#102: Fatted calf is off the menu - will the Easter Bunny save Lower Loxley's bacon, or will there be egg on Russ's face? Will Tom's sausage business get the chop? Join us here to discuss The Archers!

[GabrielleNelson]

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, principally Dumdedumdedum and MikeUniformMike on this occasion.

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 this thread, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

So, to business: will Helen's new cheese be a success? Will Kate succeed in keeping her visiting Brummies under control? Will Pip, Toby, Tom and Natasha fall into the slurry pit, leaving Rosie to be brought up by Anthony Head Robin Fairbrother? Will we ever hear Lee again, and will he casually drop in a mention of his fine collection of framed Bruce Lee posters?

Bring me the voice of Anthony Head Bravo for the new thread GabrielleNelson - suitably seasonal. Eggcellent work.

StillDumDeDumming
Lily and Lizzie spectacularly dim for not seeing it. Your sister’s boyfriend asks you where you were last night? And expects an answer!

I thought I was the only person who felt Freddie was being reasonable thinking it was none of Russ' business to police him like this. Really glad to know I'm not alone!

Tell you what, I love it when Freddie growls. He sounds just like my son used to when he was lost-for-words cross in his teens.

Sod Eleanor Bron

How dare you!

Sod Pip and Tobee and bring back Bron and Head!

Bring me the voice of Anthony Head

Title for the next thread?

I loved Lily and Freddie last night. They've always been better as a team.

Checking in and still need to catch up on a couple of episodes. Bet Tom pulls into the Bridge Farm yard one day to find the last of the pigs being loaded up which Natasha has arranged as a "surprise".

Acis, I think that's the earliest suggestion I've ever seen for the next thread, but I'll bear it in mind!

Painting, crikey, what a thought. Tony would have another heart attack and Pat would succumb to an aneurysm.

Lily and Lizzie spectacularly dim for not seeing it indeed

Like Echt I assumed the precis of Lily revealing all was Lily admitting what an idiot she had been at Manchester.

The idea that CMR should be in any form of responsible role is absurd.

what's all this with Leonard and the painting? is he out of his depth?

ah, poor bloke

God they’re labouring the point with Jim and Shula. It’s tedious.

That was totally unconvincing. Why on earth would Shula offload herself to Jim - of all people! - especially when he was so vile last week.

And will Jill please stop giggling.

Can you imagine her reaction if it had been Toby confessing to lying regarding his artistic ability, she wouldn't have been even half so forgiving.

Jim: "I did rather enjoy seeing a clergyman squirm telling an untruth ... anyway, I'm not here to crow." I think Jim needs to be a bit honest himself, about how he enjoys that feeling of intellectual superiority.

Quite. It becomes clear that Jim doesn't need God because Jim is God!

Totally unnecessary scene with Jim and Shula - the point was made at the christening when she couldn’t go on with the sermon. No need for a post match analysis with Jim - just totally unbelievable and tedious. What a dreary episode.

Just seen your post George - you say it much more concisely.

I found Jim a bit creepy - a bit like a certain type of Evangelical preacher hoping for a convert.

Evangelising is unattractive whatever the belief being promoted!

What weird episode. Jim's unloading of gossip and backstory to Leonard at the start was entirely out of character. As was the conversation between him and Shula later, not the content, but the pairing.

Thinking about out of character, all that business about Christine cutting her eye at Jill and Leonard at the christening; where did that come from? Or are they setting her up for some the personality changes that can happen with dementia?

Back again, I too, thought Jim might be looking for a fellow atheist/agnostic to emerge from Shula's dark night of the soul, but again it doesn't fit with his character.

Missed so many threads, not missing this one. It’s all getting a bit messy I think. Too much going on, but I do think Pip actress has been having some voice coaching, her intonation is changing.

Long time lurker and name changer here
Thankyou for new thread x I know it's been raised before but for the next one please can we include the meaning of BOOP as it gets asked on pretty much every thread x

There's a point. Would MNHQ allow a sticky? TASWAMA, CMR, BOOP?

Here’s the original BOOP thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/2274902-Sack-the-Sock-put-a-sock-in-it-or-pull-your-socks-up-frankly-were-a-bit-sick-of-it-The-Archers-is-shit-discuss-it-here

The BOOP discussion is near the start of the thread.

(How much younger and thinner we all looked back then!)