💥 Archers thread #118: Back in time for The Archers - catch up with the catch up until the scriptwriters catch up! 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 Philip Moss is in line for Employer of the Year, or other unusual views.

Spoilers: OK, there aren't likely to be many for the foreseeable future, but when we do have some, 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.)

Thanks to @LillianGish for the title! This thread starts at a very odd time for The Archers, longest-running soap opera in the world. No new episodes expected till late May , and when we do get them they're not going to sound like normal, as the actors are recording separately at home and the BBC is attempting to cobble it all together. Tough times for the sound effects team!

The BBC is filling the gap by repeating key episodes from the last 20 years. Some of us here will have heard them before, but not all, by any means, so if you want background on what you hear this is the place to ask.

Over to you! I must try to catch up with the repeats at some point today.

I’m all for going through the archives but it’s odd hearing about the Christmas lights switch on in May!

At least they played the Christmas lights switch on AFTER the Bonfire night one!

Boston!

Just listened to the Christmas lights episode from last week.

What was Ed's brave deed that Emma was talking about?

The trouble with those one-off 'archive' episodes is that, if, like me, you weren't a listener at the time of original broadcast, they leave you with lots of unanswered questions. I've only been a regular listener since 2014.

And yes, the Bonfire Night episode was very hard to listen to.

I wasn't expecting it, and hearing Jack Woolley, in the cruel grip of dementia, brought many sad memories of my Dad to the surface for me.

Ian's sensible and practical kindness to Peggy and Jack was so lovely.

It was this, Cat!

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p037zswh

Thankyou PPE!

I do remember listening to that - vaguely - but somehow didn't connect Ed with it.

Go back to the archive episode of Ed and Emma's wedding that we heard a few days ago. At the end Tom gives him a gift (honeymoon Devon/Cornwall, I forget) contributed to by all the Bridge Farm clan, in gratitude for saving Tony's life.

How excited are we getting about this evening, TAfans?? 🍾 🎉

By 7pm Dominic Cummings may have sacked Boris and the Cabinet and declared himself Supreme Leader. So I'm a bit hesitant about any possible future ...

True, true @PerditaProvokesEnmity. They need Moike Tugger and the parish council!

Oh.
That was a bit...
I don't know.

Why can't they record phone dialogue at least?

Oh dear. That was two people being nasty about each other, one with more excuse than the other, and one being nasty about a third person. Nothing to recommend it at all as far as I am concerned. What a shame.

And really dull too.

What a pile of doggie's doo dah

Not impressed with tonight's monologues... I hope it's not going to all be like that :(

DH wondered if anyone is really that coherent in their own heads...

Oh dear.

@ArgumentativeAardvaark oh wow, you're right, Ben Archer Norris is really easy on the eye!

Better than I thought it would be. Clever device to forcefeed us 3 weeks of repeats - made the transition from corona-free Ambridge to lockdown Ambridge less unbelievable. Sad when Josh sad "even the names" and how he was the only child not named after anyone - very glad ours aren't named after anyone. Gosh, David is tedious!

I agree with those who thought the script was crap. Could do so much better. Not impressed.

Well, the only way from here is up. Angus Imrie did a lot better with that than Tim Bentinck, I'm afraid.

It was really bad.

David was declaiming when he should have been musing, imo.

I didn't find it unbearable! The Brookfield Archers are generally dull, so there was nothing discordant there. Don't think we can expect more from the various families and individuals than they usually bring to our ears.

The lasagne story was lame. I'm surprised that a busy farmer (and reluctant cook) such as Ruth would have volunteered a prepared-from-scratch lasagne on a hot bank holiday. Surely their barbecue was ready and waiting to receive whatever jumped out of the freezer? (Unshakeable memories of farm life.)

The only way is up.....

Apart from D worrying about Jill and the image of her Skyping Leonard all the time. I liked that bit.

That was bloody awful. They were both 2 dimensional and totally unbelievable. I was thinking the other month remember those dot and Ethel duoalogues in eastenders in the 80's, THATS THE BAR SCRIPTWRITERS!