Archers thread #113: Who’ll find some Magic Time this Christmas in Ambridge? Share the glad tidings (and bad writing) in The Archers! Election-free zone so far ...

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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 Hannah to stay around, 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 @SurpriseSparDay for the title. I haven't heard 12/12 yet so must catch up now, seeking relief from the outside world.

and I have to say I think Elizabeth was just horrid to poor Robert

Elizabeth is frequently horrid.

In real life, the first (so far as we know) Ambridgian to go to to and graduate from Oxford would be a Very Big Deal. Roy and Jennifer would both have been in a tizz about the ceremony and what to wear ("a hat"? "Is it like a wedding?").
There would have been a family celebratory lunch or dinner at The Bull.

Yes, absolutely this. It was crazy that Phoebe's degree was completely forgotten in that way, particularly by Jennifer.

Thanks for Lexi; I was totally unable to remember her. (Lucky me.) When is she going to sign over Alexander Macy Craig to his new parents, I wonder...

I explained about The Archers to the assistant, turned out she had vaguely heard a couple of fairly recent episodes. It sounded like she might become a Proper Listener as a result of our conversation

What harm had this woman ever done you, TheSparklyPussycat?

Was there any significance to Jim's three whiskies lined up on the bar and accepting another one? The sickness seems to have been glossed over as a non event.

I found the conversation with Roy and Kirsty frustrating. Roy couldn't string a sentence together. In fact he was pretty similar speaking to Oliver too.

Justin Elliott claimed to have lost all his money in 2008-9 and had to start again, which sounds to me fairly self-made

Yes I know a few people who make that claim, some who made the same claim about the previous crash. Conveniently forgetting that they had a pretty privileged start in teh first place and that "lost all the money" referred to business money not personal money. They also had the network of friends, business contacts and banking services in place to restart very quickly afterward.

Most of the people who bleat on about being self made conveniently ignore having supportive parents/families, free board and lodging, bank of mum and dad for small loans to get started and the difference it makes having supportive people around you telling you that you can make something of yourself.

Rather than being told to leave school at the first opportunity, take the first low paid job available because girls don't need an education and your job in life is to look after a husband, kids and ultimately the grandparents (as happened to plenty of women my age and I'm only 50s.)

Matt I can believe was self made. Jim, Alastair, Jakob etc would be middle class university educated professionals - I'd say they have met expectations of doing well rather than being self made.

Robert might well be real self made. A lot of successful IT people his age started out in Ops as school leavers.

Could the current Roy SL be a Brexit one? The kitchen staff continue to ignore his instructions (because he does sound an incredibly wet manager), he has to sack them all, and due to Brexit he can't recruit any replacements?

Adjoa Andoh is returning to TA apparently so possibly there is more to run on the dead Jasyton or Jim's stomach stories.

I love Andoh, but having really good actors appear in TA does show up some of the weaker cast members.

I wondered whether Jim has also been told of the death and is drinking more to cope.

I had to look up Adjoa Andoh - playing Alistair's sister Fiona.

C8H10N4O2
Adjoa Andoh is returning to TA apparently

Where does that come from, please? (Not sure if it is a spoiler or not, so if it is, please don't tell me here, but there is a thread for spoilers.)

It was on Saturday Live this morning. I wasn't really listening.

Thanks, MUM. "Sounds" seems to be broken just now, so I might try to have a listen later on. (Or I might forget....)

What she said was quite interesting, so worth a listen, I missed the bit about TA i think. She's on it in the last 18 mins I think.
Saturday Live is one of those programmes that don't annoy me sufficiently for me to switch it off, but I don't actively listen. At least it is not repeated.

I quite enjoyed the Lillian and Charlotte thing and Helen Monks sounds just like (old) Pip in it.

R4 was dull over Christmas - too many repeats, and things that were too similar on the same day.

Where does that come from, please?

Yes as MUM says - was on Saturday Live and I caught it just by chance. No plot details were given, its not a spoiler.

I missed the bit about TA i think

It was definitely toward the end as I only caught it by chance (like you I dont turn it off if its on but nor do I seek it). I think it was also mentioned in the programme blurb, referring to her returning "this month" so guessing it relates either to stomach or Jayston.

Poor Jim: ignored for thirty plus years, offered no help when his broken leg made it impossible for him to be in his own house, and then made the victim of do-gooding by someone who hardly knows him and has spent a lifetime not caring about him.

I enjoyed Tracey getting Oliver to buy drinks as she had got the tickets for the ghost stories. Presumably Roman had actually paid for the tickets, not her.

I really can't stand Lilian.

BOOP Philip (I think, if this has been resolved)

I think it will turn out not to have been resolved at all when Gavin phones Kirsty.

Lilian is awful. Completely self-centred. Poor Emma needs that job.

I think it will turn out not to have been resolved at all when Gavin phones Kirsty

I rather fear that.

MysticBore™️'s first prognostication of the decade

plinky plonky music
swirly mist swirls
eyes roll back in head
intones:

Two couples, the males tied by blood, will plan a double wedding on a sun-drenched isle in the East
But will it come to pass...?

eyes roll down again
swirly mist disperses
plinky plonky music fades away

The whole proposed re-jigging of The Bull, particularly the bar staff, reminded me of this from "Back". And yes, Lillian is dreadful. Her enthusiasm for this venture is unconvincing, but then that's TA plot lines for you.

Lilian is awful. Completely self-centred. Poor Emma needs that job

Its also completely at odds with her history of low key supporting the Grundys, usually unobserved by the rest of Ambridge.

Apparently the LSWs still can't read those character archives. Perhaps they need some archive support.

I think it will turn out not to have been resolved at all when Gavin phones Kirsty

Yes, I think this will be more irritating Drahmaz.