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.

But who left the grill on?
Had someone sneaked in to make some toast?

I wonder if the answer will be as unsatisfactory as Nic running over Matt ...

Perhaps Blake had missed his breakfast? Just hope they don’t pin it on one of the main GG staff.

Just listened to Friday and am even more confused about the fire.

Why would Blake be worrying about getting adhesive off floor tiles (you'd be needing new tiles anyway if they'd been wallowing in sewage for a few days)?

What, in a commercial (emptied) kitchen would have carried on burning for 20mins?

On the plus side, I am hopeful that Gavin will flee back to Wales or Canada, never to be seen again.

On the plus side, if

Asking has just reminded me of an open day at our local fire station, when they made everybody stand well back and demonstrated why you shouldn't put water on an oil fire:
Huge bang, loads of kids in tears....parents quietly impressed.

Just listened now. The discussion of Kirsty’s wedding sounded ridiculous with no reference to coronavirus.

As to the fire cause, agree with the above. It was almost as if they decided to dumb it down to the most layman-friendly possible cause- petrol setting alight- and shoehorned in the backstory. I guess they should have had a fire consultant on the job but we’ve not been overwhelmed before by professional advisers.

However I do have direct experience of a family member being involved in an accident and suffering a head injury and it is entirely consistent that Blake would not be able to remember what happened.

Wasn't Tracy going on about wanting a bacon butty, and wondering if Hugh could whip her up one? Or was that the day before?

She was, she said she'd wait until the end of breakfast though and then Emma turned up so I don't think there was time for her to ask Hugh, plus he had hot plates and griddles in the restaurant doing the hot buffet.

More likely the workman either trying to make breakfast, warm the kitchen up or use the flame for something (light a cigarette? Heat up some thing he was using).

It would have been far more realistic for it to have been caused by a blow torch used without proper precautions. Happens loads, really common, so much so that insurers exclude use of blow torches from many builders insurance policies. It would have fulfilled the public information remit then too.

Yeah, blow torch or heat gun. A heat gun would have softened the adhesive. Gavin'so has been conspicuous by his absence. I wonder where he is? Philip can't get hold of him, have they seen him since they got back?

Would they have done the report so quickly in real life?
I didn't like Oliver's tone when he was passing the news on to Philip.
Very much "All your fault, so I no longer feel guilty about panicking"

(i don't think he should feel that guilty actually, he pays staff to do fire drills etc. just because he lives in the hotel doesn't mean he is in charge all the time.)

Though someone should be to blame for Freddy not knowing where the fire exit was.

Would they have done the report so quickly in real life?

Sounds unlikely doesn't it Choccyp1g? I think Freddy said he got confused in the panic but not totally sure he did.

Gavin has been conspicuous by his absence.

Think he’s been around. Didn’t people say he’d been visiting Blake on hospital?

Tbf, regarding Kirsty’s wedding - it’s only supposed to be a tiny, secret thing. Do feel sorry for her though ...

(Not actually ‘on’ the hospital ... )

What was unrealistic was that Oliver was holding a hard copy report. It would have been emailed to him as soon as it was ready. Or in fact I imagine that the fire people would have come to talk him through him in person.

@SurpriseSparDay they were talking about the reception and having a band- I think that the setup is secret wedding and saying in advance that reception is an engagement party?

Had forgotten the reception!

That Won’t Happen ...

I know it was earlier in the week but I didn't like the inconsistencies relating to flowers. I was going to come and post on here as Shula, or was it Elizabeth, who referenced taking home Freddie's cards and flowers when he was leaving hospital, however, I don't know of any hospitals that allow flowers these days. Then the following night Robert told Oliver to take his flowers as 'you're not even allowed them here'. Either the hospital has a no flower policy or it doesn't (in my experience it isn't just restricted to ICU).

I stand to be corrected by anyone who knows more then I can stop being annoyed!

oliver seems to be the type/age that prints everything

I am very dubious about the petrol explosion. I may do some calculations...

(I'm not at home at the moment, experiencing the coronavirus crisis in the US instead, but I will be back next week and will do some sums in between figuring out how to move my teaching and exams online. We live in interesting times)

I noticed that about the flowers too, and forgot to post about it. They did contradict themselves. Flowers haven't been allowed for years.

Do we know Oliver, in the way we know other characters. We know Lillians faults, we know Brian's faults, and so on. Is this the first time we have actually seen who Oliver is.

Thing is, the SWs for a period seemed inclined to cast him as a bit of a lightweight, character - Caroline’s clueless rich boyfriend. So on the occasions he had to be presented as more serious it was kind of hard to completely believe the switch.

Caroline was always the live wire in their relationship, IIRC () he fell in willingly with whatever she suggested - fostering, Italian lessons, buying GG. I’ll never forget his proposal - which was essentially a business proposition as they were buying the hotel together and she would be moving into GG with him. (Selling The Dower House in the process.) Shula was heroic on that occasion and got him to re-do it ‘properly’.

Guess what I’m saying is I’ve always had to assume there’s more to him that bumbling kindness, solidity, trustworthiness. He has obviously been wonderfully kind to first Ed, then the Grundys en masse. They’ve never tried to give the impression he’s a deep thinker or blessed with any particular imagination.

Our local hospital has flower policies that vary by ward. None allowed in ICU but they are in some areas.

Has anyone linked to this yet?

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2p3TPtp4BNQLRr9qd2K0swj/6-moments-that-changed-the-archers-forever

I didn't listen much last week, have they mentioned coronavirus yet?
That will do for several cast members. Starting with Peggy.

I did a couple of days ago, UntamedWisteria - but it’s a link well worth repeating.

They haven’t mentioned the virus - we can only guess what the SWs are doing at the moment. Though I’d be relieved if any hasty re-write involved no more than a single comment on the 🧟‍♀️apocalypse - maybe a friend of a friend in distant Felpersham, or a farming conference cancelled, a day’s drive away. Could seriously do without it in Ambridge.