The Archers #93: The Flower and Produce show - who's going to get their just desserts. Freddie? Ellis? Russ? Pass judgement here.

[DadDadDad]

No, that's not a jokey exaggeration, this is really the 93rd thread in a series started by PseudoBadger five years ago! In fact, post number 90,000 in the "official" count will be made on this thread.

Lovers of The Archers welcome (along with the rest of us who have a more complicated relationship with the "TA" ).

One rule we try to stick to: No mentioning of future episode plotlines published in the Radio Times etc. However, once an episode has aired, say what you like!

What is going to happen to Freddie? And are we ever going to hear from Lily again?
I also am wondering what it will take for Kenton to apologise to Fallon...

Perturbed at the plans for raw milk production at Bridge Farm. To have poisoned the local populace once can be regarded as a misfortune, but this is tempting providence...

There is no inevitability that raw milk will poison anyone. My brother and I grew up on a farm which used its own raw milk (not that we called it "raw milk")

When I buy "artisan" cheese from a specialist cheese shop I always buy cheese made from unpasteurised milk. I don't see the point of buying "artisan" cheese made from pasteurised milk. I might just as well go to a supermarket and get bog standard cheese.

This is from cheesemonger Iain Mellis' site.

One of the most important aspects of Iain’s thinking was flavour. Farmhouse cheese differs from mass-produced factory cheese because the milk comes from a single herd rather than several different sources. The milk is usually unpasteurised which means that the defining flavour-characteristics are left untouched

Does anyone else here get the impression that Neil is out of his depth with the paperwork side of the pig unit?

Neil doesn't particularly like paperwork but that doesn't make him incapable. He runs a business, managed the budget building his own house, chairs the parish council and when he was in sales he used to manage all the paperwork going on with that. He, like Ruth, also provided Ed with a lot of advice on running a business.

I assumed Justin appointed him because he wanted a damned good pig man. By comparison the admin skills are easier to find.

What Neil really struggles with is managing shitty staff who are playing politics. That may yet be his downfall as Hannah is plainly in that category.

What Neil really struggles with is managing shitty staff who are playing politics. That may yet be his downfall as Hannah is plainly in that category

She serves no purpose other than that. As an actual character she is extremely boring. Matt and Rob were obviously horrible people but were not boring.

Incidentally such is the lack of reality in the Bridge Farm economic set up (a small and badly managed operation some how supporting 4 adults and 4 employees) that the loss of an experienced, full time employee has made no difference to anything and has not needed to be factored in/ replaced/ dealt with.

Things I currently want to hear in an Archers episode:

Jenny: Brine, why exactly can't we pay the debt off by mortgaging?
Adam: Kate, given that your stance on land sales was based on your firm belief that the house would never be sold, has it changed at all now that it's clear that it definitely will?
Anyone to Pip and Helen: how do you reconcile your claims to be fiercely independent with you constant reliance on your families to house you and provide free child care?
Natasha: Tom, given the advice that you're diversifying too much, explain why you want to add yet another batch of crops to the farm's products?
Accountant to Pat'n'Tone: explain at what point income from cheesemaking will outweigh the six figure costs of putting in a new milking parlour, investing in a new herd, and employing people to look after and milk them?
Alastair to Helen: if we're agreed we want a stress free divorce, why don't we just wait another 18 months and do it on the basis of separation?
Phoebe to Lily: explain the attraction of a 30 year old cocklodger who has cheated on his wife and has a track record of running after 17 year old pupils?

Anyone to Freddie: since you have got yourself into this mess, can you PLEASE stop using that whiny entitled voice, and DON'T use it when speaking to the judge. It will probably get you an extra 5 years.

Gersemi I don't understand how the scriptwriters don't see these plot holes.

They supposedly have an agricultural advisor who should pick up on some of it. But everything else on your list should be within the ken of the average person , even without specialist knowledge. And well within the ken of your average, middle class R4 listener and scriptwriters.

And Elizabeth to Russ: I've got your number you predatory, cheating, cocklodging arsebadger, and I will hunt you down. (This one could actually happen :))

Caffeine So you think Hannah moaning about having to help Neil again with spreadsheets is her playing politics, rather than being understandably hacked off that she is having to help him with the difficult parts of the job when he was given it not her?
Could be, I read it the other way.

