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.

“Clarrie’s so gullible, re Poppy falling asleep in class”

Yep. And where is Bev? Obviously she’s grieving- but surely she’d be looking out for her grandchildren more than she is?

Clarrie is not gullible,she didn't believe it, but convinced herself she did.

Actually yes. I think Clarrie is completely out of her depth with Will- she’s trying to help and understand but he’s currently too damaged- it’s beyond her. It’s awful seeing your child in pain. I read recently that having adult children is “responsibility without power”

I still think stepping on something sharp was just to add colour to the scene, and beyond perhaps Ian mentioning a sore foot, I can't see that going further.

Someone should really go back and analyse the success rate of Bore's predictions... But please don't stop, Bore because the crystal ball always offers intriguing possibilities.

And where is Bev?

Persona non grata, in another of Will's self-destructive acts. Turning away people who only want the best for him and/or Poppy.

Will and Ed, sibling rivalry and family loyalty combined - they're like a pair of knives propping each other up at this point, each with the potential to inflict terrible damage on the other but holding fire for now. It's mutually assured destruction, the Cold War writ small.

Blaming Poppy's alleged disturbed nights on Mia's absence was a pretty nasty tactic on Will's part.

“Persona non grata, in another of Will's self-destructive acts. Turning away people who only want the best for him and/or Poppy.“

Well, I would hope thT if I was Poppy’s grandmother iI’d at the very least talk to Clarrie about it. I know on Mumsnet, grandparents don’t count as close family so should not be involved in child raising, but in the real world.......

Will IS nasty. I really struggle to feel sorry for him. I think always being the 'lucky' brother has given him a sense of entitlement.

And I liked the skinny dipping. It's nice to hear some happiness.

Someone should really go back and analyse the success rate of Bore's predictions...

How very dare you!?!

MysticBore™️ and the 🔮 cannot and will not be constrained by spreadshits!

I would have expected Bev and Clarrie to keep in touch with each other, after Nic's death, and for Clarrie to have included Bev in the circle of family members helping with the children.

Bore - I never mentioned any spreadshits.

I could no more constrain you than I could constrain where the wind blows or the rain falls - but that doesn't stop meteorologists measuring wind velocities or precipitation rates.

Hmmm, D3. I may have the 🔮 and the Gift of Woo, but I bet you have pivot tables and all sorts of other arcane stuff.

I'm currently on holiday and will listen to the omnibuses when I'm back, but I'm actually contemplating giving up listening and just reading this thread from now on... You can enjoy the plots (or lack of them) without having to listen to any whinging voices!! Thanks for the updates everyone (although if someone could clarify exactly why Will is driving round in the middle of the night that would be great).

** If you get the podcast, you can see a pretty good account of each episode if you don't have time to listen (or want to check a detail). I think the full version doesn't appear till a day or so after broadcast though - presumptive someone has to transcribe it.

if someone could clarify exactly why Will is driving round in the middle of the night that would be great)

Is it just something gamekeepers do regularly because of poachers?

Sorry, bolding muck up.

I think he has to check on the young birds in the night at this time of year, perhaps.

I don't think he would take a five-year-old out checking for poachers; he has seen what may get done to gamekeepers who disturb poachers.

What I don't quite understand is why he hasn't been asking to have George sleeping at Greenwood Cottage so that Will could go out a couple of times during the night to check his blessed birds and not leave Poppy on her own for forty minutes at a time.

what would happen if baby ends up being born in bulgaria?
I used to have a colleague who adopted from forrin and had huge issues getting the right papers to bring baby home.

Bore - pivot tables? I can be doing with them. I think they're the kind of thing accountants like using.

*can't be doing...

I have pivot tables for my PTA accounts.

I think the point is that Will isn't leaving Poppy on her own, he's dragging her out with him, poor kid.

Why doesn’t Will offer to pay George to sleep over at Casa Nueva?

Alastair's sister was lovely wasn't she?

Is Mystic Bore going to predict how badly wrong Bridge Farm open Sunday will go?

Has it always had this structure of "spot the clue for the source of the next disaster"?

It's so annoying. I don't like the sense that I'm listening to Casualty.