Christine Barford
| Christine Barford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Archers character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lesley Saweard as Christine Barford  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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.
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". 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.