I heard Countryfile this morning. They were talking to a farmer of sea buckthorn berries. A superfood that he investigated as part of a Nuffield Farming scholarship. Perhaps Tom should jump onto that bandwagon. He's been on all the others after all.

Or garlic.

www.reallygarlicky.co.uk/

I thought Russ was around 40, not 30? I have wondered how old his wife is, what the age gap is and how they met.

Russ is senior so must be at least 40

The Russ being senior doesn't really make sense - I would have thought it would have been enough for him to be Freddie's form tutor or similar.

Anyone to Pip and Helen: how do you reconcile your claims to be fiercely independent with you constant reliance on your families to house you and provide free child care?

I loathe Pip, I blow hot and cold on Helen but I'm struggling to remember any male cast members, or any men in real life being criticised endlessly for accepting family help over child care. Its that or don't work for many low income families.

So you think Hannah moaning about having to help Neil again with spreadsheets is her playing politics

We have no idea if its true. I assumed it was Hannah playing politics. She is endlessly banging on about working "long hours" and how she was more important in the the US job and undermining Neil directly and via Emma at every opportunity. I don't for one moment believe this "date" didn't turn up and that the propositioning Tom was spontaneous.

She doesn't have a character picture with black twirling moustaches but she been painted as a one dimensional Villain. ts hard to see what other function she serves.

I agree with Lass - Matt and Rob both had actual characters.

We have an interesting current situation with Will looking after Poppy. Before that Roy had Phoebe after Kate left and before he got together with Hayley.

In general it feels like women are criticised more readily than men for having support for child rearing.

Hannah is very disruptive - she pushed Tom away when he was interested. Maybe she just wants to spoil his chances with Natasha.

@C8H10N4O2 I have stated on previous threads that I do think Helen takes the mickey with the free child care, a lot more than Pip or anyone else, a fair number of posters defended Helen (no idea who now). However, I do also think Will's set up is completely unworkable and said so at the time of the rota being proposed. I'm an equal opportunities misery guts me!

However, I do think we should give Pip a chance. It may well be that she's given up on the idea of Jill bringing up Rosie and made some proper arrangements for the end of her maternity leave, I don't think she's doing too badly at the moment (and I don't even find her voice particularly irritating, though her character often is). I live in hope!

I do think Helen takes the mickey with the free child care, a lot more than Pip or anyone else

Well Pip has yet to need child care in order to work so its not really a comparison. She was pretty quick to assume Ruth or Jill would look after miniGolden when they went to the registrars. Pip has a cottage gratis to live her own life, Helen has a room and regularly cooks/contributes around the house. Pip has the better deal by miles in that respsect.

Helen had a childminder for Henry and she and Emma regularly did some reciprocal care, both had grandparents in the background. Pat/Tony did babysitting and some wraparound just like Clarie and Susan do for Emma. I'm not seeing the difference there. Its also pretty typical of families lucky enough to have local grandparents.

Rob put a stop to Helen working and therefore the childminder arrangement. Jack was born in prison and Henry is now at school. Since Helen moved back to the farm she has stayed pretty close to family all round - under the circumstances that is hardly surprising.

In general though outside TA whenever family are providing some childcare or wraparound care its the mother who is told she is lucky - I've never heard anyone tell a man "you are so lucky your parents do babysitting/childcare to allow you to work".

Did I mention that I can't stand Pip? I don't like Tom either - Hannah is welcome to him. I like Alistair. Philip is creepy. I heart Johnny and Freddie. I want Lily to realise that Russ is a cocklodger.

The difference between Will on the one hand and Helen on the other is that Will doesn't claim to be fiercely independent, and he doesn't have deluded relatives going along with any such claim.

Lass I agree with you about unpasteurised milk, most French cheeses are made with it. They have a proper taste.

MereDintofPandiculation

Sorry about the grumbles. I'm not in a good mood today. One of my cats died last night

I think we have heard some evidence for Hannah's complaints about Neil. There have been a number of scenes where he has asked her to just check the figures or look over this to see I have got it right and so on. I love Neil but I think if I was his deputy he would get on my nerves.

I don’t think independent and self-sufficient are the same thing. It would be rather odd to pay for childcare if there were family members able and willing to provide it.

Re Russ - I don’t think we heard he had a track record of going after pupil?