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
In the Red (radio series) the Chair" (BBC Radio 4, 1998), and "In the End" (BBC Radio 4, 1999), as well as the TV production of In the Red (BBC Two, 1998), were featured in their own spin-off series "Absolute Power" (BBC Radio 4, 2000-2006/BBC Two, 2003-2005), which was also created and written by Tavener. In the Red is a seven-part BBC Radio 4 black comedy-crime drama series adapted by Mark Tavener and Peter Baynham from Tavener's novel of the same name (Hutchinson, 1989), and produced by Paul Schlesinger. The story features BBC Reporter George Cragge, played by Michael Williams, and Police Superintendent Frank Jefferson,