Paul Copley joins the cast of The Archers as Jill's 'special friend'. The two met at The Laurels but Jill waited a while before breaking the news of her new love interest to the Brookfield clan, but will he and David get along?

Here are some photographs from his first time in the Archers studio...

Patricia Greene (Jill Archer) and Paul Copley (Leonard Berry)

Paul Copley (Leonard Berry) and Patricia Greene (Jill Archer)

Patricia Greene (Jill Archer) and Paul Copley (Leonard Berry)

Hannah burst back onto the Ambridge scene in Spring 2018, a whole decade on from when she first arrived in the village. Back in 2008 she was an agricultural student keen to build up her practical skills.

She worked for Tom with his pigs which were based at Home Farm at the time. It was the hands on experience she was looking for but unfortunately she got caught in the crossfire between Tom and Brian. Brian then owned half of Tom’s sausage business but Tom got annoyed at his uncle’s interference.

During this time, Hannah worked alongside Jazzer who became smitten with the no-nonsense Lancastrian. Chris Carter was more Hannah’s type but he was already in a relationship with Alice, a fact somewhat laboured by Jazzer.

Lovelorn Jazzer poured out his heart to Kenton who told him to get back into the saddle and try again. So, Jazzer offered Hannah a night of passion that she’d remember for the rest of her life. Hannah turned him down gently, saying that her mum always said to never work with pleasure. The pair remained friends and when Hannah left to return to college they parted on good terms.

'Completely mystifying'

Ten years on, Hannah returned to Ambridge after securing a job at the Berrow Farm Pig Unit. The manager, Neil, was impressed with her application which included experience on a large scale pig facility in the United States. However, they aren’t the most harmonious of colleagues.

Helen Longworth, who has returned to the Archers cast to play Hannah again, said, “I think Neil finds Hannah completely mystifying. She wrong-foots him all the time. She’s got a slightly different way of doing things because of her experience in America. Sometimes that’s causing a bit of friction because she has a bit of a different idea of how things should be run.”

Does Neil rue the day he introduced Hannah to Ambridge? It was he who lined up Hannah for the work placement with Tom back in 2008!

'Be careful what you wish for!'

A decade on from his zealous offer, a flame still burns for Hannah in the McCreary heart but Hannah is yet to show any kind of reciprocal feelings. Instead, Hannah has pursued a ‘no strings’ arrangement with Tom.

“She’s been very clear to Tom that she just wants a physical relationship but not anything else and she’s said it to him so many times that he has actually gone off and pursued something else which she told him to but now she’s quite sad about now, I think”, said Helen Longworth.

She added, “The advice I would give to Hannah about relationships would be “be careful what you wish for”. It’s all very well being forthright but I would say to her “maybe thing about the consequences about being so honest and forthright””.

Read more on Hannah's character page

Anthony Stewart Head joins the cast of The Archers

Toby ( Rhys Bevan) and his dad Robin Fairbrother (Anthony Stewart Head)

David Archer marries Ruth Pritchard (December 1988)

Shula Archer marries Mark Hebden (September 1985)

Eddie Grundy marries Clarrie Larkin (November 1981)

All of Ambridge turned out for Nic's funeral.. except for Alice who turned up late, and missed the service. Emma was fuming... but as it turned out, it might have been better if she hadn't shown up at all...

Shula and Alistair got off to a shaky start in 1997 but Alistair's persistence won out. Can it win out again after Shula tells him that she doesn't love him any more?

::Read their full history::

"What do you mean, over? What’s over?" responded a discombobulated Alistair when Shula revealed that she wanted out of their marriage.

He had no idea that Shula was planning to leave him or how deeply unhappy she has been. 

A lot can change in a week, as Will has tragically discovered with Nic's sudden death from sepsis.

A week ago, Nic was alive and well and cleaning the kids trainers. Now Will must struggle to come to terms with the fact that she's gone, the regret that he could have done something to save her, and the crushing guilt that he wasn't there in her final moments.

1. The Archers was first broadcast nationwide on 1 January 1951

2. The Archers is the world’s longest running radio drama

3. The first woman to be sent to jail in Ambridge was Susan Carter, who was jailed for six months on December 23, 1993 for harbouring her brother after an armed robbery. Listeners appealed to the Home Secretary to help get her out. 

4. Peggy Woolley, was in the first national broadcast of The Archers on 1 January 1951.

5. Elvis, Madonna and Marilyn were in The Archers. They were the names of the three peacocks who used to live at The Bull.