💥 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.

• Now that a night and part of a day have passed since my last post I’m aware there’s a typo in my last sentence but I’m not sure what I wanted to say. Possibly something like he could be described as ....?

@TheSparklyPussycat, Colombo if you like though the thuggish police officers I’m better acquainted with are Gene Hunt, Rebus and of course Laure Bertaud (who I note posts on this thread from time to time) and Gilou Escoffier.

UnholyStramash, I actually googled 'descrambler' before looking at your post again and realising you must have meant 'described as'!

I like the idea of Harrison as Colombo. Seemingly incompetent but actually not.

I can't think of many with David as a middle name. Someone I know whose Mum was welsh has it as a middle name, and someone who is non-Welsh speaking but born and bred in Wales and he's Firstname David Davies.
Given how Welsh names work, he'd quite likely be David Philip Moss.
I know quite a few welsh Davids, Dewis and Dafydds.

Clearly I need to search out episodes of Colombo now to see what you all mean. Amazingly I’ve got lots of time at home just now - even more than some of you due to being in the shielding group. Every cloud etcetera.

@MereDintofPandiculation, I agree, though the screen is probably translucent, so would be up permanently.

Interestingly the setup immediately made me think of other similar literary scenarios, such as Monica Dickens’ “The Happy Prisoner” and the “What Katy Did” series. Such a useful narrative device.

Now that a night and part of a day have passed since my last post I’m aware there’s a typo in my last sentence but I’m not sure what I wanted to say.
I assumed that it meant something to those people who binge-watch espionage thrillers, crime dramas and police procedurals. As you can tell, I'm not in that category.

I like the idea of Harrison as Colombo. Seemingly incompetent but actually not.
I kept expecting (hoping) Harrison to say '... One more thing...' as Philip was half way out.

I'm watching ancient episodes of The Sweeney on ITV Hub. Harrison doesn't bear much resemblance to Regan or Carter.

Or Gene Hunt .

Gene Hunt's in Belgravia at the moment. There was a throwaway reference last night which made me snort out loud - something about him not being someone an aristocratic woman would be likely to have an affair with because he was so plain and ordinary-looking. As if!

Plain and ordinary looking? Hardly.

Robert sounds more and more like a heart attack about to happen ...

I've been thinking the same thing about Robert.

We've all been so focussed on whether Lynda was going to pull through or not, and scarcely given a thought as to how all this stress and anxiety might be affecting Robert.

I'm sure he must be exhausted, and he is in his seventies (l think )

If he is exhausted, perhaps he ought to stop moving furniture, especially without bothering first to consult Lynda about whether she actually wants it moved!

She has twice told him that she wants him to ask her before making arrangements on her behalf, the second time rather forcefully; so what does he do? Why, makes a whole lot more arrangements on her behalf without asking her first.

Prune. (The road to hell is paved with good intentions.)

Bit harsh!

And who are you calling a prune?

If he is exhausted, perhaps he ought to stop moving furniture, especially without bothering first to consult Lynda about whether she actually wants it moved!

Its bad enough trying to recover from any serious illness but almost from day one Lynda has been required to humour and even show gratitude for unwanted and inconsiderate "help" and "support". I think this is really well done by the LSWs because its pretty typical.

I also think its outrageous that Leonie gets to lecture Lynda when neither she nor Robert ever listened to her or actually asked her what she wanted, they just reinforce that sense of loss of control

Well, unless Robert was going have stairlift installed, he surely had no other option than to bring the bed downstairs.

But Lynda had been practising stairs, so the hospital OT must have thought upstairs wouldn't be ruled out, and would probably help her strengthen her muscles which will have wasted while she was in hospital.

As for Robert, he just can't help himself. They love each other...

It would have helped a bit if the SWs had put their heads (using that term loosely, you understand) together and worked out what the bloody woman's injuries actually are.

But leaving medical details aside (she can still speak; that disappoints me), wasn't Leonie's comment last night about women, screens, windows and Amsterdam about the crassest thing on TA you ever heard?

Oh God yes. I cringed. Surely no-one would really say that?

Wouldn't the hospital occupational therapist have gone to visit Lynda's home normally anyway, to check that they had what was needed and advise on any adaptations? When my mother was in hospital last year the OTs were all set to organise a hospital bed to replace hers and various other adaptations. There doesn't seem to be any suggestion that that has been done.

I have been disappointed in Lynda recently. She has been very shrewish. I understand that she is in pain, feels not-in-control, etc but does she have to be quite so unpleasant? If she spoke to Robert, if she voiced her concerns, if she explained then he might comprehend a little better. Issuing imperious commands isn't getting her anywhere. I hope that she heard Leonie's outburst.
I haven't forgiven Lynda for being vile to Freddie.

If I was Robert I would also be upset that she seemed more pleased to see the dog than him.

In years to come I suspect I'll look back on Lynda's return from hospital as an outstanding episode.

We got the whole history of Robert, Lynda, Leonie and Monty's inter-relationships and the varied power balances between them.

Robert utterly abject around Lynda, but like a tiger in defence of her. Lynda so on guard behind her walls and only able to let go in front of Monty, who she knows will neither expect anything from her nor be horrified by her appearance. And poor, clumsy Leonie who clearly, in all the years Robert and Lynda have been married, hasn't got to know her step-mother at all, but is fiercely protective of her father.

Really it was a masterpiece. Just horribly awkward to listen to at the time.

Double BOOP.

Completely agree, PPE. I also liked the fact that it was punctuated by all the lovely everyday cricket stuff. Mouldy kit!

All overshadowed, of course, by the knowledge that the cricket team will play no fixtures this summer at all.