[1] The Independent newspaper has called Woolley "a fixture in the kitchens and sitting rooms of middle England since Clement Attlee was prime minister" and has a voice that is the "epitome of reassurance'.

[2] BBC Radio 4 calls the character a "traditionalist" who makes her "opinions known to her children if she felt they were contravening her strict moral code".

[3] Other commentators have labelled her as a "gangsta granny" and a "wealthy widow who lives in a grand house and controls family members using her money".

Spencer originally spent three years in the role, starting in 1950, until quitting the serial in 1953, and being replaced by Thelma Rogers.

Spencer twice returned to The Archers in the following years to play another character, Rita Flynn, and was part of the cast when Rogers vacated the role of Peggy in 1962.

In December 2021, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall marked the 70th anniversary of The Archers, and helped Spencer, then 102 years old, cut the cake.

[9] Spencer recalled in the same interview "barely having a free weekend" due to the demand of public appearances to promote the serial.

[8] "I can remember on one occasion being flown down to Cornwall in a rather ancient plane which had been very loosely adapted for civilian use," she told the BBC.

"[2] Spencer has also criticised The Archers creator Godfrey Baseley as being a "very abrupt man" who "could be very dictatorial" and "thought he was God".

In many interviews given around the time of the show's 60th anniversary in 2010, Spencer admitted that she did not see herself playing the part of Peggy Perkins as a long-term acting job.

"[11] In the episode broadcast on 8 August, the character's son and daughter-in-law reflect on Peggy's life and agree that she is "an extraordinary woman.

[12] When Spencer was interviewed for the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs in 2010, she said listeners who met her often described how she looked exactly as they had imagined.

"[9] The programme's official website lists Peggy's 'likes' as going to church on Sunday, cats, and her garden; she dislikes mobile phones, loud music and "slack standards".

[3] "Peggy is a strong-minded woman, reflecting the character of her late mother, 'Mrs P'"; the website attributes Spencer as saying: "she also has a softer side, loving and loyal.

[13] The next year, Jack threw in the towel at the small goods shop and went into business in Cornwall with wartime pal, Barney Lee.

Peggy would be worried in 1961 by eldest daughter Jennifer's sudden return from a ski trip with a boyfriend called Max.

Jack Woolley, who had just turned 100 acres near Grey Gables into a country park, offered Peggy the job as his assistant.

[16] After turning down Jack Woolley's marriage proposal in the 1970s, the businessman tried again in 1990 when he asked Peggy to the Grey Gables Valentine Ball.

Things got a little steamy in the marriage when Peggy's wartime sweetheart, Conn Kortchmar turned up in the village in 1992 to try and woo her back, unsuccessfully.

Prof Simon Lovestone (a specialist in the condition at King's College London) wrote that it was the truest depiction of Alzheimer's he had ever come across.

Jack performed poorly in the memory tests at the Felpersham clinic and was given medication, leading to Peggy asking him to reduce his business interests.

When Jack's friend Sir Sidney Goodman died he planned to speak at the funeral, but in the end Peggy had to stand in for him.

The family offered more practical help and Rev Alan Franks persuaded Peggy to enlist Jack in a day centre.

At home, she was struggling along with some help from Grey Gables chef Ian Craig, before eventually admitting her husband needed professional care.

[24] A few years later, Peggy comes home from a hairdressing appointment at Fabrice of Felpersham with a new cat, Hilda, to replace Bill.

Journalist Nancy Banks-Smith wrote in The Guardian that "she has also taken against the entire cast of The Archers, like Kipling's Himalayan she-bear who rends the peasant tooth and nail".

Christine is living with Peggy at The Lodge when Hilda gets under her feet and trips her up, leaving her in hospital and on a waiting list for a hip replacement.

The Daily Telegraph praised Spencer's portrayal of Peggy during episodes leading up to her on-air husband's death from Alzheimer's disease in 2014.

[24] Cole Morton of the Telegraph wrote that Spencer's portrayal "made me cry" as she "moved around the living room, with only the cat for company".

"You may not like the show – it is a bit like marmite – but you have to admire the longevity of a 94-year-old who has been working for the BBC since 1943 and is still playing a leading character in a flagship drama," Moreton wrote.