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
BBC Birmingham BBC Bristol and BBC Northern Ireland respectively. The original series of "Top Gear" was also produced by BBC Birmingham as was some content of the astronomy-based programme The Sky at Night, while the rest is produced in Selsey. BBC Birmingham output has steadily diminished over time as production has moved elsewhere with the closure of Pebble Mill and the development of other BBC sites. "Doctors" is currently produced at the BBC Drama Village in Selly Oak, and "The Archers" is produced for BBC Radio 4. "Father Brown", "WPC 56", and "The Coroner" are all BBC Birmingham productions for afternoon broadcast.