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 felt so sorry for Neil but immediately went on the Youtubes to listen to Captive Bolt Pistol. Otherwise QBL. It's a bit strange using an acronym you're accused of starting. :o

I think I can forgive Neil for losing his composure with Hannah sniping while he had to kill a pig

It’s a shame Eccles has exited stage left and that the consultant reckons animal names are out of favour, otherwise the pub could be renamed the Peacock and Bull. Which would make it an ideal hangout for SWs who can’t keep up with their own storylines...

Oh, and since Phoebe’s disappointing caricature as a tremulous eight year old rather than an oxbridge PPE grad, I rather enjoyed MUM dubbing her Phoeble. (Could be a typo but knowing you lot I suspect it was genius punnage).

Lillian was just awful, as was Hannah. I felt sorry for Neil.

Phoebe’s disappointing caricature as a tremulous eight year old

And Josh sounded about 14, going by voice and delivery. Is it the actors or the direction? Admittedly, Phoebe is also being written as unbelievably immature and naive for a supposed PPE graduate.

It's all a bit shit really.

Oh, and Neil is a useless manager and I hope Hannah does bring about his downfall/heart attack. At least she's overtly unpleasant, making a refreshing change from most of the rest of them, who are unpleasant beneath a veneer of villagey involvement.

How does Lilian think that steamrolling a business partner into something he doesn't want is any part of good management? And getting tension up between the couple who actually run the pub won''t help either.

I'm on Neil's side. Hannah is vile.

I hope Hannah does bring about his downfall/heart attack

Have we been listening to the same programme? Neil strikes me as one of many many managers around who really know their stuff but just aren't great at dealing with difficult staff. If Hannah wasn't determined to undermine him at every turn he'd probably be fine. I don't know if she'll go to the odious Justin because he's already warned her about the way she's behaving with Neil.

I loathe Lilian. I hate the way she's written and the way she's acted. She and Justin are totally charmless.

I know very little about employment law, but I don't think there was anything in what we heard of the conversation with Hannah that tipped this over into something like constructive dismissal. Neil was a bit tetchy with her in circumstances where anyone with minimal empathy would know he was stressed out and distressed. Given that she was in her usual default mode of "How can I use this to put the blame on Neil" that she uses for for every problem, she's lucky his reaction wasn't much worse. I really hope that, if she runs whinging to Justin, he tells her to get lost again and, ideally, gives her a formal warning.

I also hope this is tying up another loose end by getting rid of Hannah.

I loathe Lilian
Me also. I don't understand her popularity on these threads. She is vain, materialistic, unprincipled and needy, with an extremely questionable taste in men.
She seems to get away with a lot because she is kind to a Grundy once a decade.
She may be amusing, in a car-crash sort of way, to watch from a safe distance across the bar-room but she would be an awful friend.

I thought Neil was quite restrained in the circumstances.

It feels to me as though the Bull makeover is a metaphor for what is happening to the programme - some bright spark has come and said it's past it, it's had its time, what's really needed is a revamp to lure new listeners. So out with the slow, character led storylines (and indeed characters) and in with EE style dramatic cliffhangers and a fast changing cast of incidentals. Next they'll want to change the name of the programme so it reflects the whole village and not just a single family...

Next they'll want to change the name of the programme so it reflects the whole village and not just a single family...
Actually, I have thought for a while that that might be a good idea. The idea of it being about one family in one location is a bit claustrophobic and inhibiting. We need the women with get-up-and-go to get-up-and-go and we need some newbies whose income is not derived from the land.
It has to keep its farming remit but shouldn't be limited to only that.

What would they change the programme name to?
Umbrage
The Bull's new name (The Cock and Bull?)
Brookfield
Archers (no The)
No Farming Today (at Christmas)

I also hope this is tying up another loose end by getting rid of Hannah.

That would be great, but I fear she's going to be sticking around, if she and Jonny move back into No1.

Emmur-dale

Oh, I've just remembered, Josh suggested Rex speak to Neil. It would be really good if Neil fired Hannah and took on Rex instead. Don't know what would happen to Rex's pigs though.

Cow-ronation Street

“Lil’s gin palace” of course,

Wish Hannah would fall into a slurry pit and be deaded, she’s vile.

Or “the shit of the bull”

Am Dram?

It’s certainly a bit amateur at the moment Mike

Ham Dram?