List of The Archers Characters - Former Principal Characters

Former Principal Characters

Over the years some of the original cast members have died, left the show or retired and their characters have had to be replaced or killed off by the scriptwriters.

Dan Archer (Harry Oakes, Monte Crick, Edgar Harrison and Frank Middlemass), son of the elder John Archer, was the first owner of Brookfield when the family bought it from the local squire. He was patriarch of the Archer family. The character survived the deaths of the first three actors before finally being killed off in 1986. Elizabeth witnessed his fatal attempt to rescue a sheep in difficulty, despite her pleading with him not to.

Doris Archer (Gwen Berryman), née Forrest, Dan's wife and mother of Phil Archer and his siblings. Her death was discovered by Shula in 1980, when she and Christine were visiting Glebe Cottage. Doris was a stalwart of village life, and provided a listening ear to an ever-growing Archer family from the 1950s to 1980.

Jack Archer (Denis Folwell) (John Archer), son of Dan, elder brother of Phil and Christine, first husband of Peggy: died 1972.

Phil Archer (Norman Painting) younger son of Dan, and long-time patriarch of the Archer family and a leading resident of the village. Phil Archer died on 12 February 2010.

Grace Archer (Monica Grey and Ysanne Churchman) was Phil Archer's first wife and the first major character to be killed off. The episode featuring her death was first broadcast on 22 September 1955. The previous night, which happened to be the night that ITV (now ITV1), the UK's first commercial television channel was launched, she received fatal injuries, trying to rescue her horse, Midnight, from a fire. This was seen as a ploy to keep loyal viewers and listeners away from the new station. Her catchphrase was "one fried egg or two, Phil?"

Aunt Laura (Gwenda Wilson and Betty McDowall), New Zealander in-law of the Archer clan who fulfilled a similar dramatic role to Lynda Snell who now lives in Aunt Laura's former home, Ambridge Hall. In 1985, Aunt Laura fell in a ditch and listeners were treated to her forlorn cries while owls hooted overhead. She was found alive and spent a week in hospital being treated for pneumonia, but died of heart failure soon after being discharged on St Valentine's Day, while her friend Freddy Danby read to her from Moby-Dick.

Tom Forrest (George Hart and Bob Arnold) was Doris Archer's brother and a gamekeeper. He was a major character for many years and used to introduce the omnibus edition on Sunday mornings. In 1957, he was charged with manslaughter after shooting poacher Bob Larkin. He was cleared after being on trial.

Marjorie Antrobus (Margot Boyd) was from a colonial background in Kenya; she was the widow of Teddy. She gave a talk to the Ambridge Women's Institute in 1984, and moved into Nightingale Farm in 1985. A breeder of Afghan hounds, Marjorie let out her flat at Nightingale Farm to Ruth and later to Roy and Hayley. She was an occasionally bossy, but well-meaning do-gooder in the village. After moving to The Laurels retirement home, she was a silent character for several years before her death was finally mentioned on 13 August 2008. (Margot Boyd died on 20 May 2008.)

Sophie Barlow (Moir Leslie) a fashion designer who was once engaged to David and once involved much of Ambridge in her fashion shows. Inattentive listeners were confused when she appeared to turn up a few years later as the vicar: in the event, the vicar was a new character, but one played by the actress who had previously taken Sophie's part. A few years after the vicar, Janet Fisher, had in turn been written out, Sophie herself reappeared in August 2006. She flirted with David and made a play to have an affair with him. When the reality of her flirting dawned on the naïf David he backed away and she returned to London. David's wife Ruth had meanwhile in exasperation at David's seeming affair fallen in love with the farm's contractor Sam.

Tim Beecham (Tim Brierley and David Parfitt), an old friend of Nigel Pargetter. Once well known for persistently failing his law exams. Nigel and Shula found themselves in court in 1984 for taking a car they erroneously believed to be Beecham's. Now a silent and seldom mentioned character.

Colonel Freddy Danby (Norman Shelley and Ballard Berkeley) lodged with Laura Archer at Ambridge Hall. A widower, he always wanted to marry her, but it was not to be. Affairs became difficult when she died, her property was left to a New Zealand relative, and the colonel was cut out.

Siobhan Donovan (formerly Hathaway, Caroline Lennon) moved in to Honeysuckle Cottage in 1999 with her husband, new local doctor Tim Hathaway. Their marriage came under strain when Siobhan miscarried a much-wanted baby and Tim became close to Ambridge's vicar Janet Fisher. It collapsed completely after Tim discovered Siobhan's affair with Brian Aldridge. In November 2002, Siobhan gave birth to Brian's child Ruairí, but she moved to Germany after Brian refused to leave Jennifer. Siobhan has made occasional appearances in The Archers when Brian made clandestine visits to Germany to see his son, while supposedly on business trips to Hungary. Siobhan's revelation in 2007 that she had terminal cancer, and her request to Brian to care for Ruairí after her death, brought another crisis to the relationship of Brian and Jennifer, who eventually agreed to Brian's request for them to raise Ruairí together. She died from cancer on 31 May 2007. and Ruairí came to Ambridge to live with his father, although much of his care falls, not without a struggle, on his father's wife, Jennifer. The circumstances of Ruairí's arrival briefly engulfed the village in gossip and, for some, scandal.

Janet Fisher (Moir Leslie), the former vicar of Ambridge and surrounding villages, was a close friend of Shula's. Ambridge was one of the first parishes to have a female incumbent.

Cameron Fraser (Delaval Astley) came to Ambridge in 1990 when he bought the Berrow Estate from Lilian Bellamy. He became quite the local villain during his relatively brief tenure: Mike Tucker lost an eye in an accident, Marjorie Antrobus was swindled out of a sizeable portion of her savings, and a pregnant Elizabeth Archer was abandoned at a motor service station as he fled overseas to escape arrest. He had also attempted to rape Shula Archer.

