Male or female, young or old - Bad Stuff can happen to you in The Archers. Discuss the perils of Ambridge life here.

[PseudoBadger]

Not exactly upbeat at the moment is it

Agree lass - the thought of Kirsty and Tom together is dull.

I LIKE old films, there's soooo much crap about atm. The old ones (apart from the Westerns) are generally better. At least the actors don't mumble all the time.

I've started to skip through the programme on the internet. While reviewing son's homework. That's how bad I think the last few episodes have been. Think I need to get a busier life and drop this crap! I will check in here from time to time to find out if anything good is going on. Or - since that's just keeping the addiction going - maybe I'll just rely on Nancy Banks-Smith's sort-of-monthly updates. Sounds like a plan! Have a pile of library books to read and almost all this year's Oscar-nominated films to watch. See you guys around when TA gets its act together again.

Let's not start knocking Huge Canoe prematurely. He had the unenviable task of picking up all the loose ends left by SOC who had been steering the programme off course for some time. I think it is unrealistic to think TA can just go back to the way it was in a matter of weeks. SOC set the ball rolling with the tedious Fairbrethren, the Lillian, Justin, Miranda love triangle, the return of Carol Tregorran (what is the point of her?) etc so Huge Canoe has to somehow edit his way around all that nonsense before he can set a new course. Never mind paddling a canoe, it's like trying to turn a supertanker.

Well agree that soc was rather heavy on introducing new characters and canoe can't get rid at the same rate!

Let's see. I hope he does something with the fairbrothers and pip. As in something deadly.

I thought the end of rob was pathetic but understand they had to work with what they had and I'm glad he at least had a swift exit. Willing to take a few more crappy ends if we get rid of or change some of the other sl

I also think it's bound to feel a bit tame if you think about the drama SOC put us through - the road, the flood, the Great North Move, the stabbing - but actually isn't everyday life what TA is all about? Small dramas which are interesting because you know the characters inside out and you care what happens to them. I used to like tuning in because it felt like I was eavesdropping on real life - that for 15 minutes a day I was living in an English country village a million miles from my real life. I used to think that was the real skill of the SWs - that they could make relatively small events so compelling. I'm prepared to put up with a bit of dullness if it means we start to see three dimensional characters again and people behaving in character - I want to feel as if I know the characters, that's my reward as a long-time listener. I'm also a sucker for an agricultural storyline - I can't believe noone is talking about the effects of Brexit on farms large and small. Massive dramas are unsustainable - especially if they rely on long-standing characters behaving out of character to make them work.

I'm with you Lillian.

I would rather have half an episode that I like and half I find dull that a full episode of ott drama

I accept not all sl wil be my cup of tea - which is fine as long as you don't end up with one sl dominating the others.

I'm just catching up and am rolling on the floor at the idea that an EHO has a PA!!! Not that that would've happened in the last couple of decades, it's even more hilarious now. Are there no local government cuts in Borsetshire?!
Also I would rather do anything but 'move in the right circles' in the area that I directly enforce. So unrealistic.

"Small dramas which are interesting because you know the characters inside out and you care what happens to them."

But that only works if the characters behave consistently.

That's sort of my point Bertrand - I want the characters to behave consistently so the drama comes from their characters rather than their characters being manipulated to drive the drama.

No, no, no, everyone should already know how exciting Patrick would be.

Low it's on the spoilers thread, which is maybe where that belongs?!

I've been following this thread for a while. My thoughts:

• Kirsty will have a minor breakdown when she returns to work, be advised to have a break/holiday and be invited to/go to Brazil with Tom
• Lillian won't give up on Justin and Jennifer will end up kicking her out. Either that or Lillian arrives drunk to Jennifer's party and the whole affair is properly exposed in front of Miranda
• Toby has a baby in Brighton and is certainly not up for dad of the year Pip will forgive him, baby may end up coming to Ambridge??
• Lily passes her driving test first and is the one who speeds through the village, probably killing/injuring someone's dog (or one of Pip's cows)
• Rex and Anisha get together

I have other thoughts too, but I'll leave it here for now!

oh gosh, I'm sorry witchmountain, I didn't think of that!

I was just amused by the missing Sunday

I will report myself abjectly

I happily partake of the spoilers, Low, I just didn't want you to be smited by Olivia

I'm thinking that Kirsty is going to cope fine (after a cathartic cry on Lynda's shoulder tonight, perhaps) but that Tom will fall into depression for a while.

I actually want Tom and Kirsty to get back together now. The only reason he jilted her at the altar was because of her SOC-enforced character change turning her into a deranged Bridezilla before the wedding. I think as we were forced to overlook Knob's part in the jilting and Tom's disappearance to Canada (never to be mentioned again in spite of it being substantial evidence of his dastardliness) they should both be allowed to put it behind them. That's what I'm intending to do that with many of SOC's plots, the Great North Move for instance - rarely alluded to these days - or Ruth's storming off in a huff to New Zealand (almost entirely forgotten in her insistence on a family Christmas for Pip this year). It will be like the shower scene in Dallas when Bobby wakes up and finds in was all a dream.

Can't bring poor old Freda back though.

I'm sharing your optimistic outlook Lillian. I'd like a really positive storyline for a bit and I think a Tom/Kirsty reconciliation and subsequent fabulous, happy wedding would be just that. Kirsty came back....she loves Tom.....Tom is living every day with regret about how life has turned out. I don't think they'd ever take one another for granted again.

Errol, yes , Freda's words of wisdom are a real loss...

Moi Freda would have wanted Tom & Kirsty to get back together

Indeed Low . She's probably got an anecdote about a time when she and Bert nearly went their separate ways.

Tom didn't take Kirsty for granted! He cheated on her the first time and jilted her the second. I'm not sure how he could have been more disrespectful!!

I fjust be it depressing that Kirsty is supposed to just 'get over it' because he's her 'true love'. She deserves so much better than Tom.