All we hear is Radio Carter - come and gossip about The Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

Hides in laundry rooms

Emma was interesting tonight. The chip on her shoulder was quite on show!

Well to be honest, my sympathies are with Emma on this occasion. Its a nightmare for young families in 'popular locations' trying to get affordable accommodation within reach of their work. It was a pretty accurate reflection of discussions I've heard IRL.

If they do get built what's the betting they'll be sold off before Emma gets a chance

I doubt Emma would get a sniff. Affordable seems to be set to a percentage of market rate ('affordable' in London seems to equate to 'affordable for millionaires'). I'd be surprised if they can even afford the affordable.

I have been speculating that the Ambridge Money Fairy will visit in the form of Caroline's will supplying a deposit or at least something for the Grundy offspring.

Anisha is so annoying.

Would you find her so annoying if she made the same statements and was as competitive as a male vet? I sometimes find her jarring but when I think about it she is no more annoying than 'normal' for the male characters.

What I find really annoying is that the LSWs don't seem to know who/what she is or what they want to do with her and so its very inconsistent and that in itself is quite unlikeable.

Would you find her so annoying if she made the same statements and was as competitive as a male vet?

Yes. She is rude, vain and patronising She is often unprofessional in her attitude towards the practice and Alasdair. And quite thick judging by the evidence tonight. Her assessment of the horses should have been done with none of the interested parties present.

She is rude, vain and patronising

Yes true but no more so than most male professionals of this age where it often passes unnoticed.

I agree that her assumption that Alastair would simply pick up her slack was outrageous and I thought it weird that Matt was there for the assessments but assumed this was LSW contrivance to create blackmail fodder as she over confidently stumbles into Matt's traps.

Yes true but no more so than most male professionals of this age where it often passes unnoticed

No it does not pass unnoticed. Tom gets criticised for this, so did Rob , even before he turned evil. In real life MN is full of posts about men behaving like this.

Emma was interesting tonight. The chip on her shoulder was quite on show!

It was a good compare&contrast. Emma was moaning that the Ambridge House Fairy has never visited and 'snot fair, yet only last week Ed was saying that he would be a broken man were it not for the intervention of the Sterlings.
All the while, of course, she is paying vastly under the market rate to live in a period property in her home village with free childcare on tap.
They did start writing Emma as a more go-ahead character but every now and then she slips back to her old self-absorbed self. Two steps forward, one step back.

Emma was chippy. I can understand why she is but she was unnecessary in what she said to Fallon. Jealousy isn't nice

If Matt is up to something is there a chance he disappears for good after Lillian has broken Justin's heart. Thus leading to both Matt and Justin going

I thought the Emma/Fallon housing discussion was realistic. Only wealthy people can afford to live in 'chocolate box' villages these days.

And 'affordable' only means less than market rate, it's not social housing.

Yes, me too. Things like this can be extremely divisive. And I agree that Emma will need a miracle to get one of those houses, let alone the one with the corner plot and the big garden.

I think the Emma/Fallon housing story is entirely realistic. It must be hard to see someone buying the house of their dreams with housing fairy intervention while you are still living with your parents with no hope of a helping hand. I also think it unlikely that Emma and Ed will be able to afford the affordable housing.
A quick update on my dinner with lovely Latif - he'd never particularly followed the Archers before being cast in it so was highly amused by my encyclopaedic knowledge. He did point out that his character had first appeared some time ago in connection with a land deal - something I have no memory of - when he was brought back this time he was told to "posh it up"! I was a bit confused at his tendency to refer to the actors by name - so he was talking about the incredibly handsome SImon when he meant Justin, who in my imagination is anything but handsome. He's just been recording episodes which are due to go out in October, but wouldn't be drawn when I suggested he and Anisha might have an affair so I have no spoilers!! He has invited me to pop in and watch a recording next time I am in the UK, but I am in two minds because I don't want the Ambridge that is in my head to be wiped out by seeing what goes on in the studio in Birmingham.

Very exciting Lillian! I agree that watching a recording could break the spell!!

