Tributes paid to Archers radio star and Samaritan
TRIBUTES have been paid to The Archers actress Sara Coward, who has died of cancer aged 69.
Coward, who played Caroline Sterling on the BBC Radio 4 soap, which is recorded in Birmingham, was diagnosed with cancer last year when she found a lump on her neck and swelling in her right arm, shortly after recovering from a mastectomy.
As well as her role in the show, Coward was a writer and stage actor, and spent eight years working for the Samaritans in Stratfordupon-Avon.
Earlier this year she told the Radio Times from her palliative care home in Leamington Spa: “I would prefer it to be over quickly.”
Announcing her death, Archers editor Huw Kennair- Jones said: “Sara was a gifted actress with a unique voice. Even when she was navigating the tribulations of Caroline Sterling’s love life, Sara’s deft wit and clever characterisation meant Caroline was never solely defined by her relationships but always as a fully rounded, intriguing woman of substance. We will all miss her both professionally and personally.”
Coward had said she wished that her character would not be written out of the show, saying “I’d like them to find someone else to play her”.
Coward’s first appearance on the programme was in 1977 when she began working at The Bull with her Great Dane, Leo.
She became a regular face behind the bar and a wellknown voice as she was promoted to manager and then owner of Grey Gables Hotel and Health Club. However, her character is best-known for her string of doomed relationships.
Coward, who was “very fond” of Caroline, was sympathetic of her character’s love life. “The poor girl was only trying to find the right man; she just happened to search in some pretty peculiar places,” she said.
She twice appeared alongside royal guests on the show, firstly with Princess Margaret at Kensington Palace for a charity gala held at Grey Gables. Her next encounter with royalty was opposite the Duchess of Cornwall in 2011 as the programme marked its 60th anniversary.
Coward last appeared on the programme in September 2016.
She spent the last months of her life trying to leave the world “a kinder place” as she launched a social media campaign urging people to smile at each other more.