Aldridges Assemble! Await the return of the prodigal daughter to Ambridge with the rest of The Archers audience

[PseudoBadger]

I can't resist alliteration

And another thing, while I'm paying my annual visit - another side of the emphasis on definition by relationships, made absurd by a limited field of characters, has long been the absurdly repeated roles of Caroline, then Shula as 'posh / MC totty' respectively, for every incoming bloke.

'Moving to Ambridge, single and upper / upper middle class?' You'll be having a relationship with Caroline, possibly marriage'. 'Ditto but a MC professional? Go and see Shula.'

Is anyone going to take over that role? Lizzie? Anyone younger?

So who's Jim going to pair off with lottie? IMO you're over thinking this. Caroline has been faithfully married for years and years as has Shula and she's getting restless because Alastair is also.

When is somebody going to ask Rob exactly what Helen currently has her hands full with? And why they will be fuller when Henry goes to school? Actually, Helen sort of did last night, didn't she- but he didn't reply.........

Oh gosh the Caroline / Shula 'single male welcoming committee' dynamic is from years ago, not now.

I remembered Tony or Pat saying to knob how 'fragile' Hell is, at the beginning of their relationship, maybe he hasn't forgotten. I'm not sure if that was about her anorexia and or failed relationships. Despite evidence that she is coping well with life now. He still wants to 'protect' her in a perverse sort of way.

There are a lot of really common job types "missing" from the village, aren't there?

Where's the blooming hairdresser for a start? That's a great job for not-specially academic school leavers with some good business acumen and a flair for working with people. Also easy to be self-employed after training, fitting in with the academic pattern.

What about a teacher? Loads of mates from (rural) home have become teachers, either straightaway or later in life in order to come back to the area.

Nursing/midwifery - likewise, so it seems particularly odd that Amy's left to do it. Not like there aren't enough sick/old people or babies happening.

What about exercise/dance/fitness type professions?

Ok - so what do we have in mind for Feebs? Personally I'd like her to become a doctor as she's so clear-headed and no nonsense. Come back and kick out useless out Locke.

Also, Alan is a bit pointless at the moment so how about getting in a lady vicar and upsetting the old fascist brigade in Ambridge again?

Yes to phoebe becoming a doctor - let the girl live a little before she gets shackled down to life in ambridge. She could work in Birmingham for her training years and live with Hayley or her grandpa

Re surname - it's just to make things easier to follow

Also, I don't know many women who changed their name after divorce. It becomes your name and if you have kids it makes it easier

Mil is an arch feminist but kept her married name for those reasons. (Not just because it pissed off her mil)

For ages I thought Alan was black but no-one was mentioning it.

He talked about Amy's maternal family a lot but not his own, so as the only references were to her West Indian family, I just assumed that was his heritage too.

Yes, Emma could have been a hairdresser and offered an 'at home' service, chatting and moaning her way round the village. Ah, hmm. Maybe Nic?

I realise of course that the person playing the 'failed and returning singleton' role right now is Tom. Even when he eventually cracked though, it was him and his inner demons destroying his relationship, not his girlfriend destroying him. His career's survived Tamsin, the loss of Kirsty and Brenda, with much unhappiness but limited impact on the bottom line.

Kathy Perks was a teacher Elephants and there IS a silent hairdresser who does Peggy's hair and effs up Susan's . Isn't Kate trying to fill the gap for fitness centre?

There aren't THAT many characters in TA to have every profession filled are there?

Oh Hayley is an E.Y teacher too.

And there was the Russian ( or Polish ) care worker who looked after Jack Woolley ?

Could do with some domestic cleaners though. Does anyone " do" for Peggy? and Linda would definitely have a cleaner.

For the blokes, why don't we have a few mechanics. One for the cars and several for all the farm machinery. With tractors costing £250K the days of DIY repairs are long gone.

Yes Emma does or did for Peggy and then whatsername the Polish careworker married to HWNMNBM. But true I don't know if Emma still does she did for Brookfield too.

Hayley trained as a nursery nurse, not a teacher. She could easily have made the transition to teaching assistant, as somebody said upthread.

Emma works as a cleaner. Betty used to be the cleaner at Home Farm. Freda cleaned at Brookfield years ago. There was a fearsome silent woman who cleaned at Home Farm too, I think.

As for the care worker - how quickly one forgets! I think she was Albanian and she was of course married to HWMNBN. Was her name Irina or Elena or something like that? She first appeared cleaning for Peggy, which Emma does now.

Two minds with but a single thought, ppeat!

The saintly Ilona.

Ilona worked in Jack's care home initially, didn't she? He was attached to her. & then she was having to leave for financial reasons (forget details) & Peggy organised subsidised accommodation (through Lilian) & cleaning work etc so she could stay around.

Something like that

What happened to her daughters though? Rosa & I-forget. Have they joined Lily's mime section?

I was close then! Beautiful Albanian spy - was she described as that here or on the old BBC MB?

Yes great mindsGaspOde !

Ilona!! well remembered lottie

Wasn't there some Rosa rivalry with Dan & Jamie?

They all moved away when she decided she'd had enough of her astoundingly irritating husband, thus creating the opportunity for somebody else to get their house on The Green. It belongs to Amside. It's not Ed and Emma because they're in Will's house. Strangers? Silent strangers?

But I think that Hayley did work at LL in a teaching capacity, taking\ showing children round the nature walk or whatever. They weren't just tinies.

Yes, she did plan and lead educational visits, but I still wouldn't describe her as a teacher. To my mind that does require some training.

I thought Rosa was commuting to Ambridge on her scooter from wherever they moved to