Walter Gabriel (Robert Mawdesley and Chris Gittins), originally a smallholder, was a friend of the Archers' and provided comic relief in the years before the Grundy family were moved to greater prominence. Walter continually tried to romance Mrs. Perkins, Peggy's mother, who he referred to as "Mrs. P". Walter Gabriel's phrase "Me old pal, me old beauty" remains one of the most enduringly remembered phrases associated with The Archers, even among non-listeners; in his later years he was also known for the exclamation "Nobody cares about poor old Walter Gabriel!".

Nelson Gabriel (Jack May), Walter's son, was for many years the most disreputable character in the village. He had a shady history. He was charged with the Borchester mail-van robbery in 1967, but was eventually acquitted. After spells in London and Spain, he opened a wine bar in Borchester in 1980 and later an antique shop (with Kenton Archer). Finally he suddenly disappeared to South America, where he died in strange circumstances. He had an illegitimate daughter, Rosemary Tarrant, who when she found and introduced herself to him revealed she had become a policewoman.

Mark Hebden, first husband of Shula Archer. Died in a road accident.

Jethro Larkin (George Hart), Stereotypical yokel. His tenure came to end in 1987 when helping David fell a tree using a chainsaw. So two Larkin family members, Jethro and Bob, have met their end at the hands of members of the Archer family (see under Tom Forrest). Father of Clarrie.

Julia Pargetter-Carmichael, mother of Nigel Pargetter and sometime entertainer, died from a stroke in 2005, shortly after the actress who played her, Mary Wimbush, died, also from a stroke, aged 81.

Nigel Pargetter (played by Graham Seed, formerly by Nigel Caliburn who is now known as Nigel Carrington) was the eccentric pseudo-aristocratic owner of Lower Loxley Hall, a mansion on the outskirts of Ambridge. Making his debut in 1983, he was once considered to be somewhat dim and irresponsible, wearing a gorilla suit at a hunt ball in 1983, inadvertently joy riding with Shula Archer in 1984 and driving an ice-cream van as 'Mr Snowy' in 1986. Initially, Nigel was romantically linked with Shula (or "Shulie" as he called her), but in 1984 he became involved with Elizabeth Archer, finding her totally unlike Shula: she tricked him in to helping her abscond from school in September 1984. On the death of his father a few years later, he strove to save his ancestral home, and involved Elizabeth, now also more mature, as his marketing manager. He saved the hall for his family. Married to Elizabeth for some years and the father of twins Lily and Freddie (born 12 December 1999), he was convicted of drink-driving in 2003. Nigel had only intermittent help from his beloved mother, Julia; more often she was a source of anxiety and friction, but she died suddenly in November 2005. Nigel developed a number of vague resemblances to Prince Charles. He became concerned about the environment and tried to become "green". He also took an interest in his family history, particularly in his late Uncle Rupert. Nigel died after falling from the roof of Lower Loxley Hall while attempting, after an evening party, to take down a New Year's banner in icy conditions. The accident occurred as part of The Archers 60th anniversary broadcast on 2 January 2011. Nigel's demise was satirised in Radio 4's News Quiz Christmas Pantomime in December of that year.

Simon Pemberton (Peter Wingfield), Guy Pemberton's caddish son, inherited the estate after his father's death. Pemberton unsuccessfully attempted to end the Grundy's tenancy of Grange Farm following their farm fire in 1996. He had a brief relationship with Shula after Mark's death, but hit her after she confronted him with evidence that he was involved with another woman. Subsequently, he came close to having a relationship with Debbie Aldridge, but Pemberton assaulted her after she confessed that she could not love him. Pemberton then quickly left Ambridge after denying responsibility for his actions to Brian.

Sid Perks (Alan Devereux) was landlord of The Bull, Ambridge's village pub. He first came to Ambridge from Birmingham where he had been sent to borstal for breaking and entering, which made obtaining his publican's licence difficult. He had previously been widowed and his marriage to Kathy ended in divorce, but his third marriage to country singer Jolene was happier. He displayed vitriolic homophobia towards Sean Myerson, a professional rival, when the latter captained the village cricket team, and again when Adam Macy began a relationship with Ian Craig, the Grey Gables chef. In early 2006, Sid and Jolene were concerned that the decision of Caroline Pemberton to sell her controlling interest in The Bull would threaten the pub's future, but were relieved when Lilian bought her share. Sid died of a heart attack on 8 June 2010, while on holiday in New Zealand, visiting Lucy, his daughter by his first marriage.

John Tregorran (Roger Hume, Basil Jones, Simon Lack, Philip Morant and Basil Jones) originally arrived in Ambridge in a gypsy caravan. Thoughtful and provocative, Tregorran was such a popular and charismatic character that listeners at Archers public events still ask about him — and about Carol Grey, whom he eventually married.

Zebedee Tring (Graham Rigby) was a farm hand at Brookside and friend of Jethro Larkin.

Annette Turner (Anne-Marie Piazza) Teenage daughter of the late Greg Turner. Has been living in France with her mother Michelle and sister Sonia but after family upheavals returned to England to seek out Helen Archer. In February 2010 she suddenly disappeared from the series to stay with a grandmother in Sheffield. It was her pregnancy (by Helen's boyfriend Leon, though this was never revealed to Helen) and subsequent termination, that precipitated Helen's decision, at thirty, to have a baby by donor insemination.

Betty Tucker (Pamela Craig) wife of Mike, mother of Roy and Brenda. Betty was a popular villager who supported the family even when Mike was violent and depressed. Betty managed the village shop and kept hens and gossiped. She died suddenly before Christmas 2005. She was written out of the series when the actress who played her retired and emigrated to New Zealand.