June Spencer, the beloved actress who starred in the BBC’s soap opera The Archers for eight decades, has passed away at the age of 105. According to a family statement reported by the BBC, she passed away peacefully in her sleep during the early hours of Friday, November 8th.
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Spencer’s family told the outlet they wanted to “pay particular tribute and thanks to the staff team at Liberham Lodge. [They] so lovingly cared for her in the last two years.”
Spencer starred in the long-running soap from 1951 until her retirement in 2022 at the age of 103. Her character, Peggy Woolley (formerly Archer), was often seen as a traditionalist and conservative character in the soap opera that showcases the challenges of life in the fictional village of Ambridge.
Spencer was among the show’s original cast members. In the mid-1950s, Spencer left her role as Peggy, which was taken over by Thelma Rogers. Spencer returned to the character in the early 1960s after Rogers departed from the role.
Tributes Pour in for Beloved Actress June Spencer
BBC’s Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya paid tribute to Spencer following her passing.
“Many have grown up with June as Peggy. [We] listened as she journeyed through life’s many chapters, with all of its ups and downs. In her later years, her portrayal of a devoted wife caring for a husband with dementia, including their very moving final goodbye, was deeply poignant and powerful,” Bakaya said.
“We send all our love and condolences to June’s family and the many people whose lives she touched,” he added.
The current Queen was also one of Spencer’s many admirers. She hosted a reception at Clarence House in 2021 for the actress celebrating the 70th anniversary of the show.
The Queen also honored Spencer in a social media post.
She called Spencer “a much-loved part of so many people’s lives. Brilliantly combining in Peggy Woolley the roles of reassuring matriarch and ‘gangsta granny’.”
She added, “She will be greatly missed and I send my heartfelt condolences to her family.”
Spencer was honored with both an OBE and a CBE. In June 2010, she was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.
In 1942, she married Roger Brocksom, whom she had first met on vacation at the age of 17. He passed away in 2001, and their son, David, died in 2006. She is survived by their daughter, Ros, and a granddaughter.