Word-play in the Archers.

[choccyp1g]

Tonight Vicky gets Harry to help sticking a cardboard crown on top of the phone box, and the conversation goes like this:

Harry: I hear you had a close encounter with a rat in here?...
Vicky.... Can you shut up about rats...
Harry... I think you want a bit of ermine you know.
Vicky carries on chirruping about the decorations...

[ppeatfruit]

When Spencer went past i thought 'Who?" I wasn't listening properly I admit. There was an interview on R4 just now with a TA listener who was upset about the sensationalist turn that TA is taking; shall I start a new thread?

[R4]

When they were rehearsing for the maypole, the oldest Grundy grandchild was playing up a bit and Lynda was getting annoyed. I was willing her to say, "George ... don't do that."

Yes, start a new thread ppea and tell me the awful details. Has VW gone?

[heronsfly]

I all agog ppea, please start a new thread

[Ponders]

yes, I got the "bit of ermine" gag, choccy!

wo wants to punch Amy? (form an orderly queue)

[AdventuresWithVoles]

Me me me!! (We need a fist held high emoticon) Amy is turning truly vile.

[R4]

Can someone explain please. As I understood, it Amy was not angry with Usha about Usha failing to tell her that Carl was married; the reason Amy was angry was because of the slur upon her character - she was upset that Usha could possibly believe that she would knowingly be the OW. And yet that is precisely what she is talking about now. And why is she talking about Carl in the current tense when he dumped her in early May and hasn't spoken to her since?[double confused] Have we changed the script and/or editor halfway through the storyline?

[Ponders]

apparently there was a storyline on Ambridge Extra (aka Amex) about Amy's mother having gone for somebody with a knife some time, & then been sectioned (or something like that).

Amex is not supposed to be reflected in TA proper but it seems as if Amy is now being portrayed as heading down the same road?

None of it makes any sense otherwise. Maybe she's going to go for Rochelle.

(it's that bloke from Stenders in charge atm while VW has a break; seems he wants to make it all much more gripping & less everyday country folk. \link{http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9310382/The-Archers-to-be-more-like-Eastenders-with-darker-and-bigger-plots-to-come.html\darker & bigger plots to come})

[R4]

Harrumph. I don't want 'high drama'. That's one of the things that I love about TA - that things happen in real time eg planning permissions take months and months to sort out, like they do in RL. I don't want artificial cliffhangers and action every episode. It's one of the beauties of TA, how they handle nothing-going-on.
Mind you, after scaring us all with his rash talk he then admits that he could only plausibly have one excitement per year. You don't think that he could be planting a non-story in the meedja for the means of getting cheap publicity, do you? [mock shock emoticon]

[lifesalongsong]

OK, I heard ermine line but I don't get it. Could some kind person explain it to me please - is it a double entendre that I should be wary of googling?

[Ponders]

nothing bad, lifes - just a rat reference - sounds like 'bit of vermin'

[ppeatfruit]

I tried to start a new thread but Mumsnet said "No".

ponders that story about Amy's mum going off the wall was on TA and she was afraid that it was in her genes which was why she kept her relationship with the cad secret .

R4 I completely agree; I've stopped watching soaps on the box 'cos I can't stand all that false over emoting and stupid story lines. There's enough misery on RL.

[ppeatfruit]

sorry I meant 'in' RL of course .

[Ponders]

oh it was on TA? apologies to Amex then. I've been reading threads on the Archers MB & got confused. They all know so much over there! Some of them have been suggesting Amy might be Aspie [topical] (stuff about undiagnosed Aspie females in the news recently) hence her inability to empathise, although then how good a midwife would she be?

I was glad to hear Alice raising her voice at last but she needs to get a bit angrier yet, I feel. & what was that phone call, which Amy is clearly not going to bother passing on?

[ppeatfruit]

Ponders Sorry you've lost me a bit could you explain Amex and TA MB.? I haven't heard about undiagnosed Aspergers (Aspie means aspergers right?).

More like fully diagnosed stupid assed S.W.s \editors trying to fix what ain't broke .

[squeaver]

Amy has now beaten Helen to the top of my punch-in-the-face league table. Narrowly beating Peeep.

[Ponders]

Amex is \link{http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbarchers/NF2693940\the Archers MB} nickname for \link{http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/the-archers/content/ambridge-extra/\Ambridge Extra} which broadcasts "background" stories about some of the characters. It's all supposed to be completely independent of actual Archers storylines.

You'll like the MB - a lot of them agree that the SWs are making it up as they go along (some of them think Helen's old character has been shoehorned into Amy )

I was sure I'd seen some recent reports about Aspergers not being picked up nearly early enough in girls, but I can't find anything via google - just \link{http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/12/autism-aspergers-girls\this Observer thing which is 3 years old}

[ppeatfruit]

Thanks ponders. I'll have a look.Well it looked interesting but the compooter said 'No' to me signing in ! I'm trying to keep my compooter using to a minimum otherwise I'll put back on the weight that i've carefully lost

[ThreadWatcher]

Sausages :o

Linda IS Joyce Grenfell
Amy is now officially annoying
Which of David and Ruth's kids is going to be threatened by nasty people?

And could somebody please punch Vicky? Or steal her teddy collection?

[Ponders]

I think you can read it without signing in, can't you, pp?

Good luck with keeping PC use to a minimum, I can never manage it

[Ponders]

I was hoping Ruth was going to get it herself, Threadwatcher - then ol' Dave can be racked with guilt again

[ppeatfruit]

You're cruel pond yes i can read it but not join in; I wanted to support one of the contributors on complaining about stupid editors .

[Ponders]

Go Alan!!!

(I was hoping there was a window open & he would hear the whole conversation but that was nearly as good)

It won't help though. She'll twist this too.

[lifesalongsong]

ponders , thanks for the explanation. I'm looking forward to this week's omnibus

[Ponders]

You're welcome, lifes

& - re the Amex stuff earlier - I have just found this in a post on the Archers MB, following tonight's epi:

'We are supposed to infer that the shock of finding out her mother's past has unhinged her - she has lost her self esteem**.

Really the reverse should be the case - given what her mother had to come back from - Amy's problems have been very trivial. Instead of thinking she inherited her mother's anger she should consider her mother's courage and tenacity.

**And you need to have listened to AmEx to get the full picture - but even then it doesn't make sense ..'

so it was on Amex as well, & in more detail. (I haven't actually heard any of it, mind)

[ppeatfruit]

I'm getting upset now; I LOVE TA if they FXXK it up I won't be watching or listening to ANY soaps; I vote we start a Mumsnet campaign to save it from shitty editors. Olivia??