#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?

Yes, that contrasts with Ruairi who initially didn't want to talk about his trauma with Mia (obviously not on the scale of six months' detention, but clearly it had hurt him), but alone with Ben he finally chose to confide.

I can't believe that alone with his mates, Freddie wouldn't begin to blurt out something that happened inside, as there must be a natural psychological pressure to share something.

At the end of the day Will isn’t Mia’s father, she can go and live with her father and brother, and leave Will to sort out his own tea, laundry and childcare!

Yes- why isn’t Andrew more involved? Is he supposed to be crap? And why was Will at Parent’s Evening?

I thought Andrew went to parents evening and will forgot about it.

Ah - clearly I missed an episode or two last week.

Will forgot about parents evening. Andrew did go and then had to relay the teacher's comments back to Will.
To be honest Andrew could well be trying to gently get Mia out of there. And Clarrie and Eddie need to rescue Poppy.

I think we are heading for a big reveal from Freddie as to what life was really like inside.

Possibly followed by a book deal.

Floral bedding in brushed cotton, I bet.

"I see your true colours...shining through"

I mean, it was a rushed wedding but I didn't expect it to fall apart quite so quickly

Dear God the universe is avenging Kirsty through the medium of Natasha.

Maybe he'll open up to Shula.

Tom and Natasha tonight. Ha! Tom telling Fallon that they'd all discussed the pigs going, and that a mutual decision, isn't exactly how it went. He's making it sound like everyone is happy about it. Plus, it was only Pat and Tony he spoke to, so it wasn't all of the family.

Natasha's making enemies at quite a rate.

I wonder who this woman that Chris is having problems with is, and how Jakob knows her. I thought it sounded like they might have some history, and she won't be happy to see him, so that would make it tricky for him to persuade her that the horse going lame isn't due to how Chris is shoeing them.

Ah, cross posting. The opening up to Shula is about Freddie.

Tomntash is not going to last. I'm curious about the Chris stuff.

What was it Brine once memorably said about Alice's wedding to Chris - 'it'll do for a starter marriage'?

At this rate it doesn't look as though Natasha will be much more than a passing blip in the erstwhile Sausage King's lamentable romantic history.

I wonder who this woman that Chris is having problems with is, and how Jakob knows her.

I wondered if it was a past girlfriend, but I assumed he knew her because of being a horse vet.

Nah there's definitely history. Juicy, juicy history. Between Dull Vet Man and Chris, too hopeful face

I do wish they’d finish some of the stories they’ve already started before they start any more......

Dear God the universe is avenging Kirsty through the medium of Natasha.

She’s going to lay waste to his entire business before flouncing in a screech of expensive tyres!

Right, that was Chris Carter the farrier. I had no idea who it was - but till I read this thread I’d forgotten I didn’t know. It sounds more and more that it’s Tom that’s the problem - but since we’re all (including Tom) still getting to know her, I reserve the right to change my mind!

I wondered if the woman was Alistair’s ONS. Maybe they’ve all had a shot.

No, Alastair’s ONS was Lavinia. But sounds like this woman may have been involved with Jakob.

I am very busy with a deadline but R3 is on and the woman declaiming whatever it is sounds astonishingly like Lynda Snell.

Somebody check for me ...

Tom is such an emotionally illiterate twat he deserves everything he gets. I was cheering Fallon as she laid into them about how they treated Jazzer!

Can I just say I really hate Natasha.

Boop, boop Fallon