The Archers - It's Full Of Pants! Listeners are allegedly leaving in droves. Will Peggy also FOHMC?

[PseudoBadger]

She's got a whole calendar to use!

Not to mention the cost of the air ambulance!

minklundy oops, thanks for the update re tetanus. Good to know... I should go and have a booster...

On the low field summary for Friday the summariser has added in a bit of a note of despair about all the changes and disappearing regulars (tuckers etc)

Go and wreak havoc with Kathy's life instead ...silently, off air though!

Don't think it's been mentioned, but did anyone get a bit of a shock from the way they did the continuity announcing last night...

Before 7pm: CA maintains line "coming up - Ed does the right thing" or similar.

7:02pm "Now the Archers, and can Ed save Tony's life?" 10 seconds of theme tune to absorb that bombshell: Tony's dying?!

Oh Blimey sounds like I need me tissue box before I Catch Up

Yes daddaddad - especially a it wasn't clear what had happened the night before

Luckily they were able to explain it to us through their explanation to the paramedics.

So they pay an actor per appearance regardless of the length of appearance it's the same amount. So for budget purposes they had three extras last night when I think they could have for away with only one paramedic and the specialist could have been done by the same actor if they are versatile enough!!!

They clearly have decided to blow the budget on this episode!!!

Re tony not showing the personality to deal with disability - I think people can often surprise you with those you least expect to cope managing and those most likely to cope falling apart.

I think this was a mean story for johnny. He's just found his place in life and now he has the guilt of feeling responsible for his granddads life changing injuries (although he shouldn't feel guilty but it's normal to). I hope we don't have a 'going off the rails' - they did a rubbish job of Freddie and ed (an his easily cured drug addiction)

Maybe it was one very versatile actor doing all three medic roles (and also playing Otto so they were paying him anyway)

I couldn't help feeling that professionalism v precarious family dynamics were at play here too, in that if it had been Brian or David whose daughter had turned up randomly to dump a very small child on them with no notice for something as trivial as taking an elderly relative to the hairdresser, they would have told them in no uncertain terms that no, they were busy with farm stuff, and that would be that.

(In those families too, neither would the daughter, heavily involved in the farm business, have suddenly announced that they were going to be a stay-at-home-parent, with no consultation or consideration of others in the business).

Tony always bows to Helen's selfishness, knowing the potential fallout if he doesn't, leading to catastrophe here. Helen is right to feel guilty about this - will it lead to her changing her ways and committing herself to the farm, or under Rob's malign influence will she be further separated from the Bridge Farm lot? Thus paving the way for Tom's return as head of the family and farm?

Good analysis Waltzingwithbares. Though I can't help think that the person who really takes the biscuit for randomly dumping a small child is Brian (on JD in the shape of the unspellable Ruari)

So 2 heroes, Ed. kindly said he thought that Johnny was trying to help; maybe he thought he his 'way' with Otto might help. Poor J.

Agree we don't have to have another family in crisis, though it was possibly done so Tom would have to return. As ops have said.

Of course Tony is actually to blame (he didn't have to buy the cattle or bull).

But Tony so loved that bull.

Do "they" come and terminate the attacking animal like a dangerous dog?

ROFL at the actor playing the air ambulance doctor and Otto. Did no one think to mention T's heart condition???

Helen is a selfish cow - it's all about HER all the tricking time.

Pat's declaration of love was a bit meh - you've got to FIGHT Tony.

I like the idea that instead of lots of doctors we could've had Super Matt, sweeping in with his hitherto unmentioned medical talents to save the day. "Swig on this finest malt Tony, that should do it"

Exactly what I thought Olivia I don't reckon he'd have survived with a weak heart would he?

I don't think otto has a taste for human blood now!

I absolutely HATED that episode. I see it may be a contrivance to get Tom back/ allow Peggy to actually try and be a decent Mother to Tony for once/ further isolate Hel, but hasn't poor Tony had enough misery heaped upon him? The one little glimmer of joy lately has been Tony and Johnnie's developing relationship, but no, happiness not allowed.

