"Which character of ""The Archers"" died in a fire on the day that ITV began broadcasting in 1955?"
"took over as acting editor before and after Kennair-Jones’s time in charge. She effectively swapped with Jeremy Howe when she succeeded him as the BBC’s commissioning editor for drama and fiction and he started as editor of the Archers in late August 2018. Since 2007, ""The Archers"" has been available as a podcast. One of the most controversial ""Archers"" episodes was broadcast on 22 September 1955, which coincided with the launch of the UK's first commercial television station. Phil and Grace Archer had been married just a few months earlier, and their blossoming relationship was the talk of the nation."
"a dancer at Cone-Ripman College. After learning repertory and theatre, she specialised in radio and voice work for film and television. She played Grace in the long-running radio series ""The Archers"" when Grace suffered grievous injuries in a fire on the night of the ITV launch in 1955; the character died in the following day's episode. She strongly suspected the producer was glad to be rid of her at the time as she had discovered that some of her cast members in this regional, Birmingham, production, were not being paid Equity minimum rates and raised the matter. She went on"
"Ysanne Churchman Ysanne Churchman (born 14 May 1925) worked as an actress and narrator on British radio, TV and film for over 50 years (1938–1993). She gained attention as Grace Archer in the long-running BBC radio drama series ""The Archers"", when Grace died after a fire on the night when ITV launched in 1955. Ysanne Churchman was born on 14 May 1925 in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, to Andrew Churchman and Gladys Dale, well-known stage and radio performers in London. In 1938, Churchman appeared on both BBC Radio ""Children's Hour"" and in a BBC TV play ""Gallows Glorious"". She trained as"
"Grace Archer Grace Archer (née Fairbrother) (April 2, 1930 – September 22, 1955) is a fictional character from the BBC's long-running radio soap, ""The Archers"". She was one of the original characters and was played by Monica Gray and then Ysanne Churchman. The episode depicting her death was broadcast by the BBC on the evening of the launch of ITV, so as to distract from it. Grace is the daughter of a wealthy English family. She falls in love with Phil Archer (Norman Painting), the son of a farmer, and they are married in April 1955. A few months later,"
"of the early episodes, working on the neighbouring Fairbrother estate, into a father and grandfather, replacing Dan Archer as the patriarch of Brookfield Farm and a senior figure in the series. Perhaps his most famous moment occurred on 22 September 1955, when his wife, Grace Archer (née Fairbrother), was killed while trying to rescue a horse, Midnight, from a burning barn – the episode being transmitted on first day of ITV broadcasts. The character survived Painting by four months, dying peacefully in March 2010. He was appointed OBE in 1976, for services to broadcasting. He published two books on the"
"His ashes were scattered at Painting's Plantation in Leamington Spa, with a memorial service at St Martin-in-the-Fields in May 2010. He left his recordings, scripts, books, papers and letters to Birmingham University Special Collections. Norman Painting Norman George Painting (23 April 1924 – 29 October 2009) was an English actor, broadcaster and writer. He played Phil Archer in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"" from the pilot episodes aired on the BBC Midlands Home Service in summer 1950, after the series went national on the Light Programme on 1 January 1951, until his death in 2009, when he"
"Archers"" from May 1980 until 2011. Jack Woolley was not the first role he had performed in ""The Archers"", but was by far the most extended of his three roles in the soap opera; he had first joined the cast in 1953, the year he became a Midlands member of the BBC repertory company. The role, as farmhand Len Thomas lasted for 13 years, and the actor was soon cast again, as the Reverend David Latimer in 1968; the character died in 1973. Peters lived in the village of Wollaston, Northamptonshire. He died in Northamptonshire, 11 May 2013, after suffering"
"a fire breaks out at the stables while the residents of the village are at a dinner in the church hall. Grace runs into the burning stables to try to save her friend's horse and, as she searches, a burning beam falls down onto her, leaving her trapped. Phil and the others at the party learn that Grace is trapped in the shed and they pull her from the wreckage. She is rushed to hospital, but is pronounced dead on arrival. An audience of 20 million tuned into ""The Archers"" to hear Grace's death in 1955. A writer for the"
