The Archers Ysanne Churchman, who played Grace, sent them a congratulatory card signed "Grace Archer". In 1996, William Smethurst recounted a conversation with Baseley in which he reveals his real motivation for killing off Grace Archer: Churchman was encouraging the other actors to join a trade union. The actor Norman Painting played Phil Archer continuously from the first trial series in 1950 until his death on 29 October 2009. His last "Archers" performance was recorded just two days before his death, and was broadcast on 22 November. He is cited in "Guinness World Records" as the longest-serving actor in a single soap
Colin Skipp role. 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