June Spencer, the last original cast member of the Archers, is retiring aged 103 after more than 70 years on the much-loved BBC radio drama.
June, who played matriarch Peggy Woolley (formerly Archer) since the show’s first episode in 1951, said it was "high time" she bowed out of the role.
The actress has already recorded her last episodes for the Radio 4 programme, which were broadcast on July 31.
She said: "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."
Peggy was often regarded as a conservative character in the long-running drama charting the ups and downs of rural life in fictional Ambridge.
Among Peggy’s fans is the Duchess of Cornwall, who last year invited June and her co-stars to Clarence House for a reception marking the show’s 70th anniversary.
Camilla also made a cameo appearance as herself in a special episode marking the 60th anniversary of the show.
She called Peggy “a true national treasure”.
Although Peggy has not yet been written out of the show, June has ideas on how best to manage her exit.
She told the Telegraph: "The simplest thing is if [Peggy has] a fall or something and goes into the Laurels [care home]. She can languish for years there."
Jeremy Howe, editor of the Archers, said he was honoured to have worked with the star, who was a BBC Home Service broadcaster in the 1940s.
He added: "Her Peggy is one of the great creations of broadcasting – utterly charming, utterly ruthless, sharp as a knife and witty in spades.
"To think 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 wish June a well-deserved and long retirement."
After a few years of playing Peggy, June took a break and Thelma Rogers replaced her in the role.
She returned in 1961 and remained until this summer. One of June’s famous scenes included Peggy’s marriage to Jack Woolley (Arnold Peters), which celebrated the programme’s 40th anniversary in 1991.
June received many honours during her career including an OBE and a CBE for her services to drama and charity.
In June 2010, she also received the Freedom of the City of London and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement prize at the 2014 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
The Archers has had an audience of five million in recent years but at its peak it had nine million listeners by 1953.
The show was credited with educating farmers after the Second World War.
It has aired more than 19,750 episodes making it the longest-running drama.
In 2019, experts hailed the Archers as the second-greatest radio show of all time in a Radio Times poll. It lost out to Desert Island Discs for the top spot.
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