As another voice actor does a bunk in the night, is he watching them all with the eyeeeeeee .... of the TIGER? Bring back Matt unadulterated to The Archers NOW.

[PseudoBadger]

This is too much for me now. I need to meditate.

Well now we know how much they are spending on the robots. And my estimate on the cattle haulage wasn't far out either told you they were reading the thread I wonder if the meeting with the engineer who is supposed to be fitting them will throw up a problem? Or are we still waiting for Justin's survey to throw a spanner in the works either in the form of the dodgy back wall or the sink hole. They've given themselves lots of get out options haven't they.

The chat between David and Eddie was one big educational piece. First the cost of haulage and the robots etc, and then the haggis and neeps and tatties. Surely there was a younger cast member they could have used for the burns night lesson, Eddie must know about that at his age....

Yes well done dairyfarmerswife - I was just thinking g the same about the cattle haulage costs. Can you please write some more sensible suggestions for Sock to copy.

Oooh look, a milk round storyline that's being edged in for some reason

Yes what is the significance of this?

It wouldn't matter if the house burnt down. It will be insured and whatever reason JE has for offering so much over the MV it can't be the house itself. Any way the house should be insured for its rebuild value not what it will sell for.

As for Jazzer bagpipes are not the equivalent of a P3 recorder.

meaning that whilst we all get taught Scottish country dancing at school in North Britain we do not get taught bag-piping.

Has JE got fracking rights in Borsetshire?

Lord knows re fracking but usually when someone offers so much over OMV the sellers might wonder why.

Charlie and Adam were cringe- making. They both sounded seedy and leering.

I'm gutted re the culling of Tiger, Hayley, various storylines, Jazzer and Lord knows who else.
I think we are all a bit down about it.

So I thought I'd send this your way to cheer you up - a cameo from our friend Jim Lloyd in a not altogether different role, and a great little series -

The Ferryhill Philosophers

Isn't it handy that I asked about cattle haulage last week - and thanks to DFW for the very informative answer.

Everyone should know that if you only visit Scotland/Edinburgh during the Festival that is not REAL Scotland/Edinburgh. Though you will hear a fair few bagpipes - often played very badly too. Just saying ..... I wonder if the Jazzer actor was just not available for tonight.

I can't list any BOOPs either, but I didn't mind tonight. You almost expect it to be corny these days. It wasn't unexpected that Adam and Charlie had that conversation - and that the matter appears to be resolved and we all know otherwise.

Can Lillian not get Matt 'done' for theft? Though she's probably too distraught for that. But I'll bet the pictures were hers and, as they weren't married, there would be no matrimonial asset stuff, no? You'd expect Harrison to encourage her. And Usha can advise. Obviously.

Ah, the P3 recorder. I think I'd almost prefer the pipes. Though of course it would be the chanter at that stage. Or the 'chantey' as my brother liked calling it. In some areas (of Scotland) there is something of a revival in teaching traditional instruments to school children. Though most of us on this thread (including Jazzer!) would be too old to benefit.

Someone upthread suggested je could be the devil spawn of the mystery milkman. That wouldn't surprise me give the way other stuff is going.

Let's just make stuff up! Yay!

I am assuming that Lilian selling her shares in the Bull is a precursor to her leaving Ambridge too?

That was me BYOS! I wondered whether Dan had shagged around the village during his alleged milkman years and little Justin was the result , rather like Pat Mustard the shagging milkman in Father Ted

I do hope not Boop. I love her dirty , gin sodden laugh.

BitOut I have the impression that SOC wants to boil Ambridge down to purely Archer blood. (+ Carol, who might somehow turn out to be an Archer. Who knows?)

So I'd hope Lilian is safe. (But then I thought Matt was safe ...)

Not giving up.

Bet you all knew this but I didn't but PC Burns Jim Cartwright's son.

Who's Jim Cartwright? (Clearly I did not know this either.)

He's played by an actor called james Cartwright

BOOP point- when Lilian finally admitted to Jolene that she thought she might never see Matt again, it was to the strains of Flower of Scotland- "when will we see your likes again". Quite.

I think that Jazzer has been portrayed as a piper before. To my mind it's notvso unusual that an expat Scot would take them up, maintaining a link to the culture and all that. However the commitment to learning and practice doesn't really fit with Jazzer's character.

I really hope they are not suggesting that Lilian is completely cleaned out. The storyline has always been that she was independently wealthy due to Ralph Bellamy. If Matt has nicked all that money then Lil may not want to press charges but James may think differently (yes I know Lil has the perfect right not to leave a penny to him but would she really think that way, esp with Mungo now in the mix?). Suppose J may have had a trust fund though. I bet we never hear of him being told.

They should just have kept Matt silent instead of all this nonsense.

Wasn't jazzer in trouble for playing the bagpipes when he lived with the barman who turned out to be suddenly abs unconvincingly gay?

Jim Cartwright wrote Little Voice. PC Burns is his son. I always find it very odd when a parent gives their child their own name.

If the name served you well I guess you may want to pass it on!

So another actor with links. The reason working class kids can't catch a break in the acting industry is because they don't have any contacts! Perhaps not prioritising relatives woul open the industry up to a wider pool of talent. Oh, isn't that what the archers used to do?

That must have been my grandparents' thinking, BYOS! I only realised recently that my dad and his sister are (say) George and Mary and those were their parents' first names. Odd, very odd.

So - Fallon (though she has served her time so it can't be held against her,) Plod, NewTom-and-his-NewDad, Josh ...

No doubt others I/we don't know of. Is that a usual proportion of dynastic talent?

Same with my grandparents. Think it was a thing back then

The worrying thing is if you read Sock's blog he seems surprised that listeners are reading so much into the HelRob story which makes me think that any good writing there is more by accident than design

I don't think it can possibly be accidental. Look at all the incidentals that add up to emotional abuse - e.g. having been told what Helen was cooking for him, Rob waits till she cooks it and only then tells her she can't eat it; repeatedly stopping her wearing what she wants to wear and pushing her into wearing something really dowdy; pushing her into hunting when she was really against it; pushing her into giving up most of her work so she becomes more isolated; lying about inviting his parents for dinner; to say nothing about all the nonsense about the DNA test, and much more.

The issue for me is why SO'C claims to be bemused that listeners pick up on that stuff. Either he is too thick to realise what his own SWs are doing, or he thinks if he doesn't admit to it it will come as all the more of a big climax when the crisis eventually comes, or he is being stupidly arch about the storyline. I just wish he'd give the listeners a bit of credit for intelligence.