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

[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 to share a camomile tea with Kate, 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 @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?

It did seem odd hearing him with a northern accent though. That lady's son is seriously in denial though, not believing she could get up there on her own, and now not believing she could have had an affair.

Or is it the SWs' fault that we no longer believe in the characters?

I’ve been wondering about this too MereDintofPandiculation SurpriseSparDay. I have got irritated by the Ambridge Personality Transplants. The characters I do ‘believe’ in - Helen, Susan, Peggy - have been very consistent so it is really easy to say ‘Oh, typical’, when they do something. I also understand why the scriptwriters might want to explore a New Ishoo so we have Lizzie’s depression or Jim’s PTSD, even though it made them behave very atypically. Other storylines seem just really careless. Somebody mentioned Ruth going to New Zealand when discussing Bridge Farm finances. I remember being so irritated when she stayed away over Christmas as she had always been slightly over involved in her children’s lives and was always really maternal - eg trying to keep the lines of communication open with Pip when she was with Monstrous Jude. That’s why I don’t find her behaviour towards Josh over his business (coughs politely) and Pip over the rewilding believable.

I get that the editor and scriptwriters feel that they need new plots and characters to attract new listeners and keep things fresh but it does seem a bit haphazard. What is Joy doing? Why do characters like Richard Lock and Carol Tregorran appear for a couple of weeks, dominate every episode, and then vanish? I won’t include Rob in this as I do think Sean O’Connor was single handedly responsible for a lot of the farcical elements in that plotline, such as everyone but Kirsty and Ian believing Rob was lovely. Pat went to Greenham FGS - why would she think Helen being locked up in Blossom Cottage being a Stepford Wife was a good idea?

I nearly wrote ‘well that’s my 2p worth’ but it is a huge ramble I still listen, despite my moans, so it can’t be all negative

I know Reading well, including MERL. My first job after graduation was in the university library.

@nettie434, Ruth lives at Brookfield not Bridge Farm.

Was the roof still leaking when you were working at the library, EBearhug?

Ruth lives at Brookfield not Bridge Farm.

How could I have made such a howler, *MikeUniformMike, especially after the attenuated Prudhoe storyline? I obviously was getting into Full Outrage Accuracy Collapse mode. Mind you, after the Joy episode, I am now worried Tom will accuse Ruth of designs on Tony.

Brookfield gets called Bridge Farm fairly regularly on here.
They are fairly similar names.

Three farms within three hundred yards of each other all beginning with B is bound to lead to confusion.

Is the 3rd one Berrow?
That is awfully close.

The other frequent mix up is Willow Farm and Willow Cottage.
Roy and Freeble live in Willow Farm, and the Aldridges are in Willow Cottage.

Willow Cottage is a glorified granny annexe but homes Brine, JD and Ruery. I imagine it to have a ground floor space of the Home Farm family bathroom, but buildings in Ambridge can expand and contract as required.

I bet Ed sees Emma out with Gavin, and rescues her.

I was cheering Susan on when Emmur said that she refuses to iron Neil's underpants.

Cant Emma just be on her own, and try and work out what she wants. Why does she have to be with Gavin or Ed. She is more interesting on her own. As is Tracey.

It seems very hard on Susan and Neil to have Emma and the children living with them for ever, while Clarrie and Ed have their adult sons stuck with them for ever as well.

I would like Ed and Emma to get back together but after a period of redicovering each other.

I think Emma said to Tracey that it wasn’t a date with Gavin. But I agree she doesn’t need paired up. I imagine Gavin would make a terrible step-father too.

She doesn't want to think of it as a date, but she's in denial.

I'd like the older adults, all of them, Jill, Pat and Tony, Liz, etc, etc, to all be able to live without at least one of their very adult offspring still hanging on their apron strings. However, if that happened, there'd be no younger people living in Ambridge , because nobody could afford it.

I enjoyed the contemporaneous reference to 10 Downing Street!

Thank goodness they didnt escalate the steroids storyline too quickly, I was worried they might do that.

Langsdestiny

Also pleased to see topical references.

Ridiculous steroids twist. And where does Freddie get off on snooping, taking Johnny's property and then destroying it? Very high-handed.

about a years worth of topical inserts in one episode- I wonder what they got rid of?

I’m so annoyed by Johnny’s character transplant. He’s a really sincere, thoughtful, hardworking young man who hated the mess Freddy made, there’s no way he would start taking steroids. Not to mention how he’s meant to have gotten hold of them,

Surprise that's an interesting theory.
Asking questions Hadn't realised Nigel's death was simply because some editor wanted to "make an impact. Words fail me.

nettie that's a pretty good summary.

Not to mention, the possibility of Freddie losing his job and getting sent back to prison, if Lynda thinks he's dealing again.

Ooh thanks MereDintofPandiculation. Here’s a link to the blog by Vanessa Whitburn who wanted impact and to ‘shake Ambridge by the core’, as mentioned by AskingQuestionsAlltheTime:

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thearchers/entries/d1a264af-96cc-329d-b313-63994ace5452