Is anyone IRL as ghastly as Miranda Elliott ?

[whataboutbob]

Genuinely curious. She's frigid, venal, deluded, snobish, condescending and I could go on. Has anyone met anyone like that? Are they a fixture of upper middle class rural life?
Having said that, after the horrors of the Helen/ Rob affair I am genuinely enjoying Lil's and Justin's geriatric adultery story. Maybe that's Miranda's role- to be the wronged wife no one feels sorry for (except maybe for Jennifer).

[NoProbLlama]

The character is badly written and badly acted. I'm not enjoying the storyline; the affair is sordid.

[PresidentOliviaMumsnet]

No
I have never met anyone so negative

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

The actress playing Miranda is the real life wife of Simon Williams, who plays Justin. Yet another example of the very incestuous casting that was rife under the last Editor.

[Timetogetup0630]

I don't know why Justin stays with her.
But perhaps it's the thrill of an illicit affair that appeals to him ?

[R4]

I've never met anyone like Miranda. I must move in the wrong circles. Thank goodness!

[PresidentOliviaMumsnet]

@R4

I've never met anyone like Miranda. I must move in the wrong circles. Thank goodness!

[whataboutbob]

Gosh I just had a moment of insight at the supermarket yesterday. I think at times in my life I have been a bit like Miranda , albeit on a very restricted budget. I can sometimes come across as condescending and short tempered. Sometimes I feel sorry for DH.
Am I bad for really enjoying the Lillian/ Justin story though?

[birdsdestiny]

I think we are going to see little flashes of the softer side of Mirandas character until we eventually begin to like her, and therefore dislike what Lil and Justin are up to. Are we allowed 2 threads on TA? Should we slowly take over MN.

[redshoeblueshoe]

Birds - there's more than 2 TA threads on here. In fact President Olivia recently started one about a dream, a spoilers thread, and one about the Academic Archers conference.

I do know someone like this. I just avoid them

[NoProbLlama]

Birds - I agree; when Miranda was in the Bull, taking about spending more time in Ambridge so she and Justin could have more "quality time" she sounded quite vulnerable.

OP - what is you're enjoying about the adultery line? Justin humiliating his wife or him stringing Lilian along?

[whataboutbob]

To be honest lama I'm not thinking about it that deeply maybe because ( apart from having a boyfriend cheat on me) I've not been affected by adultery IRL and read the Justin/ Lillian story as farce and light relief in a sometimes issue heavy Archers. I suspect so do many other listeners. Maybe they' ll stand it on its head and show the real pain of adultery further down the line but frankly I hope they don't.

[birdsdestiny]

Oh I am glad someone else dreams about TA, I dreamt about Rob the other day . I don't really like the justin/ Lillian storyline, mainly because I like Lillian and somehow this feels out of character for her. And Justin is awful.

[GrumpyOldBag]

No. I posted about this on the other thread. I think Miranda is very unrealistic.

I will confess that when I first moved to my rural area from London 12 years ago I did complain to my local supermarket that they did not stock either aubergines or organic flour ("when you have 12 different varieties of Ainsley Harriott couscous") , but they do now.

I know a lot of horsey women here with rich husbands and none of them are as ghastly as Miranda. They would never, ever dream of being so rude about a dinner party. They may think to themselves how dull but they all have good manners and would never make assumptions about caterers, florists etc...

[DoctorTwo]

I believe she was based on my stepmother aka The Wicked Witch Of The West Country.

[Fink]

I know a couple of people like her, with the difference that they would never voice most of their more extreme opinions on comparative strangers, but they'd definitely think like Miranda and talk to friends like that. I'm not convinced they'd know what any supermarket shops as I'm reasonably sure some of their 'staff' do the shopping.

The hardest thing when dealing with people like that is their unwavering assumption that everyone is either dirt poor and can't afford to feed themselves or filthy rich and will have no problem coughing up £££ for various charity galas and the like. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground in their world.

[whataboutbob]

Thanks grumpy and FINK that's what I wanted to know. I live in London and like many people have a narrowish snapshot of society. I have never met the " horsey set" or wives of very rich men with homes in the country. Just wanted to know whether Miranda is an actual type. Maybe Jilly Cooper will come on to this thread and post! Go on Jilly!

[OllyBJolly]

Is she ghastly? Or is she just plunged into somewhere unfamiliar and tight knit and so obviously an outsider?

So far she has been portrayed very superficially but I agree with a PP that we'll start to see a more appealing side to her character.

We're also been led to believe that Julian and Miranda are in a loveless, convenience marriage. How many men have encouraged the OW believe that?

[Gruach]

Ahem ...

There's a thread.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/2853349-Male-or-female-young-or-old-Bad-Stuff-can-happen-to-you-in-The-Archers-Discuss-the-perils-of-Ambridge-life-here?msgid=66924142

I do not condone this renegade outwith-official-thread gossip.

[birdsdestiny]

I knew, I knew we would get into trouble. I said .....

[Gruach]

I just like all the Archers chat in one place. Otherwise I might miss something.

[Lohengrin]

Justin does not exactly cover himself in glory either. Presumably he stays with her because he does not actually want a life of domestic bliss in the countryside with Lillian - just the thrill of an illicit, part time affair. Miranda is rich and provides an entree into a different world. Quite what Miranda sees in Justin - who reminds me of many a pompous arse I have met - is beyond me.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

[R4]

Or is she just plunged into somewhere unfamiliar and tight knit and so obviously an outsider?

Pish! JD invited Miranda to her party and M started making derogatory comments about boring evenings and not-up-to-the-mark catering. Then she slagged off Borchester and Underwoods. She's either not making much effort to ingratiate herself or is totally oblivious to how rude she is. Neither is appealing.

[Puremince]

How old is Miranda? I assume Justin is roughly the same age as Brian, i.e. early 70s, and Lillian will be 70 later this year. Is Miranda also in her 70s?

I feel quite sorry for her. She either knows, or strongly suspects, that Justin is having a fling with Lillian, and is waiting for it to fizzle out. She implied, when she first met Lillian, that Justin had been unfaithful before; perhaps Lillian is the latest in a long line.

She was rude to Jenny, but Jenny is, after all, the sister of her husband's bit-on-the-side. She slagged off Underwoods and Borchester to Lillian, but would you really expect her to be charming to the woman her husband is having an affair with?

[redshoeblueshoe]

Grauch - the Archers chat is all in the same place Radio Addicts