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.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

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.

Jim’s time at Stirling yoonii might well be after Alistair and his sister grew up. And that was 4 years ago

Jim was at Stirling?

I'm treasurer for a parish church in the C of E, and so I'm on the PCC with the churchwardens, and they do an invaluable role in the running of the church (in terms of the practical, managerial side of things). We have essential repairs to do on our medieval building, and one warden has spent hours talking to the architect, sorting out tenders, and seeking grants to help with the cost. The other has been working hard to update our website. They do a lot more and support our vicar closely. All on a voluntary basis.

So, a good churchwarden gives a lot of time and skill to ensuring your average parish church keeps functioning on limited resources.

Yes, Lass, it’s been mentioned a few times. It doesn’t fit with anything we know about Stirling and their courses and what they call different departments. Fiction, eh. It should at least be realistic. And going from Alistair’s accent, there’s no way he spent much time in Scotia when growing up!

Oops, did I say 4 yrs? I meant 40.

DDD, it certainly sounds like a lot more than Shula’s ever done. She’s not even had to fine the local youf for disturbing the peace of the churchyard. And she cleaned up the churchyard Ona whim IIRC.

I’ve just revisited my original posts at the time of the party - Fiona described him as a friend of granny and grandad’s and said she didn’t know who he’d come with. It appears now he wasn’t actually invited but came anyway. Why? No one at the party (ie everyone who had ever known Jim) knew who this man was or thought it odd that he was there which I think rules out a dramatic accident. I think he must be about Jim’s age which rules out a predatory paedophile surely? What kind of deep dark secret could be known only to Jim. Secret affair with his wife is possible, question mark over Al’s paternity - but would that reduce him to to tears. And all that stuff about God allowing terrible things to happen...

Keira sounds about 5.

I do enjoy the SW making Emma into a kindly confidante to young girls. It’s sweet. If only it didn’t seem so out of keeping with her insisting Ed risk trouble to get more money in

I found this episode upsetting. Poor Jim sounded so sad and confused when he smashed up the keyboard.

Lass - Jim even has (or had) a page on the Stirling University website!

I think the strange man and whatever incident happened must have something to do with the Church in some way, and I suspect a link to Jim's wife's death from all that "how can God allow so much suffering" stuff. Brilliant acting.
I thought Keira sounded better than Henry, but did notice the script writers can her saying "all right". But if she speaks there must be a dramatic story coming up...

There’s just been a brief TA comment on Today. Graham Harvey reportedly admits that in the 50s TA was used to ‘“trick” (wouldn’t we say nudge?) farmers into more efficient larger scale farming through the simple expedient of belittling keepers of small farms.

Not sure this is quite the revelation Today assumes it to be.

Not sure this is quite the revelation Today assumes it to be

That was my reaction! I was always of the understanding that the reason it was started was to share information/propganda about food supplies and provision and farming methods.

I hope Archers listeners have learned a valuable lesson from this. If someone says they don't want a party - believe them!

Why would wheelchair man come and then happily play the piano - Did he come to torment Jim? Or to apologise? Or is he simply unaware of Jim’s trauma? Is it possible that Harold did something terrible that Jim helped cover up - or at the very least said nothing about. Or maybe they did something terrible together that Jim can’t forgive himself for. Whatever it is it is something kept completely secret since no one else at the party seemed to know Harold - hence him hanging out with Kiki.

The wheelchair detail is odd- people in wheelchairs don’t tend to go to faraway parties on a whim as travel and accommodation logistics are so much harder for them.

I suspect that the Sw haven't decided yet what Jim's problem is. They'll pick up the best from this thread.
Alastair didn't appear in the Archers until he was an adult, so they pretty much have a blank slate.

How did Harold even know about the party if he wasn't invited and noone else knew him?

If my husband or children ever organised a surprise party for me I'd know they'd been abducted by aliens and replaced by replicants, so I think I'm safe. Phew.

I see we're motoring towards 1000 again. Anybody else want a turn at starting the next thread? If not, I'm happy to do it again. Thread title suggestions?

As for Jim, was that supposed to be his 80th birthday? I wasn't paying attention but that was a lot of fuss if it wasn't a round number birthday. Or was it 85? Alistair is coming up to 57 so either would fit. How old is Fiona - younger or older? (John Rowe, the actor, is 78 this year and Wikipedia says he's been in TA since 2007.)

I wouldn't be surprised if Harold turns out to have had an affair, or been suspected of having an affair, with Jim's wife, but the link we know of is from Jim's childhood. Harold = son of friends of Jim's parents. That very strongly suggests to me some kind of abuse link, and Jim's destruction of the keyboard made it sound like Harold was the one who had done something dreadful.

PS The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian, so doesn't have bishops or vicars or churchwardens. Each kirk has an ordained minister supported by Elders, who are members of the congregation. One of the Elders will be the Session Clerk and take on administrative tasks to do with the upkeep of the church building. Elders have pastoral responsibilities too, each one having a district with a list of church members living therein, and they are supposed to visit their members if they can't make it to church. I know all this because my parents are devout members of their local church and have been Elders on and off for decades. (I'm an atheist, and a sad disappointment in that respect.)

If my husband or children ever organised a surprise party for me I'd know they'd been abducted by aliens and replaced by replicants

Oh no ... I foresee an Archers storyline ...

Shula’s says “He spoke very highly of you”. That, considering he turned up uninvited, suggests a lack of awareness by Harold - who must be roughly the same age as Jim - certainly not much older if Jim is in his 80s. And yet Jim is talking about evil - “has God ever stopped on evil thing happening and there’s plenty of evil in this world believe you me”. Is this going to spring from a misunderstanding - Jim believes Harold did something (fathered Alistair or whatever) - which turns out not to be the case?

I’ll be really annoyed if the storyline turns out to be related to the Church - Jim was brought in as an academic and a rational atheist so to reduce it to “I reject God because the Church was evil to me” completely undermines the concept of an intelligent person simply choosing not to believe.

I don’t know why people are suggesting that Jim’s childhood was in Scotland. He’s not remotely Scottish. If he were, Jazzer would have played on that!

CaptainMyCaptain, I think the nice ex-neighbour brought him along?

Would you describe someone fathering a child with your wife as an “evil” thing? That God should have stopped? I doubt it.

Agree with pp that it must relate to the worst thing that’s ever happened to Jim in his life - although whether he’s talking about his own suffering or someone else’s I’m not sure.

I am not sure why we’re assuming if it’s to do with him sexually assaulting Jim that J had to be a child at the time. They could both have been young adults.

Or it could be something completely different. Like perhaps there was an elder child before A and F, who was harmed by Harold. Maybe he was a doctor who made a big mistake for example and J thinks of him as a killer?

New title suggestion: Jim’s in a jam, Peggy’s made a pickle and Lexi is blooming - sounds like the entries are lining up for this year’s flower and produce show, but who will be on the organising committee?

Fair enough Isatis.

Talking about God allowing 'evil' to happen is quite extreme and, I think, points to abuse rather than an affair. You would blame the participants for an affair but probably not bring God into it. Also, the destruction of the keyboard, saying it is dirty or tainted (can't remember the actual words) suggests abuse.

Would you describe someone fathering a child with your wife as an “evil” thing? That God should have stopped? I doubt it. I agree. Evil seems like a very specific choice of word.

I might be wrong, but can’t see The Archers exploring the issue of child or young adult sexual abuse in its 7pm/2pm/Sunday morning broadcast slots.