The fallon Emma scene was realistic but Emma was being her mothers daughter. I'm never sure about Emma - at some point it seemed like she had a bit of drive in her buy maybe it's being with mopey ed that has stilted that.

How much land do Neil and Susan have? Could they annexe a bit for Emma to build a house?

How much land do Neil and Susan have? Could they annexe a bit for Emma to build a house?
That would be fab. It would save us all from the 'Grundys must live at Grange Farm' malarky.

Going to the recording would be a weird experience, Lillian. I'm not sure which would be worst: seeing the actors or the sound effects.

I just find the writing of anisha so inconsistent. One moment she is an intelligent professional, the next she is completely fooled by Matt who goes around like a pantomime villian.
I really want to like her but the character needs to settle in.
However Brian is frequently vain patronising and rude and everyone loves him.

Yes Anisha is naive if she thinks Matt's filming her checking the horse is purely for him to show the buyers. She should be very much on her guard, Al and Shula have warned her about his history. She is too self confident. "Pride comes before a fall" and all that

Agree that Brian is frequently rude, vain and patronising (FRVP), as is Jim. Maybe the difference is that they have more of a context than Anisha, which rubs off some of the unacceptable corners of their behaviour and makes them more loveable. Brian has Jenny besting him from time to time, and his children making his life difficult in their various ways, while Jim has Susan and Jazzer to soften him. Strangely, Jim never interacts with Alisdair and Shula, although they are related. Has there been a massive falling out that I have missed?

Haven't listened to all of the Harrison/Fallon sub-from-bank-of-mum-and-dad plotline, but I'm inclined to agree with PPs that help to the next generation is the tax you pay on the unearned wealth delivered by the housing market in (parts of) the UK. Didn't hear too many people moan about the equity piling up in houses bought at the outset of various booms - I don't suppose anyone really thought that wages were going to keep pace so that our children could buy sometime before their 50th birthday?

But fallon and Harrison can afford to buy. This isn't help to get on the housing ladder. It's help to start three rungs up

Jim stayed with them during the flood Cromwell , there doesn't seem to be much communication now (i suppose we have to imagine it,) TA is only on for 13 mins 6 days a week!

I just remembered that I enjoyed Brine's embarrassment and uncomfortable cough when Lil talked about Caroline's death and his 'friendship' with her.

Well I had no idea Shula spoke to Caroline so often so who knows how often Jim is in contact!

If the trustees are selling the dower house do they have to go to market to get full value for the beneficiary? Is it possible that given the Caroline connection Oliver might buy it and sell up in Italy. This solves the Grundy problem, keeps him in Ambridge at a place with a connection to Caroline and probably throws a hand grenade into the Justin/Matt/Lillian set up?

I'm assuming Justin would pay well over the odds for it

Lil is still the beneficiary of the trust though so she would get the money?

We haven't heard from Jim much recently so who knows how often he talks to anyone?

There was definite frostiness between Jim and Shula when he was living at The Stables having first moved to Ambridge. Their relationship subsequently improved but I can't remember if that was just due to the passing of time or because of a specific incident. Don't think Jim likes Alistair much, and I can't say I blame him.

As for Lilian and the Dower House, I think the thought of Justin buying, and therefore owning, it will be what makes her realise she doesn't love him enough to be marrying him. She loves that house and it's been her home for a long time.

After Justin's comment last week that she doesn't need Matt to pay her back because she's with him now, I thought it was out of order for him to demand to buy it from Matt the trust. Shouldn't they at least be buying together? In name even if it's his money? I thought he was pretty unpleasant about the whole thing.

But once they are married she will be able to get it in a divorce settlement. If it's only worth a million and he is as roch as we are led to believe the only reason he would fight for it is to punish her. But given her history with the house I can't imagine a judge would rule against her

If it's only worth a million and ...

Don't let Emma hear you say that!

I seem to remember that Jim and Shula didn't get on so well as he despised her holier than thou brand of worship / belief and she thought he was too ostentatious about his intellect (Shula's never come across as particularly bright).