MARGOT BOYDMargot Boyd, who died on 20 May, 2008, aged 94, was a respected actress best known for her 20 years on The Archers.Her character on the Radio 4 soap, Mrs Marjorie Antrobus, was an elderly widow who made up for the frailty of her body with a firmness of mind that saw her become an enthused, if somewhat eccentric, matriarch to the residents of Ambridge.She joined the series in 1984 after many years acting on stage, television and radio, as a star of the rep in Leeds and then as part of the BBC Drama Company. She appeared alongside the likes of Michael Redgrave, Vivien Leigh, James Stewart and Kenneth More and worked under George Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward.Her earliest childhood memory of acting was entertaining troops as they marched by her home in Bath. She came from a family of theatre enthusiasts and was encouraged to give recitals to relatives. To their delight she attended RADA and then became a leading lady at Leeds Theatre Royal.Her debut on The Archers saw Mrs Antrobus give a speech to the villagers about her beloved Afghan hounds - Mrs Boyd's vivacious performance prompted producers to write further roles for the character and she moved to Nightingale Farm in 1985.Mrs Antrobus was a former colonial wife who had spent many years in Kenya before arriving in Ambridge. Her ebullience on the subject of her pets earned her the nickname “the dog woman” among the other residents. She had a sharp mind and was a proactive member of the church and parish council, occasionally treating her fellow members as if they were a pack of champion hounds.Mrs Boyd finally left the series in 2004 after her character moved to retirement home though she would occasionally still be referred to. In her time on the soap she drew on her country upbringing in Somerset where “every other woman was a Mrs Antrobus”, though she also shared Mrs Antrobus’ passion for canines and was a regular attendee of Crufts.Margot Boyd died at Denville Hall, a home for retired actors, in Northwood, Middlesex.Archers editor Vanessa Whitburn paid tribute to her: "Margot Boyd joined The Archers in 1984 as the robust Mrs Antrobus who bred Afghan hounds and became a popular and much-admired character in the series for 20 years. I greatly enjoyed working with Margot. She was always a consummate professional who had enjoyed a distinguished theatrical career as well as a long career in radio drama."
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