June Rosalind Spencer (14 June 1919 – 8 November 2024) was an English actress best known for her long-running role as Peggy Woolley in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

soap opera ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...

''. Spencer played the character from 1950 to 1953, and again from 1962 to 2022.''The Guardian'', "June Spencer obituary"
8 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.

Early life and education

The only child of William Spencer, a commercial traveller, and Rosalind Thorne, Spencer was born in

Sherwood, Nottingham Sherwood ( ) is a large district and ward of the city of Nottingham, England, north of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 15,414. It is bordered by Woodthorpe to the northeast, Mapperley to the east, Carrington to the s ...

, and had her first acting role at the age of 3. She attended Mountford House preparatory school and Nottingham Girls' High School, which she left at the age of 15 to look after her mother. After joining an amateur dramatic society, she earned a London

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

certificate. She also studied at Stockwin Music College from the age of 12.

Career

Spencer's initial work as a governess at a private school helped fund drama lessons, which led to appearances at the

Theatre Royal, Nottingham The Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England, is a theatre venue in the heart of Nottingham City Centre and is owned by Nottingham City Council as part of a complex that also includes the city's Royal Concert Hall. The Theatre Royal attracts maj ...

. She also wrote monologues for after-dinner entertainment, as well as satirical material for radio programmes. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she worked in the Nottingham City treasurer's office before joining a theatre company and, later

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

, appearing on programmes such as ''

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

'' and '' Dick Barton: Special Agent'' before ''

'' began in 1950. In ''The Archers'' she played the role of Peggy Woolley ( Perkins, formerly Archer) for a period spanning over 70 years, beginning with the pilot episode in 1950, and ending on 31 July 2022. In 1953, she left the cast to look after her family, and the role of Peggy was taken over by Thelma Rogers. Spencer later twice returned to the series to play another character, Rita Flynn, firstly from 1956 to 1958 and again from 1961. In 1962, Rogers left ''The Archers'' to return to the stage, and Spencer returned to the role of Peggy. She also appeared on television on ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

'' and in the drama ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

''. Her retirement from ''The Archers'', at the age of 103, was announced by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

on 8 August 2022. Her former co-star Graham Seed commended her for her "remarkable strength and resilience".

Personal life

In 1942 Spencer married Roger Brocksom, whom she had met on holiday when they were both aged 17. They adopted two children: a son, David, and a daughter, Ros. Spencer was the guest on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'' on 28 February 2010. Her chosen music included the

Hallelujah Chorus ''Messiah'' ( HWV 56), the English-language oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741, is structured in three parts. This listing covers Part II in a table and comments on individual movements, reflecting the relation of the musical se ...

and

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

" Let’s Face the Music and Dance", with her favourite being

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

playing Rodrigo's ''

Concierto de Aranjuez The ''Concierto de Aranjuez'' (, "Aranjuez Concerto") is a concerto for classical guitar by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is by far Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the ...

''; her chosen book was ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

'', and her luxury a

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a Board game, game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, re ...

board. Spencer spoke of the long-running ''Archers'' storyline of Jack Woolley, her character's husband, suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, and of her real-life husband of 59 years, who had died from the disease in 2001. In 2010, she published her autobiography, ''The Road to Ambridge: My Life, Peggy and the Archers'' (). Spencer turned 100 on 14 June 2019 and died on 8 November 2024, at the age of 105.

Honours

On 12 July 2012, Spencer was awarded an honorary degree by the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

as a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

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 The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours were awarded a ...

for services to drama and charity.

Publications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, June 1919 births 2024 deaths People educated at Nottingham Girls' High School Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English soap opera actresses English television actresses Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Actresses from Nottingham English women centenarians 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English writers 21st-century English women writers English autobiographers 21st-century British autobiographers