Who the hell are Oliver and Caroline?!

[Hiphopopotamus]

So I've recently got into the Archers, and I thought I had reached a point where I had everyone and their families sorted. I'm listening to this weeks catch ups, and bloody Oliver and Caroline pop up. Who the hell are they?!

[snice]

oh and while I'm here-where the hell is Kathy?

[JessieMcJessie]

mummytime all the more ironic that Shules is about the only Ambridge woman that Brine hasn't had an affair with!

[curlew]

I want to know about Kathy too- where was she when her best friend Pat needed support? After all those hours Pat spent listening to her whine on.......

[curlew]

Remember, Shula has Jesus to help her resist the advances of the ineffable.Brian.

[Kiriwawa]

They did foster a few children snice - there was an incident with one of them I think, typical 'troubled teen' stuff.

Is it really 2 years since Roy left GG as Oliver said? I'm shocked!

[harrietspy]

I don't think we've had a major health-related storyline (human health, that is) for a while, have we? Caroline's number has come up in storyline bingo, I think.

Brian was being very supportive of Brenda the other day... Thank god she's off to Russia.

[curlew]

Actually, no, not heart attack- cancer. We've had heart attacks, but only one cancer that I remember.

[Somethingyesterday]

Snice as Kiriwawa says they did foster a few children. With a few stereotypical problems. And they did seem to just abandon the story.

"Young people" are only ever allowed into the village as outsiders if they represent some issue. The Vicar has had some brushes with kids with homelessness / drugs issues, (gone.) Pip had a no-good lower class school friend (gone.) Jamie had no-good schoolfriends, (gone.) I'm trying to think of any others in the last few decades...

[snice]

yes, and anyone in the village who is dodgy eg. Jazzer has a character transformation and becomes a 'loveable rogue'!

[TallGiraffe]

I'm with curlew, cancer or a stroke.

[R4]

Caroline is deffo due some health scare. Oliver was hurrumphing the other day about his retirement not being what he had hoped: they were supposed to be off globetrotting which they can't do if Caroline has .

[Somethingyesterday]

Caroline is deffo due some health scare.

I hope it is simply that the health scare is a cue for them to temporarily sail off into the sunset - while Grey Gables is turned over to new characters and / or purposes.

Would be rather sorry if it was anything worse...

[Lomaamina]

Hang on but aren't they lining up Kenton for something to go wrong? All this out-of-character caring behaviour? Or is he going to join the circus or summat as he and joyleen (I have such a sexy voice even when I'm changing barrels) are having too much happiness together?

[harrietspy]

I think Kenton is going to propose to Jolene.

[Lomaamina]

Aha harrietspy I think you may be onto something. The lovable rogue is finally settling down/has grown up etc... (love your name by the way - adored the book!)

[Somethingyesterday]

Lomaamina I have to say, while eyeing up speculative hats for the double wedding at The Bull, an evil voice in my head was remembering how overflowing with love and happiness Nigel was just before New Year.....

But I'm sure Kenton is saved by the fact that they have only lately deprived Jolene of a husband.

[R4]

Is there some dreadful disease going round Ambridge ... or have they got a new acting coach. Or perhaps new microphones?
We had months of Brenda huffing and puffing and sighing.
Then Lillian started.
Now Caroline's doing it too.

Is 'much sighing' meant to convey deep emotion and distress or summat. It's doing my nut in. Grrr

[harrietspy]

On radio acting, R4, there's a great bit in this 'Radio 4 in 4 minutes' about The Archers.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

I say this every time I come across a thread about the Archers, but enough was enough for me when the gorgeous John Archer was killed off beneath his beloved tractor. I live in the countryside, proper farming countryside and I was thinking only today of poor John, when I saw all the tractors.

But anyway, since I can see there are some other veteran Archers listeners here, does anyone remember who else Brian had an affair with, around the time of his affair with Caroline? I don't mean 'Ruuury's' mother. Wasn't it Susan?

[Dumbledoresgirl]

Oh, I've read the whole thread now. Betty of course.

[OliviaIsOffTheGinMumsnet]

Hang on though re: Kenton
Didn't he half propose to Kathy at the same time as Tom and Brenda/Tom and Kirstie?
and then un do it all with much relief all round???

[Somethingyesterday]

Yes, that happened Olivia. It may have been Christmas or New Year or some other celebration.. He and Kathy got a bit carried away by jollity and kind of proposed to each other. When the drink wore off they each admitted that, given their past marital mistakes, they couldn't really be doing with any more old new borrowed blue.

Poor Kathy.