💥 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.

The house belongs to Phillip, it's nothing to do with her legally.

Philip told Harrison he'd known Blake "on and off since he was a lad" (didn't mention that he was like an an uncle to him). Said he came from a nice family (no mention of Norfolk) and that he's got in with a wrong lot. The last question he asked Harrison before leaving the police station was whether they'd be speaking to Blake again, Harrison said probably which is not doubt why Philip whisked him away. Has Blake broken his back? I'm struggling to see how Philip could have taken him anywhere - even more remarkable than Lynda's bath with a broken pelvis. The Ambridge health fairy - no doubt explains why the village remains so far untouched by Covid 19.

Do we know that, lockdownstress? I thought they bought the house jointly and were both going to be contributing to the mortgage, which was one reason why Kirsty was hesitant to go for the part-time job with the Wildlife Trust, because it would mean a big drop in income. Philip told her not to worry about that. Their combined income would still be enough to cover the mortgage and other bills and he wanted her to be happy at work.

I don't think so. How is she going to contribute to a deposit, she earns sod all and always has done. I could be wrong but am reasonably sure.

"I just hope Blake doesn't meet the same fate as Stefan - almost certainly another of Knob's victims whose disappearance was never satisfactorily investigated or explained."

Stefan left Ambridge at the end of June 2015 with no explanation, but he returned to Ambridge in January 2017 and tried to blackmail Rob into giving him the money for a start-up. Then he didn't wait to see Rob for the second time when he might be given the money, but instead went to Justin Elliott and told him what he had seen Rob do. Justin paid Stefan off, Stefan went home with the money he had needed to start his business, and Justin sacked Rob.

she casually smashed the prize in a charity competition, scoffed it, and said nothing to anyone.
To be fair, I think it was a slightly tipsy Kirsty that broke it but Shula was very quick with the "oh dear, that means we'll have to eat it now" line and she never fessed up to Lilian.

Yes kirsty broke the rabbit.

Kirsty is surely going to wonder why Blake's parents hadn't been phoning to ask for updates from Philip. And why this is the first she has heard of these old friends.

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime thanks. I think you have actually corrected me on this misremembering before, but I continue to misremember it incorrectly.

Yes kirsty broke the rabbit.
Is this a deeply significant compare&contrast?
Shula invited Kirsty over for a reason (Easter egging) and fed her. The rabbit was left in plain sight where it might get damaged and Kirsty, with no malice aforethought, bust it open.
Philip invited Roy & Helen over for a reason (wedding planning) and fed them. Roy started asking questions about Blake and Kirsty joined in. I think that she will, with the intention of being helpful to Philip, bust open the modern day slavery scandal. Philip will be replaced by a frog who turns into a prince when Kirsty kisses him. OK, I've gone too far with the allegory now.

I wondered why we had the Shula/Kirsty episode - they are not usually heard together.

I wondered that but explained it away by saying that they couldn't afford it (transport from Norfolk, Travelodge, loss of wages). But you would move heaven and earth if you thought that he was at death's door, wouldn't you. Or at least make a phone call.

Absolutely. Plus, he was in hospital quite a long time - I'd struggle to believe his parents were working 7 days a week and totally unable to travel to visit him at any time. And if Phil was such a good friend of the family, staying in a Travellodge wouldn't be relevant, surely he'd offer them a bed for the night.

Boop for Kenton. Shula has zero self-awareness.

Please, please, please let there be a bumping into Harrison by Roy scene where Roy passes on this information and Harrison makes the connection summat is up. I don't want this dragging on.

Has Harrison ever solved a crime?

Lee ... ?

Utter bilge. Surely a physio or karate teacher would tailor training to each participant? And a coup d'etat? Thank goodness the Reality Change should put paid to that one.

I laughed rather a lot at the cricket training. Found my mind switching off during the Phoebe/Justin parts.

I laughed rather a lot at the cricket training

Someone had to, I suppose.

And we are supposed to believe that there is a possibility of friendship and some sort of common ground between Borsetshire's most incompetent but undeniably civilised hotelier and that grubby, gobby lowlife Horrorbint.

What happened tonight? The iplayer isn't working.

Well, I believe it

Cricket training happened tonight. Lee turned from a mild-mannered physio and friendly karate teacher into an old-fashioned Sgt Major/PE teacher martinet and nearly killed half the village.

Meanwhile, Phoebe and Justin were talking about something or other but I wasn't really listening.

Justin said he would pull the money if the Rewilders persisted with their harebrained eco offices idea.

If Phoebe does not at this point realise that the rewilders really do not need an office, she is even stupider than I had previously supposed -- and that would be really, really difficult.

She needs to start asking herself "what is in (this, whatever it is) for Justin?" Because he's not a philanthropic institution, and nothing he does will not be for him one way or another.

Nasty Lee is an experiment that the scriptwriters need to abandon. He's about as intimidating as a little puppy.

Pheeble is such a waste of what could have been a positive female character. They still have time to fix this but not much more.

Pheebs is a true professional. She has a spreadsheet.

Lee's personality change is ridiculous. I'm sure no qualified physio would be shouting at people to do challenging exercises which they are probably unprepared for. All the shaming and the team responding 'Yes Lee!' was stupid too.