The last original cast member of The Archers, the much-loved BBC Radio 4 drama, has announced her retirement at the age of 103.

June Spencer had played the part of matriarch Peggy Woolley (née Archer) since 1951.

She is said to have recorded her last episodes, which were broadcast on 31 July.

Ms Spencer said she had made previous attempts to retire, but instead “they gave me more episodes”.

“I’ve been trying to retire for at least a year,” she told The Telegraph.

“They didn’t want to lose her character. Every time I tried to stop, they gave me more episodes.”

Ms Spencer stepped back from playing Peggy in the mid-1950s – with Thelma Rogers taking over the role – before returning in the early 1960s.

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Peggy was often viewed as a traditionalist, a conservative character in the long-running drama charting the ups and downs of life in fictional Ambridge.

Among Peggy’s many fans is the Duchess of Cornwall, who invited Ms Spencer and her co-stars to Clarence House last year for a reception marking the show’s 70th anniversary.

In a statement in The Telegraph, Camilla called Peggy “a true national treasure who has been part of my life, and millions of others, for as long as I can remember”.

Members of the cast were pictured together at the end of 1990 as the drama prepared to celebrate 40 years on the air with a special edition featuring the wedding of Peggy and Jack Woolley, played by Arnold Peters.

Although Peggy has not yet been written out of the show, Ms Spencer has her own ideas on how best to manage her character’s exit.

“The simplest thing is if [Peggy has] a fall or something and goes into The Laurels [the fictional care home in Ambridge],” she said.

“She can languish for years there.”

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