Thread #105: Curtains for Emma, Hilda - Joe? Red carpet for June Spencer on her 100th birthday, we hope! Discuss the rich tapestry of Ambridge life here.

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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.

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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 to LillianGish and BuckingFrolics for ideas for this thread title. I went with the less Rabelaisian of LG's ideas!

On 14th June it will be the 100th birthday of June Spencer, who has played Peggy Woolley since 1951. I hope the BBC has a lot of special tributes lined up to celebrate this remarkable achievement.

I don't think dementia would happen so suddenly. It's more likely to be something from Jim's past, hence his and Alistair's relationship. Alistair said he didn't feel he was Jim's son, due to his distance and coldness to Alistair.
With the party having all those people from Jim's past turning up, it definitely seems that it was one of them whose appearance triggered it.

I don't think it's dementia. It's definitely a reaction to a person.

I've lived with dementia in a parent. Jim's current behaviour may be somewhat demented, but it was clearly "triggered" by someone he saw at the party and is in no way a symptom of the illness that is dementia.

was that told to us when Jim first appeared? It’s certainly possible I wasn’t paying due attention!

Yes when Alastair first appeared his relationship with his father wasn't particularly good. I have a vague memory of him talking about their mother's death and being packed off to boarding school. I don't think Alastair was that keen on Jim coming to live in Ambridge initially.

Jim was certainly sticking the knife in last night in a very self destructive way. I'd assumed its something which goes back further than the broken leg but who knows?

I enjoyed - well possibly enjoyed is the wrong word - the scenes between Jim and Alistair last night. I thought they were brilliantly acted - conveying Alistair’s frustration and incomprehension and Jim’s distress. I’m now increasingly wondering now if the man who caused Jim to turn tail and flee his party is Alistair’s father - so many references recently to their poor relationship compared to Fiona and Jim. Jim was so cruel to Alistair last night - throwing his gambling addiction and Shula leaving him in his face - I actually felt really sorry for him where I’m usually quite indifferent. Whatever it is, it is something that Jim has been suppressing and which was brought to the fore by seeing the man in the wheelchair (a person who neither Fiona nor Alistair even knew the name of so I’m not even entirely sure how he came to be invited). The three siblings in the car spying on Peggy was a bit of comic relief - I don’t think for a moment Peggy has a “fancy man”. The truth will be far more prosaic. I’m looking forward to this evening and hope it won’t be a damp squib.

Jim was utterly vile when he first turned up-he was only staying briefly with S&A while his leg mended. He was proper awful to Shula.

I remember Alastair being reluctant to have Jim to stay when he broke his leg, and Shula going ‘but he’s your father!’.
The sibling squabbling in the car was good too, although I’m surprised no one pointed out to Lillian that she’s hardly had a hard life, as she’s always managed to find a rich man to marry!

The sibling squabbling in the car was good too, although I’m surprised no one pointed out to Lillian that she’s hardly had a hard life, as she’s always managed to find a rich man to marry!

The thing that bugs me about this storyline is that I'd have thought Lilian was the least likely of the three to be perturbed by Peggy having a relationship. If any I'd have expected Tony to react (although possibly not as badly as David)

We're having quite a compare&contrast between Peggy and Jim.
I wonder what Peggy's announcement will be tonight. If it was me, I would like a nice storyline for my birthday but I suppose actors like some drama that they can get their teeth into (they always prefer playing Baddies to Goodies).
Roll on seven o'clock!

Happy birthday, June.

It's TA, there's bound to be some kind of drama about Peggy's meeting.

I don't understand why Jill's or Peggy's family, are so miffed at their mothers finding companionship in later life (if Peggy has, although I also doubt it, but she should be allowed to). I would have been pleased if my mum or dad had a relationship with someone nice.

Happy Birthday to June Spencer!

My sibling and I are a handful of years younger than Peggy’s children - the late middle-aged squabbling over who was their mother’s favourite was hilariously true to life.

Perhaps wheelchair man is Fiona's father, hence shoehorning her into the cast suddenly?

I still think that it is something that Jim has done, rather than something that has been done to him. He is trying to push Alistair away; he wants to reject Al before Al has a chance to reject him, in a justifiable moral outrage at The Terrible Thing that Jim did all those years ago. Al said something about Jim being "arrogant", so its something that will pierce that facade of superiority.

Was Jim being deliberately mean and provocative to Alistair when he said "remember when your gambling addiction was aired in front of everyone at the pub? Remember when your wife left you?"

It struck me that Jim was finding examples of being shamed in public so that Alistair might then understand how he was feeling...

Fitting with the theory that Jim saw someone in the pub who brought up some negative memories.

But of course Jim failed to go on to explain any of this to Alistair.

*that Jim saw someone in the tearoom

“My sibling and I are a handful of years younger than Peggy’s children - the late middle-aged squabbling over who was their mother’s favourite was hilariously true to life”
Yep. Sounded like Christmas dinner round mine. And our mother’s been dead for years!

It struck me that Jim was finding examples of being shamed in public so that Alistair might then understand how he was feeling...
This would make sense if Jim had been shamed before the Ambridge public. At the moment all they have seen is Jim's inexplicable behaviour. There is no hint that the Unwanted Guest has aired any dirty secret ... unless that is what Peggy's mystery get-together is all about!

I am of an age where I am forever having to go to elderly relatives' golden wedding/significant birthday parties. One of the first things people do is introduce each other and discuss how they know the host...before moving on to talk about the weather etc. Especially if they don't know many guests and are by themselves (i.e. Kiki)

Alistair has spoken to Kiki; why didn't he ask her whether she'd spoken to "wheelchair man" . Surely all the guests would have wondered aloud "I wonder why Jim stormed off like that?".

The Archers is just plain weird at the moment. Bickering in the run up to the Ambridge Flower and Produce Show can't come soon enough for me.

"I am of an age where I am forever having to go to elderly relatives' golden wedding/significant birthday parties."
rofl. Remember when you were a little child or a teenager and you were desperate to be invited to parties and not left out?
How things change.

Remember when you were a little child or a teenager and you weredesperateto be invited to parties and not left out?

Yeah, but that was usually parties where you knew John in the 6th form or Dave from swimming club or Pete from youth club would be there, not tons of ancient relatives.

I thought last night was a great episode. The sibling dynamic of Jenny, Lilian, and Tony made me smile, especially Tony moaning about the food. I'm also enjoying the mysteries of what Jim's tantrum was all about, and what Peggy is planning.

I'm not generally Lynda's biggest fan, but I felt sorry for her the other day. Jim was vile. I hope we find out what the issue is soon.

My sibling and I are a handful of years younger than Peggy’s children - the late middle-aged squabbling over who was their mother’s favourite was hilariously true to life

Sibling squabbles never really go away do they?

I'm just doing the Government's online Prevent training course and I'm certain it's Shula doing the voiceover

the 1.45pm slot on R4 is running an interview with June Spencer - worth a listen on iPlayer

Am I alone then in totally supporting Jim? He said, numerous times, that he didn't want an birthday celebrations but they arrogantly ignored his wishes, they got what they deserved, I would have done exactly the same thing. The difference being that my family know that and respect me and my wishes.
There's obviously a history etc somewhere but Jim was placed on a humiliiaing position by Alistair etc..