Archie was born in Derbyshire. He moved to London when he was 18 to study Geography. He became a Geography teacher and then trained as an actor. Later, Archie studied for an MA at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Birkbeck where he combined Geography and Theatre by writing and performing a confessional desk play monologue entitled: Attention Must Be Paid, Part 1: Returning to Ripley.