Thread 99 (yes, 99!): Join us for spirited discussions of The Archers and its Top Blokes, whether you're Team Elizabeth (low spirits), Team Kate (Spiritual Home) or Team Toby (spirits =gin)

[Bittermints]

Thanks due to @PseudoBadger for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads and to @DadDadDad for being our resident statistician and keeping the ball rolling when Pseudo stepped back a bit. Thanks also to all those who contributed to the thread title.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to be Susan's best friend or other odd unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3439443-keep-it-to-yourself-the-archers-spoilers-thread-4, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

So, to business. What a fantastic two-hander. Massive BOOP points to Alison Dowling, the scriptwriter and director (and the therapist). I had more than a small tear in my eye listening to that.

I'm another one with a vote of thanks to chemenger for all that information on the last thread about distilling. I should know some of that because I went on a tour of the whisky distillery near where my parents live but I've forgotten most of it except how delicious the end product is.

Forget Helen's backstory, the fact that one of the mums is shagging the karate teacher would be enough to fuel the gossip in my village for years.

Lee is incredibly juvenile (posters on the wall etc.) there's no way he and Helen could have a relationship long term.

Of course the karate mums would have picked up on their burgeoning relationship from the start.

I find it hard to imagine Tom and Roy being best buddies, they don't seem to have any interests in common.

They have John in common. Though that article doesn't seem to mention Roy. Hayley took up with him when John proved unreliable.

This is useful background on Bridge Farm.

But the BBC blog doesn't have much deep history on either Roy or Hayley.

They also have Brenda in common, Roy's sister and yet another of Tom's ex-fiancees. I don't find it too hard to believe Tom and Roy are chummy. They've known each other all their lives so a lot of it is just the shared experiences of growing up in a village, going to the same schools on the same school bus etc etc.

BTW, this thread is filling up fast! Any thoughts on the title for the 100th thread? Once again, I'm happy to do the honours if that's OK with everyone else, but maybe it should be @PseudoBadger if she's around as it's all down to her that we're reaching this milestone.

Yeah, it never occurred to Tom that the date of the wedding (a Friday, so work day, and only just over a week's notice) could cause problems for people attending.
I suppose that, in Ambridge where everyone seems to work in either agriculture or hospitality, every day is a work day. It's the short notice that is the main problem.
What I don't understand is Natasha agreeing to it. Why isn't it back in Wales (esp after all that nonsense about the tattoos). Either do short&sharp (registry office and no fanfare) or full blown (months of planning). This is neither one thing nor t'other. It seems spectacularly inept organisation from two of Nuffield's brightest and best (bet Nuffield are regretting putting their name to this! )

Any thoughts on the title for the 100th thread?
After my intervention on thread 97 on behalf of Joe Grundy, I would like to make mention on thread 100 for June Spencer. It's a bit previous, though, her birthday isn't until June 14th.

I guess they're not getting married in Wales because it's not in Ambridge! (Which bodes well for a lively chorus of rural disparagement.)

Unlikely as this precipitate wedding seems, it would be even more incomprehensible for the SWs to transport all Tom's relatives and associates to Wales at short notice. And we'd miss out on whatever Joe and Bert might have to say.

Heavens! Are we really close to 100? You've proved an excellent show thread-runner lately, B. But, of course, if Pseudo felt inclined ... That would be rather splendid.

100 Threads of Ambridge, according to Gabriel Garcia Marquez - “Cease, cows, life is short.”
(Sorry.)

Doctor and R4 Charlotte Martin is one of TA's best actors; Susan's self satisified reference to her skills as a therapist 'in a tabard' was hilarious. perhaps Helen will start going to the shop for help!

PLEASE can next thread title include 'therapist in a tabard'? Serious quality moment.

Oh - and I'm rather hoping Natasha's wedding dress has a low back that reveals scabby tattoo - an extra fillip to to the special day.......

SilentkarateMums Am honoured!

Is anyone else wondering if Alice may in fact be pregnant?

ONLY TEN POSTS LEFT!

(Or is it 9? This should be 990.)

Can @PseudoBadger be mysteriously summoned?

Can the hive mind conceive a title that shocks MN to its core? (I have nothing beyond celebrating the Archer wedding of the year + thread of the year ...)

So many questions ...

Fooled ya!

This should be erm .. post number 900 ...

I meant 891

Another vote for “therapist in a tabard” for the 100th thread title.
QuaterMiss - don't panic, Mr Mainwaring!

Lee’s posters have been mentioned a couple of times. I imagined them to be mounted and framed vintage posters, not ripped out of a karate mag and blu-tacked to the wall. They’d still be called posters even when framed as they are original publicity for the films, just like I describe my vintage travel art as my travel posters. I don’t think having art on your wall that reflects your interests is particularly juvenile.

I’m here!! Happy to help, will take any suggestions please

#100 Also something about the game of musical houses that seems to be going on in Ambridge at the moment?

If this was eastenders kirsty would have hired natasha to stand Tom up at the altar.

I imagined them to be mounted and framed vintage posters, not ripped out of a karate mag and blu-tacked to the wall.
Admittedly, that conjures up a different picture but I still think he's quite naive and just sounds very young to me (although I am quite old) Helen is much more mature (world weary even given her previous experiences).

'Therapist in a tabard' got a lol from me too, brilliant stuff. Isn't Johnny the obvious 2nd choice for Best Man? Actually, do you need a best man at a registry office?

I was wondering that, too, MrsA. I suppose it's possibly that Tom is old enough to be Johnny's father, and doesn't think of him as being on the right level age-wise, as it were, to be his best man, or his witness?

There's been a lot of advice being doled out lately on TA - the therapist that Lizzie is seeing, the "counselling"Jolene gave Lizzie, the advice Emma gave Helen?