The Archers: Discussion #84. New Year and some of us are still listening even if we don't know why.

[DadDadDad]

New posters welcome - with your fresh views and burning questions.

Old posters welcome - with your jaded views and knowledgeable answers.

But new posters feel free to be jaded, and old posters feel free to ask questions!

How is the Pip storyline going to play out and do you care?

As usual, if you want to mention the advertised storylines for future episodes, there's a separate thread for that - no spoilers here, please.

Just imagine we're all sitting round a table at The Bull -->

A signalling of the awaited alcohol problem by Alice:I have to keep my head clear for tonight. While it's true it was to talk about the farm.....

And another thing, don't Brine and Jennifer ever stop to say to each other about Kate "How did we raise such an immature, frankly pigshit thick childwoman?"

I've seen cake for breakfast in Greece as a part of a spread of more typical breakfasty things (ham, cheese) along with a random boiled egg. Also in Portugal as part of a full spread of buffet stuff, usually nice sponge cake once replaced by apple crumble. And there's the other thing in Portugal of not bothering with breakfast and stopping on way to work for a bica and a really sticky sweet cake or tart.

So it's beginning to look as if, in Europe, we are the odd ones out.

"How did we raise such an immature, frankly pigshit thick childwoman?" I find it strange that so many posters have commented on Jennifer's good mothering skills, but all her offspring are pretty dreadful. Adam who is so exhausted he has to pause for 5 secs before saying anything, Kate so oblivious to anyone else, Alice like Kate but in a different way.

I can't believe you're still on about cake for breakfast - I'm mean what's the big deal.... mmm, cake...

Sorry, what were you saying?

What a stupid episode. How did any of them think that they’d be able to have a vote without involving all the board members? And what was that nonsense Brian was spouting about Ruth not being entitled to an opinion ? He knows perfectly well how the proxy concept works.

Mystic Bash prediction: Brian will say something about Noluthando that Kate deems insensitive and she'll vote with Adam.

I don't think Kate agrees with Brian for a moment - I don't think she actually said she did, he just thinks his schmoozing was enough to get her to agree with him. There's no way in the world she's going to agree when she hears Adam's arguments. By the way, is she no longer vegan or does Jenny just automatically cater for her?

Yes I agree Lilian about Kate , I also think that the "go ahead' new agronomists will be now following Gove's environmentally softer line and replacing their old fashioned "scorched earth" policy with a much greener one. Thus peeing off dinosaur Brian big time (I bloody hope so !).

D3 - are you MY husband? we last holidayed in Sicily in August 2015 and he is still raving about the chocolate cake and cannoli-based breakfasts. And the ice-cream sandwiches with coffee. Can only assume Sicilians don't eat like this regularly or their diabetes rate would be through the roof.

haven't listened for a few days - should I bother to catch up or will Pip n Hells just irritate me?

Feels like the choice is between the pregnancy/Fairbrother woes (which will go on forever) and relentless Home Farm power games.

What about seeing how Emma is getting on at the parish council?

What happened to Josh's hens? I remember him having to buy out Neil and Hayley but then it all seemed to fizzle out.

So glad other posters are commenting in the way the actress who plays Pip stutters as a way of expressing confusion or worry. It’s so annoying and actually hard to listen to. Have commented on this before . He,en and Pat also do this but Pip is the worst. I think the SWs have written this storyline really badly.. no one has reacted at all, everyone just going “ oh you’ll be wonderful” . For me The Archers has been missing real tension for a long time.
Would welcome the storyline re Alice becoming an alcoholic though because she’s a character we hear little of and it would be an interesting angle I.e. a young woman.

To be fair, no-one is going to say to a pregnant woman "what on earth were you doing? - you'll be a dreadful mother". Just because you tell someone they'll be a great mother doesn't mean you believe it.

I know but given the back story of the characters involved the SWs had set it up for some shock/ outrage etc..but it was all a bit meh.....as every big storyline ends up these days ( eg the hit and run)

To add to all the woe l heard the blessed Pip starting a sentence with So .....

The cake for breakfast talk reminds me of my first Interrail trip, in 1981 l think. After 2 days on a crowded train with inadequate food, drink and sleep, friend and l alighted in Thessaloniki and stumbled into the nearest cafe. It was breakfast time, maybe 9 am. Friend immediately ordered moussaka. The waiter laughed and said they couldn‘t serve that before noon.We had the most wonderful breakfast of bread, feta cheese (possibly for first time ever), tomatoes, olives and coffee. Sadly there wasn‘t any cake though l imagine they must have had pastries etcetera.

Will someone please acknowledge that the type of muffin you get at, say, Starbucks, is a cake for breakfast. An oversized cupcake.

extinctspecies, probably is, but l‘d worry about the half bag of sugar contained therein as it’s unhealthiness as a regular way to start therapy. I notice Costa has a ‚breakfast bar‘ which is just white flour and sugar and maybe a bit of dried fruit. I did eat in once. It was an emergency!!

.... and its unhealthiness.

Re the Alice drinking possible storyline. haven't we had that already with Helen,[ before she realised the calories in a cocktail] .Remember when she nearly killed Mike and Tom took the blame?

That aside I am fed up to the back teeth with the Fancy Pregnancy stories. I know Sean thing has departed but he obviously left a memo with the scriptwriters to remind them of their solemn vows to continue the All Pregnancies Must Contribute to the Drama Theme.

In recent years we have had

The pregnancy with two potential fathers .
The Down Syndrome pregnancy.
The turkey baster/ emergency c section because of eclampsia pregnancy
The child conceived through rape /delivered under prison guard supervision
Now we have the Prignancy, not a typo, and a possible surrogacy.

All this in a village where there are currently probably fewer than 15 non silent women of childbearing age.

I would really like a pregnancy story for two people in a committed relationship, who have conceived naturally, have a healthy pregnancy with no scares (including no hyper morning sickness ) and a safe delivery that doesn't involve an emergency ambulance/comedy car breakdown/ boat trip through flood water/c section by candlelight in a power cut/leaking water bath /surprise twins. Is it too much to ask?

I nominate Fallon and The Only Policeman in the Village, in Borchester General, Delivered by Amy.

You forgot

Pregnancy arising from one night stand between exes that ended in miscarriage

Pregnancy that ended in emergency hospital dash with husbands ex wife

Our was it ex husbands wife?

viques you and me both re fancy pregnancy stories.

I mean

And err...yes...Toby isn't going to notice he has a child in the village. Is he?

And Lexi? (Hand hitting forehead emoji)

Is there a reason why Roy & Lexi don't just get married?

I suppose it's tricky, with her having kids in Bulgaria, but have they ever discussed it?

They've not each other very long

They've not known each other very long