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.

We have established that Tom/Bridge Farm aren’t responsible for Natasha’s debts, haven’t we?

Wow --Tom and-- Natasha are doing more planning of and giving more notice for their house warming than their wedding. How many people could fit into that flat?

Agree this is clearly supposed to be bi-polar or a soapy simulacrum. The frantic making of invitations, impulsive decisions, whirlwind of activity, spending excessively. Wanting to run OFS with loads of ideas that only occurred to her the night before. Then presumably a crash and she’ll run away leaving the wreckage of open farm Sunday and Tom forlornly hitting at a piñata solo from underneath his nacho hat.

“Agree this is clearly supposed to be bi-polar or a soapy simulacrum. ”

From my limited experience it’s quite accurate- it’s making me feel really tense waiting for what happens next.

Tony's 'real bundle of energy' looks closer to 'highly unstable' to me.

I missed last night's episode and might not be able to listen this afternoon.

Please can someone do me a quick synopsis?

Well Tony’s easily bought off - Pat sounded more as if she was going along with things. I’m not sure about bipolar, I think Natasha is more of a shopaholic. The new car, the extravagant gift, the honeymoon in Cuba, the implied spending on the lavish housewarming (in a magically expanding flat. Salsa dancing? I thought there wasn’t room to swing a cat.) What other bills might she have run up in her absence? No one can say no to Natasha can they - for fear that she’ll up sticks and do do another runner? I’m wondering if Kirsty might be the one to point this out and perhaps this was the purpose of the entirely improbable dinner party, she is one person who would surely have no qualms about seeing Tom left high and dry. If a baked salmon appears at any point as part of the housewarming or Open Farm Sunday prep we’ll know they are doomed.
an actuaries' uprising, led by a mysterious shadowy Archers fan. This made me snort into my cornflakes.

Wheresthatcat - Natasha presented Tony with tickets to a classic car day to soften him up before announcing that she would be taking sole charge of Bridge Farm’s Open Farm Sunday which would you believe it it is on the same day as the launch of Bridge Fresh. She also announced she and Tom were hosting a lavish housewarming with a Cuban theme at the flat above the shop. Josh’s girlfriend Liberty stayed the night at Brookfield and was found wafting around the kitchen in his dressing gown to much cooing from Jill.

It sounds even worse written down

Now ... why have the SWs turned Jill into such a pearl-clutcher?

I think Jill was fairly justified at being a bit put out that her grandson’s ONS was wandering around her kitchen in just a dressing gown helping herself to breakfast
I’m not sure I’d be happy with a nameless stranger making themselves at home in my house without even being alerted to their presence by their host let alone introduced.

I agree @HelloYouTwo.

And can I just say - a propos nothing- how much I loathe and despise the expression “pearl clutching”?

I suspect OFS will be OKish, but every single event and display will be covered with advertising for Bridge Fresh.

Why? Seems harmless ...

And can I just say - I can still remember being Liberty, poor girl. Josh would have told her it was absolutely fine for her to wander downstairs and help herself to breakfast.

There really was no need for the coo-ing. Jill’s lived with four now adult children - and Pip. Clearly Liberty was sane, sober, polite and not wielding any sort of weapon or injecting heroin. Where, exactly was the problem?

Josh would have told her it was absolutely fine for her to wander downstairs and help herself to breakfast. At the risk of sounding like Jill myself, surely the point is she could at least have got dressed first. She must have arrived in clothes - there was no need to wander around naked under Josh's bathrobe. Actually I think the point was being made for us the listeners as much as anything.

I would hate it. It's not the sex, it's there being a stranger in my house when I am in my pyjamas and wanting a cup of tea. I probably would not be polite.

Nope. Still not comprehending the (admittedly mild) outrage. She was presumably more covered up than she would have been in, say, a vest and shorts. And how could Jill possibly know what else she had on? And why should it matter?

It was a very odd conversation all round. Almost as if her presence would have been less unwelcome had she been less attractive. This is MN after all - I’m curious about the apparent negativity towards her (broadcast and written).

Surely all of us have been Liberty at some point? No?

“Oh, hello- you must be Mrs Archer. I’m Liberty. Josh said I was to help myself to some coffee and toast- hope that’s OK”
is what I would expect from a friend of one of mine, regardless of sex or whether it was a ONS or just a friend staying over. Most mumsnetters would want 3 weeks warning and a paper copy CV!

Also, rather unfair for Ben who is presumably revising to have a random guest hanging about. I’ll ignore the fact that she’s so attractive he didn’t know where to look as irrelevant to her distraction potential. And rude of Josh to leave his guest at home while he went to work and not make sure everyone was happy. If I’d been Liberty I would not have been comfortable wandering around my friend’s house helping myself to breakfast without them there.

I haven't been Liberty. My Scottish Presbyterian parents would have expired from the shock if my brother had ever brought home a Liberty or from the very notion that I might have done a Liberty in someone else's house. I did marry very young, though.

Surely all of us have been Liberty at some point? No?

God no! I was far too shy to be Liberty. I hid in the bedroom, and if the boyfriend left the house, so did I. I wouldn't have dreamed of wandering around in a dressing gown, helping myself to food and drink, even if I'd been told to.

And surely manners dictate that you introduce yourself?

As I said- it’s not the presence of Liberty. I’ve found plenty of Libertys and Lawrences in my kitchen over the years. It’s the complete absence of manners.Hers and Josh’s.

I thought good for Josh, frankly. He's treated quite poorly by his family in several ways. He'll be moving out soon, to business success, and freedom from being expected to do farm work as Pip wants needs a lie down. Hence the presence of Liberty, aptly named.

George do you often wander round strangers' houses in a state of undress, helping yourself to whatever sustenance takes your fancy?

Surely all of us have been Liberty at some point? No?

Absolutely not. How very dare you!

My (ex) parents-in-law have never seen me in only a dressing gown.

Ex-MIL even had words with me about breastfeeding in front of ex-FIL, because she claimed it embarrassed him. The very idea of parading around helping myself to food is out of the question!

Surely all of us have been Liberty at some point? No?

I had more than a few adventures in my twenties but never stayed at the home of someone who lived with their parents. Maybe that's just a sign of the times because everyone I knew left home asap in the 70s.
In her position I'd have got out of the house when Josh left.