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Christine Barford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Archers character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Pamela Mant (1951–1953) Lesley Saweard (1953–1962, 1968–2019) Joyce Gibbs (1962–1968) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 1951–2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | 1 January 1951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | 30 December 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created by | Godfrey Baseley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Godfrey Baseley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Christine Barford (also Archer and Johnson) is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera, The Archers. The character was introduced as the sister of Phil Archer in 1951, and the daughter of Dan and Doris Archer. The character was a skilled horsewoman, who for many years ran the Ambridge riding stables. British actress Lesley Saweard played the role from 1953 to 2019, with a six-year break in the mid-1960s, making her one of the longest-serving soap opera actors in the world. Saweard was last heard in the episode broadcast 30 December 2019.[1]
Saweard describes her character as a "likable, reliable, capable person, very like her mother Doris" but who "sadly doesn’t see much of her son Peter".[2] The character lives in an apartment at The Laurels assisted living facility, and is nicknamed 'Auntie Chris' by many of the characters in the show.[2]