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.

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

I think you might be onto something there. Maybe Jayston left a letter to be sent to him, and that provoked the strong reaction. Although I suppose he'd have been unlikely to read that very late on NYE.

Just spent a while catching up on listening and this thread. As ever the thread was better value than the programme!

Two observations - will they won’t they rename The Bull? Well who really thinks they’ll do that? So another plot line that results in no change.

And - why so many new random one-line / mentions of type characters? Bella got to speak once while dumpling Johnny. Gavin who we now hear a reported speech / apology and the silent but granny fiancée Kelly. Alana the potential new barmaid (poor Emma). Catriona and someone else arguing at GG. The Greek chap whose leaving party we had to hear despite never otherwise knowing him. Roman. The hipster pub guru.

So. Many. Randoms. And so many old faces MIA and loose storylines that they could pick up on instead. Grr.

Good grief apologies for my phone / my proofreading.

Dumping Johnny and silent but grabby Kelly!!

great typos @HelloYouTwo

I now picture Kelly as being old enough to be Kirsty's mum and a chubby Johnny.

I suspect MN introduces typos into posts to increase traffic when people post corrections (post was changed to OST twice as I typed this, what on earth does my phone think OST is?)

Re the "random" characters..... Perhaps somebody will think to check with Jamie Perks about renaming the Bull and revamping it? Presumably he and his mates prop up the bar?

By now he must either be a 'wrong-un through and through' or he's an eligible young man. I can't remember what he sounded like so I am sure there are plenty of RADA students who could pretend to be him for a while.

FWIW about 5-10 years ago some of the rural pubs round here ditched their "Regal" names in favour of daft names like the Muddy Duck. They tend to last a year or 2 before reverting to the original name or go under completely. What's the betting they try to call it after Eccles? Eccles Grave, anybody?

Is Wayne still at the Bull? We've not heard about the kitchen much either.

Eccles. Another random character who we’d not heard of or about in living memory and suddenly he’s this great character who everyone at the pub loved and misses.

Does anyone love peacocks beyond the pretty feathers? They are loud and annoying in my experience!

The trouble with changing the name, is that everyone will still call it "The Bull", especially if they give it a hipster name, such as "The Crustacean and Artichoke".

Eccles. Another random character who we’d not heard of or about in living memory No, he was mentioned quite a bit in the past although not so much recently.

The trouble with changing the name, is that everyone will still call it "The Bull", especially if they give it a hipster name, such as "The Crustacean and Artichoke". That would actually be a realistic storyline with Lilian trying to make everyone use the new name, everyone else continuing to call it the Bull and having to change it back.

Lillian was brought up at the . This story line is shit.

The hipster consultant was nothing more than an unemployed graduate who had delusions of grandiosity. Several boys men I went to uni with invented themselves as consultants as soon as they graduated with a degree and zero experience, and I imagine him to be cut from the same cloth.

One or two of then got sued for giving presentations with slides stolen from our lecturers. They had changed the author's name and nothing else I can imagine him doing that, too.

So who thinks that Gavin has genuinely apologised and won't hate despise and resent Kirsty forevermore then?

We had peacocks in the quadrangle at school (which makes it sound infinitely posher than it actually was). They were horrible, screeching all the time at exam/ mating time and pursuing anyone who dared to cross their territory. Everyone was terrified of them. They disappeared one winter, there was a lot of suspicion about the source of that year’s Christmas dinner.

I knew someone who lived in a big old house with a terrace. Someone thought it ought to have peacocks and gave her a pair as a birthday present. I can still remember the quiet satisfaction with which she told us a few months later that a fox had got them.

If the bull was my pub and some arrogant, smug, self interested and untrustworthy business man told me to change its name, I'd squirt him with the soda siphon. Perhaps we may indeed be lucky enough to hear Kenton do so next time Justin asks for a pint.

Currently loathing everyone and everything in TA, frankly.

According to the BBC's website, Jamie is still doing his tree surgery course. Perhaps he's too busy with his fifth set of retakes (if they even have tree surgery exams) to contribute anything useful about the Bull.

This really is yet another utterly stupid storyline. Does anyone really believe that Lilian thinks that changing the pub's name and employing some barmaid she barely knows is the route to success and fortune?

I'd squirt him with the soda siphon. Perhaps we may indeed be lucky enough to hear Kenton do so next time Justin asks for a pint.
This is Kenton we are talking about, remember. He will be persuaded to spend money he hasn't got on a re-brand. Then he will spend even more money he even-more-hasn't-got on reversing the re-brand.
Did you note that the consultant didn't say anything about Lilian's recent redecoration efforts? (Not worth mentioning? The SW forgot that they wrote that bit? You decide)

Ok so Eccles made an appearance in 1993, went away, came back. But he hasn’t really had a mention in years until recent months, then Kenton got mentionitis about him so that he could be killed off for some comedic purpose. A bit like Nic having lots of airtime in the weeks running up to her death.

Well, people on this thread had mentioned Eccles fairly recently, wondering what had happened to him, so I suspect the SW saw it, and decided to tie up a loose end.

That would actually be a realistic storyline with Lilian trying to make everyone use the new name, everyone else continuing to call it the Bull and having to change it back.

I'd quite enjoy that, I think! Along with Kenton saying "I told you not to change it, but you wouldn't listen to me."! Kenton's annoying, but I would like him to be right about this rebrand.

A pub near me "rebranded" a couple of years ago, I think to something like "The Flaming Grill". The new landlords didn't last, and the ones who replaced them changed it back to the original name.
In fact most pubs in town have reverted to "original" names or at least ones that reflect the area.

Same in our village. Everybody still called it by the original name, and eventually they changed it back.

Another one in the nearest town, has had about 3 or 4 name changes (and landlords/owners) since we've lived here, yet we still call it by it's original name.

I wonder what Peggy will have to say about it? I do hope the SWs let us hear what she has to say.

Kenton and Jolene will be given a shortlist of names to choose from, to include:

The Lonely Peacock
Lilian’s (underlined)
Ambridge Arms

Well animal names are not trendy apparently so it won’t be the first one. ‘Lillian’s’ makes it sound like a wine bar so I’m going with the final option.

I’m sure we could find some better names.

Rewilding and Incompetents
The Hanging Storylines
Jamie’s