Fast falls the eventide for Joe Grundy, the darkness deepens for Ed - will he be fenced in or is there still time for acts of pennants? Abide with us and discuss The Archers, thread #104!

[GabrielleNelson]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads and @DadDadDad for being our resident statistician and keeping the ball rolling when Pseudo stepped back a bit and more recently when someone forgot they had promised to start the next thread, ahem.

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 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!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks also to LillianGish for the splendid thread title. As actor Edward Kelsey died last month, we have probably heard Joe Grundy for the last time, or will do very shortly. RIP Mr Kelsey; many thanks for creating a wonderfully vivid character, gnarly toenails and all.

As pointed out on the last thread, we're getting very close now to the 100th birthday of June Spencer, who plays Peggy Woolley. What an achievement! I hope the team manage to squeeze Peggy into that day's episode, come what may.

deliciously naive BBC Breakfast weather presenter Carol Kirkwood

vom

If Brian was still chair of BL ...

Goodness, yes. If only he hadn’t been so preoccupied with his own problems - he (Or Jenny actually) would have been the best person to get Will to see he needed to employ someone to look after Poppy.

But but but -- wetter than an otter's pocket as a phrase meaning absolutely soaking has been around since well before the recent Urban Dictionary definition; it predates the internet by decades.

Oh good, I'm delighted to hear that, asking! I'd never come across it before.

Did you lot know that you can tour the Archers' studio? I've just spotted this review in the Grauniad:
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/may/24/the-archers-tour-bbc-mailbox-birmingham-radio-4

Details here:
www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/birmingham

I think I might be heading up to Brum when it is school residential week!

So, Natasha's back.

Dunno why she's complaining about being Mrs Archer, she chose to take the name.
No mention of Trev. I wonder if they got back together, and then realised why they'd split up in the first place. I don't believe she spent all that time moping like a teenager at her parents' house.

So how long are giving Tom and Natasha? I reckon 6 months, tops

That was scarily reminiscent of when then DH left me, came back to give it a go, and was gone for good within 3 hours. Natasha could well be gone by Sunday's episode. If not, then Cuba will do for them!

She's still messing with Tom's head, choosing to return by arriving at a busness meeting without warning him. And crediting Tony with her decision to return. What does SHE want? Clearly not being 'Mrs Archer'

Squara would suit Tom better.

“And Kirsty stepped out of the shower and Tom realised that the last 5 years has all been a dream......”

I was saying a few threads back how I'm not someone who swears. So just listened to Natasha's return.

WHAT

THE

FUCK?!

Total honesty? With Tom too scared to ask about her new car?

And what about the pigs?

If SOC were still around I’d assume Natasha is back for good. Can’t tell now - but there are already loose ends trailing.

Oo I missed that about the car. More debt?

Tom needs to get a backbone. If he lets her back in without her doing a lot of explaining and the pair of them agreeing some ground rules then she will walk all over him for the rest of the marriage (however long that is).

The Beeb are quite keen on mental health awareness at the moment. Have we discussed Gnasher being bipolar?

Well that was weird. She'll be pregnant by Trev and will gaslight Tom into thinking it's all his fault.

"What shall we do to celebrate?"
"Drive out in the car somewhere?"

No mention of what I would expect the first thing they'd do... (dot dot dot!)

The Beeb are quite keen on mental health awareness at the moment. Have we discussed Gnasher being bipolar?

That was certainly my thought listening tonight

No mention of what I would expect the first thing they'd do.

Well, quite. It put me in mind of Victoria Wood and The Ballad of Barry and Frieda.

...come and melt the buttons on my flameproof nightie...

that episode was like a bad dream.
like tom was dreaming wake up on sunday?

No mention of what I would expect the first thing they'd do.

Tom might have been worried about the state of the shower/bedroom/room of choice. Natasha might SAY she doesn't mind but Tom doesn't know which way is up at this point.

Thanks Madcats - the Studio tour is discussed intermittently here. Though I was surprised that the article you linked gave the impression it was a new venture. Presumably they had been closed for a break?

I felt a little bit sick*

*Nothing to do with the pizza and DD's birthday cake.

Gnasher is mad isn't she? I mean Victorian novel league mad.