Alas poor Nic! I sacked her, Kenton. Death comes to Ambridge. Discuss the remaining Archers here. (Title Edited by MNHQ)

[PseudoBadger]

So it’s taken a sad, untimely death to bring me out of retirement. How I have missed you all
Welcome to thread 86!

I'm afraid that I wasn't moved by Nic's death. As kungpo said, I found her insipid. Also, I don't particularly care for her widower and have barely heard her DC speak. I am not 'invested' in Greenwood Cottage.
I am, however, still mourning Caroline and Nigel; they were both interesting, fully-fleshed characters. The news of Caroline's passing was conveyed by excellent writing and acting.

Yes, Will’s inheritance was well after Ed effectively ruined his life.

Given that Thursdays ep ended with Nic in a bad way; Fridays ep was billed as a long night for the Grundy s (or words to that effect); the heavy signalling; the fact the BBC website features Nics death; these threads contain immediate discussion of each nights episide, often while it is still on air - sorry, but the thread title is not a spoiler

I have to agree with this. I do sympathise with anyone who unexpectedly comes upon information they would rather not have (pretty much every Masterchef final in my case ...) but I really don’t think this thread can be held to a higher standard than the BBC themselves.

And, seriously. Serious things going on in the real world. This is so not worth getting in a bate about.

Cetainly not getting into a state about it, just disappointed and thought it worth mentioning. Will return to lurking I think.

Not bothered about the “spoiler” in the thread title but can someone explain the joke of “I knew her, Kenton”. Sorry Pseudo, nice to have you back but I don’t get it. Obvs I get the Hamlet/Yorick allusion but why Kenton?

Must say I’m puzzled. Did the BBC really post this on her death at 4.40pm on Thursday?

It's possible to understand a character's motivations and backstory without liking him or her, Vango. Think Raskolnikov, Emma Bovary, Bulstrode, Humbert Humbert... TA is not great realist literature obvs - it's competent commercial genre drama, but you can tell that some of the writers have read some better stuff and nod to it from time to time. They have turned Will into a sneering, bitter man, made unpleasant by his shocks and disappointments,, so it's going to be difficult for them now to have further grief and loss improve him without listeners rejecting that development as unrealistic. They'll have to invest a lot of time in it and rely on audience patience to let it happen over years.

Another person really disappointed by the spoiler title in the bid to be the most witty thread starter.
I can understand a few days after when many people would be expected to know- but the day after is a bit ridiculous as many people listen on catch up or weekly for the omnibus.
Thanks a bunch.

Thanks for the new thread.

Re the title - I've not listed since last week as we were on holiday and had been planning a bumper LA session whilst cleaning DD's room today.

I avoided the thread, and I still found out via Twitter.

So no, I don't think we should worry about thread titles.

One more thought, before I go back into hibernation. I guess the sepsis death had to be a youngster to meet the education brief. And Nic wasn't a character many people were invested in.

I think Nic was a pretty expendable character, but her death will have huge ramifications (particularly in view of her increased participation in the weeks leading up to it) which is why she (if anyone) had to go. Will is an interesting character. I think he’s been portrayed rather clunkily as an out and out sexist with no redeeming features of late, but I’m inclined to agree with Vango. When Ed was off his head on drugs (saved by the Ambridge health fairy so easy to forget) Will was the sensible one determined to get a steady job - I think much of what drives him is a determination not to be like his feckless father. I can understand why Emma married Will -- at the time I couldn’t understand why she would choose Ed over him, it’s now clearer what she sees in him. Emma was the love of Will’s life - her betrayal and attempts to claim George was not his son understandably had a huge impact. He’s understandably never really got over it. The inheritance was a great storyline - what should Will have done? Give half to his brother? That’s probably what I would have done, but my brother is not Ed. I feel as though I’ve known Will since he was a baby - I don’t always like him, but I can see how his character has been shaped. I hope Nic’s death will help us to see him in a slightly more three dimensional way again.

Will has always been utterly loathesome and was turning into a deeply unpleasant emotional abuser. He is going to be utterly foul after this. So many people to blame. As someone said on Twitter- good thing he’s not one to bear a grudge.........

