Patricia Greene, celebrated as Britain’s longest-serving soap opera actress (Image: BBC)
At the age of 94, Patricia Greene has passed away, leaving behind a remarkable legacy. She earned widespread acclaim for her portrayal of the Archer family matriarch in the renowned BBC radio soap, The Archers. Her journey as Jill Archer began in 1957, and she remained a beloved figure in British broadcasting as the longest-tenured soap star until her passing. The BBC’s Today programme broke the news of her death, stating: “Patricia Greene, who played Jill Archer in The Archers since 1956, has died.”
Even with her impressive achievements in radio drama, Patricia once disclosed in an unexpected interview with The Times that her earnings did not match her success. In 2017, she received just £16,000 for her role. Yet, she accepted this pay modestly, telling the media outlet, “That’s what we get. We don’t talk money much, we talk content.” Her reaction to the salaries of some of the BBC’s top earners, which highlighted a significant gender pay disparity, was one of surprise and concern.
Patricia took on the role of Jill in 1957 (Image: Getty)
During a 2025 conversation, Patricia was astonished to learn that Chris Evans was earning upwards of £2 million per year at the BBC, exclaiming, “It’s obscene. You don’t earn that kind of money just sitting at a microphone, do you? It’s just ridiculous.”
While she wasn’t concerned about pocketing more cash, the star admitted that it would be nice to see some of that sum going towards The Archers’ budget.
She explained: “It always makes me laugh that we can only now have six characters per episode because of money, sometimes five, sometimes seven [according to the BBC, the quota is actually 39 voices per week].
“And [sometimes] we have to do [sound effects] that we would have gone and got off a gramophone record or tape but now we have to do it ourselves, it’s ridiculous.”
Patricia Greene moved into an assisted living facility in 2023 (Image: averyhealthcare.co.uk)
When Patricia joined the cast of BBC Radio 4 in 1957, it was already well established and attracting up to nine million listeners; as a result, the Jill star was not convinced she would ever land a permanent role.
She recalled: “Because I only had one line, I had a drink at lunchtime. The line was, ‘Doesn’t she look lovely?’ but it came out ‘Dubbent debook bubbly?’ So they kept me there for an hour, repeating it. Since then, I’ve never had a drink and then worked.”
Patricia’s dedication to her craft earned her the loving nickname “the nation’s grandmother” from loyal listeners who continued to tune in to the 13-minute episodes.
At the time of her death, the BBC star was living in an assisted living facility, which she moved into in August 2023, but continued to record for the programme.
The Archers editor Jeremy Howe led tributes as he told Digital Spy: “Paddy was utterly singular, a fabulous and raucously funny raconteur. Like the best actors when on mic you were never quite sure how she would play a scene, but you knew she would play it brilliantly.”
He added: “Her portrayal of Jill was formidable, but also wonderfully warm, loving and enormous fun. It was an incredible privilege to work with her.”