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

[enochroot]

Ed seemed to think the culvert was blocked with old building material, possibly from the building of Berrow Farm but the Environment Agency woman said it was checked regularly.

Are we to assume that someone (Rob) moved the stuff out of one culvert and into the other just before the flood?
That's a bit too much of a stretch though. It would have been just as easy to take the stuff to the local dump.

I hope we get a culvert explanation soon. One that makes sense.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Is there a new Robert? Been away and might've missed this. He sounded odd to me!

[ZeroFunDame]

I've had trouble recognising him too BOOP. He sounds 100 years older than he did a year ago. But I assume they would have said if they'd changed the actor.

[BitOutOfPractice]

Glad it wasn't just me Zero. He was mostly monosyllabic at the dawn chorus thingy. Like some member of the production team was impersonating him. Then later at the flood map meeting it just didn't sound like him.

[Bluestocking]

"Auntie Chris's crack". Of course it would be the location of the Hellmouth, poor woman. It will be a strange cardboardy hell where people are tortured with papercuts and staples to their sensitive parts.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

He sounded just as ever to me, maybe a bit older (aren't we all?).

[R4]

The scriptwriting hit an all-time low yesterday.

David: you will never guess who I've just met
Jill: who?
David: the son of that married man that had an affair with Elizabeth.

Who speaks like that?? Most people would have simply said "Robin Fairbrother's son". If needs be, they could have had Ruth on hand to say "who's that?" so they could shoehorn in the background.

But that was amateur in the extreme. They should hang their heads in shame.

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

Agree r4. Same when Jill blethered on about loz wantibg her to meet him. Clunky in the extreme

And why has mia got the grundy name!!!!

s

[ppeatfruit]

Yes Robert sounded the same to me too Gaspode Agree R4 about the standard of writing at the Mayday thing.

But I try not to complain

[BitOutOfPractice]

Maybe it was just me then. It was a download on the Iplayer and I was listening in a place with a lot of background noise so I coud've been mistakem

[minkGrundy]

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.

That is correct.
The corrugated iron was mentioned by Charlie to explain what it was that was blocking the culvert and why it was tricky to remove (in my head the sheet was lying flat against the drain /grill of the culvert.
Ed mentioned it to signal that it was the same culvert.

although given that removing the blockage was going to cause water to flood Berrow farm 1) why would Charlie want to remove it 2) why did Berrow farm not flood when he unblocked the culvert because I thought the plot was that he had but had in the process broken his leg.

In addition, teh environment woman said they check them reguallry. so teh conclusion that David is oming to ios obvioulsy that someone saw the floowing about to occur realised what was going to happen to Berrow and blocked it deliberately.

Which woudl suggest Rob as he was certain Berrow would be fine.
The only thing about that is that I am trying to remember where Rob was in the lead up to the flood. I thought there was some implication he ahd been skiving (probably eating lunch) and not at the farm and it was hwne he was asked if he thought he ought to go there that he said no, Berrow will be fine.

Adam warned Charlie about the flood alert didn't he. so it could have been Charlie, but then why take it out again.

IMo this is quite a good plot as long as it does not turn out like the DNA one and it turns out no one put the debris there it was just washed in by the flood.

[minkGrundy]

also is it just me or does anyone else think if you have the surname Tichener you should not call your child Ethan?
even tichier?

[JessieMcJessie]

I sort of agree about the writing in terms of Rex Fairbrother, to me the worst bit was when Rex had to say "didn't my Dad's half sister marry your Dad?" with David replying "oh yes, Dad's first wife" in a very "are you paying attention Listeners?" sort of way. Though why he didn't at that point say "of course, poor GRACE" just to hammer the point home and jog a lot of memories I don't know. However it was all redeemed for me by Jill's snarky little "she didn't learn her lesson, did she?".

[squeaver]

The whole point of the blocked culvert story line is surely to get poor Ed into trouble again just when he thought everything was going well and he could safely buy his tractor on tick. Which will be yawn-some, UNLESS Knob did do it on purpose; he gets sacked and Ed gets offered his job by Charlie in some kind of hush-up deal.

OR... he gives Pip the job...

Agree on all above points re Mia's surname and clunky script but also redemption via Jill's snarkiness.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Oh I dunno, I quite liked the way Rex said something about a loose family connection, at which David was nonplussed because obviously he was thinking of Robin and Lizzie, and then was rather relieved when Rex (who presumably has no idea about that!) explained what he meant.

[Bluestocking]

Thread title could contain a reference to "culvert operations"?

[Merse]

Please can Charlie not give Pip the job. Am desperate for her to get the heave ho find a hugely fulfilling job opportunity abroad.

[BuildYourOwnSnowman]

I really don't think I could bear any more ed in financial misery. Can the sw give us a break? Please!

[PseudoBadger]

I thought that too Bluestocking!

[ppeatfruit]

BYOS Because Will has adopted Nicky's children, I'm trying to remember if Nick and Will are married.

[JessieMcJessie]

they are, got married at Grey Gables at New Year time of year IIRC. kids not adopted just changed name so as all to be the same,, Mia said it proudly on air at the time.

[trevortrevorslatterfry]

Hullo!
I have been cold turkey for ten days sunning myself abroad.. settled down in the bath on my return with the film on iplayer. The first couple of things I heard were Jolene and Kenton seemingly in the sh1t with their debts, followed by the identi-voices of Rex and Toby or something like that. (I wonder if there is a production facility full of Am-bots churning them out).

I turned off after that. I am off to catch up with the thread now .. can anyone advise whether I should ever turn back on again though? I am thinking that I probably won't bother.

[Minimammoth]

Has anyone kept an 'old character' count? Carol, Dr Locke, the Fairbrethren, anyone else. They'll be digging up Nelson next.

[ZeroFunDame]

I'm hoping for Nigel's long lost, never before heard twin brother Mini ...

They did try Carol's son but realised it wasn't worth the effort.

Johnny surely counts as an 'Enders style intervention?

Looking through the Who's Who earlier I noticed that the Jamie actor looks about 13 - definitely not big and muscular enough to operate on trees. So I imagine they're 4d printing a new one.

[Icimoi]

So long as they don't bring back HWMNBN.