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.

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 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3439443-keep-it-to-yourself-the-archers-spoilers-thread-4, 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 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 think Jennifer would have been a teacher and written thrillers, and Lilian would have run the Stables. They had those things before they married money. And Tony would have been the successful one of the family and wouldn't have had such a massive chip on his shoulder about being looked down on by them.

Although its a lot easier to earn if you have a substantial start and assets behind you.

Very true.

Funny how the pub no longer has the magic money tree.

think Jennifer would have been a teacher and written thrillers, and Lilian would have run the Stables. They had those things before they married money

I can absolutely see Jennifer teaching history and writing thrillers very successfully as a secret sideline until the book trail becomes too time consuming

Yes the stables for Lilian but I suspect she would have made more of them than either Christine or Shula. She has a spark when she applies herself which neither of them have ever shown.

Tony is the one of the three who never had that spark or drive. A hard working decent man mostly who cares about things but I think he would always need that drive from a partner to make a success of things. In non monetary terms he is successful - he and Pat had no inheritance to help get them started and they built up the business in spite of oposition. They may not be squilionnaires but they haven't done badly. Brian started with a sodding great inheritance, as did David.

Oh how my heart sank to hear Pip's voice.

"How dare that woman break up with my son without any reason or explanation." (I paraphrase). Shula is an absolute tool.

“How dare that woman break up with my son without any reason or explanation." (I paraphrase). Shula is an absolute tool”

Mind you, as the mother of adult children who have had their ups and downs relationship-wise, I identified with that attitude more than I wish I had.

Bertrand yes but have you called time on your marriage like a bored teenager without any discussion (and then wanted to remain best buddies)?

No-but I am absolutely sure that even if I had, i’d still mother tiger at anyone who dared to dump one of my babies.. And I reckon Shula paused for consideration longer than I would have done when Alasdair pointed out the inconsistency of my position!

I thought the mother tiger bit was really good, though obvs v annoying too because everything with Shula and the boring vet annoys me.

Northern Oh I'm quite liking Al and Shul now, better than when they were married. I never actively disliked them, but then I don't mind Pip either.

Bert I know what you mean

I loved the Alistair and Shula scene, I was waiting to see whether she would eventually hear herself speaking and the penny would drop, but it was great to have Alistair have to spell it out for her. It was like that running sketch on the Mary Whitehouse Experience where the two guys would keep heaping insults on each other with the line 'That's you, that is.'

I think Jennifer would have written historical novels not thrillers.

Yes- very well researched and well written historical romances.

C8H...... I always imagine Lilian having 'substantial assets'

Sorry, couldn't resist it!

Jenny wrote a book with John Tregorran, didn't she? On the history of Ambridge.

Title suggestion for a future episode: When Hilda met Webster.

Oh cripes! Pip's resurfaced. She's no less unbearable, is she?

Lilian serving behind the bar made my day 😊 It's the perfect job for her! Why the SWs didn't think of it before now is a mystery to me.

Two quick questions please:

Where is Oliver living these days? I seem to remember he was staying at Grey Gables - is he still there?

Who owns The Bull? Is it Hazel Woolley?

Jolene and Kenton, Lilian and Jamie own the Bull

Thankyou, MikeUM.

I have a bad feeling about the housewarming. Alice on the wine while Chris is practicing his shoeing...

I suggested that Jennifer would write thrillers because she'd had one published before she met Brian, hadn't she? or was it a 'tec? Anyway, he was very proud of his clever wife, the author.

Did she? Wow. I was thinking something Antonia Fraser-y, but AF wrote the Jemima Shore books, didn't she.

Yes, she did! Ten or so of them.

I don;t think that Jennifer, any more than Heyer, had the necessary discipline to write factual-historical as Fraser did. I think Fraser's only historical fiction is a couple of books for children about Robin Hood and King Arthur.

Kenton does not own the Bull! Nor is he the landlord.

His wife owns a bit less than a 49% share in it, Lilian owns 51% and Jamie has "a few shares".

You're right. He isn't the landlord.
I wonder if Jamie ever sits silently sipping his drink in The Bull. Maybe his mother goes there with him.

I was thinking something Antonia Fraser-y, but AF wrote the Jemima Shore books, didn't she

I was thinking teaching history and writing thrillers (or crime) but possibly along the lines of CJ Sansom with a side order of Fraser.

I think Jennifer has the discipline to write and check facts. I think she is far more capable than generally credited.