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 -->

I'm with Vango re Freddy. I really can't sympathise with someone who thinks it's clever to get into drug dealing and drawing other kids into taking drugs; nor with someone who thinks it's OK to make a promise to his friend that he has absolutely no intention of keeping. He needs the shock of Harrison chucking him in the cells.

Thanks DDD!

Interesting theory re Brine and the whole Ruarruarruarri story coming out in the local press Vango - MysticBore™️ approves!

I am still awaiting Justin's arrest for murrrderrr most foul (but it will be Alice whodunnit)

Ermmm alchohol is also a drug, I know it's legal but it does a hell of a lot of damage too, Why is it acceptable to get out of your head on vodka but people get all pearl clutchy about (whisper it) other drugs?????

I speak as someone who partakes in the odd glass of good red wine twice a month and who NEVER takes illegal stuff.

It's illegal to steal a gnome from a garden too.

I think you answered your own question PPeat. Alcohol is legal. Illegal drugs are...well...illegal!

But the whole thing is so hypocritical. none of it makes sense, Queen Victoria was taking opium for the pain of childbirth fgs! So many prescribed meds. contain strong drugs, cannabis is not worse than whiskey or vodka for your mental health both can be bad. It's about time the law was changed , so the young can think there's a bit of sense in the government.

Yes, I can't see TA getting into the debate about whether we should start again with defining what's legal and what isn't. I'm in the same camp as ppeat, I drink alcohol (not that much) and have never touched anything illegal (too much of a wimp) but I think the current laws are nonsensical. However, we are where we are. Freddie has broken the law repeatedly and could be the cause of serious harm to someone else, not to mention that the drugs trade is a branch of organised crime and not known for its ethics. I would be absolutely disgusted if a child of mine got involved with it.

Freddie's problem is that he doesn't have to make his own way in life. Lily doesn't really either because there must be a lot of money in trust for her, but Freddie will in due course take over LL under the terms of Nigel's will/family trust. That wouldn't be affected by his having a criminal record, even if he ended up serving a long prison sentence (unlikely). He is made for life, and that isn't healthy.

Thanks for the new thread, DDD!

What I think is funny too is that we must ban "mind altering" substances ,coffee and tea also alter our minds! Can we see them being banned?

Did you see the documentary a few years ago where Professor David Nutt tried to rank all mind-altering substances for their harmful properties, without regard to whether they were illegal or not? I think it was as a consequence of that that the government sacked him as their scientific adviser on drugs. Foolish move. See graphic attached (from BBC News).

Are we assuming that Freddie is the heir and that's how it will work? I don't remember what happened when Nigel died regarding the inheritance

Can I comment on something said at the end of the last thread by @BurntheBlackSuit, criticising the story which had Oliver wrenched out of his seclusion to celebrate Christmas with the Archers? I was thinking about it today as a good friend's husband is terminally ill in hospital. I'm trying to work out if the writers are highlighting the total insensitivity of the Grundy clan, or do they genuinely think this is an uplifting thing of them to have done? I couldn't think of anything less likely, than my dragging my friend out while she's in mourning to play infantile party games and get legless with the family.

I'm sure a lot of that is right but the situation we are in (and the Archers are in) is that alcohol is legal, drugs aren't. Whether we agree with that or not isn't really relevant is it? If you're arrested for dealing Ket, I wish you good luck in arguing in court that it shouldn't be illegal. Because it is.

Delurking to say that when this thread title came up in ActiveConv it actually made me LOL 😀 Thanks D3

I remember when Nigel's Dad died, and Nigel and Elizabeth talked about how the estate was entailed so Nigel had to take over, and I believe there were limits on what he could do as it was in trust for his son. I don't know if they did anything about that or if at some point Freddie will have to take over (I assume Elizabeth is running it at present in trust for him). (Of course I'm not sure the SW's know this as I'd guess it's before their new computerised archive system).

Hello you two

Cara - the thing is that I thought it was a fairly workmanlike title because no-one had come up with any witty suggestions and I couldn't think of anything clever!

I'm glad you liked it. I might use it on every thread until someone volunteers to take over.

Ooh, Pseudo returns.

Which two are you referring to?

I am a regular listener - is anyone else getting fed up with story lines that seem to either go on for ages and remain unresolved (Matt Crawford's hit and run for example), or seem to be so unrelated to reality that it's laughable (e.g. the way Ian/Adam talk about having a baby as if it's going to be easy to find a surrogate). I'm finding listening a bit tedious at the moment. I am enjoying the Brian story re: business person of the year though - I'd like to see him brought down a peg or two!

Thanks for the thread.
Freddie gets on my nerves! Poor little rich kid who wants to be cool. When he huff and puffs at his mum he reminds me of Kevin the teenager!

Can't see the point of the Pip pregnancy story. Particularly coming so soon after the Tom and Kirsty 'oops we are pregnant but not together' incident.
But she will have to spill the beans soon before the Ambridge grapevine reaches Brookfield.

I'm quite certain the SWs know all about the entail. Keri Davies, Caroline Harrington, Joanna Toye and Mary Cutler have all been working on TA since the 80s when Nigel inherited. As for the archives, I would bet that the old card index is more reliable than any computerised successor, given that there is now no archivist employed to keep it all up to date.

That's a good statistic poor Prof. Nutt , with an unfortunate name! Gasp It underlines the hypocrisy of the government. I heard that the whiskey and other spirit manufacturers had so much clout at the time when the laws were being reviewed by the government in the 1900s?? Common sense was disregarded. (probably the income from the duty had something to do with it too).

I also take it no one on TA is going to discuss the ethics of surrogacy. Sometimes I may expect too much of them. I have no expectations of any TV soaps debating ethics of anything, so don't know why TA should be different.

birdsdestiny I find it odd too - everyone has been so immediately accepting of the idea of surrogacy without a second thought. i understand that the SWs want to present a positive view, but that's not reflective of how the issue is perceived by the general public, especially by older people.

I think they should. I find the idea of surrogacy a very difficult one. I'm glad in the UK it's against the law to pay a woman to carry a baby for you, but it still bothers me, and I doubt we're alone on this, @birdsdestiny.

Yes strange that at least Adamn'Ian haven't thought it through more carefully. Though they have mentioned the girl (Mel?) who almost did it for them, they do realise it's not an easy option.