The Archers: Will Pip grow or Jill blow? Lil make her vow or Justin take his bow? Discussion #83

[DadDadDad]

TA (The Archers) annoys me intensely but I still have to listen
I think there is a possibility that we obsess about TA in a way that most listeners don't

If this is you (genuine quotes from earlier threads), or you're new and want to ask anything about The Archers, then this is the right place.

PseudoBadger started it, but we're going to finish it (er, will TA ever finish?)

The panto is meant to be Sleeping Beauty, but are you expecting farce (Mother Goose Pip) or tragedy (Puss Cat in Wedding Dress Boots )?

This should see us through to Christmas.

At the end of the last thread we were remembering recent successful marriages in Ambridge. How long ago was Ed & Emma?

Ah but after giving birth and not coping with the baby very well, being "helped' by Ian and Adam resulting in 'you know what' will probably happen.

Not a spoiler just speculation on my part.

Oh and I don't mind Pip. The actress or the character. She is what she is. (as my fatalist ds would say)

I hate to say it BOOP but it feels like a lot of the storylines have been done to death. After sixty years and four generations of hatches, matches and dispatches they need to find a way to keep it fresh. I don't know how they do that whilst simultaneously trying to avoid modern, contentious, political stories (eg education).

But how many of us remember the last 10 years' stories let alone 60 ? !

I guess so R4. It's only this one that seems so very yawn worthy to me at the moment. Though a guess an on-off-on wedding has been done before too.

I had a horrible thought that Lilian is planning a Lady Godiva style stunt to prove her love for Justin ...

I think R4 has the right of it: how can a farming community drama , or any sentient being not register Brexit more than TA does? And yes, education is a blip on the radar, if that.

It all becomes so personal, and lately. so boring.

I agree with Bekabeech, Pip has been shown to be singularly uninterested in anything apart from Things That Benefit Pip. Stay in a fancy house? Free cake on tap? Shag with the (presumably gorgeous or at least muscly) Toby? I can't remember her doing anything for other people, well I think ONCE she cooked dinner for her mother, and the idea that she's busting to put her own needs second to those of a small, helpless, non-cowcare-friendly being is just... weird?

But then I suppose we've never known much about her. I couldn't tell you a single thing she likes/doesn't like, or what she'd do on a holiday for example. She's a strange void.

And yes Francis, tom and Kirsty's baby was a promising nice story. Such a shame they did what they did.

Imagine if adam and Ian adopted Pip's baby though. They'd have to get bars on the windows to stop Ruth and David and Jill breaking in to Steal Back The Heir!!

It was noticeable that Pip referred to the fact that she had housing for the baby. So clearly she's not planning to move out of Rickyard again come the new letting season, despite the fact that what they made out of it last year can't have compensated for all the money they had to pay out to Brian and Tony as a result of Pip's uselessness.

The Archers SWs really hate women don't they? All the melodrama over Helen stabbing Rob so she is the one brought to trial not him, then the pro life activists taking over so a career woman having a termination because having an abortion is something only nasty, unfeeling women do and Pip has to be portrayed as "nice", then Lilian planning to sign her life away or sacrifice herself in some way to prove her love to Justin.
I think I'm going to have another break from it all.

Has Justin ever managed to take over Amside? Perhaps Lilian is planning to gift wrap it and give it to him for Christmas. It will be the least she can do since he loves her so much.

He tried but failed, the SWs obviously feel she hasn't been punished enough, she's far too cheerful for a woman in Ambridge, although they have to temper her cheerfulness by making her a functioning alcoholic.

Not really relevant, but did Toby ever repay Pip?

I honestly can't see why Justin would be interested in amside

I was just listening to the Food Programme. They were talking about artisan cheesemakers, specifically people using old ways of making Cheddar on their farms using their own cows' milk (as they can't do any more at Bridge Farm). I'd love to hear more real farming storylines or anything else than the standard soap melodramas.

I completely agree that the BBC is missing a trick not having more about Brexit, but I suppose it's like hitting a moving target at the moment.

She really is an unattractive character, not least bcos all the others rave on abt how fab she is.

Exactly. If just once the SWs could have Rooth saying to Deavid meditatively "You know, our daughter really is a selfish little cow and an incompetent farmer to boot, isn't she? Let's cut her out of the will" they'd have listeners all over the country cheering.

I heard the credits at the end of a drama this morning and Eleanor Bron was in it. Which reminded me that she was Jill's witchy friend for a while but has been AWOL for ages. You really need to get a character properly established before you disappear them. I can't even remember her name!

And I'm wondering whether Anisha has a bit part on the telly or something - I actually quite enjoyed the SL that was developing there but it's just fizzled out.

I'm trying to pretend Pip isn't pregnant. I can't bear it - this is the 3rd unplanned pregnancy this year FFS. Can't the SLs come up with anything different?

Hello everyone, I often read the threads and never miss an episode of TA, but I’ve not posted before.

I am moved to as I’m so cross about Pip though. The nurse would not have kept going on at her like that when she sounded so completely happy with her decision. (As everyone else has said)

But also the script-writing/ bad acting has really contributed to my anger over her changing her mind and keeping the baby - she was so definite, completely happy with her decision, even up to the last second of that conversation with the nurse that we heard. But then all of a sudden we’re meant to believe that she had all these doubts and never really wanted to terminate at all.

Couldn’t for once a woman be shown to make a completely sensible decision about herself and keep it to herself and not regret it for the rest of her life, like plenty of people in real life do?? I don’t remember anyone in TV/ radio who just has an abortion and it sorts out their problem and they are happy and not full of regret and also doesn’t need to inform their entire circle of acquaintances and get into a massive row about it.

Also, while I’m posting, I don’t mind KIrsty’s character but am I alone in thinking that she always sounds like she’s talking through gritted teeth? 😬

When Pip said she was in an excellent position to have to baby in terms of having somewhere to live and help on tap she was at least speaking the truth. As close to recognition of the Ambridge housing, job and childcare fairy that we are going to get. I’m also willing to bet that after a few initial squawks and squeaks it will be off-stage most of the time until it’s old enough for a few guest appearances, trotting out stock phrase toddlerism (“Aw-rite”). It’s chief purpose would seem to be to link a Fairbrother inextricably to Brookfield. It will be interesting to hear Jill’s take on it since no doubt Pip will reveal that one of her reasons for ducking out of the abortion was that Elizabeth had told her Jill was very anti. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. I always suspected Toby already had a child in Brighton - wondering if this might raise its head again (or are we entirely satisfied that the girl in question just had a serious drug addiction - funny that he never goes down there anymore). Is this also going to remind Ruth of her own not-so-distant miscarriage. Between this and what Lillian might be about to do to prove her love to Justin I almost can’t bear to listen.

Silly little women don't know their own minds though. Well not in archers land

As for being in a good position- she basically lives off her parents and clearly believes they will happily do the child care whilst she continues to do the farm work. I can't seem to recall Ruth being keen to swap farming for motherhood either though. I just can't seem to see pip as having any gratitude for family help. Baby will be dumped in the Brookfield kitchen as she storms off because she can't deal with it

Dropping in after a long absence to stick my oar in on bloody Pip - and agree with everything everyone else has said.

ALSO, if the long-awaited Rex-Pip relationship does finally happen now, isn't that just a retread of Emma-Ed-Will?

I think that triangle has been forgotten under the new ad. I think there was a scene where Rex saw pip for who she is? Or am I imagining it?