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.

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

Was it, though?

I don't remember him ever being prosecuted for it. Or anyone else for that matter....

[Oneminuteandthenallgone]

She's just doing it for friendship, because she cares about Ian and Adam. She wasn't going to at first, but changed her mind, because the other surrogates fell through and this was going to be their last go at it.

I don't think that is accurate. She is doing it for cash as the income is allowing her to be at home with her other children. If it wasn't for this she would still have to be working in England.

[GeorgeTheBleeder]

Rather enjoyed last night. Sublime compare & contrast. On the one hand the delving into Jim’s past is having an appreciable effect on his present; perhaps the rapprochement with Lynda will be the first of several revisions. On the other, Adam and Ian, bounced into considering their present shared reality, are finding themselves uncovering treasures from their separate histories. The gentle reminiscing about youthful wild swimming was rather lovely. (Even if it felt invented rather than organic.)

I did think quite intently about this thread while listening to Brookfield. While the Liberty / Leonard point scoring was too obvious for Jill not to have noticed the similarity unprompted, I was right there with Liberty offering to make lunch. (Yet more of my young adulthood exposed to public view ...)

Though I notice Josh said she’s a catering student. Hope he’s not going down the Tom path of exploiting his girlfriends to further his business aims. (I know he doesn’t produce food, but perhaps he’s thinking of adding hospitality to his empire?)

[Motoko]

It annoyed me the way Jill and David wimped out of even laying down some ground rules, and telling Josh that it's not on to just install a stranger into the household without even mentioning it. Leonard staying is not comparable, as they already knew him, and it's up to the owners who lives there, not the (adult) child.

They also didn't pick up on Josh laying it on thick about Liberty's situation, nor that at first he said her family were dysfunctional, implying she lived with them, but then later, saying she lived in a houseshare.

[AlsoAForcesSpouse]

Does Leonard stay overnight

[Isatis]

Did Rob admit to blocking the culvert? I have vague memories of him doing so but maybe it's wishful thinking.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

I can't believe Leonard stays overnight in Jill's bed. It would surprise me if he even stays in the spare room. Where does he live?

I'm pretty sure the reason we knew about Rob blocking the culvert was the testimony from Stefan. Can't remember whether he ever admitted it on air.

[echt]

I agree with Motoko that the characters of David and Ruth, as so far established would not have worn an unnegotiated guest for one fat minute.

[GeorgeTheBleeder]

I can't believe Leonard stays overnight in Jill's bed.



Whyever not? (Other than that the script has provided no evidence either way?)

I was quite surprised by Jill being so territorial. (She isn’t, btw, an owner of Brookfield - unless there’s been some change I’m unaware of.) She could, after all, move back into her own home and take Leonard with her.

[R4]

I've just been catching up after a few days away but did it in the wrong order so I had Lynda knocking on Jim's door before I understood the subterfuge. Such is the state of TA at the moment that I merely put it down to yet another weird storyline!

The Liberty thing is another weird one. Apparently Liberty so loves the non-dysfunctional family life and green rolling acres of Brookfield that she is incapable of communicating this herself and needs Josh to convey the message. Has she said two words to anyone yet or is she too glued to her screen to talk? I'd forgive her not speaking if she was busy revising for exams but she doesn't seem to be doing that either. Is any of Josh's story true?

[BuckingFrolics]

Would Lynda and Jim really have warmed to one another in that way? They are both committed to seeing themselves as the only BA in the village, so to speak.

I love Josh's bluntness. He's going to be an unpleasant man perhaps, but for entertainment it's great listening to his counterpoint to his family's indirectness and unreasonable bias towards Pip. I know she wasn't mentioned but he's lived 25 (?) years being the lesser child, it must be engraved in his psyche that his family will be biased against him.

(Thanks george you made my day)

[R4]

Oh, and the Alice story: I think she'd like the idea of being Adam's aquaponics manager. She enjoyed being a hands-on grease monkey instead of a presentation-giving marketeer. She finds the PR/guff side of things too stressful, it's not her skillset.

[BertrandRussell]

Not sure cleaning fish poo out of a filter pipe counts as a “hands on grease monkey”!

Has anyone read “Ny Name is Red”?

And I though Jim taught Classics.

[MikeUniformMike]

Liberty has spoken to Jill off-mike.

[birdsdestiny]

Poor Liberty. Swapping one dysfunctional family for another.

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

The scenes with Lynda and Jim were so sweet. Made me feel warm and fuzzy

I think they have misjudged each other all this time, and I predict they will become firm friends, which is a lovely thing to happen.

Well done Robert, for inadvertantly bringing about such an awakening for them!

[Madcats]

The scenes with Lynda and Jim were so sweet....

Am I getting too old and cynical? I assumed that Lynda was simply massaging Jim's ego to get some background history for the "tribute speech" at the Jimposium.

Am I the only one that thinks that "swimming in the Am" is a spectacularly dull challenge (skinny dipping or not)? That said people round here invariably go down with terrible tummy bugs if they swim in the river when it hasn't rained hard for a couple of weeks...maybe that's the plan!

[Fink]

Am I the only one that thinks that "swimming in the Am" is a spectacularly dull challenge (skinny dipping or not)?

Not only is it dull, it's the sort of thing they could still do reasonably easily once they have a child. I thought the whole point was to do things now while they had the chance, things they won't be able to do in a few months' time ...

[HelloYouTwo]

I find the bucket list very odd. They are two childless adults with good jobs, they’ve had years and years to do anything they pleased. Not that we have heard much of them going on nice holidays / out for dinner / going skydiving / pursuing hobbies, other than Ian’s foray into cycling a while back. Why attempt to cram it all in now? When they might reasonably be saving their time off to see Lexi, prepare for the baby’s arrival, save up leave / get jobs done on the farm / train up some cover staff.

[GeorgeTheBleeder]

I find the bucket list very odd.

It’s so odd that I feel certain I must have completely missed an episode somewhere. And Kate being the one sticking her nose in with such enthusiasm? How, exactly, has producing children prevented her from doing absolutely everything she wanted to do?

[birdsdestiny]

That a good point, its not as if they are in their twenties with an unexpected pregnancy. I had my children in my thirties and I still managed to spend enough time drinking, going on holidays and sleeping. They are financially well off and in their fifties, what on earth have they been doing all these years.

[Isatis]

I got irritated with Adam sighing over Brine taking over the farm office. He really needs to stop whinging and just tell Brine that he's running the farm, he needs the office, and Brine will have to make other arrangements.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

Is any of Josh's story true?
Perhaps it's a business sideline and he's charging her rent.

[GeorgeTheBleeder]

Oh, don’t say that Captain! I want to think well of him.

I assume we aren’t hearing directly from Liberty because she’s very temporary. Would be great if she had a voice though.

[WheresThatCatGoneNow]

Yes, Madcats, I believe you are!

It was obvious that Lynda and Jim were both coming to the realisation that they have much in common - and could develop a mutual liking and respect for each other.

I predict Jim will have a hand in the Christmas production this year.

What does MysticBore's 🔮 have to say about that?