Culvert operations in Ambridge - discuss The Archers here. It's not his baby by the way.

[PseudoBadger]

Is Ed's wedding very soon?

Could the fairbrethren end up as tenants of Hazel Wooley when she kicks the Grundies out? Thereby creating decades of faaaaaaaamley feuds between the 2 pairs of brothers?

Or have they definitely bought somewhere?
(I'm not listening at the moment so feel free to ignore my demands for information )

Think they're rebting somewhere in Borchester.

Your suggestion sounds horribly likely. I would hate to see the Grundys kicked in the teeth again.

"renting"

I've lost track of exact ages but I was hoping Rex might become a new best friend for Ed (since Jazzer no longer seems to suit his aspirational lifestyle). That's hardly going to happen if Rex and Toby become connected to the de-homing of the senior Grundys.

It is utterly ridiculous that Ed and Jazzer are business partners but Ed didn't ask Jazzer, apparently his only friend to be his best man. No argument is going to make that plausible to me.

Did you notice how they tried to hint at the ages of the Fairbrethren by having whichever one was talking to Ed give examples of how they used to fight when they were younger : "stealing my Playstation and posting stupid things on my Facebook page". When did Facebook become a "thing"? I couldn't be bothered to work it out.

ed and will are a few years older than me. FB started to be used in the uk in 2005 when i was 20yo and at university. at first you could only sign up if you were a student (well, you had to say what university you were at but you could make that up), shortly after it was open to high schools and everyone else iirc

there was also bebo and myspace at a similar time, but not much more before that. ed and will would have been early 20s at the youngest when they first started using social media i think

Having caight up I look forward to spotting Daniel in our local pub while he is down at Bovington

Hap it was Rex talking about Facebook, not Ed and Will. Let's say they younger one was about 13 when his older brother started tormenting him on FB so about 2008 maybe? Would make them about 20 and 22 now perhaps?

Now caught up with the thread, Brian also tried it on with Annabelle

ah sorry, am getting confused with brothers. i have to admit i've only been listening with half an ear these last couple of weeks.

Rex and Toby must be a bit older than 20 and 22 given that one of them was working in the City after graduating - time not stated, but presumably a few years - and the other one has had a professional rugby playing career. Their dad was sniffing around Elizabeth in the late 80s. He was married to their mother then but I don't know if they had children already. If they had, that would make the boys late 20s now.

Rex not only had a rugby career but also 'reacted badly to loss of career' and lost friends. That can't have been in a matter of weeks (although the ambridge with fairy may have visited.

So those who know rugby - how long does it take to break into a top team?

If he has made any sort of money from a city career Toby will have to be t least 26. Given the way bonuses have gone since 2010 probably much older to have a good sum behind him.

So if that's the case on their ages (and it sounds right) looks like the SW got it completely wrong using "putting stupid stuff on my FB page" as an example of childish fights, unless the Fairbrethren were breathtakingly immature as students.

judging by my cousins (male and female) who are ranging in age from 23yo-33yo plenty of very juvenile and immature stuff can be posted on siblings' facebook pages

though it's obviously not an example of childhood fights

Pip again - who says 'cheeky' like that?

And carol - I was hoping she would be found dead after being unheard of for so long.

And Lillian - since when did she become so helpless?

A little potted history too. So clunky!!!

Has this been written by a 6th former?

At least they mentioned Amside. Finally.

Stupid Kenton - he'll be lucky if he ever sees any loan from David.

Kenton is being a twat (as is jolene) but I can't help feeling this is all a little contrived

Bert is 79. Surely he couldn't have managed that heavy lifting?

rugby - how long does it take to break into a top team?

It depends. If you're a winger and George North then you can do it at eighteen.. But Rex was in the pack and they tend to be older, to give them time to beef up. So early/mid-twenties.
The Fairbretheren are not on the Who's Who but DocLocke is. There again, so is Matt

I have it caught up yet but have heard fragments and not been able to separate out characters, follow the Fairbrethren plot cos it's all a bit yawntastic. Are the Grundies still at GG. Can't imagine that would happen in RL. And yes Lillian far more gutsy than being portrayed.

Mystic Bore predicts that Ollie and Carolide will sell their toy farm to the Fairbrethren (I think I heard Carolide making fed up noises the other day).

It will be too big for the Brethren alone so Ed will somehow rent a bit of it, thus returning a Grundy to his heritage. Will may have something to do with it all too, since a rapprochement is clearly on the cards. In a few decades George will take over the whole lot.

I was very disappointed not to hear Rob give Pip the full details of how he got from his family farm to the employ of Big Dairy via the sort of exotic foreign placement that Pip is so excited by. That would have been much more interesting than listening to them trudge around cattle sheds talking about bovine infertility. And what was that nonsense about vets and blood tests and the flood?

Ah, that mention of the flood was Significant. Didn't you note Knob's reference to lots of people making mistakes during the heat of the moment, and how it shouldn't be held against them afterwards?

I wish Jolene wouldn't keep facilitating Kenton. It's all very well to keep telling him that his problems aren't his fault, but she could point out that refusing to consolidate the debt wasn't exactly helpful. And I get it that she must also be disappointed by losing out on the Brookfield millions, but she's normally more robust and realistic than this; in her shoes I'd be heavily tempted to suggest that putting all this energy into hating David isn't helping anyone.