Ambridge is in the doldrums. When will Pip pop? Does anybody even care? And Anisha’s off, leaving Rex in the (pig) trough? Discuss the Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry about the title, nothing particularly inspiring in the storylines currently

No spoilers please, there’s a thread for that.

Maybe she mis-judged or mis-timed it. Alistair is usually a pushover but, with both business and marriage simultaneously going down the pan, he's fighting back this time.

Peartree - because she’s been enmeshed in Archers’ lives for decades. And was clearly Jill’s ‘new best friend’ when she returned to Ambridge.

Lovely comments after the BBC article above. Though I’m still wondering why I thought Carol was Elizabeth’s godparent, not James’.

Sooooo... Robin.

I would.

Okay, Bore, I think I’ll pass.

This week is going to be a treat.

(However. Surely Harrison’s business would be all over the Internet? I do not believe he could have kept it secret.)

Was Harrison winding Chris up?

Harrison laying a false trail for Chris, imo. Laid it in too thick.

Er. Why is Gramps Fairbrother such a delicate subject to Jill and David?

Oooh - me, me!

All here frolicks

G'wan Gruach!

I don't understand why Pere FairBro was visiting Brookfield rather than Rickyard.

I think Jill will literally explode with indignation before the end of the week.

She is too canny to do anything tht would make herself look bad to cost her money.

But the point is a part of her canniness lies in going after the Newmarket job because of the way it can further her career. Not sure what you mean about costing her money, but I guess her thinking is in part that if she gets into that world then her reputation in Ambridge hardly matters.

I can't really see how misogyny comes into it, we would think just as badly of a man who behaves as she has - and it's not as if all male characters in TA are portrayed as living saints.

Ooh grauch that's a revelation.

Elizabeth is going to be distracted from F and L's escapades then?

“Not sure what you mean about costing her money”

She would know there would be a penalty clause. And the reputational thing would come up if she tried to enter another partnership.

I’m still curious to know what else Anisha has done to be such a Mumsnet hate figure- she was one long before the partnership thing came up.

I think she has been allowed to be hated by the SW because she has never been given a real character. Many other characters have major faults, Kate, Helen, Lillian have major flaws but because we also see them being kind, or vulnerable, we warm to them as characters, and forgive it ignore their flaws. Anisha has never been given that chance. They utterly wasted that character.

Hmm-interesting that we want women characters to be kind or vulnerable.......

No I don't want them to be kind, I want them to have a mix of characteristics, I want to know who they are , I liked Anisha but the SW utterly let her down. They had an ambitious professional woman and they arsed it up. You can't care for a character if she disappears for 99 per cent of the time. Even Matt who I loathed had his fans because he was developed as a character.

Anisha was consistently unpleasant and unlikeable.

She set her stall out with that stupid drinking game. I don't have much time for people who play stupid drinking games but I have even less time for boastful, arrogant people who cheat to win a stupid drinking game. She was selfish and untrustworthy.

She was rude and impatient with clients and arrogant with Alastair.

I don't get what is misogynistic about disliking an unlikeable character.

Did anyone else enjoy Robin? Not just because of Anthony Head’s voice but I really liked his general attitude to work, drinking, his total indifference to the life of a farmer and David’s bumbling response. I know he’s a cartoon character but expect nothing else from a drop-in character / celebrity voice who won’t be around long term.

Though I was at Toby thinking he could get acceptable wine from the village shop. Bottle of Blossom Hill for the Fairfather unlikely to pass muster, and I think Toby would know that.

Just caught up again, Shula actually makes my blood boil. Her refusal to listen to Alistair, her assumptions, her chumming up wth Anisha - why is she apologising on Alistair's behalf? Grr!Although any apology from Anisha is hard to stomach as you know she'd do it again.

Shula was priggish and vile.

Did anyone else enjoy Robin?

Oh yes

Inveterate flirt. Out-suaves Brian. He'd be great fun irl.

Robin was perfect. It will be a crying shame if we can’t have him for the next couple of decades.

I have questions:

What’s become of Lower Loxley’s wine production? (Did I imagine that it was ever available in the village shop?)

Why wouldn’t Robin have invested (with enthusiasm) in Toby’s gin business?

Surely Lynda would have been smirking all over the place at having Fairbrother père as a guest?

Am I the only one worrying about Rex’s mental health - given how little regard his pa seems to have for him (and the pigs)?

Oh yes Tony Head, what a fabulous voice, I didn't realise he plays the "Robin the roue`" character.

I bet Jill falls under his spell !

My laptop has been playing up , if anyone's interested in my long sojourn from MN ! Good to be back !

Where has Alistair been when Shula was such a cow to him? I must have missed where this was explained.