Discuss The Archers #108: Has Ed & Emma’s ship sailed? Will Alice stick her oar into Kate's love life? Can Shula walk on water? Come and discuss whatever floats your boat in The Archers.

[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 @QuaterMiss for the title of this thread. For reasons of space had to cut out the bit speculating about Oliver and Tracy pairing off. Surely not!

Off now to give blood, something nobody in Ambridge ever does. See you all later.

When did we last hear anything from or even about LL? Ridiculous lack of balance not to have it even mentioned

Time critical events where the plot has disappeared:-

Is Lily going back to university in September?

When is Lexi giving birth?

What the hell are all or any of Lexi, Ian or Adam doing about getting Lexi and baby back to the UK?

Agree that plot lines have been abandoned.

I'd say the SWs had handed it over to the work experience secondary school placement. If it wasn't an insult to the student.

Brexit being delayed really ballsed the lexi’s behbeh plot up didn’t it? Are they still casting around to find a way to make it compelling?

What is Lexi’s due date? She seems to have been pregnant for years.

I know right! Do you think they’re planning to just leave it in there till after brexit and hope no one notices that she’s had the gestation period of an elephant?

If I 'm right and there is a 6 week gap between the script being written and broadcast, it makes sense for them not to mention Brexxx now, because it's changing far more quickly than their script does. I actually feel sorry for the SW's in THIS particular case

Good to see they listened to me regarding bringing more Horrobins to keep Tracy company at GG! (Even though stereotypically silly story.)

Well, that was a load of dross. At least the announcer said "it's Julia Pargeter looking for the mini-bar."

It was dross.

Working class receptionist behaving totally inappropriately taking mother into a guest bedroom. More stereotyping. Of course Tracey doesn't know how to behave. Utter bilge.

Glad though that Ruth may be getting an inkling that her daughter isn't quite perfect.

What utter tosh. Like a Carry On up the Hotel. But not funny.

Was that meant to be the comedy interlude before they get back to the serious stuff?

I don't know which script writer was responsible for that pile of 'aren't the working classes funny?' Heap of dung, but they should be embarrassed for themself.

I've just realised that Ruth was complaining about Pip not taking part in the bid because the point of it was to improve Brookfield and make it a better place for the next generation (eg Pip) to inherit. I thought the whole idea of Peggy's eco-fund was to make life better for all. It sounds like Ruth didn't read the memo that the remit, and hence the focus, has changed.
Peggy should favour one of the spread-the-word schemes because a project that will only benefit one farm and that other farms (who don't have half million to spare) can't afford to copy is a bit limited. There may be an amazingly short payback period but, of course, we never heard any of that.

What on earth was the point of that pile of crap tonight ?

The recent scripts have been insulting to our intelligence.

It was very, very bad - one of the worst I have listened to in the last 40+ years - just rubbish.

Intern “I’ve been looking at Mumsnet again as you asked. They’re very intelligent and perceptive aren’t they? I’ve had some great tips on how to deal with my boyfriend, does anyone know what LTB means? Whatever it is I’m sure it’s easier than talking to him about his habit of eating chips off my plate.”
SW1 “Great, super, so how are they feeling about the reboot, you know, dropping all the boring character driven plot lines and going for short, disconnected, unfinished stories. Are they appreciating the post-modern series approach rather than that outdated serial style that was so popular for decades?”
Intern “The good thing is that they have noticed”
SW2 “I knew they would, they’re just the kind of woke, young listeners we’ve been told to attract. They’re going to love the Brian transition episode, Briana will be a breath of fresh air.”
Intern “the bad news is that my analysis shows they will mostly have stopped listening in 3 to 6 months, if their threats to leave the Archers are realised. Oh.. and I’ve just realised what LTB means.”

Yes, dreadful episode. Tracy is Susan's sister, by the way.

"Briana" is a very funny idea.

When my DTs were tiny babies and any idea of a normal life was but a distant dream, my DP used to say "this is a day we won't have to do again" which I found comforting (if unbearably sad in retrospect now they are huge adults out in the world).

I feel rather the same about the last two episodes.

It's gone beyond slightly frustrating and into bloody annoying. What is going on? Why is it so crap, in a word? There is no excuse.

Report to scriptwriters: D- Overall very patchy work this year, with too many schoolboy (sic) errors. Your lack of basic knowledge of the subject is much in evidence. You must do better. See me"

I disagree about Briana being a funny idea, and as I've posted before a few times the current Editor's family history makes it exceptionally unlikely that he would want to introduce a cross-dressing/trans issue into TA. Google will explain.

I thought the whole idea of Peggy's eco-fund was to make life better for all. It sounds like Ruth didn't read the memo that the remit, and hence the focus, has changed

Well since Peggy's "charitable-but-keep-it-in-the-family" trust seems to change its definition daily I can see the confusion. Brookfield and Home farm are both treating it as an injection of capital for themselves rather than a long term environmental plan.

. . Just googled. Wasn’t expecting that. Poor guy.

Disclainer. Any similarity to real people in the characters in this script are unintentional and coincidental and based on the writer's complete lack of interest in, and knowledge of, the real Archers staff (who, being a solipsist, she does not actually believe to exist, other than a figment of her imagination.That goes for you too, other MN users).

But this was always going to happen when Tracey was give the job. They don't see Tracey as a real character.

Whatever else Tracey is, she's not a fool. It's ridiculous to pretend that it would come as a surprise to her that, as a hotel receptionist, she would have to deal with guests who are rude and who think they're better than anyone else.