Patricia Greene obit

Patricia Greene, world’s longest serving soap actress ever, dies

 

She was not on the list.

Patricia Greene, the world’s longest serving actor in a soap opera, has died at the age of 95.

The English actress was best known for voicing matriarch Jill Archer in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers, a role she held continuously for almost 70 years after joining the long-running drama in 1957.

Born in Allenton, Derby, in 1931, Greene became one of British broadcasting’s most recognisable voices.

After training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, she decided to pursue acting when she saw her father moved to tears during a theatre performance.

Her life was then forever changed after she landed the role of Jill Archer.

Attracting roughly five million weekly listeners, The Archers remains one of BBC Radio’s most popular shows, with Queen Camilla ranking as one of the most passionate fans.

In 2021, Camilla publicly declared herself an ‘Archers addict’ during a speech at Clarence House while she hosted a reception to mark the 70th anniversary of the soap opera.

In 2011, she even played herself in an episode and she has met the cast on several occasions, including Greene.

Outside of The Archers, Greene appeared in the 1961 British film The Kitchen and the TV series It’s a Woman’s World.

She also played several roles in the ITV soap Crossroads between 1965 and 1969.

On top of that, she appeared in BBC dramas Doctors and Casualty in 2000 and voiced Jill Archer in an episode of sitcom One Foot in the Grave.

In 1959, Greene married actor George Selway before the couple divorced.

She later married Cyril Austen Richardson in 1972, and they had one son together. Richardson died in 1986.

In 2023, Greene moved into an assisted living facility but continued recording episodes of The Archers until her death.

Her remarkable career earned her an MBE in 1997. Meanwhile, the University of Derby awarded her an honorary Master of Arts degree in 2017.

Greene’s seven-decade run as Jill Archer secured her place in broadcasting history as the world’s longest-serving soap actor, making her one of the most enduring stars the genre has ever produced.

 

Actress

The Archers (2007)

The Archers

8.2

Podcast Series

Jill Archer

2007–2025

576 episodes

 

Casualty (1986)

Casualty

6.2

TV Series

Ivy Watson

2000

1 episode

 

Doctors (2000)

Doctors

4.5

TV Series

Margaret Richmond

2000

2 episodes

 

Annette Crosbie and Richard Wilson in One Foot in the Grave (1990)

One Foot in the Grave

7.9

TV Series

Jill Archer (voice)

1990

1 episode

 

Crossroads (1964)

Crossroads

4.5

TV Series

Mrs. GreyMrs. LynchPrison Officer Sharpe ...

1965–1970

28 episodes

 

Victoria Regina (1964)

Victoria Regina

5.4

TV Mini Series

Other Part

1964

1 episode

 

Julie Samuel in It's a Woman's World (1964)

It's a Woman's World

TV Series

Mary

1964

1 episode

 

The Kitchen (1961)

The Kitchen

6.2

Anne

1961

 

A Man for All Seasons

TV Movie

Woman

1957

 

Self

Arena (1975)

Arena

7.7

TV Series

Self

2007

1 episode

 

Goodbye Pebble Mill

TV Special

Self

2004

 

Call My Bluff (1996)

Call My Bluff

6.0

TV Series

Self

1997–1999

5 episodes

 

Forty Minutes (1981)

Forty Minutes

6.6

TV Series

SelfSelf - Jill Archer

1989

1 episode

 

Terry Wogan in Wogan (1982)

Wogan

6.2

TV Series

Self

1985

1 episode

 

The Time of Your Life (1983)

The Time of Your Life

4.6

TV Series

Self

1985

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

Decade of Doctors

TV Series

Self - Margaret Richmond (archive footage, uncredited)

2010

1 episode