In honour of how The Archers threads began: Why are the SWs allowing this to happen?

[PseudoBadger]

The very first thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/a1740045-Why-is-Lillian-allowing-this-to-happen

40k posts later....

I vaguely remember now. I knew it was some kind of play situation with Henry involved.

And I also vaguely remember thinking who the fuck lets a total stranger play with their kid. Typical self engrossed Helen.

And that's right of course there was the big tension between organics and intensive.

Jennifer is about to make things worse for a second time by suggesting a soiree, this time between Adam and Ian....

Helen is so much better at calming Rob down now, she is a shadow of who she was.

So, so, so glad my granny never knew when I went off to shag a cowman.

Don't mind the Fbros. They'll develop I think. Quite interested in the Brighton mystery. A child? A debt?

Wish JD had pointed out that Alex was being a dick by not supporting the Oxford plan. All that chat about everyone having gone through the same is unlikely to convince a teenager. They ken a'thing ime.

Glad you like fannybaws, trev. Very common insult in Scotland. To be used thus:

David is sometimes a fannybaws
Kenton is usually a fannybaws
Toby is always a fannybaws.

Rob is never a fannybaws. He is a stone cold fuckin' psycho heid-the-baw.

Not to be confused with a baw heid.

Joskar

I think maybe Toby has just realised he may have a child/as yet unborn child in Brighton - his panic may have stemmed from hearing Rex talk to Helen about SOK.

Why would that involve needing money? It sounded like someone needed paying off.

Thought his panic stemmed from the phone call he received? (Although since I completely made up a business partnership between Fallon and Helen no one should take any notice of what I say.)

Guess it's not community service then. When Brighton was first mentioned months ago I speculated that it must be something that wouldn't necessarily turn up on google - but Ambridge residents never seen to check people anyway. (Except TripAdvisor.) On the other hand if there's a child needing nappies that would hardly require his actual, physical presence. Intriguing ...

Oh I missed the phone call bit. Will pipe down now

Well a child could if: a) child is seriously ill and Toby cares; b) mother is seriously ill and Toby is going to be left the baby; c) court case?

But I'd think it might be more money related, just where are they getting their money from?

The fact is it could be anything SOC wants it to be - which is what I've got against this particular plot. He can just make something up off the top of his head without having to bear in mind anything that's happened before (God help us all if it involves paying off some who then ends up pursuing Toby to Ambridge). It's like something out of Ambridge Extra. It's because he's so busy pursuing these flights of fancy he can't keep up with the characters he has - Alice anyone? Kate? He's got rid of wonderful Matt and created a vacancy for a rogue - sorry but Toby is a poor substitute.

Surely all the story lines are just made up off the top of someone's head.

It seems to me that the Fairbrethren will be here for a while so they are rounding them out a bit with stuff from their past.

I know that BOOP. It's just that the best storylines have a background in how you would expect characters to behave based on building up a picture of them over many years. Some plots are just foisted on the story - moving North and in fact almost anything surrounding Brookfield in the past few years which then play out in a less realistic way because everyone is forced to behave out of character in order for them to work. Obviously SOC can do what he likes with the Fairbrethren who have been parachuted in because he was clearly getting a bit tired of writing about existing characters who were just booted off the cast list to make way for them (could have something to do with getting rid of the archivist - no need to to be clear on a back story with new characters just make it up as you go along). All fine - that's how most soaps drive their story along, but I've always thought the Archers was different, that it rewarded long-term listening.

I need to catch up, but will be cross if Phoebe gives up on Oxford for Alex. As someone said up thread terms are short and it can only be a couple of hours drive away. Don't be a drip Phoebe.

Me too minimammoth. Thing is Phoebe loves him - for some inexplicable reason (I don't think we know enough about him to know why this would be, but we do know she lost her virginity to him so he is a big deal for her). I think she also probably feels more attached to him because of the way her home life has fragmented - Roy and Hayley splitting up, feeling totally let down by her dad as a result of his affair. Her real mother being totally useless (has she forgotten she also has two other children who didn't even get a mention at Christmas), her lovely step-mum having moved away and her lovely Grandad Mike Ho Phoebe virtually lived with by virtue of living next door. Jenny has been great of course if a bit over-infested on the Oxford front. I think we have to accept Alex is her first big love - and she thinks it's real. Surely she will go - and of course meet her second big love in the first term, thus ensuring Alex is well and truly out of her system.

Jenny couldn't tell Phoebe Alex is a prat for not supporting her Oxford plans, cos Phoebe's in luuurrrvve and that would mean Jenny was against her one true love. You have to tread very carefully with teens, who also are like weather vanes emotionally from day to day. I write from experience, though fortunately I have a strong child who did not give in to the Rob-alike she had in her life for three years of teenagehood - though it took him dumping her to finish it (presumably when she made it clear she was going uni (in a different country) against his wishes, which must have been the last straw for him, as she didn't see her disagreeing with him on certain things being incompatible with being in love with him, whereas he clearly felt she had to take his every word as Gospel). The stories I could tell would make Rob look positively Care Bear-ish.

Ah, Christmas. Indeed. Time was Jenny spent half of every week shopping for, wrapping and queuing at the PO to send presents for her South African grandchildren. No birthday, Easter, Christmas or cough went unmarked. Apparently they're dead to her now.

And Lillian? Her son, her daughter-out-of-law and her only grandchild spent Christmas down the road at Ambridge Hall. I must have missed the episode where we heard all about it. Did she spend the day there?

I do hope they know what they're doing with the brethren - and that it's worth doing.

Not to worry Gruach if they run out of steam with the Fairbrethren they'll just write them out - just like Charlie and even Berrow Farm itself - which is why I can't be bothered to engage with what might or might not have happened in Brighton (perhaps it's a return of the Russian mafia).

joskar

It is funny though - that after all the interminable verbal fencing over fancy lunches - Adam has effectively taken Charlie's job.

I would rather keep Charlie and get rid of the brethren

Gruach, has Adam agreed to it? BYOSnowman - so would I

There's always been new characters brought in. Ruth was "parachuted" in. As was Alan. And Alistair. And Rob. And Jolene. To name just a few well established characters who are not "natives".

I agree that there has been a few juddery stops and starts recently. But let's not write this storyline off before it starts.

It seems soc is criticised for signposting stuff too clearly. Then for being too obtuse. For cutting storylines off too soon. Or for letting stuff run and run too long.

Some characters that people are missing aren't exactly a loss. Eg Christopher must be the dullest character ever. He's hardly a loss. Ditto Jamie, Josh, nick etc.

This is is clearly a time of flux in ambridge. Nothing is preserved in aspic forever. Everything changes. It's not always for the worse.

Matt is a notable exception to the list characters being dull point. But we don't know for certain why he was dropped do we? Was it RL reasons for example?

I think Matt chose to leave

The problem I have is that he has shaken ambridge up but let everything fall back to where it was!!