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.

Oh, yeah ...

We were talking about it on the other thread. Forgot to mention it here ...

Thinking of the Berrow building work, I was about to say "Oh, Neil can't have anything to do with the hiring he's been on holiday in the Canaries for yonks".

Then I reminded myself of all the illegal timeshare scams and money laundering that used to go on there.

It would be a lovely Easter treat if Hannah is found to be involved in all of this. She and Gav might have to do a runner!

SurpriseSparDay I’m not sure we can blame Kirsty for not doing her admin. Due diligence on whether the Modern Slavery Act has been complied with is one thing if you’re acquiring a business and another if you’re acquiring a husband!

I definitely heard horses as well but he went on to describe the horses as talking, I think, or doing something else that actual horses don’t do. Besides, if Blake were an actual horse you’d have thought they would have noticed at Borchester General...

I don’t mind the storyline as a whole but would have preferred a bit of a slower reveal, rather than Gavin spelling it out to the audience by saying “people would call them slaves”. We could quite easily have seen more and more parts of the horrifying picture emerge while Philip and Gavin continued to use euphemism and self-justification to each other, and it might have been more realistic...

not understanding at all why Phillip has started twirling his moustaches? Need to do a catch up

Those evil bastards! They let them starve.

Interesting compare and contrast between poor Blake and the First Family son.

Well! That is the most ludicrous character rewrite since I don't know when!

Philip was GOOD and now he is badder than a bad thing. Was expecting him to strangle Blake to keep him quiet.

Poor, poor Kirsty.

it might have been more realistic...

TASWAMA and also cannot resist laying it on with a trowel.

@Madcats I would forgive this storyline entirely if it meant Hannah got her comeuppance.

Ooh. Maybe Joy gave up a child for adoption, and Rosh L doesn't really exist in the way we've heard but she turns out to be an Ambridge resident. Someone with a Northern accent.

Blimey... Philip Moss has transformed into Mr Nice Guy to a complete psychopath. Remarkably quickly.

Ludicrous character transformation for Philip, or it is meant to be along the lines of these neighbours who always remark on the pleasant, helpful nature of the suddenly-revealed murderer?

Any way, yes, poor Kirsty.

Not sure Philip was Good before. He was just rather Dull.

Wow, what a wholly unpleasant episode that was.

Words fail me where Philip is concerned, but the distress and fear in Blake's voice really upset me. It's not 'just' slavery - it's emotional abuse and evil torment aswell. Horrible.

As for the rewilding, that fence post displayed a firmer grip on reality, and far more intelligence, than those three self-satisfied and deluded clots.

Justin is going to chew them up and spit them out when they've served their purpose - and they won't know a thing about it until it's all over.

Well, a BOOP for Blake's actor, Luke MacGregor. He did well.

Right. I'm late to the party and have only just finished last week's omnibus. I'd read this about 'slaves' and foolishly thought you'd been reading too much into it. BLIMEY!

I concede grudgingly that Adam was 100% in the right about not employing Josh.

Why, Miss Barbary? Josh has not been charged with any crime, and for all we know may not be. He might be tomorrow, of course, but Adam can't know that in advance. And Adam is definitely deciding that he is guilty without the formality of a trial, which is bad behaviour.

Adam is just resisting employing anyone because Brian has suggested that he is too tired and overworked to be doing the job properly -- which is something he's been making a great big fuss about himself, for as long as we have known him but even more since Christmas or so.

Josh has been arrogant and foolhardy. If he hasn't committed a crime it's down to luck, not good judgement.

Josh is not a good look for the business and Adam is perfectly entitled to take that into account.

Surely the police will see through the story Blake is being coached in.

Even allowing for Blake's injuries "I can't remember where I bought petrol" is utterly implausible.

Adam cant afford any more dodgy behaviour in relation to his business.

Adam cant afford any more dodgy behaviour in relation to his business.
Isn't Brian helping out? The only convicted bad 'un gets to work at Home Farm Enterprises but it's a 'no' for Ed and Josh (Adam's second cousin, don't forget) who could desperately do with some work.

Add in Phil & Gav, and the baddie count in Ambridge is getting a bit ludicrous.

I doubt that something done by somebody else when Adam was ten is likely to be held against him! And there is as far as we know no other "dodgy behaviour" associated with Home Farm.

In any case, Lynda is in hospital for the foreseeable future; who else is Adam expecting to be noseying censoriously about at Home Farm? he is the only person working there at present: that was why he employed Ed, because his previous employee Jeff had retired with a damaged spine.

I doubt that something done by somebody else when Adam was ten is likely to be held against him
The deed might have been done years ago but Brian's trial was only last year (or the year before? I'm losing track) so very much current.
Brian should stop helping and leave Adam to his own idiocy.
How come Home Farm, which is so big that it contracts out to others, is run by just Adam and Jazzer but Brookfield and Bridge Farm need whole families to run them.

I think Brian vaguely hopes that Home Farm might survive having Adam in charge of it.

What he should have done, of course, was sell it as soon as it became clear that he was going to be blackmailed about it by his wife and her two charming children.

The Phillip thing is quite clever because we didn’t see it coming. The bit a couple of weeks ago where he’d been disappearing when Kirsty was looking for him was interesting because it made me think ‘oh no, Phillip isn’t a bad guy is he? And bad luck wouldn’t happen to Kirsty twice??’. Then when it was due to him finding a venue it all seemed like ‘of course he’s not a bad guy!’