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.

The writing for Camilla's character is dire.

I agree, but at least Freddie is staying.

What was that al about? Cartoon Camilla!

YES!

YES!

YES!

HURRAH!!!

She seems to be a slightly toned down Hazel Wooley.
I love you Freddie.

Oh fgs, Freddy is going to stay with Shula. What a ridiculous storyline to get to this point.

Camilla's unpleasantness will presumably allow everyone to carry on pretending Elizabeth is doing a marvellous job running LL.

Blast! You've all said what I was going to say

Also, re LL - that surely could be sold for millions as a home with grounds

I dunno, if you look at Country life type mags, like Shropshire life or whatever, there are loads of these mansions with grounds for sale surprisingly cheap when you consider the size of house and grounds - around £1m mark. I guess so few people can afford the enormous maintenance and heating and gardening costs and there are a lot of them around and for sale, so all that reduces the price. Plus LL is in the midlands, so that will deflate the price too compared to SE.

Evidently the Brookfield Balls have been found....

Yes! Cartoon Camilla. Nobody is that awful.

That was silly. But good Freddie is staying chez Shula - and it’s company for Shula so she doesn’t have spend all her time pondering cardigan colours and shades of ecru.

I wanted to remind you one of the arguments over the Brookfield estate was whilst Elizabeth was pregnant with Frilly. I remember this because she scweamed and scweamed till she was very sick or at any rate her wonky heart valve gave in. There was a scene at LL where Nigel and Phil were watching while paramedics did their thing to Elizabeth then took her to hospital where she remained till Frilly arrived. Those of you who keep track of Ambridge DOBs can work it out but 19 or 20 years ago?

Surely Camilla was just a plot device to cover mental health awareness. Her outdated attitude towards depression. Otherwise it was a pointless thing to do.

Shula at the end became holier than though "I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even you".

We were distracted by C4's Carry Ons at the Castle, but it had me thinking about Elizabeth and Co... Having seen tonight's programme can I urge the scriptwriters to find a role for Jazzer at LL as their handyman (everybody loves a little petting farm, if that sounds like a step too far).

I've never really understood just how big Lower Loxley might be. It has
The Vineyard
The Orangery restaurant
Art Gallery
Big enough rooms for hefty conferences
A treetop walk
Gardens
Birds of prey displays
It sounds a fair size if a bit of the attic might be worthy of a £5 tour (or not, in this case).
Presumably there is a company that does the catering,/visitor attractions/the entire "Enterprise" to protect the family home.....So wouldn't their manager be the one that applies for the alcohol licence?

Frilly's birthday is 12th December and they're 20 this year. I know the date because it's a family birthday.

Well, I felt Patricia Hodge was wasted there. I wonder if she'll be back.

Good that Freddie is staying, but I always expected that to happen.

Shula didn't strike me as holier than thou. Camilla had it coming.

Presumably there is a company that does the catering,/visitor attractions/the entire "Enterprise"

Lower Loxley is the company. The business was built up by Nigel and Elizabeth. Far as I’m aware everything is done ‘in house’. (Including weddings.) Glen is the current manager, employed by Elizabeth.

Agree a waste of P Hodge.

I’d forgotten 12th December is Frilly’s birthday as it’s a family birthday in our family too. Well, Nephew is 12th, DC3 is the 11th. So the stramash must have been about 19 years ago, so Ruth and David well and truly married with 2 children by then.

I’d forgotten it was Patricia Hodges playing Camilla. It did sound like her, I realise now. I’ve just listened ‘properly’ and I still can’t work out why Shula arrived at LL. Did she come on her white charger to rescue Elizabeth (after a call from Lily?) or was her arrival a coincidence?

She gave Freddie a lift.

Freddie was with her when Lily was looking for him. Presumably she drove him back to LL.

So wouldn't their manager be the one that applies for the alcohol licence?

There are 2 licenses needed. One for the premises and a personal licence for the person in charge. Every premises licence must name a designated premises supervisor who must hold a valid personal licence. Lord only knows who that is /was. Roy and the female manager who left probably held personal licences (in which case in the period after they left the premises licence wasn't being complied with)

Glen almost certainly will hold a personal licence - (no idea if Elizabeth would have one) but he can't use it at LL as LL has lost its premises licence (or at least I assume that is what was taken away)

Wasn’t Roy the first LL manager, subsequent to Nigel’s de-roofing - poached from GG after Caroline lent him to Elizabeth? Using my third and final ‘presumably’ of the day - it must have been Elizabeth who held the personal licence at that point. Perhaps she’s always held it since then?

I have no knowledge of this area whatsoever ... So probably know exactly as much as all the SWs who’ve written bits of the story since SATTC.