💥 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!

Just listened to the "film". I liked the what they did with the theme tune at the end.

Um?

@Chemenger

I was rolling with the monologues, better than nothing, I thought. But the online dating story is just the end. Please say we’re not going to have to listen to Elizabeth moping after online chats with unsuitable suitors.

Surely it’s time to get back to more normal episodes now. The SWs must have figured this out by now, TA is the only bit of life that still seems to be struggling so hopelessly. Are they so totally devoid of imagination and ambition that they’re happy to let their programme just die on its feet. They put a lot more effort into those videos of the actors telling us how great it would be than actually making the programme.

Did anybody hear Broadcasting House The is morning? They had an Am Dram group demonstrating how it’s possible to record dialogue during lockdown. Let’s hope the producers were taking notes .

Um? Was that to me? They had a strange variation on the theme tune that I've not heard before. *That may be because I haven't listened on a Sunday morning for, er ... , years)

I think they've been playing that during lockdown. Don't know why. Very rarely listen on Sundays.

Still, I think it's Ipswich on Cabin Pressure tonight. One of my absolute favourites!

Today was grim, I couldn't be bothered with it.
Jerlene and Harrison aren't interesting at the best of times.

@impostersyndrome. Yes, I heard Broadcasting House this morning with the Am Dram group dialogue, which sounded fine. They explained how it was done .. Bit of a hint to TA? Surely not

I usually listen to BH on Sunday evenings - must do so today. What was it Harrison was worrying about re-Fallon? I don’t think I was paying attention.

@UnholyStramash

I usually listen to BH on Sunday evenings - must do so today. What was it Harrison was worrying about re-Fallon? I don’t think I was paying attention.

I think she was miffed as he’d meant to come off shift for a “date night” (yuck) but went for an interview with Susan on radio instead. He then went to “she’s leaving home” panicking.

Have to say I did not enjoy hearing Jolene speculating on her daughter and son-in-laws sex life.

Jerlene has always been like that. I never go over the shower scene.

The one in Psycho was less traumatic.

got not go.

Wauden
I heard Broadcasting House this morning with the Am Dram group dialogue, which sounded fine. They explained how it was done .. Bit of a hint to TA? Surely not

Someone should be along in a moment to explain how it is much much more difficult to record four minutes of dialogue than it is to record an hour or so. and it takes four times as long to record one person over the computer than it does to record four people in a studio.

Or maybe they will have noticed how silly those claims sound after four months in which they could have been practising instead of not bothering.

Listened to the film. Not impressed. But I'm strangely pleased that The Bull is getting a new peacock.

But I'm strangely pleased that The Bull is getting a new peacock. There was a bit of a suggestion early on that Kenton was plotting against the peacock not because he was opposed to it, but because he wanted to get Jolene's mind off other things.

Oh the applauding on the Green and Harrison going on about his beautiful wife was excruciating. It's making me long for Pip's monologue.

The inner-most thoughts of neither Chris nor Ed are worthy of a slot on national radio...

Why have they silenced Roy?!? So unfair! I’d far rather hear him guiding the GG workforce through the choppy waters of the furlough scheme than Chris talking about Uncle Gary’s birthday...

Dunno if it's the monologues or just lock down but summat's affecting my sleep.
I know other folk's dreams are naff but bear with me please as I only have DH to share with and he is not an Archers Addict.
Sitting in a 'smoking' compartment of a Brief Encounter type of train and smoking a cigarette, Jennifer looks in and says 'Goodness Elizabeth. I didn't know that you smoked'.I begged her not to tell my mum,despite the fact that I was an adult, and that I was only smoking as I was nervous about going to be interviewed by Radio Borcetshire about my new recipe for a lobster dish.
Now, I haven't smoked for over 15 years and never cooked nor even eaten lobster.I found these two things most confusing .
However, the rest made perfect sense especially as when I saw my reflection in the window I really was Lizzie P.
Do I need therapy or shall I just enjoy the moment?

I think your dream is infinitely more interesting than anything I have heard on The Archers recently - the longer it goes on, the more I wish they had continued playing us some old episodes (rewound to the Nelson Gabriel days for a start). I am listening, but I don’t really know why.

Therapy, I think, @maras2, as a matter of some urgency.

It was so dull last night that I'd forgotten I listened. Thank god I remembered, and saved myself from the tedium of hearing any of it a second time.

I would pay to hear Nelson Gabriel again. My all-time favourite character.

Now, I couldn't stand Nelson! I remember his old dad Walter from my childhood and then strayed away for some years. When I returned, Walter was no more but Nelson was installed with his fruity, luvvie tones and I was bewildered as to how he had an accent so markedly different from his father's.

Chrissifer was ratcheting up the Mummerset last night, wasn't he?

I am listening, but I don’t really know why.

Never a truer word! And yet I miss it on the three non-Archers days ...

In years to come we'll all be traumatised by the continuing disappointment of the monologue months.

The only possible answer is that Walter paid for elocution lessons. (I decided long ago not to fret about details like this where I actually enjoy the end result.) Walter was clearly a very indulgent parent and Nelson was his only child.

[I could have listened to Jack May's voice all day long. He was Theoden in the wonderful Radio 4 Lord of the Rings dramatisation decades ago.I used to have that as a boxed set of cassettes, but I think we had to chuck it out when the cassettes started to go. ]

Just listened to The Pargetter Triptych and I loved it. Everything that The Archers monologues is not. I particularly loved the way that in death Nigel was able to have one foot in TA as real life and another foot in TA as the SWs invention. His why me? and rundown of other "victims" - which put Heatherpet in the same category as the anaerobic digester - was quite brilliant. I also loved his preoccupation with the idea of Shula as vicar - wondering whether she would have to move away (taking her horses with her) or if the current incumbent would have to be shoved aside to make space for her - hinting at the idea of the SWs as the hand of God.

That's all very well for LOTR, Gasp0de, but not for the son of an Ambridge agricultural worker. Unless he went off to drama school or something.

I wonder if @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime knows?