Jill 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 the world's longest-serving actor in a soap opera, in any medium. In 2018, Jill was featured in 37 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.

The Archers editor, Huw Kennair-Jones, has described Jill as a "lynchpin" and said there would "always be stories" for her in the programme. The Daily Telegraph has called Jill a "legend to millions of listeners".