"Norman Painting Norman George Painting (23 April 1924 – 29 October 2009) was an English actor, broadcaster and writer. He played Phil Archer in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"" from the pilot episodes aired on the BBC Midlands Home Service in summer 1950, after the series went national on the Light Programme on 1 January 1951, until his death in 2009, when he was the longest-serving member of the cast. His last episode, recorded two days before he died, was broadcast on 22 November 2009. The character lived on until Phil was ""found dead"" in his armchair"
"""Sunday Mercury"" called Grace's death ""One of the most controversial events in Ambridge history."" Nick Collins, writing for ""The Daily Telegraph"", named Grace's death as one of ""The Archers<nowiki>'</nowiki>"" most shocking storylines In 2011, listeners voted Grace's death as their fifth most potent ""Archers"" memory in a poll conducted on the BBC's ""Archers"" website. The storyline received 9.7% of the vote. The scene is mentioned in the British comedy The Good Life series 3 episode 1. Grace Archer Grace Archer (née Fairbrother) (April 2, 1930 – September 22, 1955) is a fictional character from the BBC's long-running radio soap, ""The"
"was broadcast across the UK on the BBC Home Service on 1 January 1951. In the late 1960s Baseley took a part in ""The Archers"" playing the part of Brigadier Winstanley, although billed in the Radio Times under a pseudonym. Baseley was replaced as script editor for ""The Archers"" in 1972. His successor, Malcolm Lynch, had previously worked as a script writer for the television drama series, ""Coronation Street"". Baseley was not uncritical of some of his successors. Godfrey Baseley died at Bromsgrove on 2 February 1997, aged 92 Godfrey Baseley Cyril Godfrey Baseley (2 October 1904 – 2 February"
"Godfrey Baseley Cyril Godfrey Baseley (2 October 1904 – 2 February 1997), credited as Godfrey Basely, was a BBC radio executive famous for being the creator of the soap opera, ""The Archers"". Cyril Godfrey Baseley was born at Alvechurch near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, England. He was educated at Bootham School, York. Before creating ""The Archers"", he had previous experience in refashioning radio programmes about farming, mainly for the Midland region. Inspiration came from another radio programme at the time: ""Dick Barton - Special Agent"" he decided to create a farming show with a narrative. The idea came from a suggestion"
"the character's name included ""Bill Barton"" and ""Rex Drake"". However, the production team finally settled on the more dynamic Dick Barton. After the series had been on the air for some time, the BBC (conscious that the biggest audience for the programme was schoolboys) wrote a strict code of what Dick and his chums could and couldn't do, one clause famously stating ""Sex plays no part in his adventures."" In 1951 ""The Archers"" was first broadcast at 11.45 am on the Light Programme. BBC management, led by drama head Val Gielgud, had never felt comfortable with the sensationalism of ""Dick"
"on BBC Four on 1 January 2007, focused on ""The Archers"". It was narrated by Stephen Fry and included interviews with current actors and scriptwriters. The Archers The Archers, having aired over 18,700 episodes, is the world's longest-running radio serial. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4the BBC's main spoken-word channelthis soap opera was initially billed, ""an everyday story of country folk"" and now, ""a contemporary drama in a rural setting"". Five pilot episodes were aired in 1950 and the first episode was broadcast nationally on 1 January 1951. A significant show in British popular culture, and with over five million listeners,"
"Woodley, who illustrated some of her books, was her cousin. Mollie Harris Mollie Harris (born Mollie Woodley, 23 June 1913 – 2 October 1995) was an English actress and author, known for her appearances as village shopkeeper Martha Woodford in the BBC Radio soap opera ""The Archers"". Mollie Woodley was born in Ducklington, Oxfordshire and raised in that county. After World War II, she became a writer and broadcaster for BBC Radio, on programmes such as ""In The Country"", with Phil Drabble. She joined ""The Archers"" in 1970. and appeared as a ""castaway"" on the BBC Radio programme ""Desert Island"
"Archer was born on 23 April 1928, the second of three children of Dan and Doris Archer (the oldest being Jack and the youngest being Christine Barford). He attended the Farm Institute to train, but he disappointed Dan by returning to work for local squire George Fairbrother. During this time he met and married the squire's daughter Grace. She died from injuries sustained in a fire in an episode broadcast on 22 September 1955. Two years later, he met Jill Patterson, to whom he was married for over 50 years. Phil and Jill had four children - the twins, Shula"
