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.

A Boop indeed just for Lynda slapping down twenty pounds to fund her rant.

Kate’s already half let the cat out of the bag with Robert Snell.

Kate is a liability.

And of course having blamed everyone else she is now all for continuing the cover up. .

Lynda was magnificent.

Perhaps they’re right to keep quiet. If Brian goes to prison for something he did 40 years ago when the law and attitudes were slacker how does it help anyone or make anything better? He is already confronted with his family’s contempt, punishment itself for such a proud man.

I suppose it would encourager les autres to send him down, though. And we still don’t know the extent of the damage... Hmmm...

Lynda was right. I tried to read The Silmarillian about 40 years ago. I lasted about 8 pages.

Its certainly a dilemma.

Yes brilliant Lynda!!! BOOP for Lynda (I did hint earlier that IMO elves fighting and such crap stories are bull poop ).

But don't let me put anyone else off

De-lurking to add to the Lynda appreciation. Seldom has a literary rant been delivered with such relish!

Help! I’ve been listening to The Archers for about 5/6 years now and I have no recollection of Nic and Will’s Poppy being born, a pregnancy announcement, Nic being pregnant etc, they keep saying she’s in Nursery and too young to understand etc but how old is she and where did she come from? Is it just me? She must be a similar age to my children so surely I’d remember it? I can recal both Ruth and Kirsty’s lost pregnancies so why not this one that clearly came to fruition?

@SnooSigh I share the mental block - listened pretty consistently for about six years. I’m assuming it wasn’t a very big story.

She's about 4 I think. Certainly didn't have quite the attention of Henry or Jack or Pip's.

I know the Silmarillion rather well, and Lynda is spot on.

I did enjoy Lynda tonight - definite boop.
I'm worried for Jake and Mia - not only have they lost their mother but they appear to have been taken out of their own home and removed from their step and half siblings. Who are they actually with now?

Aren’t they with their bio-father, Andrew?

It’s all very well Will saying he misses them - I can’t think of a reason why Andrew would give them back.

It must just be me, but I’m finding all the Tolkien debates a bit tedious (perhaps it’s because I find Tolkien tedious - I am entirely with Lynda on this) I’m not sure why the SWs are labouring it so much. Is there some parallel with the Ambridge storyline that I am missing?

Forgot to add that while I may not agree with Gruach on Tolkien, I am in full agreement that I can see no reason why Jake and Mia wouldn’t go and live with their father now Nic is dead.

I remember the Poppy pregnancy and their delight at her birth. Maybe you were on holiday Snoo.

Poppy was born 30.09.2013. I've had a quick look at Lowfield and other stories at the time were Joe taking a tumble at the Mexican night and then suing GG and HWMNBN.

I'm not sure why so much Tolkien, although it does coincide with an exhibition at the Bodeleian. Of course Tolkien didn't publish the Silmarillion himself.

I’m not sure why the SWs are labouring it so much.

Do you think it is a long-harboured message to SOC and his literary pretensions?

I'm not sure how Mia and Josh's relationship is with Andrew but I'm guessing where they lived with Nic was very much their home, and their dad's a place to visit. So I can't see how it can be good for them to be suddenly turfed out of their home and placed in a new one immediately following their mother's unexpected death. Surely the more that things are kept the same way the better, at least in the short term? Must be upsetting for Poppy too to have lost her mum AND her siblings on one fell swoop.

I suppose the main issue with Jake and Mia is that we’ve not been told where they’re living now. But we’ve never been told much about them ever. If they are in high school and Andrew lives in Borcester then presumably they’re in the same school. And Beverly is around too, it seems. All l ever knew about Andrew is that he was a bit feckless, or that’s the impression l got from the few mentions l recall hearing - all via Nic of course.

I am puzzled too about Poppy being in nursery at 4 1/2. I thought children in England started reception class at 4, then into Y2. Maybe it’s her DOB being right at the end of September? Thanks to R4 for very helpfully posting that detail.

In England children start Reception in the academic year they turn 5. Therefore Poppy will start in September 2018 and, with a birthday on 30th September, will be one of the oldest in the year group. Children move from Reception into Year 1.

Thanks for explaining, GNU. No idea where l got Y2 rather than Y1 from. Duh!

I listened again today at 2. Really loved Lynda’s bit. She gets some naff lines lMO but that wasn’t one of them and the actress is good.

Isn't Susan bound to end up knowing about Brian's dumping of chemicals
Alice bound to get drunk and tell Chris. He's going to let something out and Susan will add it up eventually surely?