Archers thread #116: Pandemic fears, markets crash but it's BOOM 💥 time for Ambridge. 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 employ Philip Moss & Son to fix your soil pipe, 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! (New thread likely to be replacing that one very soon, in the current circumstances.)

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 thread title idea, which I tweaked, and @springydaff for the 💥 emoticon, which I hope is in the title! (Can't preview the title). Welcome, lurkers and lapsed listeners, drawn out of the shadows by the current crisis in Ambridge. In the OP of the last thread I said I didn't think we'd get to Easter on that thread. We certainly didn't!

I am very worried indeed about Lynda and concerned about Oliver too. Don't care about Gavin unless it means Kirsty is cheated out of yet another wedding. Freddie's redemption is now assured, though, surely? Roll on the return of the Lower Loxley crew.

Ok. This is REALLY bothering me.

Blake was "starving"
There was "no food" which was all Gav's fault according to Philip.
So, if there's no food. The kitchen's have no food in them, it was all emptied out and stored in the staff room etc owing to the burst pipe (as per earlier storyline).
Then WTF was Blake doing turning a grill on when there is nothing to cook under it???

I never trusted Philip. I found him positively creepy when he was the confident of both Shula and Alistair.
And the way he pushed at Kirsty to get her to go out with him. They way other people persuaded Kirsty to ignore her instincts and continue the relationship/ move in/ get engaged.

I loved the Brian Roy interaction.

Kerry has said the issue is that the studio has specialist acoustics for different locations, so remote recording will be a drop in standards. But they haven't cancelled they are just trying to sort out safety and logistics.

Oh and maybe that is why Joy? Maybe she will comfort Kirsty when she discovers Philip is a wrong un? I assume Joy's Ex husband was similarly somewhat criminal.

SpaceDinosaur
Ok. This is REALLY bothering me

Nothing in this storyline makes sense.

Hope Toby isn’t profiteering with his gin-based hand sanitiser ...

Thanks BoreOfWhabylon that really made me lol

It's a fairly low bar then

Yes, Langsdestiny, the men of Ambridge are not very good on equality and TASWAMA (although recent plots are good). I’d add Rex and Johnny to my short Ambridge Good Chaps list as well (as opposed to the Like to Listen one) and agree that Jakob has some good points. Justin and Brian are top of my Like to Listen one but Justin and Brian are untrustworthy in business and bed. I apologise wholeheartedly if the desire for alliteration has provoked distressing thoughts. I like Eddie too but Clarrie is a doormat.

Admittedly I've not watched Eastenders and the like since Sonya gave up playing her trumpet, but do they have such convoluted and implausible storylines? I can only assume that the writers don't really want to offend each other by saying "but that is ridiculous". You have to feel sorry for people like Robert, who knows a thing or two about medicine.

Anyway, I am sure I am not the only one missing the animal storylines.
There is a small 'farm' near me that does, or rather they did, a lot of work with young people. They have a rather wonderful twitter feed of their daily trials @caenhillcc. They have lambs, baby goats and a few cows and calves that can't wait to get out onto pasture.

Back to Gav and Blake, is it particularly obvious how to light a commercial grill?

If they can’t make high quality recordings what about episodes that are just people talking to each other on the phone? Or by Skype if they’re being modern? I’d rather have low quality than nothing.

I like Eddie too but Clarrie is a doormat

Eddie, along with Brian, Justin, possibly Toby all fall into that category of people with whom I might enjoy a social evening but would not want a relationship (or to see them in a relationship with my nearest and dearest)

I think we have commented before on the poor relationship material amongst the men in Ambridge. In terms of who could be trusted to at least try and form an equal relationship then possibly Robert, Neil and these days Roy. Jonny maybe, so long as you wanted to talk about cows and hair. I always found the way Jim talked about his wife quite touching and Jakob maybe has potential.

All the men in the "core" families are on board with TASWAMA or simply idiots or both.

The thought of being in a relationship with Roy is making me want to cry.

I’ve been meaning to give a BOOP for former couple Robert and Roberta Snell for ages. He’s just mentioned ‘Bobo’ so it’s reminded me! Years it took me to realise ...

Well Ambridge is pretty much on a par with MNet then with LTB ringing in our ears.

Roy and Neil may be jolly nice chaps but I think I'd end up running towards life or Justin if I had to marry either of them. As for Jakob - I think he is likely to be challenging to live with.

I would be surprised if Kirsty is not pregnant. Otherwise what was the point of mentioning the tea refusal twice?

She's always been one of my favourites and I wish they'd give her a bit of a break.

Robert/Roberta - Still not quite as good as Evelyn and Evelyn Waugh, my all-time favourite.

Tea - was Roy repeating the offer as a sign of his brain injury? I would like Kirsty to be pregnant , though, and bring the baby up on her own while Philip and Gavin languish in prison.

I’d rather have low quality than nothing.
Be careful what you wish for!
Also, the bar's not terribly high to start with so what are you proposing to inflict on us.

I always find radio peoples' obsession with sound quality a bit silly. I couldn't tell you how many times the crystal clear quality of radio didn't get through because the car engine was too noisy or the washing machine was on. My bête noire was John Humphreys, who got more indistinguishable the longer his sentences were - the pitch went lower and lower and lower until it was only discernible by elephants and whales.

Well Ambridge is pretty much on a par with MNet then with LTB ringing in our ears.

Oh indeed it is and I'm not sure I'd choose any of the better candidates but I think they are most likely to form a more equal relationship. All the others assume, to a greater or lesser extent, that women are some kind of domestic staff and relationship manager for them.

The ones who treat women as vaguely equal are all so needy though.

I’m quite enjoying evil Phillip.

Adam: “Too tired for an argument” 😂

This thread is so full of insight. Love it!

I was wondering why gavin is so vile when he has such an involved dad, now I know...

The ones who treat women as vaguely equal are all so needy though

Yes. Its a bit like trying to pick some decent potatoes from the bottom of the bin when the shops are mostly sold out.

I wonder if Neil and Susan are going to bring Covid-19 into Ambridge from abroad?

Surely the writers aren't just going to ignore the pandemic completely

Or are they.....?

Just been listening to R4's dramatisation of Your Blue Eyed Boy. An actor sounded familiar despite having an American accent. It's Adonis Anthony - aka Call Me Russ!

Weren't they Hevelyn and Shevelyn?

He Evelyn and She Evelyn.

Bloody hell at tonight's episode- Philip is properly evil isn't he?