I wish the thread titles would be more considerate.

I understand it’s not technically a spoiler so it’s “fair game” or whatever but it does ruin things for everyone who doesn’t listen in real time to post a title basically saying “NIC IS DEAD!” immediately after the episode. It comes up in active chat so it’s hard to avoid. Same happened when Helen stabbed Rob.

It’s generally accepted on TV threads not to post big giveaway stuff in actual titles, why not here?

Surely the combined wit and intelligence of the posters on here can come up with something witty and topical even with the added challenge of not directly giving something away? (Btw I’m not being sarcastic about the wit and intelligence- in case that doesn’t read well!).

Re. Spoilers, my view is that once the episode has been broadcast it’s up to you to avoid finding out what happened (as with the result of football matches, the Bake-off winner etc etc). If you are that bothered then you need to move hell and high water to listen at 7pm.

Oh I think I get it, it’s because people will be propping up the bar of the Bull talking about Nic, unburdening themselves to the barman, Kenton.

Re the thread title: I think that we have to remember that we were running out of our allotted 1,000 posts when we were mid-analysis. We suddenly needed a new title so there wasn't much time for debate over the wording.
Agree with whoever-it-was above that said, effectively, "sorry but it was a bit unavoidable. we'll try to learn lessons going forward"

arf@ D3 finishing off the last thread and violating his own rules^ about not posting after the new-thread-link. What have you done to your stats, D3!?

I can understand a few days after when many people would be expected to know- but the day after is a bit ridiculous as many people listen on catch up or weekly for the omnibus.
Thanks a bunch.

Very ungracious remark (and others like it) about the kind efforts of those who keep us entertained and involved by putting up new threads. If you really don't want to know anything until the omnibus, and are willing to wait a week for your update, then stay off the radio, websites, don't look at newspapers and absolutely steer clear of social media. Don't talk to anyone who might also listen to the programme. Or you could just think there are pleasures other than plot: dialogue, characterisation for example.

Hamlet (though Ambridge is more of a village)

In recent years Will has been only unpleasant, I have long wished him ill (though not this). I don’t know why Nic stuck with him over the women on the cricket team. He was abhorrent. Also, when Caroline left Ed the £1000, Will was like toddler, stamping his feet and tantrumming. Awful in the pub the other night to Emma. I loathe him.

Jessie I was imagining the soliloquy declaimed primarily by (a very guilt-stricken) Jolene - but yes, the whole village ...

And oh the irony of sepsis coming for an Ambridge incomer during the normal course of domestic life - instead of one of the farmers dealing with unruly animals and sharp tools every, single day

In recent years Will has been only unpleasant agreed. But I think we need to try to remember why Emma married him and why Caroline was so fond of him.

Spoilers in thread titles of TV and radio programmes are considered bad form on MN so let's agree to not do it in future. A witty title could have been found (I don't get it either) that didn't identify Nic as the deaded one.

@peartree17
I don’t do twitter etc and normally the first thing I do in the morning is listen to last nights archers whilst pottering in the kitchen making brekkie and putting on washed etc. This morning being a Saturday I stayed in bed and flicked through mumsnet.
How can you avoid something when you don’t know a big storyline is coming? I did actually think Nic might have been dead in her bed due to sepsis on listening to wednesdays episode but I did not expect her to die in the following one (thought I was being overly pessimistic due to so many sepsis stories on mumsnet that are truly scary).
So yes- people avoiding stuff when a finale or a big storyline is coming to a climax- fair enough. But people asking those who write the thread titles to be more mindful of spoilers - as they are on all the TV soap threads here on MN- is not ungracious at all.

It was Thanks a bunch that was ungracious.

I listened to the episode with a tear in my eye knowing that Nic would be deaded.
No issue with spoiler title at all and let me say that I have always enjoyed pseudo and DDD’s contributions as thread facilitators.

What’s really disappointing was the lack of the “Archers doom” music at the end of the episode. Come on BBC Archers production staff, this was surely a time to use it!