Pat Archer (also Lewis) is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera, The Archers. The character was introduced in 1974 by producer Tony Shryane as the love interest of Tony Archer, who she would later marry. Radio actress Patricia Gallimore has played the role for 45 years, making her one of the longest-serving soap opera actors in the world. Pat is the wife of Tony Archer, and mother to John, Helen and Tom. She is also the grandmother to Henry and Jack Archer. Pat has been involved in many crises over her almost five-decades in Ambridge, including an escherichia coli outbreak in the dairy, Tony being crushed by a bull and being a prosecution witness in her daughter Helen's attempted murder trial.. Gallimore describes the character as "hard-working, long-suffering, loyal; sometimes bossy".