💥 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!

If what you want is just the basic information, Lowfield summarisers have been putting their summaries up at Peets, but that only keeps them for about a month tops before they are deleted. Message me.

Also, Peet's is due to migrate platforms soonish.

Ah, yes. Maybe not until it falls over for the last time, though, so nobody seems to know exactly when.

@ Ultimateirritant, welcome! Do stick around

Your name is rather appropriate - TA can indeed be the ultimate irritant, which somehow makes it all the more addictive...

www.luff.org.uk/archers/

has old episodes 2009-2020 plus some very old episodes

My guess is that Alice will get help and make a full overnight recovery this side of Christmas, then have a little Chrisalice

I had a phone call just before the end. Did she actually tell Brian?

Nope.

I did enjoy the sound of the constant, regular, tiny, leprechaun hammer while Chris was working.

Was he meant to be making a hanging-basket, or did I imagine that?

It sounded a bit like he was playing the triangle.

I can’t believe Chris thinks Alice is working out every evening.

He doesn’t seem to have noticed that his wife’s life is falling apart. Not exactly husband-of-the-year material...

I was a bit confused by her having taken up running.

I assumed Alice was "running" as far as the grog shed ...

But it's gone back to being too easy to zone out of.

Belated boop to @MumUniformMum for coining the excellent term ‘Chrisalice’, but I really hope that doesn’t happen...Jenny has more than enough grandchildren already!

Weirdly I clicked here to say the same thing, Roysnewshirt - forgot to mention it earlier!

Rather hoping MUM can find a way to fashion it into a thread title ...

That was my lazy spelling of chrysalis. Mianed was my finest.

I wish I'd thought of Frilly - where are they?
And where is Baspofald?

JD doesn't have that many DGC, Four children and four DGC

Oh goodness! Huge apologies to @MikeUniformMike for such a dreadful error! No excuse! Absolutely unforgivable...

I am rather flattered. No need to apologise.

Poor Ed.

We're a touch early to be thinking about thread titles. I predict we'll need a new thread round about the autumnal equinox* if things continue as they are, although I suppose there's always the possibility that something exciting will happen in TA or regulars currently on holiday or trying to break their addiction may return with lots to say about Ambridge.

Good idea of Lynda's to ask Lilian for assistance with the wigs. Of course, the timelag between making these episodes and broadcasting them means that it's slightly puzzling why Lilian didn't go over to the Dower House and sit in the garden, but fortuitously it was so windy yesterday that the wigs would have blown off.

I hope I'm not treading on @DadDadDad*'s toes by making a prediction of this sort!

(Don't worry, Gasp0 - I wasn't trying to hurry things on!)

Yes ... Lynda and Lilian are always a good pairing. Making them family is - along with Susan/Jenny - one of the greatest ideas TA has ever had. I wish they made more of it.

Speaking of Carter/Aldridge relations - Alice is sounding increasingly vituperative towards her husband ...

If Chris and Alice have the bitter divorce I have always longed to see in TA (still extremely disappointed that Jennifer and Brian didn't go down that route after Siobhan), it will have major repercussions for village life, given that both Susan and Jennifer fancy themselves as the Queen Bee of the village and Brian and Neil in their different ways have a big role in Ambridge/Borsetshire life.

I really wish we didn’t have to keep hearing about the Snells’ sex life or lack of. It’s too much night after night...and the experience was not improved by several bursts of Lilian’s vile cackle last night. If only the inevitable second wave of CV-19 could arrive via the Dower House!

My guess is that Alice will get help and make a full overnight recovery this side of Christmas, then have a little Chrisalice

I think the reason this statement annoys me so much is that its almost certainly true. Then the LSWs will have properly put Alice in her female place after foolishly suggesting a woman could have a brain and work successfully in a man's job.