麻豆约拍

The youngest child of Dan and Doris Archer, Christine gained two sisters-in-law in (who married Phil) and (who married Jack). She soon developed a close friendship with Jill and she now lives with Peggy.

After Woodbine Cottage was devastated by severe flooding in 2015, Christine couldn’t face returning there and a burglary during its repair was the final straw. She considered moving to a care home before Peggy invited her to live at The Lodge and she let Woodbine Cottage to and .

Over the years she has had more than her share of trauma. , who had a vendetta against her and her husband George, targeted their home with a petrol bomb. Then the sudden death of George put paid to their dream of retirement in a newly-built house.

But Christine has remained stoical throughout, despite having to hand over her beloved Stables to her niece and give up the riding she adored due to a persistent back problem.

• Likes - Gardening, baking, crosswords
• Dislikes - Not being able to ride, Hilda Ogden (Peggy's cat)
• Highs - Finding enduring happiness with George
• Lows - Being held hostage at gunpoint by Clive Horrobin

• (Sister-in-law)
• (Lived together at The Lodge and both are now residing at The Laurels)
• Peter Johnson (Son, adopted)

• (Friend) - They enjoy sharing a cheese scone and the cryptic crossword

Christine is a likeable, reliable, capable person, very like her mother Doris. Sadly she doesn鈥檛 see much of her son Peter, but I鈥檓 sure she is a good mother.

Lesley Saweard was trained in elocution and drama but as she lived near a small market town in Lincolnshire had never thought of becoming a professional actress. She taught and appeared in the local amateur dramatic society 鈥楶laygoers鈥�, with whom she played Portia in The Merchant of Venice.

In 1953 when she was nineteen she was asked to fetch Denis Folwell, who played Jack in The Archers, from Lincoln station; he was opening a fete for a local charity. He remarked on how similar her voice was to that of Pamela Mant, who was at that time playing Christine. She replied jokingly 鈥渓et me know if she鈥檚 ill鈥�!

Soon after that, Pamela left rather suddenly and at Denis鈥檚 suggestion Lesley was called for audition, along with twenty others. She was pronounced a perfect voice match and the change in actress went unnoticed.

To go from provincial schoolteacher to acting in the most famous radio serial in the world made her incredibly nervous, but she coped and settled in to her new life.

In 1954 an actor called Geoffrey Lewis joined the cast, playing the irascible Dr Cavendish. Lesley and Geoffrey fell in love and married in 1956. They had a son and a daughter and remained happily married until Geoffrey died in 1997.

Lesley left London and returned to her native Louth. She has lived there ever since, in a small village a bit like Ambridge. In fact a farmer who lives nearby reminds her very much of Joe Grundy!

Representing The Archers at a Women鈥檚 Institute AGM and being applauded by the entire Albert Hall.

Being presented to Prince Charles and reminding him of the name of his house in the Isles of Scilly 鈥� he couldn鈥檛 remember it!

After the recording of Grace Archer鈥檚 death, one reporter who came into the studio trying to phone in her story on the prop telephone!

Playing many different voices and accents; I once played an old boiler and I don鈥檛 mean a chicken鈥�

• Actor - Dame Judi Dench
• Book - The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
• Film - The Red Balloon

...have an affair with Joe Grundy!