The Archers actor Ian Pepperell dies after long illness, aged 53: ‘He was desperate to return’

Actor appeared on BBC Radio 4 show for more than 400 episodes over 22 years

The Archers actor Ian Pepperell has died after a long illness, aged 53.

Pepperell’s death was announced by the BBC on Saturday (23 December). He was best known for portraying hotelier Roy Tucker in the long-running Radio 4 drama, a role he played for 22 years.

The radio show’s editor, Jeremy Howe, described the actor as “the perfect Archers” star in a statement, which read: “It is tragic that he died in his prime, we will miss him dearly and our hearts go out to his family and friends and everyone who knew him.”

Howe added that Pepperell, who featured in more than 400 episodes of the radio series, had “a lot more gas in the tank and was desperate to return once his health permitted”.

Pepperell’s wife, Nikki, paid tribute to her husband on Facebook, writing: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I must tell you all, that Ian – left this world today – in peace, his way. As I, and all of the closest to him knew he would.”

In a lengthy statement, Howe reflected on his working relationship with Pepperell, writing: “Ian loved being part of an ensemble, relished the camaraderie and gossip of the Green Room, and had a seemingly effortlessly fine tuned vocal technique.

“Like all the very best radio actors he could think on his feet and change the way he played a scene in the blink of an eye.

He said that Pepperell “created a character who managed to face in two directions simultaneously in almost every scene he played. He captured Roy as both genial and anxious, funny and sad, easy-going and permanently stressed – a man who could hold down with ease a top job, yet who always carried with him Hamlet’s sense of failure.

“It all made perfect sense because of Ian’s uncanny and laser-guided ability to find humour in the emotional scenes and find pathos in the comedy that he always played so unerringly well.

“Ian had a lot more gas in the tank and was desperate to return to Ambridge once his health permitted.

Actor Ian Pepperel has died at the age of 53 following a long illness (Gary Moyes/BBC Radio 4/PA)

Pepperell had a brief role in BBC soap EastEnders in 1985.

The Archers, which started in 1951, has aired more than 20,000 episodes – a figure that makes it the world’s longest-running present-day drama. It follows residents of a fictional village named Ambridge.