#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?

The tea room is next to go. You heard it here first.

Following on from sufferable here is a very Radio 4/ Archers' fans article about impaired words.

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1304,00.html

Unpaired, unpaired words (fgs)

I love that egregious is the first word to end up meaning its opposite, like bad and wicked........

Ah thanks D3.

I agree Lillian, there's definitely going to be some fallout caused by this driving job. Ed and Em really haven't thought this through. If it's such a good job, why isn't Tim doing it himself? Obviously because it's too risky. He'll just take a cut for his commission, and let Ed take all the risk.

Ed and Em really haven't thought this through.
I don't know why they haven't. We have all just spent a year living through the salutary warning of The Downfall of The House of Aldridge.

Theyreally haven't thought this through

That's the strapline of the entire Archers really.

Yeah, it beggars belief that they never thought of the similarity to what Brian did.

Ah, Lil’G - your foreshadowing post is exactly what I thought but failed to express. We can only hope that for once one of the pair might be, even temporarily, blessed with enough critical thinking skills to realise the danger.

I agree about the Tea Room Bert. What was it that Emma said that prompted that thought ...? Oh, yes - something about it being quiet there when Natasha visited. A tiny shiver down my spine ...

Her only saving grace at the moment is that she has a beautifully distinctive voice - and she’s keeping the Stables running so darling Freddie has something to keep him happy outside LL. (Given his love of falcons and horses I still think he might have a specialist sort of vet shaped career ahead. Once he grows up.)

I wonder if it will be a c & c with Brian, who whilst he lost his home because of his crime didn't go to prison. Ed may not be so fortunate.

Just listened again to Tues night. Emma said "You, Poppy and Jake, he thinks the world of you three". Shouldn't that be "You, George, Poppy and Jake, he thinks the world of you four"?

When did we last hear George? Poppy is George's step sister, just as she is Mia's step sister , but he isn't being asked to help out. I realise he lives with Em n Ed, but didn't he used to spend time in Will's house? What's Will's relationship with his eldest?

Poppy is George and Mia’s half sister, not step sister.

No Jessie Poppy is Keira's half sister. Mia and Jake are not Will's children at all. Blimey it's complicated George is Emm and Will's child.

Poppy is Mia and Jake's half sister through Nic and George's half sister through Will. George is Keira's half sister through Emma (and probably cousin because of Will & Ed being brothers.) George is Jake and Mia's step-brother. Jake and Mia are full siblings to each other.

Sorry, I got that wrong. Poppy is George and Mia's half sister. But the point remains - why was Emma saying that Will thinks the world of Mia, Jake and Poppy, but not mentioning his son George?

Well, yes, actually ppeatfruit. Poppy, Jake and Mia share a parent- Nic. She’s dead but I haven’t forgotten her!

And Poppy is not Keira’s half sister! Poppy- child of Will and Nic. Keira- child of Ed and Em. They’re cousins.

Is there a person character who is unanimously liked though?

One of the things I do like about TA is that everyone is a mix of in/sufferable.

Clarrie, perhaps?

I imagine that Tasha dropped the brownie in the bin on her way home.

Yes silly me Jessie

Surely everyone likes Johnny? Harrison? Jolene?

I think quite a lot of people like Ed, despite despairing of his stupidity sometimes, like now.

I also would bet that most people enjoy a bit of Brian.

Johnny, maybe. Harrison and Jolene, no, I doubt it.

Did everybody like Nelson Gabriel and Marjorie Antrobus - those of us who go back a bit?

Are we talking about whether every listener likes a character or whether everyone in Ambridge likes them?

Oh I see what you mean...
They all seem to love Alan.

I like:
Brian and Peggy - both have their flaws but are never boring.

Natasha - I think she's in it for keeps - just some teething problems to get over.

Carol -if we can only have a quota of old people, ditch Jill (please!) and bring back Carol.

Kirsty - she hasn't been born into privilege but if she could just get a break, i'd be thrilled.