💥 Archers thread #117: Welcome to the only C19-free area in the world! 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 think Phoebe is a genius, 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/3853783--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-5-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, 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.)

I put the BOOM! emoticon in the title as I thought it could transition into a vague likeness of a virus if we're still going by early May, when we expect some wild contortions from the production team to get Ambridge back in synch with the rest of the world. I think I would have preferred them to ignore it altogether but I suppose they couldn't.

Oh god. I thought it was Tuesday today.

I can’t keep up with what day it is in real life (don’t judge me, I have a four-week-old baby), let alone what day it is in the new time-adjusted Ambridge.

Monday was Friday's cliffhanger so today is Monday, and Wednesday will happen next Sunday. I think

I have the additional overlay of confusion by catching up with TA minutes after broadcast in the UK. But I'm in the future as it's tomorrow in Au. :o

Congratulations, Beardie!

Which Ambridge resident is the new listener named after?

Aww. Congrats, Beardie. Hope you are coping OK.

I like daisies and i like badgers (but they don't have a natural predator unless you count Dave Archer), but I don't like Pip. Today is Thursday.

Surely Sunday would have been Fridays cliffhanger, wouldn't it?

Surely Sunday would have been Fridays cliffhanger, wouldn't it?
Do you want to change your name to WheresTheTimeGoneNow? We have already missed two Fridays so we are two days behind. And add another one tomorrow.
Easter is going to be interesting.

e have already missed two Fridays so we are two days behind.

On the one hand, I find it jarring not to have a cliffhanger on Friday. On the other hand I've no bloody clue what day of the week it is at the moment so I'm not sure time matters any more

I’m trying to keep weekends ‘different’ as per advice but could not tell you if it’s Tuesday or Thursday.

Congratulations beard

there was nothing new in the way of concerns at that time

What was new (in contrast with the situation before Freddie's imprisonment) was that he was at that point a convicted drug dealer. Kenton was certainly concerned that it would bugger up the licence.

So, they're going to have Good Friday events next Wednesday, and Easter events next Friday? We're going to be terminally confused when they have the VE day Bank Holiday somewhere towards the end of May.

Are we now having episodes that were written and recorded around the beginning of March? Isn't it time someone mentioned being a bit worried about this pandemic thing they keep going on about on the news?

Had the repeat on this lunchtime. Listening to them all wittering on about their pressing day to day concerns I couldn't help feeling sorry for them, not knowing the terrible thing that's coming ...

Intern - Hello is can everyone hear me?

Intern - well done, everyone raised their hand and it seems that you all also have your microphones muted. Those 27 practice runs have been totally worth while, these things do take time to get right. Now over to SW1 to lead the meeting.

Long pause

Intern - SW1 you need to unmute your microphone so we can hear you, and maybe move your cat, we don't need to see his bottom.

SW1 - welcome to our regular meeting everyone, I'm sorry its taken so long to get going on this system, perhaps someone should have been a little better prepared, no offense young person but it has taken you a long time to get this working.

Intern - sigh (muted) muttering (probably including expletives) (muted)

SW1 - so does anyone have any suggestions of you we will ease Ambridge into Coronavirus in a few weeks when we run out of pre-recorded episodes?

Long silence

SW1 - can anyone hear me?

SW2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11 Yes, loud and clear. (in cacophonous chorus)

SW1 - so suggestions ...

Long silence

Intern - could we not consider just pretending that Ambridge inhabits a parallel universe where Coronavirus never happened? I think that might be popular?

SW2 - or we could simply wipe everyone out and start again, like in the Emmerdale plane crash?

SW3 - because, not to state the obvious or anything, when we get to the new episodes everyone in the real world will have been shutdown for weeks and there's no way we can disguise the fact that people in Ambridge haven't been. Unless we borrow from Dallas and have Lynda wake up to find the last 6 weeks have been a dream and she's been in intensive care in an induced coma...

Apologies from SW3 if he's stolen that idea from a previous post (it does seem to clever for him).

The Lower Loxley alcohol licence was suspended on Monday 6th August, 2018.

Freddie got out of prison on 29th March, 2019.

By the time Freddie came out of prison the licence had not been restored.

I do not think that Freddie had anything whatever to do with that last sentence: he was not on the premises (or in the same county) when Elizabeth signally failed for six months to do anything whatever about getting her licence back.

And the loss of the licence did not suddenly happen when Freddie was let out.

< long satisfied sigh >

That was a nice episode I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And I ❤ Tracey 😍

I know its been mentioned before, but... I so want Tracey and Oliver to get together.

By the time Freddie came out of prison the licence had not been restored.

I do not think that Freddie had anything whatever to do with that last sentence

The point was that he came back at the point when Kenton was trying to get the licence back, and was leant on not to go back to LL in case he jeopardised that process.

I so want Tracey and Oliver to get together.

They are rather testing our faith in this inevitable outcome.

But I don't mind a slow burn ...

What’s their age difference? Interest vs judgement

Nice episode. Poor Robert. So well-meaning but now terrified of letting Lynda down. BOOP for Lilian taking charge in a practical and thoughtful way for once. I wonder if eventually Roy will be General Manager at GG and Tracy will be his Deputy. I think I'd prefer her to be a long-term platonic friend to Oliver.

Good Friday today, no Archers tonight, and it won't be Easter Sunday when we're next in Ambridge. Sooooo confusing!

Congratulations to @BeardieWeirdie, and what a great name! I expect the baby has a lovely name too.

I so want Tracey and Oliver to get together Me too, but I’m happy for it to take time. I’m also wondering how Emma will feel when it happens.

U want more for Tracey than that.

I want more for Tracey than that it should say.