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Archers thread #115: Johnny's in the gym, Josh is in a jam, Rex is riled, Kate's with child - discuss The Archers here

982 replies

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 10/02/2020 14:37

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

Archers 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 share a camomile tea with Kate, or other unusual views. Grin

Archers 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!

Archers 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 excellent Bert Fry tribute title!

I don't think this thread will get us to Easter, but we should be well into Lent before we need a new title. I wonder if St Stephen's will have a new oh-so-interesting Lent initiative this year. When did we last hear from Alan?

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Graphista · 20/02/2020 15:21

Well I now have to admit I'm hooked! Only a few episodes in!

Missed yesterday's as I was busy doing something and I'm now listening to it on "catch up"

I take it there's no cure? Grin

Abraid2 · 20/02/2020 15:31

Actually there is. Something can happen that annoys you so much it's over. My husband hasn't listened since Nigel (Elizabeth's husband) fell off the roof.

Chemenger · 20/02/2020 15:44

I only listened once a week during the Helen Rob saga, so I knew when it was safe to go back.

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 20/02/2020 16:06

Ben failed his test on 2nd July 2019, retook it on 16th July 2019 and passed. There was some complete bollocks about getting Leonard to park illegally so that Ben wouldn't be asked to do a hill start a second time, that being what he had failed on.

WheresThatCatGoneNow · 20/02/2020 16:17

AskingQuestions - Oh yes, silly me Blush

I remember now!

WheresThatCatGoneNow · 20/02/2020 16:22

With all this non-stop, high-octane drama, it's hard to remember everything.....

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 20/02/2020 16:26

It helps if you haven't dozed off when it happens, too. I am finding that more and more difficult to achieve. It's got like listening to the shipping forecast if you actually want to hear a particular area's weather: you are as likely to miss it as not.

Taswama · 20/02/2020 17:29

I switched to listening to the omnibus at the heights of the Rob and Helen saga as I found single episodes where it was just them unbearable. I have no personal experience of domestic abuse so I hate to think what it would be like for someone who had actually been through it.

Madcats · 20/02/2020 17:51

Thanks to Ben (and then Asking's dating of repeat test), I've been reminded that I missed most of July's Archers.

Wouldn't it be ludicrously expensive for Ben to be insured to drive Josh's car? I hope he doesn't get a fine or crash the thing.

Shouldn't Brookfield be busy lambing?

WheresThatCatGoneNow · 20/02/2020 19:54

There were a heck of a lot of very vocal sheep in the background when Freddie was giving Josh his pep talk.

Presumably to indicate (to us) that they're having a busy time with sheep just now.

MollyButton · 20/02/2020 20:06

Madcats - actually I expect the farm has some kind of multi car policy, and probably added Ben to all the cars. Although for my DD it was very expensive to add her to our insurance, but for her car it was cheaper to have as her father and I added.
Some places are much cheaper before you pass your test, some better after.
But Ben will need to be able to drive to be of most use to the family.

nettie434 · 20/02/2020 20:38

Well I now have to admit I'm hooked! Only a few episodes in!

Grin It is addictive and even more fun ‘listening’ with the posters here. I couldn’t take the omnibus during the Rob Helen coercive control period but I like to fantasise that the editor and scriptwriters learned from this as I think quite a few listeners felt this way.

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 20/02/2020 20:38

But Josh's car doesn't belong to the farm, and he is not a farm employee. Would the company he hires it from be happy about him letting his not-yet-18yo brother use it?

WheresThatCatGoneNow · 20/02/2020 21:17

Didn't Josh buy the car when he first made some real money from his business dealings? I don't think he rents it, does he?

MikeUniformMike · 20/02/2020 21:17

B@shitambridge episode.

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · 20/02/2020 21:23

He rented it in order to impress prospective clients; it was v. flashy and I doubt he could have afforded to buy it -- or that he would have done, being of the generation that he is.

But even if he bought it, it is not Brookfield's car; it has been made very clear to him that he is not part of Brookfield, and he is allowed to rent space from them and pay with labour for having a room there.

ANutAsBigAsABoulder · 20/02/2020 22:22

Lillian was fairly awful tonight about Jakob having convinced her easily about everything Shula had already told her.