I did stop listening for a few weeks, so fed up with it i've been, but a day bored in bed with a virus + iplayer resulted in a mammoth catch-up session, and i so wish i hadn't bothered. The forthcoming light relief provided by the christmas play or Eddie's turkeys is going to sit quite uncomfortably next to poor Tony either being deaded/ fighting for his life/ coming to terms with life changing injuries.

There really was no need for this at the moment with all the other stuff hanging in the air. I cannot BELIEVE (yes, i'm shouting!) that Mike and Vicki have no reaction to Roy's behaviour, that Hayley would leave without Phoebe, that Lizzie's family would be so without judgement of her actions. I cannot BELIEVE that d+r would uproot their teenage children from all their friends and family so easily. I cannot BELIEVE that Fallon would go from a strong, quirky, independent woman to a stroppy teenager etc etc etc. I want Matt and Lil back, more Alan and Usha, i want more of Jim and Jazzer. I want Kirsty back.

Grrrrrrrrrrr

On further thought I hate this!

So they finally come up with a relevant farming storyline and they do it to the wrong sodding family at the wrong sodding time!

Agree with you velvet except I'm not keen on Kirsty!

There are too many storylines on the go and a lot of them big ones. Could they have not Waite until February or so when the Brookfield stupidity is cleared up?

Then they could have had josh make a mistake with the cows and a trampling incident at Brookfield so they could be so grateful they were in the bosom of their community rather than isolated near prudhoe

Velvet I'm sure you speak for the entire global listenership.

But, as some wise person pointed out long ago, they only have 12 and a half (or whatever) minutes. I think we're free to fill in the blanks for ourselves.

I'm going to stop my phone downloading the podcast automatically so I don't register as listening when I'm not. .

I don't want to fill in the blanks for myself on the juicy storylines, though. I wanted to hear the fallout from the Roy/Lizzie debacle in all its gory glory (although, actually, to be completely honest I'd rather not have had that story at all as I don't think it was likely to have happened between those two people).

I would rather have heard a lot more about that and nothing at all about the road story for months and months, if ever, as that would have been more realistic as to timescales. Then when the road story started kicking off, instead of this rushed nonsense about selling up and moving, we could all have been taken surprise by a nasty agricultural accident at Bridge Farm.

Far too much going on and it all feels very chaotic. Do fewer things and do them properly!

Yep! It's a mantra we should all live by!

Concentrate on a few things and do those well

That's aldi and lidls strategy isn't it!

And stop payi g for characters we couldn't give two figs about (unnamed extras, tutors, graham etc)

Eastpoint you will be a tiny, but vital tipping point. Meetings will be held on high, heads will roll, Revolution will occur. This time next year Russell Brand will be Editor and stories will be written by the community of the faithful.

Just musing about Tony's cows now ...

Someone upthread wondered who'd be the first to stick the knife in about the suckler cows - Peggy and/or Tom probably.

It got me trying to remember if the dairy herd had a bull with it, or if they AI'd their cows? Even if they AI'd their cows, in all likelihood they would have hired a sweeper bull now and again to 'get' all the cows that weren't in calf that should be.

Dairy bulls are renowned for being a great deal more vicious than beef bulls and it's fair to assume that both Tony and Ed would have had experience at working with dairy bulls. It would be unfair to levy the accusation at either of them that they didn't have the expertise in dealing with Otto.

That said ... was Ed trying to move the bull on, even before the accident? Whenever we've had a sweeper bull (a beef one) with the herd, when I fetch the cows for milking, I would always round up the cows, giving the bull a very wide berth. He would just amble his way in with them without extra encouragement so to speak. If Ed was shouting at him or giving him a boot up the backside to move him on he would have been pretty riled even without bringing Henry into the equation.

I guess moving a suckler herd back to the yard for winter is a much bigger deal than bringing the dairy cows in for milking or moving them to a different field, as they're so used to the routine and the handling.

I think they'd become quite complacent about Otto, since he was so 'lovely'. Wasn't Ed surprised that Tony was moving him at the same time? (I might be mis-remembering). A good stock man remembers that animals are still animals. Like with my dogs, very well trained. I wouldn't walk them off lead along the road, as I know if they saw a cat they'd get squished.