Fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers
Soap opera character
Peggy Woolley
The Archers character
June Spencer as Peggy
Portrayed by
June Spencer (1950–1953, 1962–2022) Thelma Rogers (1953–1962)
Duration
1950–2022
First appearance
29 May 1950 (1950-05-29)
Last appearance
31 July 2022 (2022-07-31)
Classification
Former; regular
Created by
Godfrey Baseley
Introduced by
Godfrey Baseley
In-universe information
Occupation
Publican (retired)
Mother
Polly Perkins
Stepfather
Arthur Perkins (1959–1965)
Husband
Jack Archer (until 1972) Jack Woolley (1991–2014)
Sons
Tony Archer
Daughters
Jennifer Aldridge Lilian Bellamy
Stepdaughters
Hazel Woolley
Grandsons
Adam Macy
Tom Archer
James Bellamy
Granddaughters
Debbie Aldridge
Kate Aldridge
Alice Carter
Helen Archer
First cousins
Bill Slater
Other relatives
Johnny Phillips
Phoebe Aldridge
Henry Archer
Mungo Bellamy
Jack Archer
Martha Carter
Margaret "Peggy" Woolley (also Perkins and Archer), is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Portrayed by June Spencer for over 70 years, Peggy has served as the core family's – and by extension, the village's – matriarch. Until July 2022 Spencer was the only remaining member of the original cast.[1]
The Independent newspaper has called Woolley "a fixture in the kitchens and sitting rooms of middle England since Clement Attlee was prime minister" and has a voice that is the "epitome of reassurance'.[2] BBC Radio 4 calls the character a "traditionalist" who makes her "opinions known to her children if she felt they were contravening her strict moral code".[3] Other commentators have labelled her as a "gangsta granny" and a "wealthy widow who lives in a grand house and controls family members using her money".[4] Spencer also recorded episodes as Peggy at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Spencer originally spent three years in the role, starting in 1950, until quitting the serial in 1953, and being replaced by Thelma Rogers. Spencer twice returned to The Archers in the following years to play another character, Rita Flynn, and was part of the cast when Rogers vacated the role of Peggy in 1962. Spencer swiftly resumed the role of Peggy and has played her ever since.[5][2] The character has been a widow twice, first to Jack Archer, and later Jack Woolley, suffered a stroke, raised children and run a pub.[3]
In 2018, Spencer said one of her goals was to celebrate her 100th birthday in June 2019,[1] while still performing in The Archers, a feat which she achieved.
In December 2021, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall marked the 70th anniversary of The Archers, and helped Spencer, then 102 years old, cut the cake.[6]
^ abSingh, Anita (6 February 2018). "I've been on The Archers for 60 years - but nobody knows my name". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
^ ab"June Spencer: 'I am not Peggy Woolley. She has no sense of fun'". The Independent. 26 December 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
^ ab"BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Peggy Woolley". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
^Payne, Tom (26 December 2015). "Peggy Woolley actress: 'The creator of The Archers thought he was God'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
^"BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
^"BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Peggy Woolley". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
Margaret "Peggy" Woolley (also Perkins and Archer), is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Portrayed by June Spencer for...
an English retired actress best known for her long-running role as PeggyWoolley in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Spencer played the character...
they were waiting for the house to be re-built. Christine lived with PeggyWoolley for some years but in 2018 suffered a fall and went into The Laurels...
June Spencer CBE, who celebrated her 100th birthday in 2019, played PeggyWoolley in the pilot episode and continued in the role until 2022. The Archers...
Margaret "Maggie" Horton, a character on the soap opera Days of Our Lives PeggyWoolley, a character in the BBC radio serial The Archers. Margaret (disambiguation)...
homosexuality." In 2017, a longstanding character in BBC Radio 4's The Archers, PeggyWoolley inherits a cat named 'Hilda Ogden', after her hairdresser Fabrice breaks...
request, Kenton removed it and stored it away. Phil's sister-in-law PeggyWoolley (June Spencer), his sister Christine Barford (Lesley Saweard) and Jill...
"Petticoats", socially ostracized Secretary of War John Eaton and his wife, Peggy Eaton, over disapproval of the circumstances surrounding the Eatons' marriage...
and Tony's advice, Tom took out a £65,000 loan from his grandmother, PeggyWoolley. Tom hired more staff, and eventually after 18 months expanded the farm...
Hebden-Lloyd. Christine then moved in with her long-time sister-in-law PeggyWoolley (June Spencer) at The Lodge. In 2017, conman Matt Crawford was targeting...
setting was at Poppy the cat's house, typically presented by Karl Woolley. Why Bird, Peggy Patch and other characters would often also appear in episodes...
in the late 1930s he began working with another fashion model, Thelma Woolley (née Blay) whom he married in 1942. In 1947 he met the actress and his...
retrieved July 30, 2009 Archived May 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Woolley, John T; Peters, Gerhard. "Remarks With Under Secretary of State George...
construction in 1940 and construction was contracted to local church member Ralph Woolley, who built the Laie Hawaii Temple. The main chapel within the tabernacle...
Orleans". The American Presidency Project. Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley. Retrieved December 2, 2018. "George Bush Inaugural Address". Bartleby...
romantic male lead in Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942), supporting Monty Woolley, and supported Sonja Henie in Wintertime (1943). In 1945, Columbia Pictures...
p. 23. Alden 2014. Guralnick 1999, pp. 645–648. Harrison 2016, p. 242. Woolley & Peters 1977. Hopkins 2007, p. 386. Guralnick 1999, p. 660. Victor 2008...
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