Jill Archer

Jill Archer
The Archers character
Portrayed by	Patricia Greene
Duration	1957–present
First appearance	25 July 1957
Classification	Present; regular
Created by	Godfrey Baseley
Introduced by	Godfrey Baseley
In-universe information Occupation Farmer's wife Husband Phil Archer (1957–2010) Sons Kenton Archer David Archer Daughters Shula Hebden-Lloyd Elizabeth Pargetter Grandsons Josh Archer Ben Archer Freddie Pargetter Dan Hebden-Lloyd Granddaughters Pip Archer Lily Pargetter Meriel Archer Other relatives Rosie Archer

Jill Archer (née Patterson) is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. She has been portrayed by Patricia Greene since 1957. Writers for the show paired Jill with Phil Archer (Norman Painting), their marriage lasting until Phil's death in 2010. Greene is one of the world's longest-serving actors in a soap opera, in any medium. In 2018, Jill was featured in 37 of the show's almost 300 episodes for the year^[1] 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.^[2] 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^[3] 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.^[3] Britain's The Daily Telegraph has called Jill a "legend to millions of listeners".^[4]