"died in January 2015 after 63 years of marriage. She retired in 1993, but still does occasional voice-over and television appearances, most recently reprising her role as the voice of Delegate Alpha Centauri in 'Empress of Mars', shown on UK Television's BBC1 on 10 June 2017, having last voiced the character in 1974. Ysanne Churchman Ysanne Churchman (born 14 May 1925) worked as an actress and narrator on British radio, TV and film for over 50 years (1938–1993). She gained attention as Grace Archer in the long-running BBC radio drama series ""The Archers"", when Grace died after a fire on"
"when the show began airing nationally on 1 January 1951. During his time with ""The Archers"", Painting wrote a best-selling book entitled ""Forever Ambridge"" and wrote over a thousand scripts for the show between 1966 and 1982. Painting was later inducted into the Guinness World Records for being the longest-serving actor, without a break, in a single soap opera. In later years, Painting's appearances on the show became limited due to his ill health. On 29 October 2009, two days after he had gone to the recording studio, Painting died. BBC Radio 4 controller, Mark Damazer, said ""Norman Painting was"
"Mollie Harris Mollie Harris (born Mollie Woodley, 23 June 1913 – 2 October 1995) was an English actress and author, known for her appearances as village shopkeeper Martha Woodford in the BBC Radio soap opera ""The Archers"". Mollie Woodley was born in Ducklington, Oxfordshire and raised in that county. After World War II, she became a writer and broadcaster for BBC Radio, on programmes such as ""In The Country"", with Phil Drabble. She joined ""The Archers"" in 1970. and appeared as a ""castaway"" on the BBC Radio programme ""Desert Island Discs"" on 8 October 1983. Harris's books about her life"
"Archers. 52 ten-minute editions were produced, thus originally airing between September 1980 and May 1982. The books went out of print in the mid-to-late 1980s following a fire at a Studio Publications which destroyed all the original artwork. These had been launched circa 1981 to coincide with the launch of the television series, with Mitson's characters as well as a few non-book characters such as Jenny Cherry and Charlie Chocolate but by the 1990s had struck out completely in their own right retaining only the logo and a few character names. The brand had a resurgence in the UK during"
"the line."" Nelson Gabriel Nelson Gabriel is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"". He was portrayed by Jack May. May was approached by producer Tony Shryane to join ""The Archers"" as Nelson in 1952. May remained with the show until January 1997, when he was forced to leave due to his declining health. He died later that year. The son of Walter Gabriel (Chris Gittins), the village carrier and self-appointed ""character"", Nelson was for many years the most disreputable character in the village. He was charged with the Borchester mail-van robbery in 1967,"
"Timothy Bentinck Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, Count Bentinck MBE (born 1 June 1953 in Tasmania, Australia), commonly known as Tim Bentinck, is an English actor and writer, most widely known for his long-running role as David Archer in the BBC Radio 4 series, ""The Archers"". The son of the non-conformist intellectual Henry Bentinck he was born on a sheep station in Tasmania, but moved to Berkhamsted in the UK when aged two. He attended a local prep school, Harrow School, and the University of East Anglia, where he spent most of his time at its"
"Patricia Greene Patricia Honor Greene (born 1931) is an English television and radio actress, who is best known for her long-standing role as matriarch Jill Archer in the radio serial The Archers. She is the world's longest serving actor in a soap opera, in any medium; coincidentally, the record was previously held by her colleague Norman Painting, who received a listing in ""Guinness World Records"" for his feat. Greene was born in Allenton, Derby, England. Her family moved to Campion Street in the New Zealand part of the city, where she attended Ashgate Infants School on Ashbourne Road. Later she"
"The Archers The Archers, having aired over 18,700 episodes, is the world's longest-running radio serial. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4the BBC's main spoken-word channelthis soap opera was initially billed, ""an everyday story of country folk"" and now, ""a contemporary drama in a rural setting"". Five pilot episodes were aired in 1950 and the first episode was broadcast nationally on 1 January 1951. A significant show in British popular culture, and with over five million listeners, it is Radio 4's most listened-to non-news programme, With over one million listeners via the internet, the programme holds the record for BBC Radio online"
"Nelson Gabriel Nelson Gabriel is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"". He was portrayed by Jack May. May was approached by producer Tony Shryane to join ""The Archers"" as Nelson in 1952. May remained with the show until January 1997, when he was forced to leave due to his declining health. He died later that year. The son of Walter Gabriel (Chris Gittins), the village carrier and self-appointed ""character"", Nelson was for many years the most disreputable character in the village. He was charged with the Borchester mail-van robbery in 1967, but was"
