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 -->

Why are the Dopeys all "we"ll have to tell all the extended family"? Ok, stupid question: they're dopey.... but it's Pip's business! And who goes around ringing the great aunts and second cousins before their scan anyway? D&R know better than most that being pregnant does not necessarily mean you're going to have a baby.

As an employee, she is entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, which is paid through payroll and reclaimed from HMRC.

Didn't they talk about not being able to afford another salary when Josh was talking about not going to college? (Which he appears to have achieved by not going in September.) Or possibly when Pip was refusing to go and work in Brazil or wherever it was.

Would have to look back in Lowfield to be sure, and basically, CBA.

At the moment I must say I feel Freddy is quite objectionable and dim. I don't take to arrogant kids who think it's clever to sell drugs.

Sorry, that was in response to the post comparing Freddy to Tim Nice-But-Dim.

I have some sympathy for Freddie even with the drugs. He's not doing it especially for the money but more to be in with Ellis.
Maybe he needs Johnny to talk some sense into him.
I loved Jill's return last night - very hooray.

Loving Freddie with his storyline at the moment. Hilariously written character, the SWs are doing a great job on him.

He has shades of Uncle Kenton at his ridiculously entrepreneurial best, with a good dose of polar-opposite-to-Lily and a hefty dash of teenage arrogance.

The number of people I knew at that age and much older who thought that they were going to be career djs doesn't bear thinking about.

does Brookfield have sheep and other creatures giving birth?
Pregnant women advised to avoid animals that are giving birth. ... Pregnant women who come into close contact with sheep during lambing or other farm animals that are giving birth may risk their own health, and that of their unborn child, from infections that such animals can carry. - official advice !
Pip will not be allowed to do much during lambing - but I am sure the agricultural advisor will be on the ball and it will be mentioned.

Pip will not be allowed to do much during lambing I remember that was how Ruth announced one of her pregnancies, probably with Pip many years ago.

That Ben, always shooting his mouth off!! He has such a vivid imagination, he even thinks he’s a real Archers character with lines and everything

Thanks for that Peartree.

If the Home Farm wheat yield has been going down for five years, how come it's suddenly become such an emergency?

Yes the herbal leys are in their 3rd year now IIRC? I'm in team Adam against Brino the dinosaur.

Team Adam here to, especially with Brine blithely assuming that the little woman would fall into line and support him automatically. Surely he knows Jenny better than that by now?

Arggh, too, not to.

Oh yes Bash I look forward to the meeting where Jenny lands him a left hooker!

What about the others on the board? Ruth, who is acting for Ruairi, is surely more likely to side with Adam and so will Kate. Not sure about Alice who only seems to be interested in the top shelf at The Bull ATM but if she sides with Brian it will be three all with Jenny having the casting vote!!

Brian is one of my fave characters but I do love it when he's brought down a peg or six.

I’m finding the whole “Ben shooting his mouth off” a bit tedious. Is it supposed to be funny? I don’t mind a bit of silent character humour and in jokes with characters who are genuinely silent such as Freda Fry, but Ben doesn’t fall into this category. All it does is remind me how lazy the SWs have been with the whole Brookfield Archer dynamic - effectively writing him out because they can’t be arsed to characterise him properly presumably waiting for a big reveal when they decide what to do with him. It’s one of the things that’s most irritating me about the Pip pregnancy storyline - the fact that once the baby is born they won’t know what to do with it. It will be yet another spare part.

the agronomists I don't know what they're supposed to do, run Home Farm for them? they could save money there then, get rid of the effing middle managers. Adam was saying he's doing the planning anyway.

I think the Agronomist at home Farm is the first of many embarrassments for Brian this year. And all faithfully reported in the Echo. It's quite a good plot device, this profile of the Borsetshire Businessman of the year.

The Agronomist comes in - and makes measurements of the soil fertility etc. and then offers advice.

I find Jennifer having an opinion and vote in matters agricultural very odd. I know she was enfranchised by the “family board” setup but as a very long term listener I don’t recall her ever ever expressing any opinion about the technicalities/actual process of farming until very recently. She was very much in the dutiful farmer’s wife slot and tended just to let Brine get in with it (perhaps she did have her say in joint financial matters, but no more than any other spouse who knows what her husband brings home but doesn’t know the detail of how he does his job). It’s not like she grew up on a farm or anything. Am I mistaken?

@ Pseudo

I hate how Pip talks to and about her younger sobs - her sibling rivalry sounds like that of a 10yo.

As to Ben shooting his mouth off - how can people hear him when he's stuck in the kitchen cupboard with a mouthful of coco pops?

FFS, now Pip's a master welder and incredibly brave for going to the clinic on her own. Is there anything she could do that wouldn't leave the Dopeys gaping in admiration?

I can just hear it:

Mum, Dad, I stole hundreds of pounds: Clever you Pip! That'll be a real help.

Mum, Dad, I sold the baby: Really, Pip? How brave of you, how selfless.

Mum, Dad, I killed Ben: Brilliant, Pip! We needed the space in that cupboard, thank you sooo much.

Yes Beka offering advice for a 'small fee' no doubt. They are more specialist than the actual farmer then?

RubyLennox Sibling rivalry can last your whole life; we have a neighbour who is aged 80 and she lives 4 doors from her sister who she hasn't talked to for 40 years Oh apart from when their brother hung himself and they had to organise the funeral. True.