The Archers #110: Game(keeping)'s up for Will. Game on for Lillian & Vince, Tracy & Oliver? Game over for Joe? Stay ahead of the game with all things Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to be Susan's best friend or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3439443-keep-it-to-yourself-the-archers-spoilers-thread-4, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: //www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to LillianGish for the title idea. Very tempted to go with MrsGrindah's suggestion of It’s all a bit crap and boring at the moment but let's be positive, maybe things will look up in the coming days ... Also very taken with Lexi's Midnight Runners - Burpers, maybe? - from Madcats.

Not at all happy about Lily not going to university. Yet another bright Ambridge woman not fulfilling her potential. Why do they do this?

[Fink]

Thanks once again Gasp0de

@Madcats (from the previous thread): I was assuming Phoebe also has another job. Pip and Rex are combining the project with their other jobs, I thought Phoebe must be doing the same. No idea what her job could be though ...

Another annoyance last night (after Roy and the 'well-behaved' baby fiasco), both Rex and Toby playing into the idea that taking care of one's child, if a man, is 'helping out' the mother, akin to babysitting. From Toby it would be in character, but surely Rex should know better. Not to mention the fact that dear old 'too busy' Toby was there down the pub that evening. He should just crawl off under his rock and stay there.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Meant to say, Fink, I completely agree about the well-behaved baby nonsense! My mum was always talking about good babies. It irked me.

Re Toby, though, he is the non-resident parent - or is he? Where does he live these days? That slightly changes the dynamic. Pip refused to have a permanent relationship with him so his role in Rosie's life is unclear (to me, anyway).

[AskingQuestionsAllTheTime]

Many thanks indeed, Gasp0de.

I thought Toby was working at the pub! Shows how wrong I can be about him.

And (previous thread) I have a feeling that Jennifer was somewhat pressured at one point to have Adam adopted, but found that she couldn't do it and kept him. That might explain why she is edgy about Lexi actually giving up Baby Blob: her own experience is that when it came down to it, she couldn't, and why would Lexi be any different from her?

[C8H10N4O2]

Rex and Toby playing into the idea that taking care of one's child, if a man, is 'helping out' the mother, akin to babysitting

That annoyed me too. I know Pip doesn't want Toby back but simply the phrasing gets up my nose.

Rex generally is still so besotted with Pip that he finds any excuse to criticise Toby so I'm surprised he didn't take the opportunity to point out that its "parenting" and not "helping Pip".

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

I didn't enjoy hearing Justin eating his breakfast! 😝

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

Is Lilian going to have a liaison with Meat Man Casey?

We all know she has 'form' for liking rough diamond bad boys!

[Paintingtheroseswhite]

Checking in, thank you @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I can't see them doing another Lillian affair story after Matt and Paul. More a comedy interlude on Lillian being a "sleuth". Loved hearing her coming home from lunch steaming though.

I'm not keen on Justin as a character, there are so many inconsistencies in the writing.

[LillianGish]

Well done Gaspode - third time lucky. Glad it's not just me.

[Coffeeandchocolate9]

Thanks Gasp0de - 110 threads now! I yearn for some more statistics from @daddaddad ...

[Fink]

Not just inconsistencies in his character, Painting but, as I said many threads ago (possibly around the time of his non- marriage to Lillian), massive inconsistencies in his supposed wealth/ status/ importance. His introduction as a character was as a mega-rich international businessman who was mysteriously hanging around Ambridge despite a jetset lifestyle with several houses in different countries. Then by the time of his divorce from Miranda, there were still multiple business interests and properties to divide. He sank to Damara being the only business we actually hear about (apart from BL) and living full-time in Ambridge (and I'm still angry about how he effectively cheated Lillian out of that house). Now it turns out he's unimportant enough to be threatened by Vince Casey about messing with the big boys. For someone who was depicted only a few years ago as probably on the guest list for the Bilderberg meeting, he's had quite the fall.

[DoctorTwo]

Thanks for the shiny new thread @GaspodeTheWonderDog, it makes a change for me to get in early! :o

[DadDadDad]

You yearn for statistics, Coffee ? Have you considered getting some pills for that...

Fortunately, Nurse D^3 is here with a dose. This graph may be familiar to older hands. The posting rate was a bit slow on the last thread, but we've definitely been more active this year than last year. I'm not sure why we had a spike in May, except that was the occasion of the 100,000th post.

Your post was the 106,425th in the "official" count since these threads started in 2013. At our current rate, we'll get to post 200,000 in 2026.



By the way, no-one picked up on my question on the last thread. Is Will's change of heart realistic - one revelatory conversation with an outsider to his situation and suddenly he realises What Really Matters and hands in his job?

[Madcats]

There's nothing like a shiny new thread in time for the weekend!

There seem to be a lot of very odd storylines running at the moment.
I know Brexit, or lack of, and Joe's sad demise must have messed things up, but surely they could have just had another fete and got Tom and Natasha to plant a few fruit trees.

The Charitable Trust
The Meat Tsar (keep thinking it is Tiger back)
Rewilding
Joy the great Baker

Why?

I just want somebody to plough a few fields and pick a few apples.

[Fink]

To answer your question, D3 (since no one else has), I think in general it's maybe not too unlikely for a random conversation to prompt a sudden rethink & change of heart. However, Will had been portrayed for years as pig-headed, stubborn, utterly immune to persuasion and reason, so I think for it to happen to him in particular is very unlikely.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

I can't stand Will so think about him as little as possible. However, now you've forced me to, DDD , he's not just decided to leave a job that's not working for him. He's giving up an entire career, lifestyle and a tied cottage which is the only home Poppy has ever known and where she will just about remember living with her deceased mother. I would expect a real person to give that a lot more thought.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

I suppose Will is pig-headed when people try to get him to change his mind but Ian was asking Will for advice, a different dynamic. Maybe this led him to reevaluate his situation without pressure.

[LillianGish]

I'm not keen on Justin as a character, there are so many inconsistencies in the writing. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.

[QuaterMiss]

Thank you Gasp0 - wonderful thread-starting, as ever.

Actually, yes, whoever mentioned it above - Drunk Lilian deserves a belated BOOP. Wish we had more of that!

[QuaterMiss]

And another brilliant title from Lil’G!

[Myimaginarycathasfleas]

Is Will's change of heart plausible? Not irl, that's for sure, but it's a device the Archers SW love. Remember Brine's chat with Joe Grundy which resulted in him climbing down off his very high horse over the contamination court case?

[Myimaginarycathasfleas]

Sorry, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, forgetting my manners, thank you so much for the thread.

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

Oooh! Kidderminster. How exotic 😀

[StillWeRise]

hmmm
'you're the best friend ever'
'we were just about to call you honest'

[QuaterMiss]

Congratulations to whoever suggested it first !!!!!

🍾🍾🍾

[Tableclothing]

D3

I don't think it's particularly realistic. AFAICS Will's problems aren't anything to do with his job. He doesn't have another job to go to. And yet it's the main thing he's prepared to change...

Or then again, maybe it is. Will's never been the brightest, he holds massive grudges and can't stand Martin Gibson, and if he packs in the job then his parents might stop going on at him to talk about his feelings.

Maybe he'll join Emma at the chicken factory.