"in a Warwickshire hospice, at the age of 69. Sara Coward Sara Coward (30 January 1948 – 12 February 2017) was an English actress and writer. She was known for her role as Caroline Sterling in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"". Coward was born and raised in Eltham, south-east London and attended the girls' grammar school in the area before reading English and Drama at Bristol University and then studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While she was performing the role of Lady Macbeth in repertory theatre, Vanessa Whitburn, a producer from ""The Archers"""
"Ysanne Churchman, who played Grace, sent them a congratulatory card signed ""Grace Archer"". In 1996, William Smethurst recounted a conversation with Baseley in which he reveals his real motivation for killing off Grace Archer: Churchman was encouraging the other actors to join a trade union. The actor Norman Painting played Phil Archer continuously from the first trial series in 1950 until his death on 29 October 2009. His last ""Archers"" performance was recorded just two days before his death, and was broadcast on 22 November. He is cited in ""Guinness World Records"" as the longest-serving actor in a single soap"
"have two sons: They live in North London. His sister Anna Bentinck is an actress. Specific references: General references: <br> Timothy Bentinck Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, Count Bentinck MBE (born 1 June 1953 in Tasmania, Australia), commonly known as Tim Bentinck, is an English actor and writer, most widely known for his long-running role as David Archer in the BBC Radio 4 series, ""The Archers"". The son of the non-conformist intellectual Henry Bentinck he was born on a sheep station in Tasmania, but moved to Berkhamsted in the UK when aged two. He attended a"
"fan will."" Phil Archer Philip Walter Archer is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"", played by Norman Painting. He made his first appearance on 29 May 1950, the show's pilot episode. The character later became the longest serving male character in the series. His longevity gave him something of the status of a 'patriarch' in Ambridge. Norman Painting joined the cast as Phil Archer, the ""handsome"" son of Dan (Harry Oakes) and Doris Archer (Gwen Berryman), for the show's pilot episode broadcast on the BBC Midlands Home Service on 29 May 1950, he"
"Phil Archer Philip Walter Archer is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera ""The Archers"", played by Norman Painting. He made his first appearance on 29 May 1950, the show's pilot episode. The character later became the longest serving male character in the series. His longevity gave him something of the status of a 'patriarch' in Ambridge. Norman Painting joined the cast as Phil Archer, the ""handsome"" son of Dan (Harry Oakes) and Doris Archer (Gwen Berryman), for the show's pilot episode broadcast on the BBC Midlands Home Service on 29 May 1950, he stayed on"
"Jones was often nicknamed Dan Archer by his teammates, in reference to his pipe-smoking habit similar to that of the character in the radio serial ""The Archers"". He was portrayed in a 2011 BBC film, ""United"", by actor Thomas Howes. The producers mistakenly cast him as the team captain, when in fact Roger Byrne was captain of the United side at the time. Mark Jones (footballer, born 1933) Mark Jones (15 June 1933 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer and one of eight Manchester United players to lose their lives in the Munich air disaster. Jones was born"
"in Wonderland"" (1958) and ""Through the Looking-Glass"", both directed by Douglas Cleverdon and both starring Jane Asher in the title role. For the same company he also recorded his impersonation of Toad in ""Wind in the Willows"" (1960) with Richard Goolden as Mole. Late in life he found new fame as Colonel Freddy Danby in the BBC radio serial ""The Archers"". He was still recording episodes of ""The Archers"" at the time of his death. He collapsed suddenly at Finchley Road tube station, London, on 21 August 1980, and was declared dead in the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead. His wife"
"April 1984. He never got the chance to do so. Jack Howarth died in Llandudno General Hospital, in Wales from Kidney Failure and Pneumonia on the evening of 31 March 1984, aged 88, with his wife and son John at his bedside. He was cremated six days later at Colwyn Bay. His death meant that Bill Roache, who played Albert Tatlock's nephew-in-law, Ken Barlow, was the show's only remaining original character, although Brian Mosley (Alf Roberts) and Eileen Derbyshire (Emily Bishop), who joined the show within a few months of its launch, were both still in it at this stage."