Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in Joe Grundy's hat. Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Ho ho ho! Will this thread last until Christmas?

I wouldn't have thought they'd do a big drama on xmas day itself because people are likely not to be on their normal listening schedule. Is Henwees birthday dec 31 or jan 1st?

Good thinking errol but it's neither!
It's 2nd Jan, according to the BBC website.

I hadnt realised my alter ego was obvious on this thread

It isn't. I read the other thread!

Johnny is decent - and Freddie is very understandable and not that bad (Johnny will be the making of him).

Oh god, I didn't realise Henwee shared my birthday :o

Henry's birthday has distinct possibilities. Rob will turn up with some "manly" present and rely on people not wanting to make an embarrassing scene by chucking him out or preventing Henry from getting his present.

Just Listened again. Pip does sound like. Bloke!

Jill did move to LL didn't she - and hated it! Nothing for her to do. Also Brookfield is home for her so natural for her to prefer to be there and there is lots for her to do there (not including interfering with Pip). I think it's actually fine for her to feel proprietorial about the farm and so not want anything illegal going on there. It's not so long ago that she was Ruth (if that makes sense) Also isn't the downside of having everything fall at your feet - job for life in family business, house laid on for you etc etc that you have get on with the family that made all that possible. I do think Jill's reaction has been written in an OTT way, but don't think it at all unreasonablefor her to have some reaction.

Yes - LL has staff, cakes from its tearoom etc - she hated not being useful. Anyway, presumably in the near future Lizzie mightn't want her DM around if she sorts out her feelings towards DocLocke.

I noticed that the actress who plays Pip has dropped the timbre of her voice by a couple of notes. I wonder why?

Didn't Pip's voice used to swoop up & down in a mystifying/confusing/annoying way?

Maybe she's had anti-swoop elocution

Lovely thread. Thanks, Pseudo. And, no, it won't list till the 25th!

It's odd we are now hearing more about Grace than we did when Phil was alive. He rarely spoke of her. It feels contrived in that the SWs are bringing it up now for a reason. Tobee was enough of a pillock even without being a Fairbrother.

Can someone remind me about the laws regarding holding and storing guns. Would someone like Rob who was until now a dairy cow person have much need for holding one? except for shoot/hunt stuff? And what kind of gun is normally used by hunt and shoot participants? I know the law changed following the Dunblane massacre, but was that law UK-wide or just Scotland? I feel i should know this - gun law is devolved isn't it?

Of course the 25th episode might be Saturday night with the 'happy' Bridge Farm tree decorating.

I am confused about BF birthdays. Wasn't Tom or John born on 31st December? John died on Tom's b/day so it's not him. So does Henry share a birth day with long lost uncle?

Some history on Jill & the sainted Grace.

Jill has definitely talked about her feelings on air; the Fairfather stuff was certainly while Phil was alive (& he wasn't welcome at Brookfield either)

Maybe he'll be dropping in next year. That would really wind Jill up.

Puppet yes, John was Dec 31 but Henry was Jan 2 (Helen's obstetric drama was at New Year's Day party)

Thanks, LD, that makes sense. As a Scot I'd been thinking that eventful party was on Hogmanay but of course it's an English party so was on NYD. And Henry was born in the early hours of the next day.

Henry was born the day Nigel fell all the way from LL roof to the inner core of the earth*, wasn't he?

*Judging by the length of the scream - they did a very good piece on More Or Less calculating how far he must have fallen based on that

Re shotguns - I know nothing about this, but have a feeling that the law makes it a lot easier (a) to get hold of a shotgun than a revolver and (b) to get a shotgun licence if you are a farmer or live in the country and need to do a bit of pest control. Aren't the police supposed to monitor who has a licence and take action on information that suggests someone is unstable and/or aggressive?

I listened to last night's epi today as was out yesterday. But I think my mind drifted as it does often these days I missed her 'cultural ref' so can someone tell me what Aneesha said to Usha.

Thanks, GaspOde, I have a feeling from various RL incidents the police don't always keep on top of the checking licence holders. That, I think, was one of the biggies after Dunblane as the police and local MPs and others had known of the perp's threats. So perp did have legally held arms as nobody had revoked his licence. And that was behind the campaign to change the law. In TA Rob has not threatened violence. All he's said is quite innocuous unless you have the wider picture. Which is what makes it more sinister. I can look up the legal stuff myself, but ds wants his machine back. (I need to get my own gadget sorted, I know!)

Anisha said the history of the house wasn't a problem as her mum had lived in a house that a tea planter had murdered his wife in

Just in case we'd forgotten she's a Sri Lankan Scot

There was a localish murder a couple of years back, in which the guy shot his partner after he'd been given his guns back. The police were highly criticised. But I think there are restriction on how you store them, and I can't see a rented property having a gun cabinet etc. I'm sure BHC didn't or it would have been mentioned - but Rob could have access to Estate ones...

Given that Alan knows Rob is not to be alone with a child and also knows that Rob is thinking of gate-crashing the nativity play then surely he should notify Harrison of the risk. In a busy school play situation Rob could easily isolate a child from the herd, particularly if the child was keen to see him.

(Not that I think Harrison is particularly fearsome but some sort of police presence is needed as a deterrent, I feel.

I think the Ambridge nativity should feature an unusual honour guard at the entrance to the church consisting of the cricket team complete with bats.

I've had to get a gun licence removed professionally and that was not easy. They gave he chap smoke notice to come and shoot me before the police took his guns away !

Btw how do I change this inappropriate name and suggestions welcome !

I thought volderob die or similar 😄