Grace Archer
Encyclopedia
Grace Archer née Fairbrother (April 2, 1930 – September 22, 1955) was a fictional character in the BBC's long-running radio soap, The Archers
, and was one of the original characters. She was played by Ysanne Churchman
. The episode depicting her death was broadcast as a spoiler
on the evening of the launch of ITV
.
Grace was the daughter of a wealthy English family who fell in love with Phil Archer
, the son of a farmer. They married in April 1955. Five months later, on September 22, a fire broke out at the stables while the residents of the village were at a dinner in the church hall. Grace ran into the burning barn to try to save her friend's horse and, as she searched, a burning beam broke and crashed onto her, trapping her. Phil and the others at the party learned that Grace was in the shed and was trapped. They pulled her from the wreckage and she was rushed to a hospital but it was to no avail, as Grace was pronounced dead on arrival.
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
, and was one of the original characters. She was played by Ysanne Churchman
Ysanne Churchman
Ysanne Churchman worked as an actor and narrator on British radio, TV and film for over 50 years . She achieved national fame as 'Grace Archer' in the long-running BBC drama series, when Grace died in a fire on the night when ITV launched in 1955.Ysanne Churchman was born on 14 May 1925 in...
. The episode depicting her death was broadcast as a spoiler
Spoiler (media)
Spoiler is slang for any element of any summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot element which will give away the outcome of a dramatic episode within the work of fiction, or the conclusion of the entire work. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information...
on the evening of the launch of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Grace was the daughter of a wealthy English family who fell in love with 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...
, the son of a farmer. They married in April 1955. Five months later, on September 22, a fire broke out at the stables while the residents of the village were at a dinner in the church hall. Grace ran into the burning barn to try to save her friend's horse and, as she searched, a burning beam broke and crashed onto her, trapping her. Phil and the others at the party learned that Grace was in the shed and was trapped. They pulled her from the wreckage and she was rushed to a hospital but it was to no avail, as Grace was pronounced dead on arrival.