User:JuneGloom07/Helen Archer (The Archers)

__NOINDEX__

Helen Archer (also Titchener) is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers, played by Louiza Patikas. She made her first appearance on 16 April 1979. The character has previously been played by Frances Graham and Bonnie Engstrom.

Casting
The character was introduced to The Archers on 16 April 1979. She was initially a silent character, with the occasional noise in the background indicating her presence. In September 1987, it was announced that 12 year old Frances Graham had been chosen to play eight year old Helen. Sam Barriscale was hired at the same time to play Helen's brother John. The pair were both from Worcester and spotted in a production of Our Day Out at the Swan Youth Theatre. They were the first children to be featured in the serial on a regular basis. Actress Patricia Gallimore, who plays their on-screen mother Pat Archer, said their first day of recording was "fun" because Graham and Barriscale had been "very quick". They were first heard in the episode broadcast on 5 October 1987.

Bonnie Engstrom took over the role in 1998. Engstrom said the offer to play Helen "came out of the blue" while she was working at the Birmingham Rep. She was honoured to be involved in the show, adding "I am really enjoying being part of such a wonderful institution. It's brilliant." The role was recast to Louiza Patikas in 2000. Patikas won the role shortly after returning from the Athens Festival. She said she was "most excited" about joining the cast, as the job would also allow her to pursue stage and screen roles. When Patikas took over the role of Helen, scores of listeners complained to the BBC because they had detected a change in Helen's voice.

Characterisation
Helen is a complex character who can be gauche and quite brusque at times. The BBC describe Helen as being a "fragile but doggedly independent" woman who often looks on the dark side of life. Patikas explained that her character is an "ambitious, competitive career woman, but also home-loving and devoted to her family." She said that fate has left Helen feeling vulnerable and she called her a "trouper." Patikas has said that she and Helen do not have much in common except a loyalty to their families. In a 2010 interview with the Daily Mail Patikas said that most listeners cannot stand Helen and hating her has become a sport because she "constantly rubs people up the wrong way, she's controlling and always says the wrong thing." However, Patikas added that she likes playing her character.

Relationship with Greg Turner

 * Greg & Helen BBC

Pregnancy
In 2010, during one of two long-term story planning meetings between the writers and producers, it was suggested that Helen would undergo artificial insemination and conceive a child.
 * Daily Mail interview
 * The Guardian
 * Daily Mail review

Reception
Hilary Bower of The Guardian called Helen "repellent", while Chris Hastings of The Daily Telegraph said she is the "local beauty". In 2005, The Archers won Mind's "Champion of the Year" award for "challenging the widespread stigma concerning mental illness". Helen's post-traumatic stress disorder over Greg's suicide and her anorexia contributed to the win.

In December 2010, Ruth Deller of television website Lowculture placed Helen at number four on her most loathed soap characters list. Deller said "The Thin Controller, Helen, is a rarity for a loathed character round these parts. Normally the terrible characters are also acted badly, but Louiza Patikas has the twitchy, nervous control freak down to a tee. Helen is one of those people you'd cross the street to avoid." Alison Graham of the Radio Times said "Many of us have wished to roast Helen 'It's all about ME! ME! ME!' Archer over an open fire during the past few months, but only the toughest of hearts can remain hard in the face of a New Year shock that shakes Helen's world."

For her portrayal of Helen during the coercive control storyline, Patikas received a nomination for Best Actress at the 2017 BBC Audio Drama Awards.