💥 Archers thread #119: Has the Bull reopened? Will Ambridge pull through? We’ve all dozed off and haven't a clue. Moan about the monologues 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 we should have monologues all the time from now on, 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.)

Thanks to PPE on the last thread for the title suggestion, which I tweaked a bit.

As for the current state of affairs: here's how it could have been done. www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRSVdfQWAjNhNu1AtABYjw Nigel Pargetter returns, albeit in spectral form. I loved these.

I don't love the current set up. Very, very hit and miss for me - but I am too much of an addict to give it up. Looking for a silver lining, maybe the rather clunky trot through the Aldridge family tree last night was helpful to newer listeners. It is rather convoluted. In 12.5 minutes they managed to explain that Adam and Debbie are Jennifer's children by different fathers, that Debbie's father Roger Travers-Macy adopted Adam, that after he and Jenny divorced she married Brian and that he (secretly) loves Adam and not nearly so secretly adores Debbie. I don't think they explicitly stated that Kate and Alice are Brian's children with Jenny, but they did manage to squeeze in a mention of Siobhan and Ruairi, and explain that Xander is Adam's son by a surrogate and has no genetic connection to either Brian or Xander's other father Ian. Phew!

“Perhaps I could warm up what’s left of the coq au vin...”

Oh dear 😢

Welcome back TheSparklyPussycat!

You offer fascinating news. Only this morning I very nearly posted to say "surely they could add in some outdoor sounds"... I'm getting absolutely nothing of what you report from my Pure radio.

I do sometimes use earphones when the BBC tells me a drama has been recorded binaurally (is that the word?). Or if I'm streaming a film late at night. But never for TA.

I know, SparklingLime ... Awful, wasn't it?

It sounded like he wasn’t ready, and pushed that onto her, Perdita. She was making it clear she is ready.

I often listen to bbc sounds while doing other stuff and find headphones great for getting the full experience and blocking out the kids

When is it going to be worth listening again? I've unhinged myself from it since mid March... is it worth re hooking? (Poster Formerly known as BuckingFrolicks)

Yesterday and today were interesting. If you go through whatever summaries are available on the website and pick the episodes with Lynda it will all be fine. The rest is mostly drivel, though they've given Alice something more consequential.

I’ve just realised that I’ve been speculating about the Snells’ varying sexual needs and I’d like to apologise. Both to the Snells and the thread.

Well, you're only following the writers' lead!

Why did you want to throw the radio out of the window, PPE? Irritation with Robert being a bit slow to pick up on what was going on with Lynda, or feeling it was poorly written? I've actually found the episodes with Lynda and Robert much better than the average, and I was pleased with how things turned out for Emma. She's her mother's daughter all right, although with many good points from her father too. Wonderful grit in the face of adversity.

I think it was on this thread that I said way upthread that the closure of the tearoom would have hit Fallon very hard. People pay a huge premium to sit in pleasant surroundings drinking something that costs pennies to produce. The mark up on cakes which get delivered won't be anything like as big. To that extent, I can accept that Fallon is in financial difficulties. If Helen cuts off her nose to spite her face by insisting on full rent for premises that nobody else would want to rent at present, then Fallon could revert to just selling cakes from home, I suppose, if she can environmental health to approve her kitchen at Woodbine Cottage. She could do that single-handedly.

However, if, as I suspect, she's pregnant (there was a cryptic reference to congratulations being in order the day which made me wonder) she's going to need Emma for maternity cover fairly soon.

Not so much irritation as furious frustration and disappointment on Lynda's behalf. Hasn't the poor woman suffered enough? It's dreadful to hear them drifting apart through sheer lack of comprehension when that is the opposite of what either of them wants.

I completely agree their story is being well executed - but I am struggling to understand Robert's pov. (So I'm grateful for the comments above on this.)

TA is struggling because of the time-lag between writing and broadcasting. In reality, The Tea Room would be rushed off its feet and may even need extra staff (Mon-Wed) because of eat out to help out.

ve actually found the episodes with Lynda and Robert much better than the average

Me too, but I've long thought Lynda and Robert are two of the best characters, especially together. Funny really how the established families are often so much less interesting than the pesky "incomers".

