Thread #106: 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?

[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 for the title of this thread.

Holding episode tonight, I thought - not much progress on any current storyline. I was a touch surprised Natasha wasn't offended by the postnup idea but I suspect she's biding her time.

Why not? because it’s hard to imagine a 90 year old man in a wheelchair making a spur of the moment decision to travel uninvited to Ambridge not knowing if there would be wheelchair access to the venue. I’m picturing the Duke of Edinburgh who would be roughly Harold’s age, then imagining him in a wheelchair. He’s not going to be a highly independent Paralympic type is he?

Thinking back to Kathy's rape case, she didn't go to the police initially but as far as I can recall what happened later was that the police started asking around about Owen because he had been accused of another rape in his new area, after Sid drove him out of Ambridge. Kathy felt guilty because if she had told the police what had happened the second rape might have been avoided (sadly unlikely, given the horrendously low conviction rate for rape) but she did go to the police then and Owen was charged with both rapes (and convicted, wasn't he?).

The parallel here is that if Jim went to the police now (which I doubt very much he would want to do) he might find that there were other allegations against Harold, or others might follow if the police went public about charging Harold (with anonymity for Jim, of course).

Can't see them going down that road, though.

"Choccyp1g Wed 26-Jun-19 18:10:33

greygirl Why does Kira sound so posh?

That'll be because she is the daughter of a well-known actor who is already in the Archers. Just guessing."

I'm listening to the omni now and was reminded of the above from the last thread. Choccyp1g, do you know anything about who plays Keira or are you speculating given past experience?

Actually even more powerful on second listening, hearing the build-up through the week.

Shula was astonishingly persistent. And the relief in Alistair’s voice once he realised that he wasn’t the cause of Jim’s behaviour. BOOP seems too small a word.

QuaterMiss - came here to say exactly that. I disagree with Shula's naysayers, the woman done good.

Yep, I think Shula done good too.

Re Joe's recliner, surely it wouldn't fit in Ed and Emma's new house any more than it would fit in the house Clarrie and co are going to. Affordable newbuilds are quite tiny these days.

Yes Shula's persistence and subtle arranging finally delivered. She's better than many vicars!

Re Joe's recliner, surely it wouldn't fit in Ed and Emma's new house any more than it would fit in the house Clarrie and co are going to

I'm assuming this is flagging up that Joe will "die" before they leave Grange Farm.

Ideallly in his sleep after a good night with the cider club. Rather like Phil's death in his sleep listening to his favourite music.

TukTukTaker

I was speculating on the basis that child actors jobs are always related to existing actors, and the Archers seems particularly prone to casting on the basis of friends and family.

Thanks for the answer, Choccyp1g. I was hoping you had some inside track info!

If Jim took retirement at 55 before 2007 that would mean he was born in 1952, and 10 years old when he sired Alistair, who was born on 14th September 1962.

If Jim took early retirement before 2007 he would have had to have been born between 1943 and 1952, and Alistair being born in September 1962 would make any d.o.b. after 1944 very unlikely, since Jim does seem to have had an academic career.

C8, I thought it presaged Joe's demise too. But Clarrie doesn't know that Joe is going to die so soon (although she sounds as if she has an inkling).

Ideallly in his sleep - in his recliner.

But Clarrie doesn't know that Joe is going to die so soon

Emma certainly isn't thinking in those terms, offering to help with a veg plot for him.

The actor playing Ruairi as a young child (strong Irish accent despite not having lived in Ireland) was not related to a cast member AFAIK. Henwee was played by a robot when the Rob and Helen SL was on the go. I think it was an older actor's voice changed by a machine to sound younger.

Shula used to get right on my nerves. She has gone up in my estimation since the divorce, am trying to work out why exactly.

On another note, does anyone know how the Archers adult childrens' names came about? I have always wondered because Shula and Kenton are pretty unique (I've never met or heard of any others) whereas David and Elizabeth aren't. There was a thread recently about siblings names going together and the predominant view was that parents tend to choose names which are all of a type.

Phil and Jill literally tossed bricks with letters on them and those names were the results.

Thank you Abra1de.

I thought Phil and Jill tossed Scrabble tiles?

Sorry, not that it really matters!

Mike - Henwy was voice by a real child actor - although his lines were recorded in isolation (so unlike an adult actor he would have had no idea of the context - so would sound robotic a bit like SAT NAVs where they have recorded sounds out of context to make place names).

oh ok. I was misled by my sources.
Casa Mianed ain't gonna happen.

No, and they'll have all the new furniture and curtains and stuff, a lot of it on credit, with nowhere to put it all.

God, it's so predictable. Even in poor families, it's not usual for 2 or 3 generations to all live together. I wish the SW would give them a break and a change of scene.

I found Jazzer and Alistair's efforts to take Jim out of himself unconvincing; you don't have to be trained counsellor to get that after massive unloading such as Jim did, he might want some time to himself. I don't mean they were clods, but neither character would have been so insistent. It would have worked much better to be later on, though it's the weekend, A and J are at work in the week. It's more of the SWs showing us the subject hadn't been dropped, I suppose.

My ongoing fear for Mianed is that they WILL get the house and then the fecal matter will hit the rotary blades causing them to fall into arrears on their mortgage and then lose everything.

I am by no means an Emmur fan, I rather dislike her but I hate the way she is portrayed shopping beyond her means for their new home. I think there is some cruelly mocking about the whole and it's uncomfortable listening.