The Archers - It's not about the money, money, money, think about Jill's honey, honey, honey, Justin wants to farm by satnav, forget about the prize tag.

[PseudoBadger]

Will The Dopeys have buggered off by the end of this thread?
Will Tom finally reach home, after weeks of trekking through the tundra?

Spot on Nancy! She tells it like it is. Forget talk of podcast downloads and peak listening, we want EVERYTHING BACK THE WAY IT WAS.

In that link upthread:'And finally, which actor is best at giving the impression of really being in Ambridge? Step forward, Tim Bentinck, who plays David Archer. According to the show’s editior, Bentinck is “particularly good at doing his lines when he’s milking a cow or opening a gate.'

Surely SOC can't move the person who's best at being in Ambridge elsewhere?

Loved the first comment after Nancy's piece
"Many thanks, Ms Nancy, for listening so that we don't have to."

Thanks for the link Gypsy. I somehow never notice her column unless it's mentioned here. I went back to read the comments - astonishingly few of them. Not just MN listeners ...

I like the Armaggedon title. Maybe we could sneak the White Pony of the Apocalypse in there too!

Perhaps Jenny's kitchen wasn't a pointless story line after all now that the Aldridges are on their uppers.

I think JD is going to suggest Carol as the person who should go with Jim. She's so completely in her thrall she'll probably suggest her to fill in the gap in the Blythe Spirit cast as well.

Good to hear the Dopeys being beaten up regularly by the villagers. Before the nonsense with Heather came up, Roooth was counting the dough they'd receive by way of compensation and looking at ways to make the farm viable, so how come they're so convinced now that it was always a total non-starter? I must say if I were on the Save committee I'd have drummed them out, not least because Deevid is now in the position that he really needs the road to go ahead, otherwise he'll look the total dickhead that he is.

Long time lurker - very occasional poster.. I thought JD was going to suggest Kate as a complete unknown to go to the soirée.. Maybe she could woo justin with her charm and cause him to have some sort of personality transplant and give all his ill gotten cash to charidee.

Or, they'll have an affair (she's got form!) and cause even more sibling grumpiness at home farm.. ?

Perpelxed why they wasted valuable airtime with JD explaining that Alice and Chris were going to collect Ruari and stay at HF. I know that people do sometimes criticise the SW for forgetting about Ruari but in this case I could easily have accepted that his welfare had been discussed and provided for off-air. It was hardly plot-advancing, and meant that they had to make yet another credibility-stretching reference to Alice's never-ending annual leave entitlement.

Is Ruiari going to end up floating face-down in the iced-over HF swimming pool, while JD compares gingerbread flavours in Praaague?

Hasn't Brian still got shares in BL?

I did enjoy the exchange between Brian and Adam

unitaria Ed has been asked to the shoot as a gun I only realised the significance after thinking about it. Of course he's a Farmer isn't he? That's why Will mentioned that he'll need to smarten up and must be pretty hacked off about it.

Perhaps Jenny's kitchen wasn't a pointless story line after all now that the Aldridges are on their uppers.

She also gave away half of JT's bequest to the DC and spent the balance on poncy antiques. However, the main cause of their problems is Adam who (a) lost the BL contract (b) just after he shelled out a quarter of a million on new kit. Am I right in believing that he was talked into it by Charlie; with hindsight it looks very Machiavellian. Adam should never have bought the new combine before negotiating a long-term contract (but why did Brine go along with it?) Adam should be the one being made redundant.

Of course he's a Farmer isn't he?

He rents his pasture off BL, IIRC. I don't know why Will mentioned 'dress code' because Ed has been beater often enough to see how the other half dresses but if he went out and bought a brand new Barbour and Hunters to impress the other guns i.e. his neighbours he would look a complete pillock. I hope Will and/or Susan don't try to go down that route.

...Which would mean cutting out his "peripheral" activities like the strawberries.

Hmm ... I wonder if that might happen. Perhaps the Editor is sick of catering for seasonal workers and caravans and summer romances.

