Brian is over a barrel, Alice has drained the barrel and Shula has given it to Alistair with both barrels - The Archers is not exactly a barrel of laughs at the moment.

[PseudoBadger]

Thanks to @LillianGish for the thread title.

There was that weird bit when Emma went to see Nic to sort things out and Will got all nasty to her. But he always was nasty (except to Brian).

I wish Shula had taken up Alastair's proposal that she went off on her own for a bit. She has a capable assistant to take over the stables for a few weeks or months and he would have been on site every day to keep an eye on things. Whereas her plan for both of them to go away was bonkers.

During the investigation of Matt's accident , there was not a single suggestion that Will was anxious or guilty. I just don't believe this SL. Agree. It is an unconvincing and unnecessary turn of events - Nic’s sudden death was dramatic enough without inserting this extra bit of melodrama. It detracts from what is otherwise an excellent storyline.

Alison Steadman joining TA?! As a hideous caricature of a social activist, haranguing vulnerable homeless bloke. TA is so one-note on anything they see as ‘worthy’.

Another John Finnemore Archers piss-take from 2min 35 sec:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bdsny

I misread the investigation into Matt’s accident as the investigation into Matt’s accent. Note to self to put glasses on.

Not that I’d cast aspersions on the excellent Kim Durham.

I thought the other day that it sounded like Alison Steadman. My worst fears were confirmed after the omnibus.
I cannot stand AS. To my ears, she is nails-down-the-blackboard. Let's hope that she only lasts as long as Anita Dobson.

Shula is trending on Twitter ...

(At myself.)

What? Who did Anita Dobson play. How did I miss that.

It was dreadful birds - you were lucky to miss it. (Though not Anita Dobson’s fault.)

Was also the period during which this thread began!

She was Celia, the ex of Paul (Lilians' squeeze and half-brother of Matt).

I'm sorry, I'm entirely with Jill and I can't bear Shula at the moment, I actually feel so angry that I would slap her or shake her if she is a real person. I have been on the receiving end of what she is doing to Alistair, although there was much more fault on my side, I have mental health problems that my ex didn't want to deal with, and it was a short relationship albeit my first and only real one. It is utter, vile, careless, thoughtless, evil cowardice for Shula to be refusing even to explain it to Alistair because he will now have the impression he is not even worth thinking through and articulating the reasons she wants to leave him. That is a dreadful thing to do to a person and I can hardly bear to hear it on the radio, it's like when Helen and Rob were on and I was hearing things that had been said to me before in a similar context. And the worst thing is that societally speaking I'm in the wrong because absolute individual self-fulfilment is now much more socially accepted than total commitment and staying in a relationship just because you have made promises the other person has built their life on. I don't have words adequately to express how I feel about behaviour like Shula's and the way she is seen as being in the right. It is DESPICABLE. I'm sorry if I have expressed myself clumsily but I just have to get my feelings down on paper and I know it is only a soap opera on the radio but there it is. Now that is said.

I don't have words adequately to express how I feel about behaviour like Shula's and the way she is seen as being in the right.

She's not in the right! She should be explaining herself to Alistair. Indeed, for her own sake, she should be talking to someone/anyone instead of bottling it all up.
I wonder how Dan will react. If he takes sides, and sides with Alistair, then she will be destraught. I bet she hasn't considered that possibility.

Not sure how old Olwen is meant to be but saying to Pat that the retirement age has been raised for women like them (the inference being they doesn't yet qualify)is not quite true. Pat got her state pension about 4 years ago...lucky her. Women the wrong side of a very tight line are waiting much longer.

Perhaps the S/Ws could have made a bit more of that.

I like Alison Steadman, though what this storyline is actually meant to be about mystifies me.

Pat's retirement date was 06.11.2013. Have a look at this if you want to check yours.
Warning: some listeners may find the content distressing! And I don't have a helpline.

*The investigation into Matt's Accent
*

Realise I'm 13 pages late, but LOVING thread title. Top work Lilian.

As you were......

Thank you

What was Jim playing?

I can't even remember Paul having an ex and I clearly remember the Paul SL.

I remember the business with Paul's ex vividly, partly because it seemed so odd that they were going to all that trouble to build up a storyline of him being an ultra-controlling liar only to have him drop dead. As far as I remember, Lillian had just started to become aware that all was not well, but when he died she seemed to forget it all. We then went into what felt like weeks of her being in the depths of grief and having to listen to her weeping snottily over Jolene every other episode.

I love Jazzer. 💘

Good grief, is the new editor planning to make Tom twat of the year? Mind you, competition is stiff.

So Brian will undermine Adam just enough that its not doing too well just about when wonderboy is old enough to vote/take over with Daddy's supervision? Can't see Debbie going for that except they won't ever get Tamsin back for enough time to make a decent story out of it.