The only thing I like about this Lynda nonsense is that we’re hearing more from Jolene than from Kenton. Does he actually own a stake in the pub? Or is he just there through being married to the part-owner? I often find him quite domineering about what should and shouldn’t be happening when he doesn’t have a final say.

nettie434 · 20/02/2020 22:46

Does he actually own a stake in the pub? Or is he just there through being married to the part-owner?

I know, I know ANutAsBigAsABoulder. A few months back a tweeter called Xanderl tweeted this:

‘OK, Lillian IS the boss! She owns 51% of The Bull, Jolene inherited most of Sid's shares (presumably the 49%) with "a few shares for Jamie".
Kenton presumably owns none of the shares unless Jolene has transferred them to joint ownership’

ambridgereporter.org.uk/Bull_History.html

twitter.com/hinge_xanderl/status/1151556415099740160?s=21

MissBarbary · 20/02/2020 22:54

Lillian is truly horrible. I think I dislike her more than Pip.

BeardieWeirdie · 20/02/2020 23:25

I love how our shared hatred of Pip is used as a standard with which to compare other dislikes.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 21/02/2020 08:06

That's what I thought the position was re The Bull. Why Jolene and Lilian tolerate Kenton's interference is beyond me, unless he has been employed as bar manager or similar. He behaves like a part-owner.

Poor Jamie.

For the benefit of our newer thread members, The Bull used to belong to Jack and Peggy Archer, parents of Lilian, Jennifer and Tony, uncle and aunt to David, Shula, Kenton and Elizabeth.

Jack died from alcoholism. Peggy carried on as owner but employed Sid Perks to run the pub. His first wife Polly died, leaving him as single parent to a daughter Lucy who now lives in New Zealand and for some reason didn't get left any share of The Bull. He married Kathy, who used to be very vocal but is now so worn out from running Grey Gables that she is never heard on air. Hmm

They were eventually able to buy the pub from Peggy with the help of a wealthy local man, Guy Pemberton. He died shortly afterwards, left his share of The Bull to his widow Caroline (Shula's best friend) and she eventually sold it so she and her new husband Oliver Sterling could buy Grey Gables (which she was running). As far as I can recall, that was when Lilian became involved. She bought Caroline's share out of sentiment for the good old days when she was growing up there.

Sid and Kathy had a son Jamie, who as far as we knows still lives locally and is a tree surgeon, but suffers from the same vocal chord problem as his mum. He owns a share in The Bull but appears to have forgotten about it just like everybody else.

Sid and Kathy had a dramatic break up when she found out he was having an affair with Jolene. (There was a scene in the shower which many still remember with a shudder. Grin) Kathy couldn't really claim the moral high ground as she had also had an affair earlier, which Sid had decided to forgive.

After the divorce, Sid bought Kathy out and continued to live in The Bull and run it with Jolene. He then died during a trip to New Zealand to see Lucy. Jolene inherited almost all of his share. She took up with Kenton about a year after Sid's death, and they eventually married. It's a sign of how intricate all the relationships in Ambridge are that Kenton had recently broken up with Kathy (yes, Sid's ex), having lived with her for ?a few years. Oddly, he never mentions her or Jamie now. Hmm

Jolene has a daughter, Fallon, from her previous marriage to Wayne, who used to be the chef at The Bull (is he still there? can't remember). Fallon is married to the police sergeant Harrison Burns. They live in Woodbine Cottage on the village green. Fallon runs the tearoom at Bridge Farm, with Emma as her trusted lieutenant. Fallon and Emma also run (or used to) a business upcycling furniture and so forth.

Have I missed anything?

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QuickNameChange123456 · 21/02/2020 08:10

"that stupid woman has managed to get herself killed and they've taken off the Omnibus!"

What an absolutely foul thing for your mother to say.

MikeUniformMike · 21/02/2020 09:23

A lot of things get said when somebody famous dies. The death tends to overwhelm the news an broadcast schedules.

MikeUniformMike · 21/02/2020 09:26

and not an.

The death of Diana was tragic, and who can forget the sight of those two young boys following the coffin?
The almost beatification by the press and public was a bit much though.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 21/02/2020 09:36

That's how I feel about it, MUM.

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