Exeunt, pursued by a sow. And so on, for the next 60 years of The Archers.

[PseudoBadger]

It's all about the Sons at the moment. Tom is having an identity crisis, Dan is off to Sandhurst, and poor old Adam is working his socks off.
Follow the undulating Ambridge pastures here!

I'm not sure that Peggoi cares too much about alienating Bridge Farm. If she needs help - like running into town for a hair appointment - it's always the two daughters who help out, never the DIL. She asked Tony the other day for some DIY/maintenance thing and her rebuffed her with a "I'm too busy" whereas Matt or Brine would have said "I'll send a man round".
Bridge Farm are too busy with their precious organic land to be much practical help to her. At her advanced age she will remember the drudgery of life before clever chemicals and be non-plussed at why Tony wants to revert to back-breaking toil.

ppeat But I've already christened him "Rupert". I fully expect the SWs to take proper notice...

R4 I was surpised that Pegg asked Tony to help her in the garden; I reckon she was 'testing' him maybe to use the rebuff as fuel for being mean later on ! I thought why doesn't she get someone in FGS she's got the means.

As I said before there's no way that she understands what being organic entails she needs a lesson on saving the world IMO!

Nah Zero It's a bet on between Jamie and Leo you mark my words

Switching subject a bit.
Does anyone think that the new manager Charlie has a bit of a point?

Every time he wants to make an improvement, all the locals seem to immediately say no, it can't be done. They seem to have absolutely no 'can do' attitude at all!

Latest was Will with the shoot. Surely the professional thing to do was to say OK, I'll put together a proposal, then put together a document showing the possible benefits of extra shoots versus the additional costs and impact on the 'feel' (which of course may deter customers)?

I almost fell off my chair when he started off telling Willyum what a good job he was doing. It took a while to get to the 'but...'
You'd think that the Ambridge collective would get together and fish for dirt on Charlie. I'll bet that his confrontational style has backfired at previous deployments.

pp Why Jamie or Leo? It won't be Jamie (TA already has one of those). I could see Leo if that is his star-sign (23 July onwards. I hasten to add that I had to look that up). My betting is on a bonkers pretentious name.

Will Grundy is miserable and not blessed with too much imagination at the best of times. So it didn't surprise me at all. The fact Charlie has been critical of Knob Titchiner suggests that he may not be the uber competent dairy manager he thinks he is.

Jamie or Leo after James and Leonie (the selfish and egotistical parents)

Teen It's years since I've even been on the same street as a management consultant - but no, I don't think Charlie has a point. Ideally, to effect change in an established organization, the initiative would either come from discussions within the organization or from an outsider coming in, observing, going away and then presenting written suggestions. To turn up from nowhere and immediately - without trying to familiarise yourself with the workforce or their systems - start badgering them to make changes, stalking them, turning up at their houses, menacing them with the threat of job loss ... would be completely unacceptable. I really hope it only happens in Ambridge.

And ppeat I want to see the colour of your money. (Given that there's already an apprentice tree surgeon attached to the name Jamie I'm wondering what's prompting your faulty thinking.)

Zero I agree he's not going about it at all well. But I still think a lot of the estate employees seem to be lacking in get up and go.
(I like your name by the way)

R4 I meant more that Piggy won't want to fall out with Hellqueen as she is her ally against PatnTone

Thank you for the lovely info on the Norwegian village-this has made my day.
ComposHat since when did she know two halves of fuck all about farming I also might adopt this charming phrase
Yes the Peggoi thing about Hellqueen & Titchyknob being engaged whilst he is still married really grates.
btw does anyone know how much money Peggy has-didn't Hazel get the lion's share of Jack's inheritance?

Oooh - who's Alistair hoping to "network" with?

Oh god. Yawn to the road thing.

Oh, a year since Paul died? So that's a year since I crashed into Pseudo's "Why is Lillian..." thread to announce it.

I have had so much fun here since then.

and to everyone!

Yes thanks Pseudo . How many threads since then? Quite a few I think. It is lovely reading other people's thoughts on the Archers (and occasionally contributing).

I'm posting this in the vague hope that one of the scriptwriters or someone vaguely associated with them might be reading this ...

Ok, ok, we get it. You know how to SATTC. You really do. All the things the previous administration didn't have the imagination to do, you're doing them. And a lot of them are great, and potentially fascinating, and potentially really good storylines.
But can you please just stop doing them ALL AT ONCE ?

It's getting a bit much.

You need to convince Archers listeners that you can also deliver a week or two where nothing basically happens. I like listening to that stuff.

You've had two big themed parties in the la list two weeks. That isn't 'ordinary life' to offset the 'big storyline' SATTC stuff that you're clearly overinvested in. In ordinary life just one of those parties would have been used as a vehicle for numerous dynamics and plot progressions of longer running storylines (not in the most recent administration, perhaps, but then they had totally lost the plot by the time they were wheeled out of the building. Russian adventure, Lil's affair, need I say more).

The new bodies have done a reasonable job and certainly started their tenure with a bang but I'd like to see some sign that they are saving some of their powder for later on and not disrupting every possible foundational piece of village life.

*last two weeks

And yes it sounds as though Alistair is up to something. Which is just what we need, given that we currently have absolutely no other new storylines involving adulturers whatsoever.

Hi eevryone, btw. Sorry for the rant. This is what happens when I listen to the movie rather than go daily.

I agree with the rant. And I'm getting pretty fed up with huge build up to dominant, dramatic storylines that just seem to....stop, never to be referred to again. Too much of that in recent months, and so unrealistic.

Humph. Grump.

I haven't listened properly for a while. I've been busy at work and exhausted at home- it's exhausting me listening to the Archers too! I agree they need to slow it down. I can't cope with the pace and number of events. I find myself thinking, "oh god, what now?" Instead of being excited at the events.

You're all so cynical.

I think they're just putting Alistair safely & innocently out of the way for Dan's first evening home from Sandhurst. Possibly getting held up on way back.
Either for Dan and Shula to have bonding time and heartfelt mother-son chats.
Or for Shula to have a go at Alistair about not caring enough for Dan

(but you're probably right the rate new plots are being introduced).

Alistair. Gambling. Poker?

And Alistair has form for being a creepy lecher!

(remember "so fresh"? Bleeeurghh!)