Don't blame it on a Grundy, don't blame it on Route B, don't blame it on Sean O'C, blame it on the badgers. Discuss The Archers of Prudhoe here.

thanks for the new thread

<chucks dead pheasant>

Hello, you three! The Archers of Prudhoe, eh.

<walks off into depths of deep forest to die huddled under a pile of dead, wet leaves>

hang it too much. that's what my grannie does. you go to the outside freezer and they whack you in the face as she's quite short and hangs them up at the right height for her (as she should), which is face-smacking height for everyone else

I miss pheasant... (Pescatarian now.)

Goodness that went fast at the end! New thread - new Archers ...

You'll catch an awful chill Mimsy. We'll have to send Carol over with some warming herbal infusions.

what's that thing when you read entrails? or was that what the grundys are planning to do with the turkeys. no, that wouldn't do their profits any good

I wouldn't trust any herbal infusion of Carol's, warming or not.

Haruspication or divination. I wouldn't put that past her either.

Whatever SOC's evil plan is, I'd be amazed if they're trying to kill off TA. Every time I go in iPlayer it's at the head of the Favourites list. But if they continue along the current ridiculous course they do risk the listening figures going down.

I couldn't swear to this on oath, but I believe around the time of the 60th anniversary they got a huge amount of publicity in the media, did endless trails in the run up to the big anniversary edition and on the back of all of that saw an increase in listening figures. Unfortunately it all ebbed away pretty quickly in the following months as the storyline fizzled out and it was back to the usual patchy mix.

Thanks for the new thread Pseudo . I'm off sick today but still couldn't keep up with the thread today.

Hello. Thanks or new thread.

Too annoye to have anything else to comment on...

Hello and thanks for the new thread

Eek!!.. Just posted on old thread having just read about Tom Archer character being replaced....it's a disgrace really. A long standing character being removed, renovated and remodelled to suit whom exactly? Fair enough if said actor wanted out but this is clearly the style of this brave new world... I think if new Ed was to appear on MN he might get a mauling!

Actually I hope Rooth and Daevid do bugger off. They are so bloody smug

I'm going to have to de lurk. Stuff the teenagers, how the fuck are they going to finance the move? Kenton wants his money, as does Shula. Even if Lizzie leaves her share in the farm, it's going to give a large seven figure shortfall, and I can tell you from bitter experience the banks are not mega interested in lending that sort of money even when it's well covered, never mind dependent on a mixed farm, including setting up a milking unit from scratch, with unreliable milk prices.

If the Archers' Fairy pulls this off I shall have to stop listening.

Wow! I turn my back for half a day and you've all finished one thread and rolled on to another.
Great title! Thanks Pseudo.

I was the one whose DD came home last time with the car radio tuned to R4. I think that confirms my long-held view that one becomes a R4 listener because you're exposed to it in childhood and eventually become a listener in your own right some time in your 20's.
You do NOT become a TA listener in isolation though. R4 comes first - TA is a bolt-on.

Having said that, I do wonder if these TA threads making it frequently into Most Active help to attract people into giving TA a try, or prompts lapsed listeners to return. If so then O'C ignores MN at his peril (and Pseudo should get a specially struck BBC medal.)

Maybe Pseudo could have a cameo role like the Pet Shop Boys?

Actually molecule I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to borrow the amount of the shortfall, assuming there isn't much borrowing already on Brookfield. Does anyone know? I'd guess they have a working overdraft, but presumably any borrowings on the land would have been paid off long ago, its a long time since Phil bought extra land isn't it? Farming is considered relatively secure by lenders, and I think someone like the AMC would lend up to 60% of the value of land. Remember they also own a significant amount of stock, machinery and other assets, so they wouldn't be starting from scratch, just transferring the business. They do need to put in a milking parlour which would cost around £200k, and presumably some cow housing, but it's doable.

I don't know who their milk buyer is but if its one of the bigger processors I can't see why they couldn't transfer the milk contract with the farm.

Thanks for the new thread pseudo , great title.

Maybe if the campaign to get a web chat fails we should campaign to get badger a cameo (not as an actual badger as that wouldn't end well)

Hello. Just marking in the new thread!

Didn't they have to borrow to effectively buy Phil out, so giving them money for retirement? Or was he just taking a share of income?

All this chat has made me miss Phil! He's probably spinning in his grave.