The shoot is therefore a real table-turner for Will & Ed. Will's been tugging his forelock to the guns for years but I hope he doesn't expect Ed to give him a tip!

Charlie has well and truly suckered Adam all down the line and led him to make decisions which are potentially ruinous. I feel A is about to make some sort of life-changing decision.
Meanwhile we are being shown Jenny continuing to spend as she always has. If I were one of their workers being made redundant and homeless I would bitterly resent the new kitchen and the kid at boarding school.

It was a bit heartless wasn't it. I know a rural worker who was made redundant (complete with loss of home) and its taken them years to recover.

I really hope the Alice/Chris/Ruari info will be relevant. Maybe Adam will decide to go back to Africa or something. (Kate is still in EE isn't she? Not about to do a swap back with Adam?).

Maybe Adam will decide to go back to Africa or something.

Where do I sign the petition? I cannot stand the character nor the voice of the actor. Brine is over 70 now and needs to think about retirement and succession planning. Adam is not up to the job of running HF but Debbie might be. She needs to come back to Ambridge but I can't see Tamsin Greig doing that fulltime so it looks like we need another re-cast. Did you say the Troughtons have daughters too?

I'm confused about the interface between BL and HF. I thought for a glorious moment Brian was going to include Rob's cottage in the list of property that isn't making money!

He must be planning to refurbish said tied cottages and either rent them out or sell them. Aren't tied cottage regulated in some way though? I thought it was not so easy to change their use.

I think the tied cottage thing depends if you are in the Greenbelt or a national park etc. They could make them holiday lets, which would make money.

Sorry but I've always like Adam - although the recent incarnation does seem a bit wet.
HF really need to look at some money spinning ideas. A farm restaurant? Pity they don't have the Jacob sheep, a craft centre would be a good sideline, (and an off shoot of the Bridge Farm Organic shop). They should also be cutting Debbie loose unless she is going to come back and earn.

Long time lurker here - I had a strange flashback when listening earlier this week to Emma saying how lovely it was to have their own front door - does anyone else remember Susan buying a new front door for No 1 The Green when they turned their rent into a mortgage and bought the place? Or is my memory playing tricks on me?! Must have been quite a while ago.....

although the recent incarnation does seem a bit wet.

A bit wet!!??
You might be on to something though ... breaking news ... I thought that Adam was a Dementor but it turns out ... drumroll ...he is where all the water is collecting ...

He is the sinkhole.

Surely at some point soon - hopefully before xmas - David and Brine are going to realise that they should combine forces in some way. I don't know how their land lies in relation to each other but surely there should be some way to reorganise between themselves so that they have two viable farms whether the road goes ahead or not.

WTF are JD and Brine doing swanning off to Prague right now - either of Tony's situaton or their newly straitened circumstances should surely preclude it? Which can only mean that something is going to happen in their absence which couldn't if they were at home.

Rob's cottage isn't tied. He and Helen are renting Blossom Hill Cottage, which belongs to Usha (who bought it from Peggy).

Don't know if Andy and Geoff/Jeff are in tied cottages. I don't think that's ever been specified. They already have holiday cottages near the house. The Aldridge offspring own one each, IIRC.

januarysnowdrop (what a lovely name, btw), yes, I remember that! Susan was so proud of being a homeowner.

Errol, now you've mentioned it, yes, that seems very likely. Oo-er.

Yes - Prague is a plot device because the timing of the trip is so weird given everything that's going on with tony etc

Why is Alice staying at home farm - is phoebe considered too you g?

Jenny would have no real concept of economising though, and I am sure they have a healthy credit line with the bank so I'd expect some half hearted economising storylines.

Surely SOC can't move the person who's best at being in Ambridge elsewhere?
Surely Eleanor Bron has to be in Blithe Spirit now it is being broadcast in full.
The timing of Jenny and Brian going to Prague is so unrealistic it has to be for a reason. Maybe Alice's drastic decision has something to do with being left in charge of Ruari.