The significance of Jill's flapjack arrest

On 25 July 1957 Patricia Greene said her first words in The Archers as Jill Patterson. Sixty years on she is a key member of the cast with her character Jill now the matriarch of the eponymous Archer family. Patricia (who's known to everyone as Paddy) has continuously played the same role longer than other actor. 

To mark Paddy's diamond anniversary in the world’s longest running drama, Jill’s recent storyline came to a climax. On 25 July 2017 she was arrested at the same place where we first heard her exactly sixty years ago.

Speaking to Woman's Hour, Paddy described Jill's arrest and consequent criminal record as "great fun".

"At last she's done something really heinous!", she added with a chuckle.

Back in July 1957, Jill had been a demonstrator of household gadgets and was explaining the House Drudge to shoppers in Mitchells, a Borchester department store, when Phil caught sight of her (he'd seen her earlier that month at a fete). He approached her and invited her out for dinner which she turned down. Instead, she half-heartedly agreed to see him at the upcoming Borchester Show. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Read more about how Jill and Phil got together.

Mitchells has long since closed but recently a pop-up pay-what-you can café has been using the site. While volunteering there with Kirsty, Jill reminisced about how she met Phil on the same spot.

Jill's time with Kirsty has enlivened her to environmental and social concerns. And the ousting of the Happy Friends Cafe from their premises by the high end restaurant, Les Soeurs Heureuses, only served to further rile her.

Infamous for their food wastage, the Duxford sisters's PR event for their new enterprise were targeted by a protest. Jill was part of it and in frustration of not being heard, she threw a flapjack which unfortunately landed in Lulu Duxford's eye. 

Fortunately, following her arrest (which came when she encouraged others to follow her flapjack lead), Jill was released with a caution, though even that was too much for her son David! Meanwhile, "the rest of the village will be delighted", according to Paddy, "she [Jill] has fallen off her perch well and truly now, hasn't she?!".