💥 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.

And what happens about the duty on alcohol?

I'm a bit mystified why Helen hasn't thought to ask Gnasher (or even Scruff Gin or Lower Loxley Wines) for help/contacts in arranging tetra-pak or bottles for her milk or set up a BYO system? I bet Lower Loxley and Grey Gables have a few chilled milk dispensers sat doing nothing too.

Can somebody also whisper to Tom that the Fairbrothers, Will Grundy, Fallon, Phoebe, Kate, Lily, Freddie, Russ etc. etc. presumably have rather a lot of spare time at the moment and would probably appreciate a bit of packing and delivery work.

I am really hoping that Joy will be wondering aloud about Philip Moss (and explaining why she moved to Ambridge) when they get round to including her.

Heavens! Russ is one of Elizabeth's employees now, isn't he?

So, (answering my own question) if they're all furloughed, the taxpayer is paying that scumbag twat to live in idle luxury at LL.

And unfortunately a relatively obscure country house art gallery is probably an easy place in which to maintain social distancing, so she probably won't say he's surplus to requirements, going forward.

Oh Tony has heard of Jerry Garcia and Falstaff. He's my man.

I see they gave TA an extra twenty six hours tonight. At a rough estimate.

About time too.

I suggested (on here) that Johnny should get those clippers out months ago!

I imagine Toby has a licence of some kind, and so does LL. Eddie doesn't, and we don't know if Tom and Gnasher have one

Tom and Gnasher don't need a licence though, they are only providing the sales platform and a delivery service. Toby needs the licence to sell and I thought he had that (based on the distillery inspections and he sells already).

Eddie doesn't have a licence to sell through the site, presumably we should assume that deliveries only go to members and costs are covered by their subscription.

I'm a bit mystified why Helen hasn't thought to ask Gnasher (or even Scruff Gin or Lower Loxley Wines) for help/contacts in arranging tetra-pak or bottles for her milk or set up a BYO system?

I thought Helen's problem was enough large customers as the bulk of her products go to the trade ratherr than direct to consumers. I thought the cheese was already sold via the platform?

Damn! That could have been such a fabulous episode! I hadn’t thought we would have been blessed to have a window into Natasha’s thoughts. We could have heard all about high heels, credit card bills and make up - but instead they threw away her air-time on fridge maintenance and missing Tom - which she almost certainly can’t have been. I wanted snidey comments about the in-laws not Natasha acting as if Tom is one step away from becoming Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den!!

The Helen episode was good - both the acting and the script. Agree Roysnewshirt that an episode of Natasha talking frankly about the in laws would have been fun. However, I thought it was good to see the less confident side to Natasha. The format is working much better now.

I quite enjoyed hearing Natasha as well, she has been quite a one dimensional character until now.

I'm not enjoying TA this week. We have gone back to all the negativity we had in the first week. To make matters worse, a lot of the bitching negativity is coming about because of misconceptions and miscommunications. Why don't they just talk to each other!!!
Plus ça change, eh?

It would be weird if they did all start talking to each other to sort things out. There's a long history of that not happening, and we'd all be complaining about being uncharacteristic if they all started getting communicative like that.

I know but they could have written storylines that didn't involve everyone whining like teenagers all the time. It's wearing.

There is milk in the shops. It presumably comes from cows, on farms. So why cannot the milk from Bridge Farm continue to be collected from the bulk tank (they do have one, don't they?) for processing and then sale to the shops? It doesn't make any sense that it isn't.

And if the milk can be collected, why not simply add to the bulk tank the milk they no longer need to use for cheese and cannot use for ice-cream and yoghurt because Helen has got rid of both her workers rather than having them coming in separately instead of together, and she cannot be expected to make these items herself.

Ou

But if they don't already have a contract to have their milk collected, you can't just call up and get it collected.

A lot of dairy farms have suffered because they had contracts with restaurants and so on.

Our small local dairy is functioning as normal. Well I am sure they are having to put a million safety measures in place but they are supplying milk to shops. I am also quite confused about natasha - why is she not selling her product on line - I wasnt focussing completely so may have missed some info.

Sorry that emoji was to myself not you ebearhug

They did have a contract, didn't they? I'm sure there was some wittering about it at one point, as something that had to be re-arranged once they got dairy cows again?

God knows. I have totally lost track. I 'd like to think someone in the production team scribbled these sorts of things down on the back of an envelope at some point, though, so they can keep track.

I'm glad Johnny has finally taken some control over his thinning hair issues.

Good grief, it's taken him long enough! I dread to think what was fermenting under that hat before he got busy with the clippers

Not sure 'barnet' would ever feature in Tony's vocabulary

Helen has got rid of both her workers rather than having them coming in separately instead of together, and she cannot be expected to make these items herself

I assumed the reason for not having either in is a combination of furlough rules not allowing part time working and the bulk of her market disappearing (as with Natasha's juice the bulk market is the trade).

They can probably recover some sales through the online store but that won't replace retail buyers, expecially when people are cutting expenditure and premium products are the first area cut from the bill.

I am however trying to fill in the gaping holes left by the LSWs

Not sure 'barnet' would ever feature in Tony's vocabulary

He's the son of a working class Londoner of 1920s vintage. It would be odd if it didn't.

Of course Peggy would be familiar with rhyming slang but I can't imagine she would encourage Tony to use it! Just as well Tony wasn't talking within earshot of Jennifer either.

Sometimes people use the odd rhyming slang word as an affectation or idiolect. Given his age and love of vintage cars, I can imagine Tony thinking it makes him sound like something out of Carnaby Street in 1967.