💥 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.

Is Natasha also bipolar? It would seem to be where this is leading?

I assumed the reason for not having either in is a combination of furlough rules not allowing part time working

Susan cannot be working full-time at the dairy when she also runs the village post office, but Clarrie has been said to be full-time. So the furlough rules might allow Clarrie at least not to be left with no income.

"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.

The use of words from (or purporting to be from) Cockney rhyming slang really isn't confined to people from the East End any longer, and has not been during my lifetime.

Does anyone think that only an East Londoner would call a stupid and objectionable fellow a berk, for instance? Or refer to someone having half-inched something?

Furloughed staff are getting at least 80% of their income and part-time staff are covered. Of course there's no possibility of earning overtime.

The trouble is Helen said she "had to let them go", didn't she? Or did I mishear it? That doesn't sound like furlough if I got it right.

It would be amazing incompetence on Bridge Farm's part if they hadn't made use of the furlough scheme. The scene may have been written and recorded before it was up and running, though.

My impression is that the dairy needs two workers in at a time, but my grasp of what they're doing is pretty hazy. If you could make yoghourt and ice cream with just one worker they could surely have kept Clarrie and Susan on and just had them in at different times.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

"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.

The use of words from (or purporting to be from) Cockney rhyming slang really isn't confined to people from the East End any longer, and has not been during my lifetime.

Does anyone think that only an East Londoner would call a stupid and objectionable fellow a berk, for instance? Or refer to someone having half-inched something?

No, I don't think the vocabulary is confined to East Londoners, or just Londoners even, and nor did I intend to suggest that; but Tony's parentage (poor sod) makes it even more likely that he would be familiar with the word.

It must be possible to make yoghurt on your own, because I do. Ditto ice cream.

And if Clarrie is full-time (which I think we have been told) and Susan is part-time (as she must be if she is also the village postmistress) they can't both be there at the same time all the time.

but Tony's parentage (poor sod) makes it even more likely that he would be familiar with the word. Tony's 60-odd! he'll have learned at least half of his vocabulary from people outside his family, and is long past the time when his working vocabulary would be constrained by his parents.

And I remember his Grandmother, Mrs P (Peggy's Mum) who lived in the village until her death. Tony could certainly have learnt all kinds of slang from her.

Last Saturday's Torygraph had a letter from Lord Blunkett about the current episodes.
Was looking for it and found: kmflett.wordpress.com/2020/06/07/the-ambridge-socialist-dj-susan-carter-raves-on/

[quote WrongSortOfListener]Last Saturday's Torygraph had a letter from Lord Blunkett about the current episodes.
Was looking for it and found: kmflett.wordpress.com/2020/06/07/the-ambridge-socialist-dj-susan-carter-raves-on/[/quote]
It includes a poll to vote for the most boring person in Ambridge...

Yes, I voted and was mildly surprised at the outcome!

I voted and was completely unsurprised by the result!

I was surprised because I'd have classified that person as annoying rather than boring.

The person I voted for came second but I'm not entirely surprised by who came first.

I’m going to run the risk of being accused of being controversial but...

I really want Tony to have an affair with Joy. I know she is extremely irritating but it would put a real spring in his step. Pat is such a moaner and takes him for granted. Just imagine how tiresome it would be to have her whining on about his haircut during lockdown which is joyless enough! And making him wear a baseball cap! Ridiculous... Of course he won’t ever do it as he’s such an upright family man but Joy would appreciate him in a way that Pat probably never has...

• Just for the record, please let it be known that I don’t ever encourage infidelity IRL!

Long time lurker, very occasional poster here. I know some of you who post here also listen to the Dumteedum podcast. I've just listened to the latest episode and learnt that Lucy is no longer going to be presenting it. Does anyone know anything more about this? I'm sad, as I thought she balanced out Roifield really well.

I know she's going to do her monologues on Soundcloud (well, she's done ones for the last 2 weeks so far), but I will really miss her on the podcast.

They should show us Tony Archer's Barnet and give us a link to the fundraising page.

I hesitated between what turned out to be no 1 and no 2 and in the end went for No 2. Still think I’m right on grounds that, as PP has said, 1 is quite often outright Infuriating rather than boring.

For a totally confused moment there I thought you were talking about haircuts!

I voted and was completely unsurprised by the result!

Me too - I suspect many voters had a tough time choosing between the top two

@C8H10N4O2

I voted and was completely unsurprised by the result!

Me too - I suspect many voters had a tough time choosing between the top two

I had a tough time choosing between ALL of them!

Hello Emsiewill - yes, I saw that Lucy was leaving Dumteedum. I don't know why. It's a shame though. I will listen to her podcasts as she is very funny.

Thank you, WrongSortOfListener - so much innocent fun!

Arghhh. I can't get used to this.