💥 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.

I always listen on Sounds when I go to bed.

It’s empty until 25th May.

Listened over breakfast this morning (once I'd manage to find it in Sounds). DS1 asked why I was crying..

@taswama how did you find it in sounds please? I've not been successful.

Catch up is empty but MeanEd's wedding is showing on the TA home page.

TeenPlusTwenties
I have long born a grudge against the BBC when they mislead us by promising an extra episode way back when. We originally had 5 episodes of 15 minutes each, now we get 6 episodes of 13 minutes each. By my calculations that is only a weekly increase of 3 minutes. All those missed opportunities of 12 minutes of Pip per week

Also, I swear that sometimes I hear the CA continue the deception by saying after the 7pm news "and in fifteen minutes it will be Front Row."

@Neilsfavouritechilli - I went to stations, chose Radio 4, then schedule (calendar icon), then yesterday at 7 pm. A real faff.

As I listened, it occurred to me that the funeral / death could be Nic’s. I really hope not.

@taswama thank you, all sorted.

What we had was five 15 minutes episodes a week, making a total of 1 hour 15 minutes.

Then we got the Sunday episodes, starting on Easter Sunday 1998, six 12.5 minute episodes a week, making a total of 1 hour 15 minutes.

I am not sure when they stopped cutting bits out of each day's broadcast to make a one-hour omnibus -- or did they do that at all? I mean was it ever only an hour? We also used to get Tom Forrest wittering on at the start of each omnibus, so maybe they only cut enough to fit in his bletherings.

They were an hour: I had a look at the BBC Genome Project, and a very randomly selected 15th March 1992 has

10.15: The Archers Omnibus edition
followed by
11.15: News Stand

12th April 1998 has

10.15: The Archers
followed by
11.15: Desert Island Discs

Drat. Now I am going to need to find out when it went up to 10.00-11.15, and that will take ages!

The hour-and-a-quarter omnibus started on 19th April 1998, and if I'd had an ounce of sense I would simply have looked there straight away. I think shall go and have a nice cup of tea and stop bothering my (pretty little) head about this...

As I listened, it occurred to me that the funeral / death could be Nic’s. I really hope not.
I think they actually said 'four weddings and a wake'. I presumed Joe's.

I liked Lillian G's suggestion of 00:02 this morning for the next thread title.

Asking, you deserve some sort of award.

More and better tea?

I liked the thread-title suggestion as well.

Oh yes, another vote for Lil'G's characteristically splendid title!

I remember somebody getting drunk and being rude to Nic's mother (or other family member?) at her wake but I cannot think who it was.

I keep thinking it was Kate but I'm sure that's not right.

The Omnibus was definitely only an hour in 1996-7, because that's when I was studying in the USA and my dad used to post me a C-120 tape every fortnight. I forged a close and ongoing friendship with another British student who used to come and join me for a listen.

It was Alice @Alexcabot. They seemed to be about to do an alcoholic storyline for her but it fizzled out.

"and in fifteen minutes it will be Front Row." well, strictly that is true. If you were to switch off for 16 mins, when you returned you'd be in Front Row.

And another vote for the thread title.

How I do not miss Sid!

(Polly, however ...)

It was nice to hear some voices from the past.
I remember the one they had tonight.

I'll start the new thread in the morning. Have yet to catch up with the catch up episodes!

New thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3900046--Archers-thread-118-Back-in-time-for-The-Archers-catch-up-with-the-catch-up-until-the-scriptwriters-catch-up-Discuss-The-Archers-here?watched=1

Are they deliberately making the archive episodes difficult to find. Not on the podcast so I had to venture in to that master class in intuitive apps that is BBC Sounds to track it down.