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.

nunupmanship

OK, everyone, pack up, I think we're done for the night. LilG, get thee to a punnery!

nunupnunship, surely?

“Is no one going to comment on Kate's mad plans for Hilda Ogden?”

I just thought it was too stupid to comment on. If we avert our eyes maybe the script writers will stop being arses.

A Jesuan DDD?

I just thought it was too stupid to comment on. If we avert our eyes maybe the script writers will stop being arses

I wasn't paying close attention and it was such a stupid storyline I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.

Shula's almost certainly too old to be considered for ordination,so why didn't Alan tell her?

Apparently she's a Lay Reader (when did that happen?) so she could be much more involved in parish and church duties than she evidently is at present. She could be leading some services or helping out in other parishes if licensed by the Bishop, not to mention pastoral work.

I thought the chat with Alan was otherwise well done, but the age thing and her existing 'qualification' made it a bit pointless. But I can see it's a vehicle for her to find some meaning in her life.

I wasn't paying close attention and it was such a stupid storyline I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.

Me too, I sort of heard it and then minutes later thought 'WHAT?'

I would imagine Hilda as therapy animal is just another example of Kate's complete lack of judgment.I precept some horrid Hilda -related incident at the Laurels, which Kate will downplay.

And my hackles rose when she called the residents of the Laurels "oldies" when commenting on how long they took to eat their lunch.

As for Gnasher's glowing pride about my man coming up on top... sorry I teach English for a living, and metaphor is everything to me. Bleurgh.

campion we had a discussion about age limits (or lack of) for ordination on (I think) the previous thread. (Though it could have been the one before that!)

Oddly enough echt I didn’t find ‘oldies’ objectionable. It sounded quite fond to me. Kate has, after all, grown up surrounded by hale and hearty, well off (and generous) elderly relatives. And the millionaires at The Laurels must mostly be the same. There’s no real reason for her to have anything other than positive views of old age. I didn’t feel she was being disparaging, just stating a fact.

@ANutAsBigAsABoulder

possibly...

Kate was extremely disparaging about "the oldies" . Kate's lack of self-awareness can be funny but that wasn't. She was pretty unpleasant

My lovely gentle dog didn’t make it as a visitor because sometimes she scrabbles when she greets people she likes, and they couldn’t risk her damaging fragile skin. I can’t imagine Hilda would make the cut!

Gnasher's. It is a really weird idea

I saw this comment before I heard the episode - I don't think they mentioned which of Gnasher or Tom came up with the idea. They were both talking about inviting Kirsty and Philip round before she did the runner.

I was expecting an update on the cleaning when Kate rocked up. I can't see Hilda lasting five minutes at The Laurels.

I saw this comment before I heard the episode - I don't think they mentioned which of Gnasher or Tom came up with the idea

I think it was obvious it was Gnasher's. Tom would not think of inviting anyone to dinner- far less Kirsty and Philip.

Hilda visiting The Laurels - ludicrous. Poor Christine thought she was safe from Hilda by retreating there.

Lass, it's well worthwhile catching up with Call the Midwife. I didn't see it when it started and had the common but totally erroneous view that it was cosy stuff akin to Heartbeat, but it isn't. I binge watched all previous series over the Christmas/New Year break and became hooked. The books it's based on are very interesting too. Refreshing to see a drama series based largely on women's lives that doesn't pull its punches and is written, produced and mostly acted by women, with many of the best characters older women.

I think it was obvious it was Gnasher's

It might have been but its an assumption - they both talked about having Kirsty and Philip over and Tom was certainly keen to do more business by socialising (albeit he isn't very good at it).

I assumed it was just picking up a plan that was already in progress before she left.

Gnasher does what most small businesses do - they network with other local businesses and seek the opportunities. Tom has never really done this but did seem to see the point in it (before Gnasher went off to record for Welsh tv). The lack of local business networking in TA is quite odd really.

I guess they needed a way to bring Kirsty and Phil back into the story so we could hear about the next step in their domestic plans.

But Natasha wouldn’t invite those two for networking purposes - Kirsty has no power at all at GG - so perhaps we’re supposed to interpret the invitation as the new Mrs Archer marking her territory.

Although - I’m not sure on what planet a woman would accept an invitation to dinner with the man who jilted her at the altar, with his new wife. (She might well shag him in a moment of high emotion, but dinner parties are something one thinks about first.)

George that last sentence made me smile.

“The lack of local business networking in TA is quite odd really.”
Absolutely. And it makes perfect sense for Natasha to pitch to Kate. Worth trying the spa at Grey Gables I would have thought. And The Orangery?

Putting aside the insanity of having Hilda as a therapy cat, I struggled to get my head around the fact that Kate thought it appropriate to keep her shut up in a cat box whilst she went to watch the cricket and have a long chat with Gnasher. Why on earth would she not wait till she was able to take her straight over to wherever she was taking her?

Worth trying the spa at Grey Gables

Definitely! Maybe through her new DMIL’s ‘best friend’ who manages the place? Or old family friend of her DPIL’s Oliver?

Natasha and Kate are a heaven-sent match. And I daresay a LL contract could be achieved fairly easily.

But I disagree about lack of local business networking. It’s what TA is based on surely - second only to degrees of connectedness (blood or association) to the First Family. The beauty of TA is that most of the networking happens organically - the formal meetings generally sound clunky and odd.

Why on earth would she not wait till she was able to take her straight over to wherever she was taking her?

Because she's Kate.

I am awaiting news of Laurels residents affected by mass epidemic of cat-scratch fever.

@DadDadDad was in the news this weekend for good reasons, I saw.

Natasha being back and having worn Tom down with her extended absence is pretty horrible. Flash car, flash holiday - what’s next?

I can’t imagine Hilda would make the cut!

I imagine Hilda will make several cuts.