Jill Archer (nee Patterson), is a fictional character from the BBC
Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Portrayed by Patricia Greene since
1957, Writers for the show paired Jill with Phil Archer (Norman
Painting), with their marriage lasting until Phil's death in 2010.
Along with fellow cast member June Spencer who plays Peggy Woolley,
Greene is one of the world's longest serving actor in a soap opera, in
any medium. In 2018, Jill was featured in 38 of the show's almost 300
episodes for the year and continues to play a prominent role in the
show.Jill's storylines often revolve around the core Archer's family.
The official BBC calls the character a "loving but controlling
matriarch" who "rules the roost at Brookfield" and a "tough and
determined mother. In her 60 years in the role, Jill has endured the
loss of her husband, raising several children, campaigning for local
issues, being arrested for throwing a flapjack during a protest and
fighting plans to sell Brookfield.Bosses for The Archers have
described Jill as a "lynchpin" and there would "always be stories" for
her in the show. Britain's The Daily Telegraph has called Jill a
"legend to millions of listeners".When Patricia Honor joined the cast
of The Archers in 1957, she was hired for six weeks playing Jill
Patterson. The character was written to catch the eye of local farmer,
Phil Archer, a widower who lost his wife Grace Archer in a barn fire
in 1955. The BBC famously killed off the character to distract from
the launch of ITV (TV network) as the first television competitor to
the radio station. Greene recalls the call sheet describing Jill as a
"sexy blonde", so she "vamped it up" and did an imitation of actress
Fenella Fielding. "Unfortunately, I got the job," Greene joked in an
interview with Radio Times. In an interview with the BBC upon her 60th
anniversary with the show, Greene says she was told the character was
a “sexy, blonde in a tea tent†. Patricia Greene's first words as
Jill, which appeared in the same episode, were, “and now I’ll show
you the fifteenth use to which this very versatile little household
gadget can be put…â€
Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Portrayed by Patricia Greene since
1957, Writers for the show paired Jill with Phil Archer (Norman
Painting), with their marriage lasting until Phil's death in 2010.
Along with fellow cast member June Spencer who plays Peggy Woolley,
Greene is one of the world's longest serving actor in a soap opera, in
any medium. In 2018, Jill was featured in 38 of the show's almost 300
episodes for the year and continues to play a prominent role in the
show.Jill's storylines often revolve around the core Archer's family.
The official BBC calls the character a "loving but controlling
matriarch" who "rules the roost at Brookfield" and a "tough and
determined mother. In her 60 years in the role, Jill has endured the
loss of her husband, raising several children, campaigning for local
issues, being arrested for throwing a flapjack during a protest and
fighting plans to sell Brookfield.Bosses for The Archers have
described Jill as a "lynchpin" and there would "always be stories" for
her in the show. Britain's The Daily Telegraph has called Jill a
"legend to millions of listeners".When Patricia Honor joined the cast
of The Archers in 1957, she was hired for six weeks playing Jill
Patterson. The character was written to catch the eye of local farmer,
Phil Archer, a widower who lost his wife Grace Archer in a barn fire
in 1955. The BBC famously killed off the character to distract from
the launch of ITV (TV network) as the first television competitor to
the radio station. Greene recalls the call sheet describing Jill as a
"sexy blonde", so she "vamped it up" and did an imitation of actress
Fenella Fielding. "Unfortunately, I got the job," Greene joked in an
interview with Radio Times. In an interview with the BBC upon her 60th
anniversary with the show, Greene says she was told the character was
a “sexy, blonde in a tea tent†. Patricia Greene's first words as
Jill, which appeared in the same episode, were, “and now I’ll show
you the fifteenth use to which this very versatile little household
gadget can be put…â€
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