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.

it must have been Elizabeth who held the personal licence at that point. Perhaps she’s always held it since then?

Who knows? It's a point of detail the scriptwriters won't have bothered with.

I thought it was dreadful tonight. V pointless.

Completely pointless and a waste of Patricia Hodge.

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 Her outdated attitude towards depression.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

No, just pointless. They have covered mental health awareness in detail already.

I know Paul Brodrick wrote scripts for TA from 1999 until early 2005, and then left until 2015; I am beginning to see why they stopped using him for ten years. That was dreadful tosh.

It would be great if a new character were introduced who wasn't awful... Just for once.

TA is weird sometimes. I heard the film this morning and listened to Freddie recounting the Billy story. It was written so subtly that I still don't know if Freddie told Billy to go away to save Billy (my original interpretation) or to save Freddie.
Then we had blunderbuss Camilla.
How can the programme lurch so quickly from the sublime to the ridiculous?

But Freddie is staying so hurrah for that.

Well I think the big question we're all left with after tonight's episode is: would you be able to spot someone who looks like they might wear polka dot shoes (if they weren't actually wearing them at the time)? If Camilla emphatically doesn't look like someone who would, that does seem to imply that it should be possible to identify someone who does look like they would ...

I shall use tomorrow's commute to hone my polka dot spotting abilities and mentally classify my fellow commuters into potential polka-dot-shoe wearers and definite non-polka-dot-shoe wearers.

Who is Patricia Hodge? And for that matter Anthony Head? How do you all know all these actors' names (and voices)?! The best I can ever manage is 'Oh look, it's himself from The Midwife!' Your collective superior actor-recognition skills are like sorcery to me.

Patrica Hodge is Miranda’s mother in the eponymous tv sitcom. Anthony Head was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and also a baddie in Dr Who, playing a headmaster, if I recall correctly.

You know what? I think The Archers needs a Posh People Advisor (happy to take the job) It’s as if they get all their ideas of post people from The Beano.

Patricia Hodge was in Rumpole of the Bailey on ITV a long time ago.

Anthony Head was in Cabin Pressure on Radio 4, playing Herc.

Bert, they also need a Poor People Adviser, as their ideas about the Poor also seem to come from The Beano.

Patricia Hodge and Anthony Head are pretty famous : far more so than most of the regular cast.

“Bert, they also need a Poor People Adviser, as their ideas about the Poor also seem to come from The Beano”

Yep. Basically it’s an everyday story of middle class folk.

Incidentally, I am so disappointed not to have had any response to my post of 18.51. I was so proud of myself.

Ah ok, well I haven't watched any of those so you all probably have a head start. But even if I had watched them, I wouldn't know the actors names. I remember the discussion on here when Leonard was first introduced and the consensus was that his voice was too recognisable from something else (I can't remember what it was now but it was some comedy on R4 that I had heard from time to time - I think that one where the guy is always on the phone to his parents and Leonard was his dad). I remember thinking at the time there must have been some necromancy involved for so many people on the thread to have been able to recognise someone's voice and know where from/their name. I still haven't forgotten that loads of people seemed to know Carol when she reappeared after a long break (what's happened to her now? She's another one who's disappeared). No doubt, there is definitely some strange magic at work here.

Natasha might pay those prices, Bert, but I suspect not many others would.

Eleanor Bron. Also pretty famous. I suspect she's either moved on to other things or was dispensed with following one of the many recent changes of Editor.

I spent so long writing that only post on my phone I missed subsequent replies. I did listen to Cabin Pressure. But there's no way I'd recognise the actors' voices or know their names.

I am starting to think it might be more likely that I'm subnormal rather than all of you being super-skilled.

Incidentally, I am so disappointed not to have had any response to my post of 18.51. I was so proud of myself.

Blooming expensive sausages, do they come wrapped in gold leaf or something?!

I don't know if you changed it to a fake name before posting, but if not then your name and part of your address & postcode are showing in that picture.

Basically it’s an everyday story of middle class folk

Not really. The woeful knowledge of law, accountancy, partnerships , business loans and running a business isn't particularly realistic either- particularly given the rural setting awash with self- employed owner-occupier farmers.

What a very silly episode, conjuring up Camilla/Maleficent, spitting bile and disappearing in a sulphurous cloud.

Still, Freddie is within hailing distance of the plot lines.

I don't want to be showy offy/ teaching grandma to suck eggs, but, did anyone not get the brilliant play on words in Bring me the voice of Anthony Head?

Basically it’s an everyday story of middle class folk

Not really

Every day story of middle class media folk?

I agree a waste of Patricia Hodge - it was more like one of Lynda's pantomimes.

I was disappointed given the level of ham that nobody said to Camilla "well at least our mother wasn't a pregnant showgirl".

Anthony Head was in a coffee advert in the 80s, and then went on to be a main character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I have recordings. That day is one of them...

Believe it or not I have some too although not as many as I used to. It was the only way I could listen at the time.

I don't remember Phil actually selling land for Kenton - I thought it was talked about but not done. However it was a long time ago. Would it actually equate to a quarter of the farm?

Even Treeza May has never, to my knowledge, worn polka dot shoes. I’ll be keeping an eye on the situation though.

I wonder if a posh person who’s fallen on hard times could double up on those two advisory roles.

Maybe Jill could pause to think why normally placid David has lost his temper - it surely reveals that he is under financial strain

Is this David Archer we are talking about? There are many adjectives one could apply, I'm not sure placid would ever be one. He is forever losing his temper and having half the family pander to him. Josh doesn't which is why there is always a degree of friction.

[Anthony Head] went on to be a main character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Happy days.

Another guest wasted in his last few appearances.