Ian Pepperell, who has died aged 53 from complications of oesophageal cancer, acted in the world’s longest-running radio serial, The Archers, for 28 years. As the genial hotelier Roy Tucker, he played his part in taking the storylines of the Radio 4 soap from rural to raunchy.
The actor said that fans of the programme, which began in 1951 billed as “an everyday story of country folk” in the fictional village of Ambridge, often failed to conceal their surprise on meeting him, having expected to find a tall, dark, strapping lad. “The reality is, I’m 5ft nothing with blond hair,” he said a few years after joining the cast in 1995. “Even other actors are surprised when I tell them what character I play.” (He was, in fact, 5ft 6in.)
