Phil Archer 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
Colin Skipp Colin Skipp Colin Skipp (born 1939) is a British actor, best known for playing Tony Archer in the BBC radio series "The Archers" for 46 years. Skipp had played the character of Tony Archer for 46 years (1967–2013), on the date of his retirement, making him the seventh longest continuously serving radio soap actor. The role was taken over in January 2014 by the actor David Troughton. In 2004, he directed the stage play "The Sound of Julie" at the Charles Cryer Theatre, Carshalton, a dramatisation of the life of actress Julie Andrews. Skipp's daughter, Nova, was in the title