Don't be a Lonely Cow! Come and join in with The Archers chat

[PseudoBadger]

New thread!

I am extremely angry with the BBC for playing out the resolution of Llilian's affair on the shitty Ambridge Extra. I don't just mean the big reveal by Matt to Lilian that he knew, I mean the rapprochement between Tiger and Pusscat. The TA episode the other day with Lilian being cagey about London to Ian, and Matt and Lilian making reference to St petersburg and looking over their shoulders was a gross insult to TA listeners. I listened to AE because I podcast anyway, and not too much extra effort (well, in the practical sense, a hell of a lot of effort to grin and bear it), but the miillions who listen at teatime or the Sunday omnibus, like the rest of my family, were led a merry dance through a key plotline where a major couple became estranged and are now just expected to accept that it's all rosy again after something happened off air. And even if you do know what happened in AE that is almost worse because it is such a stupid melodramatic out of character series of events.

AE was fine when the plots could be kept separate but doing it like this is like mixing custard and mince.

Hooked - ah yes, that was the problem with Robin, of course. I still remember the squeal of Marks wheels...those were the days!

Ray and Martyn both at once is too much. Its like they thought of a plot for an interfering incompetent to come and mess up one of the women's jobs and liked it so much that they decided to do it twice at the same time.

I reckon OldBeanz's theory is more credible than the prison one. Except if that was the case why wouldn't he have told everyone at the outset - its not something you'd need to keep secret.

JessieMcJessie.... YES! What happened to Matt in Russia? What went on? I didn't realise that it was being played out on AmEx. This is too annoying that the SWs keep doing this, grr.

I agree Jessie! Have never listened to AE and don't intend to, there's only so much time in my life (always live broadcast, usually while cooking) for TA and no extra effort available.

I've always liked the fact taht you could wander off for a few weeks or months, come back and pick it all up again, as not much had happened really and anything that had would be referred to constantly from every angle, so you'd get it. There seems to be a deliberate coyness with AE now, signalling that we won't be getting explanatory references.

It's like when BBC4 appeared on tv and all the better quality BBC2 programmes moved or were replaced, so you'd get some dumbed down jingly arts programme on BBC2, then an announcement at the end that if you really wanted to know anything about the subject, there was a better programme on BBC4. It didn't make me watch BBC4, as I didn't have it on my tv at the time. It just turned me away from BBC2.

Jessie, yes, I totally agree. I don't listen to Amex, but know a bit of what went on only by following another thread here.

HarlotOTara, I had the same thought while listening yesterday!

Is that brilliant amex recap thread still around - I seem to have lost track of it....

Wheelchair and hospital, rather than prison or a secure hospital - yes, that's more plausible and hasn't been done (that I can immediately think of...).

So Rob is coming to terms with the impossibility of having the family he hoped for (by abandoning the one he's got - mentally at least). Is he just another dreamer, role-playing with Helen, or will he actually make the break? Or live a la Ethan Frome (though the other way around, relationship and timing-wise), all together in a miserable little house...

FGS someone give me a prize I've just read the 10 !!! pages from my last post considering it's pissing everyone off TA are still popular!!!!

OOOOH getting excited about the possibility of having a MNchat with one of the S.W's that WOULD be great . please pretty pleeese Olivia any news yet?????

Selks, in a very small nutshell he invested all his "offshore" money in a property deal but got the frighteners put on him by another investor, who held Lilian hostage, and he gave up the cash to save her. Brenda got a rich boyfriend who helped Matt out a bit, but she realised that they were from different worlds and broke it off, though not before gratefully accepting a huge diamond. All acceptable fun melodrama but NOT the Archers.

Welcome back to civilization ppea Hope you've been able to listen though unable to post.

Completely agree with Curlew and LondonM that it's bad and there is an agenda. Which, I'm certain, is to move TA over to 4 Extra and probably merge it with Amex....

ErrolTheDragon maybe Rob was responsible for the accident? Guilt + disabled wife = running away & burying your head in the sand.

There must be something up with/weird about Jess for her to have NEVER shown her face in Ambridge. I mean how can she not want to spend the rest of a life as a Stepford Ambridge wife?

Perhaps she's one of us and listens to TA

I've had my supicions too

JessieMcJessie are you a 'silent'?

Ha ha yes, you've rumbled me- I am Jess and the reason I have never been to Ambridge is because I have been too busy listening to AmEx

I don't think there is anything at all to reveal re Jess, and would wager that the scars have already served their purpose i.e. clumsy catalyst for Rob to reveal how long he and Jess have been together. It would have been a better story if Jess had been around in Ambridge a bit, so that Helen could be the typical deluded OW- as it is it seems pretty obvious that she's already called time on the marriage and there will soon be a legitimate opening for Helen.

Thanks something have listened to some of TA

Jessie I just listened to the denoument of the Rusky/Barbarian storyline and it was very 3rd rate IMO even for R4 drama . How come Robin in scotland didn't notice Matt jumping into the cab and use the gun he pulled on him? Then a huge character change for Matt who now values green grass and fresh air ????? and he and Lil make up, come ON, It really was crap.

AE for me is rather like the TV soaps moving from what used to be once or twice a week slots to every night of the week (the reason I no longer watch any!) This almost invariably ends up with scriptwriters being forced to find more dramatic material with the results being less and less realistic and more far fetched. One of the joys of the Archers used to be that it tonked along in real time sometimes even a little mundane but much more like real life and therefore much more arresting when something actually happened. Lynda Snell used be enough of a novelty character on her own - she now seems entirely pedestrian in comparison with the Vaudeville act who has been brought in to run Grey Gables.

They just summed up the whole Russian summer in two sentences.

Totally unbelievable.

Still recovering here from having to listen to all the heavy breathing and slurping from RobnHellin. I so want them to be found out ASAP, at least it'll move the storyline on a bit.

Still recovering here from having to listen to all the heavy breathing and slurping from RobnHellin. I so want them to be found out ASAP, at least it'll move the storyline on a bit.

I am loving the Grey Gables story. Lynda's clipped tone and delivery is spot on. Am I the only one thinking that it is really funny? Can't wait to see what happens at the Mexican night

JessieMcJessie, thanks! Lillian held hostage - gosh. As you say, not very Archers at all.

Meriambeetle, I'm waiting in anticipation of the Mexican night too! I fear it will be the end of Ray at GG.

Was Lynda for real about her ideas for making the Mexican night more authentic with Aztec food and a lecture from Jim or was she pulling Ray's chain? I think she was being serious in the earnest way she does best but either way quite funny.

Oh I think she was very serious. I think she takes jim at his own over inflated worth.
We must be due a Jim story soon as its been a while.

I LOVE Linda's sniff i reckon that's why they introduced madcap 'take GG into Las Vegas land' Ray!!