{{Short description|British actor (1939–2019)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''Colin Skipp''' (8 August 1939 – 19 November 2019) was a British actor, best known for playing Tony Archer in the BBC radio series ''The Archers'' for 46 years.<ref name=Telegraph20140102 >{{cite news |title=All change in Ambridge as 'Tony Archer' retires |last=Copping |first=Jasper |date=2 January 2014 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10547267/All-change-in-Ambridge-as-Tony-Archer-retires.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/11/25/colin-skipp-actor-played-organic-farmer-tony-archers-nearly/|title=Colin Skipp, actor who played the organic farmer Tony in 'The Archers' for nearly half a century – obituary|date=25 November 2019|work=The Daily Telegraph|accessdate=26 November 2019}}</ref>
Skipp won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied alongside actor Charles Collingwood, who plays Brian Aldridge in ''The Archers''.<ref name="BBC"/>
Skipp had played the character of Tony Archer for 46 years (1967–2013), on the date of his retirement, making him the seventh longest continuously serving radio soap actor.<ref>{{cite web |title=As Colin Skipp retires, we welcome the actor stepping into Tony's wellies. |date=2 January 2014 |accessdate=19 January 2014 |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thearchers/posts/David-Troughton-is-the-new-Tony-Archer}}</ref> He decided to retire after having several heart attacks and major heart surgery.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50515186|title=Colin Skipp: Former The Archers actor, who played Tony Archer, dies|date=22 November 2019|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=22 November 2019}}</ref> The role was taken over in January 2014 by the actor David Troughton.<ref name="BBC"/>
In 2004, he directed the stage play ''The Sound of Julie'' at the Charles Cryer Theatre, Carshalton, a dramatisation of the life of actress Julie Andrews. Skipp's daughter, Nova, was in the title role.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=This is Local London | date= 2004-06-10 | title=In the footsteps of Mary Poppins | author=Gareth Foreman}}</ref>
On 21 November 2019, the BBC's social media accounts for ''The Archers'' announced that Skipp had died on 19 November. He was 80.<ref name="BBC"/><ref>{{cite tweet|author=|user=BBCTheArchers|number=1197582974184808448|date=21 November 2019|title=We are sad to learn of the death of our friend Colin Skipp, who played Tony Archer for over forty years from 1967–2013. He will be greatly missed.|accessdate=21 November 2019}}</ref> His former co-star Pat Gallimore, who plays Tony's wife Pat, called him "a good friend and generous colleague", and said "Colin was a very fine actor who brought truth and integrity to the role of Tony."<ref name="BBC"/>
==See also== * List of longest-serving soap opera actors
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00dcbxx|title=Patricia Gallimore and Colin Skipp discuss the characters Pat and Tony Archer|date=2011-01-19|website=BBC Radio 4}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skipp, Colin}} Category:1939 births Category:2019 deaths Category:English male radio actors Category:20th-century British male actors Category:21st-century British male actors
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