, but I’m hoping she might be made a dame. If anyone deserves it, it’s June.”
One of the choices of Spencer, whose real-life husband like her fictional husband died of Alzheimer’s disease, on ‘Desert Island Discs’ was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ version of ‘Let’s Face The Music And Dance.’
In March 2015, the veteran actress spoke with the Guildford Greenbelt Group about real-life changes to her home village of West Horsley, Surrey but, as they were especially keen to point out, she didn’t get political “as a BBC employee she cannot get involved in politics.”
A graduate of the London School of Economics, Matthew Steeples is a writer and marketing consultant. He conceived The Steeple Times as a media arena to fill the void between the Mail Online, The Huffington Post and such organs as the New York Social Diary in 2012.
As man-pestering Mark Menzies, the MP they have supported since 2008, is exposed for yet more sordid sexual shenanigans, the Fylde Conservative Association yet again prove themselves a bunch of nutty nincompoops by sharing tweets about “vile degenerates” making “sexually explicit” comments.
As meddling minx Meghan Markle gets mocked about her jaunt into jam and loopy lettuce-loathing loon Liz Truss gets mocked about bumbling like a buffoon about her book, Samantha Markle speaks exclusively to ‘The Steeple Times’ about her soppy, self-centred sister.
Matthew Steeples reveals that £70 million art fraudster Inigo Philbrick has been disgracefully freed after just 1-year and and 8 months in jail in spite of being sentenced to 7-years in the clink.
What was Martin Frizell thinking in allowing carbonara munching Sarah, Duchess of York to guest edit and co-host ‘This Morning’ and what was he thinking in pairing her up with the creepy Christian crooner and “fat shamer” Sir Cliff Richard?
As Kevin Spacey’s eccentric ‘friend’ Geoffrey Mark claims the “exonerated” actor will now “leave the nonsense behind” and begin his comeback, we remind of his friendships with ‘curious sorts’ including Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein.
As the grubby groper Chris Pincher resigns as an MP, this sex pest bizarrely pens a crass column in which he laments times passed when “life was to be lived and not loathed.”
Please subscribe, like and share this unique site, it helps us tremendously. The Steeple Times in return will send you an email at noon each and everyday, that we sincerely hope you will enjoy & look forward to seeing in your inbox.
Matthew Steeples exclusively speaks to the Jeremy Bamber Innocence Campaign as they call for the whole-life tariff prisoner’s case to finally be reviewed by the Court of Appeal in the wake of the hapless and hopeless Criminal Cases Review Commission being shockingly shaken by scandal-upon-scandal after the departure of Helen Pitcher.
Grade II* listed timber framed house where King Charles I supposedly slept in 1645 in Herefordshire for sale for the surprising sum of just £50,000 in spite of having been valued at £295,000 in 2022 – BUT there are more than a few catches.
WORLD EXCLUSIVE – Ghislaine Maxwell’s notorious London home –the very pad that caused Prince Andrew to pay out £12 million over sexual cavorting allegations relating to a “bathtub bonk” in 2001 – is astoundingly back up for sale for a bonkers sum nearly 100% higher than she ‘sold’ it for just 3 years ago; much of the mucky madam’s furniture bizarrely remains.
Phillip Schofield filmed smoking shisha with his alleged ex-lover Matt McGreevy (and pictured in bed thereafter); another image shows the pair together in photograph...
As author Kirby Sommers suggests that the then Meghan Markle likely spent time with Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein before she met Prince Harry, we again highlight the mucky, murkiness and mendacious manner of this alleged “yacht girl.”
‘Politicalite’ suggest Phillip Schofield orchestrated his ‘mass coming out’ after a former ‘This Morning’ runner had gone to the press about a supposed relationship...
Expose interview with Matthew Steeples by Shaun Attwood and Jennifer Hopkins about the former Meghan Markle watched over 73,000 times in 16 hours since it aired; Steeples condemns hapless Prince Harry and his meddling menace wife.
Oldham born divorcee and former glamour model Ampika Pickston describes herself as “feisty, fun loving and warm hearted”. Now based in Hale Barns, Cheshire...
Power of social media proven after senseless killing of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a controversial bar owner named Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump.
