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.

Haha, the hypocrisy of Adam and Brian reminds me of my Brexit voting, UKIP supporting BIL. He was very ill recently and it transpired his favourite doctor, the only one he had any confidence in, came from, yes you guessed it, another EU country.

Likewise, l find it decidedly odd that all the Grundys think they’ve got any rights regarding Mia and Jake. Maybe Usha will explain in very easy sentences how the law stands on this. And charge them the going rate too.

Lass Jake and Mia definitely have a maternal grandmother, that is Beverley who was the one who was at Andrew’s house and told Will that Andrew had been to see a solicitor. I’m not sure we’ve ever heard mention of Andrew’s parents.

I'm finding it all very hard going at the moment.
I find it unbelievable that Will got two months' compassionate leave and that Jake & Mia still live with him.
I find Shula's behaviour unbelievable and I'm still not sure what her problem is.
I find Brian's fall from grace unbelievable. He is a hard-headed businessman (indeed, was meant to be business man of the year) but has been blundering about in a fog, not getting advice nor help from all his numerous contacts.
Harrison and Fallon are a pain. I was never that keen on either character but together they do my head in. I think it is the comedy accents that do it; nothing that they do sounds like real people in a real relationship.

Ref. Jake n' Mia, I can see that Will doesn't want to split up the children, they obviously are close to Poppy and George , but they must've been going to see their biological dad and maternal and paternal grandparents when Nic was alive. The courts and or SS if they get involved in a battle will listen to the wishes of the children.

R4 Brian is getting on quite a bit, 'hard headed businessmen' do get old and strange!

Re: George! Does anyone else feel sorry for him? He wasn't taken out on the Bikes with Jake and Mia. I don't think he went to the Zoo with them either. And if its not "Will's" weekend, I don't remember George being involved last weekend either. Same with the clay pigeon shooting and Lazar Tag.
And still no one has mentioned him being upset about his step-Mum dying - even if he hated her it would have caused him to have been upset.

Echt I think you may have a point re Harrison being transferred — especially if he is promoted. That would be particularly difficult for Fallon since her business is very much Ambridge-based. I too am finding the Jake and Mia custody battle a bit - it’s not as if Andrew lives on the other side of the country and it’s not as if William is a SAH dad, he’s usually casting around for someone else to do the chIldcare. Surely Andrew as their biological dad with the support of Nic’s mum trumps his claim especially as Jake and Mia themselves seem happy to live with him. Re. Brexit I think the SW don’t dare confront the issue , aside from a couple of passing mentions, it has scarcely been touched on. In TA as it was originally conceived it would have been the very place to put out some public information about its implications for farmers.

Yes Bekabeech The last time we heard about George was when he and Jake were fighting over a computer, the boys obviously don't get on at all. Maybe he's too young to do the clay pigeon shooting I don't know.

George is 13, and no one even mentioned his birthday last month. He could certainly have gone for a bike ride or to the wildlife park - poor kid.

George is 13, and no one even mentioned his birthday last month

He must be visiting Ben's cereal cupboard.

I don't think George is short of attention, quite possibly he didn't want to go for "a nice bike ride in the healthy outdoors" if the alternative was lounging around with a non contended games console :D

I still don't understand why they assume Jake and Mia would naturally stay with Will. I'd have thought it more typical for them to live with Andrew but regularly visiting Will to keep the relationship with him/Poppy

Well the Grundies have said more than once that Andrew IS their biological father. They get it , it's only illogical, grief stricken Will who wants the faaamily to stay together for Nic's sake.

Well the Grundies have said more than once that Andrew IS their biological father.

Eddie gets it and I suspect would be happy to see Andrew taking the main carer role. Clarrie will want whatever she thinks will make Will happy, even if its not best for the kids really.

Will is just obsessed with himself and what he wants, presented as 'what Nic would want'

The fact that in a crisis Eddie is clear headed and uses sound judgement makes me dislike him even more. It shows that there is a bright capable person in there who must know that he treats clarrie really poorly.

makes me dislike him even more.

Now that is harsh!

After 40 years of listening I am not enjoying TA any more either and finding every storyline implausible and incredibly tedious.

birds That is harsh, I reckon he does appreciate Clarrie. He's just a blokey type from an older generation and a family of basic ne'er do wells.

Interesting conversation between big brother David and Shules. Silly SL of the Bichon Frese [sp.?] Would Lynda (an experienced dog owner ) really leave a new dog in her sitting room on it's own?

R4 thanks for writing all that . You have saved me the trouble! I agree 100%.

ppeatfruit the Lynda/dogs storyline is not believable. She is annoying at times, but not stupid,and certainly not shallow enough to put a dog's looks above anything else. Scruff (sob) was no canine beauty, I'm assuming.

I've actually been enjoying TA more than usual in recent weeks - I think it's because we haven't heard from Pip for ages (though even daring to think this has brought her out of the woodwork). I like the Shula and Alistair storyline - we've all found their relationship dull over the years so don't find her announcement unbelievable at all I just don't like the way she's going about things. Brian's barrel dumping (before my time so still not entirely sure if it happened on air) could easily have taken this long to take effect. Selling the land he just bought off BL seems rather a neat solution to his problems though. Nic's death has been well handled (apart from the death bed confession, though that mercifully seems to have been put to bed and is forgivable if it erases the Matt hit and run storyline which I hated). I'm even enjoying Harrison and Fallon who I usually find totally tedious. I like the gradual dawning that some of Harrison's more plodding qualities are what make him a good bet as a husband - I'm now wondering if he'll be able to get on at work and stay in Ambridge as predicted by Echt. I also like the fact that Jim and Jazzer have been brought back into play. Give me any of these storylines over anything involving the Fairbrethren or Brookfield where lazy writing has killed off one if not two of its inhabitants (I don't even want to think about the flood and road plots and the least believable plot line ever the Great Move North).

I'm going to stick my head over the parapet here and say that I liked Pip's return, her voice sounded nice!!! I can imagine that Tony isn't going to appreciate Brookfield's Herefords tied up in Bridge Farm's yard!

Lilian apart from the above and thinking that the great Move North was believable I agree with you.

I liked Olwyn trying to explain to Pat. I really hope they keep going with the trying to educate middle-class do gooders that they have to remember that people are people and can make their own choices.

Have to admit Ppeat Pip's voice did sound different - I wondered if she had been away having some acting lessons (don't want to get hopes up).

Lilian
I thought that about Olwyn too. Beka She was restrained with Pat why didn't she just say "Fuck off" ?! Pat is spectacularly insensitive sometimes.

Pat was definitely short for “Patronising” in last night’s episode!

Well done Jessie brilliant

Love it Jessie!

Ppeat how can you call me harsh then and in the same breath welcome the return of Pip, beyond harsh surely