Don't blame it on a Grundy, don't blame it on Route B, don't blame it on Sean O'C, blame it on the badgers. Discuss The Archers of Prudhoe here.

[PseudoBadger]

Petula - Not sure how that would work, but if we manage to get Sean O'C on we should invite them to join us in grilling politely questioning him.

Very unconvinced by Jill's 'reasoning' tonight - about 'being useful' - she seems to be talking herself into it, when we know she told Carol she didnt want to move - even surrounded by all her dear children, she held firm - for now... the bit about Phil being still here was a bit of a choker though, has she really only just thought about this. Putting a brave face on it I think.

Will the Helen giving Peggy a lift to the hairdressers have any meaningful consequences other than a cut and blow dry? - oh and we found out that RJ takes after Daddy by liking to be surrounded by a 'harem' of girls.....

Jim's going to Peggy's party so will see Rob in action, hopefully.
I'm quite amazed that Helen has accepted Johnnie in the family so easily. The hair appointment arrangement was being flagged up quite heavily which seemed a little odd.

I have a feeling the siblings are going to gang up and tell David how upset Jill is and then she's going to admit she's unhappy about it. Sale off.

Yes - that 'like father like son' snapshot augurs well for the future.

Funny to think that in 50 years, when Johnny has spent a lifetime breaking hearts and proffering apologies, people will be harrumphing about how the programme is just not what it used to be and oh! to be back in the golden age of that nice Mr O'Connor ...

What was that pile of piffle from Jill tonight? She is moving to Northumberland to help out on the farm cos that's what she does; she's a farmer's wife even when she isn't a farmer's wife any more. So a household that comprises David and Ruth, adult Pip, sixth-former Josh and possibly HeatherPet cannot cope on their own, they need Jill to mother them? Really? Really!? Do R&R think that they are the only working parents ever?

So Jill explains to the other three that D&R need her. She seems to have forgotten that just the other day her youngest, a single parent, was sobbing into her arms about how she was forced to shag the help because she was sooooo lonely and she couldn't cope, it was all too much, etc. That little tête-à-tête was soon forgotten!

I'm sure that I was supposed to be sobbing along with the family but, due to projecting our own family circs on to it, the whole thing left a nasty taste. MIL was about the same age and generation as Jill. She loved life when her DC were small and dependent on her but couldn't cope when they matured into adults with their own minds which caused strained relationships. She distanced herself and went into volunteering where she could again indulge her need to be needed.
Jill's infantalising of her brood is creepy.

Don't tell me where the gransnet thread is. I spend more time reading this one than listening to TA.

Oh, and DDD, I'm 58.

Please stop telling me how old you are...

I'll be 90 next week. I've got all my own teeth.
But I haven't got my marbles - I've just remembered my name is Wooley, not Archer.

Peggy! Did you marry Jick for his money, or did you really truly love him?

Don't worry DDD, we'll have forgotten about age by the next thread...

He truly loved me .

Peggy - as it's you, I'll add you to my bar chart.

25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
65-69
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94

Although, I wonder - do you actually listen to the Archers?

Well I am honoured with the revised bar chart but it is only to be expected for someone who is no better than she ought a respected matriarch like me. I'm having a high-level business discussion with that nice Mr O'Connor next week to see if I can be promoted to Head of Dynasty.
I do like your bar chart. It so reminds me of Tom and his spreadsheets. Do you have any projects that need an injection of cash and cod 'mentoring'? It would be nice to interfere take an active interest in someone's life again.

I do want Kenton to go round and say all that stuff directly to David. Also to point out that Jill keeps dissolving into tears at the thought of going. After all, David did say that the whole thing was off if everyone concerned wasn't genuinely in favour.

Cool bar chart. Missed it earlier. I'm 55 and have listened to TA on and off all my adult life. Apparently DDD you don't want to know our ages but I have no idea what you DO want to know!

I wish the great sink hole would open up soon and put poor Jill out of her misery one way or another

erm, shouldn't Peggoi be in the 85-89 category as it's not her birthday till next week? . I'm just so glad to be on the winning team for once. Being 53 1/2, you know.

I'd love to know if Josh and Ben even know where Prudhoe is - you never hear of them going to see the grandparent/s. They always came to Ambridge, understandable as they were the ones with a farm and animals, etc. Peep seems to have d=found her way to Yorkshire but you never hear of her nipping up to see GrannyH in her spare time so I assume she hasn't any idea either.

Basketz - I thought of that after I posted. Perhaps you can organise the next statistical exercise?

Cooroo - I think a more interesting question than age would be to ask:
do you live in a farming community / village that remotely resembles Ambridge (and so do you find it true to life?) or do you live in a city (and so enjoy TA for the contrast to your own surroundings?) or somewhere in between?

Personally, I live in a large village which is more like a small town, in a densely populated part of the country, full of commuters. There are some farms around, but there's little in my daily life that appears to overlap with "the everyday life of countryfolk."

I think if D does find out J doesn't want to go and decides to stay we are back to the prediction from several threads back that D says he is staying and R wants to go.

Hairdresser appt I expect will conflict somehow with what Rob wants and cause friction or else it is a opportunity for Peggy to interfere impart some vital fact to Hel or vice versa that will later be significant. I predict contrived chat.

My community resembles Ambridge.
We talk about much the same stuff, the gossip is very similar and there are vast and intricate local families. You're an in-comer if you've lived here less than 30 years and there are big landowning estates as well as small farms.
As I've said before, at least one farming family has sold up and moved away after generations on the same farm. There are biggish threats from outside, poaching, a local bobby (whom I very nearly called Harrison last week!)
No séances going on, as far as I know.

I wonder if NewTom will do a Prodigal Son at the 90th birthday party?

I wondered that too icmoi? especially since the party is being held rather unusually at Bridge Farm, setting up a scenario where he could just turn up at home not knowing about the party. However I think not because the old Tom actor has only just announced being fired (and specifically said he won't be Tom's voice when he returns from Canada), which means that no new Tom scenes have been recorded yet. Unless they already did them with the new actor and just didn't tell the old one? Or the old actor was fired a while ago but had to sign a confidentiality clause which only expired just as first scenes of New Tom about to be broadcast?

I've just been listening to a play by Martyn Wade on Radio 4 Extra that stars David Troughton. It's very odd hearing Tony in a completely different role (& rather fun).

I live in inner SE London, which is about as different from Ambridge as you can get. We did once, though, see sheep being driven into the local park by a wonderful woman who had been given the freedom of the borough in recognition of her voluntary work. She chose to interpret this as giving her the right to drive her sheep over a bridge and up the hill to our park. (I believe people who get the freedom of the City of London can drive sheep over London Bridge, but not many exercise it!)

But of course! Of course they wouldn't have wanted "Old Tom" to make his announcement any earlier than necessary. (Why didn't I think of this?) Would have been silly if Tom had dropped it into conversation on his way to Canada "don't worry - I've been re-cast..." Now I'm excited.

So anyway .... Now we have to give age and location?

I'm sensing a whole new meaning to the word "Mumsnet"....

DH has driven sheep over London bridge. Its usually done nowadays to raise money, so you have to pay for the priveledge of being provided with sheep etc. And DH didn't get to go the whole way just a little bit, a bit like a relay at school. You do have your photo taken with your sheep in full regalia (you not the sheep).

Otherwise I live in a small town. My family comes from a small town/village, and I often wonder what would happen if I moved there. I've never lived there but with my name it would be obvious I wasn't a total "incomer" but I would have missed a lot of gossip and under currents.