Phil Archer 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
The Archers 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.