Is that a ferret in your (Gr)undies or are you just pleased to see me? Discuss The Archers vermin (so many possibilities!) here.

[PseudoBadger]

I'm not sure that ferrets cannot through a thumb sized hole - rats can, and mice can fit through a pen sized hole. But I know the SWs will have researched such a statement carefully

The comment about how tall the inspector was, was probably to help us tell the difference between her and Pip/Fallon.
SWs must have taken note of the comments on this thread and helpfully put that one in

Pip was in the ITV drama 'Home Fires' last night - I didn't realise until the end credits, her voice is obviously not recognisable.

Well in RL we do mention people's heights; we were in a naice restaurant on Sat. night and there were 4 people on the next table to us one of whom was literally balancing very uncomfortably on the small chairs, it was a low beamed room and he must've been 6ft 7ins or so.

Sorry the gist of my above post was that I did comment about his height to dh!

"Culvert" has got to go into next title...
So please can someone recap Culvert-scandal? What is David onto it like a bulldog?

Yes Ppeat, I was rather wondering if it was a case of 'insert random comment into script rather than have every utterance part of BUILDING PLOT or EXPLAINING PAST TO NEW LISTENERS or similar'.

Sorry about capitals - have no idea where to find the funny upside down V sign on my Mac to create italics….

Because Ed jnr. inadvertently told the wrong person Dave that only one of them was badly blocked, he had been told by Charlie NOT to tell anyone, about the culvert clearing so obviously knows something was wrong (even though he nearly died in one) WHICH ONE ??

The one that was blocked would ,if it hadn't have been blocked, have sent the overflow from the stream onto, into,? the cow houses\cubicles in Berrow Farm. I THINK correct me if I'm wrong.

I thought Rachel sounded like Pip too, except I couldn't believe the Pip actress would be capable of such a consistent accent for a whole scene. It was her 'it' that was familiar to me I think...

Well in RL we do mention people's height

Yes - but in RL we can usually see the person described or see the effect their appearance has on someone else - and draw some conclusions from the information.

Listening to the radio I know enough about Rachel (female, vaguely youthful, something to do with culverts) to follow the story; I might give her a face in my head but when I'm told something more about her, something specific I have to assume it's important to the story. Some extra insight into her character might suggest how she might behave in a given situation (though they've pretty much given up on that). Now that I know she's extra-giant-tall I can only conclude she will soon need to climb into a watery hole ...

Slow morning. Sorry.

I thought Iain was Henry's father?!

Why?

Please don't give the editor retroactive story ideas.

Many listeners with overactive imaginations choose to believe that Ian is Henry's father, Davros, but what we have been told on air is that Henry was conceived with sperm from an anonymous donor via a clinic.

Years ago, Ian and Adam had a deeply tedious story where Ian seriously contemplated acting as donor for a lesbian friend of his who had never been mentioned before and has never been mentioned since. He was keen to play an active part in the baby's life. Adam didn't like the idea, so eventually Ian said no. This, plus the fact that Helen and Ian are pretty close, is what has fuelled the theory that they actually came to a secret agreement off air.

If the mention of her height was just random it's even more proof that the script writers just don't understand the basic conventions of fiction. In real life, for example, somebody might do something completely and utterly out of character (Roy and Lizzie, for example) but in fiction we have a contract with the writer that they won't do that. In the same way we have a contract witht eh writer of a detective story that the murderer will not be a character introduced absolutely for the first time on the second last page.

Oops, don't want to give them any stupid ideas. I remember that it was a theory but listened intermittently then so wasn't sure if there had been any more evidence. It amazes me that no one in Ambridge is fat. They mention someone's height but there's no talk of X needing to shed a few pounds before the wedding or Y needing to squeeze into their posh dress or kilt for NYE (male or female)

Think Clarrie and Susan have each occasionally commented on their weight, but as they both seem to have about fifteen jobs I don't see how they could ever get fat.

Tbh if I still lived in the country I would still be rake-thin.

Clarrie's substantial (of course she is, she's a working class comedy character). It was talked about when there was an ill fated wife carrying competition.......

I'm fairly sure that there was a Clarrie-goes-to-Weight-Watchers story a few years ago.

Re: the 'tall' comment - as a six-footer I can confirm that people do frequently make such comments in real life, but I read it as if Jim were about to make a comment on some other aspect of Rachel's appearance, before catching himself and landing on her height instead...

I'm sure Susan is stick thin, like Lilian. In Lilian's case it's because she lives on cigarettes and gin, in Susan's because she works very hard and steels herself to keep away from the biscuits. Clarrie has been hefty since before she was married, IIRC.

I wondered if Carrie might be considered hefty but when I heard that she had a wardrobe full of posh frocks, albeit mouldy, I thought not. The talk so far about what she will wear to the wedding hasn't mentioned popping to Evans in Felpersham. But it sounds as if every other character has no issues at all with their appearance and can conjure up, or even swap, smart clothes. I know if I have to go somewhere requiring an outfit better than elasticated trousers and a baggy t-shirt it's a mission

I suspect the poor old mouldy 'good clothes' were every single garment Clarrie has ever bought that could be considered just about smart enough not to wear to the dairy or for cleaning, cooking or turkey plucking - and that might mean maybe 5 or 6 outfits, some of which were really too small now but which she kept in hope that one day she would fit into them again.

Of course, what Clarrie really needs to do now is pop onto Style and Beauty here! They'd find her something flattering at a good price and in a hurry.

I've missed some episodes so can someone tell me how Rob got round that paternity test?? Surely it can't be right that he isn't the father?

we don't know, Crikey. Jess admitted there was someone else, and Rob acknowledged that the Valentine's night tryst truly happened. Seems Knob truly isn't the father but Jess couldn't have known, horribly complicated. Knob must think he's God to get away with it.

Re Ed: I don't think there's breach of contract if your employer asks you to do something illegal or to conspire in withholding information about a crime; sounds like estate may have done something criminal in blocking culvert?

Finally caught up with the thread but not quite TA itself. Agree I am not impressed with yet more new characters. I also doubt Rex will take Eddie's helpful advice about local folk preferring turkey to goose.