100 Archers threads! We are truly overinfested. Whether you need some help from a therapist in a tabard, or want to move your wife in with your FWB, there’s something in Ambridge for you!

[PseudoBadger]

Well hasn’t it been a fun few years! Thank you all for supporting the threads and sharing in love and critique of The Archers.

Echt I'm sure the Stately Home Business staff, like Glenn, are mostly entirely separate to the Pargetter's private domestic staff, give or take the odd handiman - but yes, there should be no shortage of either. I know their flat isn't portrayed as anything enormous - but even perfectly ordinary households with working parents have cleaners.

I was shocked that Freddie’s room was not just being cleaned, it was being cleaned out, with them rooting in drawers and things. What an invasion of privacy, I would be livid if I were Freddie and came back to that.

Yes, that was utterly horrible.

And since his room was searched for drugs by the police last year, the idea that it was full of mess accumulated by Freddie for years and years is rubbish anyway. After a police search he would have had to reconstruct everything, and he wouldn't have left the grot of the ages under the bed, because it wouldn't have been left there by the police.

Lewis was still living in Lower Loxley Hall a couple of years ago when Lily had her clandestine party while Elizabeth was away on a course; when she heard Adam and Ian arriving by car she was afraid it was Lewis coming home.

They throw in these refs to Lewis and yet I’d expect him to be very aged, older than Bert maybe, if he were still living. I think under Soc theymust have forgotten his existence, got by reminded by listeners and chucked ina mention. If they’re not going to develop Lewis into a real, talking, walking person, why don’t they just finish thecharacter off.

I agree about the cleaning of Freddie‘s room, especially after the police search. I’m quite looking forward to the first meeting between Freddie and CMR. I hope the writers won’t disappoint.

Indeed. It occurs to me that another person I'd like to see - though never really part of the story so far - is Nigel's sister. I'd have thought it would be natural for her to take a more prominent role as aunt and SIL since Nigel's death. I'm sure it's just an insignificant editorial omission, but it makes her seem dreadfully cold and unfeeling.

To a point it’s the same as Alistair‘s sister/Jim‘s daughter. They never visit, phone, write, drop by. In fact I get confused in my head (not sure where else you can get confused) about Camilla (I think that’s nigel‘s sister?) and Al‘s sister.

Alistair's sister is Fiona.

CMR had a touch of the Titchner last night - creating row over his partner doing something under her own steam. He almost sounded smug when he told Lily afterwards he hoped he hadn't scuppered her chances at the interview - until she gave him the good news.

I really think Rex and Lily would make a good couple.

it would be sensible to bring up the twins without staff on hand to tidy their rooms or wash up after them

I don't believe for a second that Elizabeth hasn't got a cleaner for the private apartments.

Although the running of LL and what they actually do their is a mystery.

Well, it would seem that Elizabeth doesn't have a cleaner, for some reason. Otherwise, before they realised she was depressed, the flat wouldn't have been the state it was in.

I'm wondering if Freddie will move to Shula's when he realises CMR is living at LL. Liz will then blame Lily and CMR, and further alienate her daughter. Lily's already feeling put out by Lizzy re Freddie.

I also wondered about CMR and the tin soldier. There did seem to be a hint of something in his voice, and then Lily saying "I'll just put it here for now", makes me wonder if it's going to go missing.

Eurgh! I did not sign up to listening to David salivating over Natasha.

LL and what they actually do there is a mystery.

Well ... You could scroll through the last half dozen threads ... I wrote what turned out to be a very long list of their various enterprises - but can't remember exactly which TA thread. Too tired to do another now. It's masses though.

OMG george I thought they were commenting on her being friendly or something! Yuk

Falconry, vineyard, country fairs, pop festivals, conferences, weddings, treetop walk, orangery restaurant, art gallery, gift shop, Deck the Hall with ice rink for Christmas and assorted other seasonal events ... have I left anything out? Unlikely you’d be running that lot and still doing your own cleaning. Can’t work out Natasha at all - I thought she was a hot shot business woman with a fruit juice empire, yet she seems to be wafting about Ambridge doing not very much.

I like Natasha so far. Why was David being so weird in the scene with Leonard and Natasha. Was it supposed to convey his ongoing unease with Leonard. It was all a bit odd.

have I left anything out?
rare breeds, tours of the house

I'm warming to Natasha, too. She was very sympathetic with Jill - she didn't crash in with something like "shall we sort out your awful crow's feet?" but gently and subtly asked Jill what she thought needed doing.
Natasha did say she was on a week's holiday, hence hanging around Ambridge.

Falconry, vineyard, country fairs, pop festivals, conferences, weddings, treetop walk, orangery restaurant, art gallery, gift shop, Deck the Hall with ice rink for Christmas and assorted other seasonal events

They all seem to need no involvement from Elizabeth so presumably Elizabeth has an army of competent staff who run it all smoothly. Yet all we ever hear about is Glen , who seems to have just about got up to scratch.

The only thing I can recall Elizabeth and Lily doing was the utterly absurd task of the seating arrangements for the hunt ball. Why would they be involved in that?

The not having a cleaner /cleaning Freddie's room is just nonsense.

I don't understand how Glen can cope when Geraldine couldn't.

The going through Freddie's room thing makes me real-world-cross which is rather out of character.
It will be so nice to have Freddy back but |I think it is foolish to think that Freddie will happily settle down in a house with Russ. Will this force the issue of Russ and Lily having nowhere else to go out into the open perhaps? Or push Lizzie into evicting Russ? When does it officially become chez Freddie?

Geraldine could cope with the job-and had done for ages. She just wasn’t prepared to put up with Lizzie and walked.

I think Geraldine was not merely coping with her job,she'd quietly upped her game to cover things Lizzie had been responsible for but which Lizzie was neglecting during the appeal obsession phase ( I managed to miss some episodes around then, did it just fizzle out?). And then Lizzie dumped blame on Geraldine for a situation which arose through Lizzie not doing something she'd said she'd do. Was that about the size of it?

Why is Russ called CMR on here?

'Call me Russ' from the dinner with Rory and Ben episode I think

I thought the story with Jill and Natasha was well done. They could have played it as a joke, with Jill ending up with the Dolly Parton look and Leonard making awkward excuses to leave. Instead, we had the sweet moment of Leonard putting his tongue back in and Jill stepping out with her special gentleman...