Peter Reginald Gadd (3 June 1925 – 11 May 2013), known professionally as Arnold Peters, was an English actor, who played Jack Woolley in ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural sett ...

'' radio soap opera for 31 years.

Biography

Born in Hendon,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, but brought up in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, he was educated as a day boy at

Wellingborough School Wellingborough School is a co-educational day independent school in the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. It was established in 1595 and is one of the oldest schools in the country. The school today consists of a Prep school ...

.Obituary: Arnold Peters
telegraph.co.uk, 13 May 2013 He joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

in 1944, but was found to be unfit for military service, and after the war spent five years at the Northampton Repertory Theatre"Obituary: Arnold Peters"
BBC News, 13 May 2013 (now the

Royal & Derngate Royal & Derngate is a theatre complex in the Cultural Quarter of Northampton, England, consisting of the Royal Theatre and Derngate Theatre. The Royal was built by theatre architect Charles J. Phipps and opened in 1884. Ninety-nine years late ...

). While performing in a pantomime during this period he met Beryl, a dancer, who became his wife.Sue Arnol
Obituary: Arnold Peters
''The Guardian'', 14 May 2013 Peters made many appearances on TV, including a regular role in '' Swizzlewick'' (1964), which also featured Philip Garston-Jones, whom he replaced as Jack Woolley, and Margot Boyd, also known for her work in ''The Archers''. He also appeared in ''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (1971), ''London Belongs to Me'' (

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, 1977),

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

's '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978)Marcus Williamso
"Arnold Peters: The voice of Jack Woolley in ''The Archers''"
''The Independent'', 15 May 2013 and an episode of ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...

'' called " A Royal Flush" (1986). In the 1990s, Peters appeared in television advertisements for

Werther's Original Werther's Original (from the original German: Werthers Echte) is a brand of caramel candy owned by the German company '' August Storck KG'', based in Berlin, Germany. The candy is popular in Europe and North America. History The sweet brand i ...

Toffees. He was best known for playing businessman and hotelier Jack Woolley in the long running BBC radio series ''

'' from May 1980 until 2011."Arnold Peters, ''Archers'' actor, dies"
BBC News, 13 May 2013 Jack Woolley was not the first role he had performed in ''The Archers'', but was by far the most extended of his three roles in the soap opera; he had first joined the cast in 1953, the year he became a Midlands member of the BBC repertory company.""Archers actor Arnold Peters dies, aged 87
''Birmingham Mail'', 13 May 2013 The role, as farmhand Len Thomas lasted for 13 years, and the actor was soon cast again, as the Reverend David Latimer in 1968; the character died in 1973.

Personal life

Peters lived in the village of Wollaston,

. He died in Northamptonshire, 11 May 2013, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for some years, a condition with which he was diagnosed shortly after his ''Archers character. He was the cousin of

Gyles Brandreth Gyles Daubeney Brandreth (born 8 March 1948) is an English broadcaster, writer and former politician. He has worked as a television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author and publisher. He was a presenter for TV-am's '' Good Morning ...

. He was married to Beryl Peters, whom he met when they appeared in a production of ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' and had a daughter Caroline, who was a teacher of ballet and drama.

Filmography

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Arnold 1925 births 2013 deaths English male radio actors English male television actors People from Hendon Actors from Northamptonshire Deaths from dementia in England Deaths from Alzheimer's disease People educated at Wellingborough School The Archers