People pay a huge premium to sit in pleasant surroundings drinking something that costs pennies to produce. The mark up on cakes which get delivered won't be anything like as big

But the profit margin on delivered/takeaway food is usually higher, hence the proliferation of delivery shops overe restaurants in most high streets. The cost to operate of a cafe or restaurant with service is very much greater than just running the kitchen to deliver food.

I've honestly never understood how that cafe gets the footfall. I can see how a farm shop might find it worth having a couple of tables for coffee in the corner but a full independent cafe business away from a high street seems unlikely.

Thinking about it - what was the original economics behind the cafe? Wasn't it mainly to be a shop window for Fallon's upcycled tat?

I can see how a farm shop might find it worth having a couple of tables for coffee in the corner but a full independent cafe business away from a high street seems unlikely.
Coffee'n'cake / light lunch places are very popular round here. They are mostly based in garden centres (or pubs, of course) but there are several independents that are located next to country parks or major footpaths. In fact, a friend and I are going for a ramble later today, the walk being carefully designed to end at a tea room.
The cafe at the farm down the road is a 'destination'. It's so popular (in normal times) that you have to pre-book.

hey are mostly based in garden centres

Our local garden centre seems to be a coffee and tat shop with a few plants on the side these days.

The cafe at the farm down the road is a 'destination'. It's so popular (in normal times) that you have to pre-book

Is it something special or is that a touristy area? I may be underestimating their current popularity but thinking of larger villages I know, even in popular areas the cafe is a bolt on to the village shop rather than on a farm.

Fallon was doing outside catering which makes getting rid of Emma make even less sense.

@C8H10N4O2

Thinking about it - what was the original economics behind the cafe? Wasn't it mainly to be a shop window for Fallon's upcycled tat?

They started off doing party catering, vintage tea party style didn’t they? Then the tearoom became a permanent version of that.

@R4

I can see how a farm shop might find it worth having a couple of tables for coffee in the corner but a full independent cafe business away from a high street seems unlikely. Coffee'n'cake / light lunch places are very popular round here. They are mostly based in garden centres (or pubs, of course) but there are several independents that are located next to country parks or major footpaths. In fact, a friend and I are going for a ramble later today, the walk being carefully designed to end at a tea room. The cafe at the farm down the road is a 'destination'. It's so popular (in normal times) that you have to pre-book.

Yep. My granny’s favourite place to go for an afternoon out was a farm shop and cafe run by the family of Kenny Logan the rugby player, it was right in the farm and was always packed. (Not because of the rugby connection, most people didn’t know about that).

Those types of places can actually work really well if you have an elderly relative to take out because they have parking right outside; a place in a village street might be less accessible.

Is it something special or is that a touristy area?
I don't think that near-Hollerton counts as a touristy area though I think it's very pretty. (East, west; home's best )
The farm was run by her dad but he has scaled back and is pretty much retired now. There is a very small farm shop and the DD has a craft outlet. Neither of these is the draw, the tea room definitely is.

Our local garden centre seems to be a coffee and tat shop with a few plants on the side these days.
YY, along the lines of the infamous “an ace caff with quite a nice museum attached”.

Lots of garden centres have diversified haven't they. Our local one briefly reopened during lockdown selling local produce (and you could get some plants and everything else while you were there). The council shut them down really quickly which seemed unfair as it was hard to see what was different to Wilko's and The Range being able to stay open.

I didn't pick up on any hints of Fallon being pregnant though.

Did she say something about not fancying breakfast or was that something else altogether?

She didn't fancy breakfast, or some such. This is not absolute proof of pregnancy; at the time, she was worrying about her business being sabotaged.

There's a farm shop not far from me that also has an upcycled furniture barn.
I can't remember if there is a cafe as I'm not the sort who would stop for a tea and cake, but the combination would appeal to many I'm sure.