Lesley Saweard

Lesley J. Saweard is a British retired actress. She played Christine Barford in the long-running radio soap opera, The Archers, from 1953 until 2019.

Early life

Saweard was born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire to parents William and Hilda.

Career

Saweard began her career as a teacher, and also appeared in the local amateur dramatic society ‘Playgoers’. In 1953, she began playing the role of Christine Barford in BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers; she remained on the programme until 2019, apart from a break during the 1960s, between 1962 and returning in 1968.
As of 2024, she was a volunteer for the Lincoln and Lindsey Blind Society, which produces an audio version of the newspapers in and around Louth.

Personal life

Saweard lives in Louth. In 1956, she married Geoffrey Lewis, whom she met on The Archers two years before. They had two children before his death in 1997.