Norman Painting 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
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.