💥 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!

Goldfish - a small shark maybe, a part time low level loan shark. I'm just guessing.

I think it may mean he wasn't a big player in the loan sharking business ....

@UnholyStramash, I'm sorry to hear about your condition. I can well believe people jump to conclusions. I've often seen comments to this effect from people with Type 1 diabetes who are often told they must have had very poor diet to develop it.

The loan goldfish tag was coined by someone who said the person who lent her money wasn't a loan shark because he was too small and pathetic, as far as I remember.

UnholyStramash, I am really sorry to hear that.

I fear you will be pained by whatever they do if it involves Alice's liver, because whenever anyone who knows about something that has been in the Archers talks about TA, they always seem to say TA got things wrong, whether it is company law or farming or running a riding stables or running a pub or whatever else. I know that when they (rarely, thank the Lord fasting) stray into an area in which I am reasonably knowledgable it tends to make me wince.

Aha, I’m clearly not getting out enough as I had no idea about this goldfish usage. So did Alish have a drunken shag with this goldfish? (That sounds really weird) Did Chris know?

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, thanks for the commiserations. I’m fine these days, have grown a thick/er skin, and my disease is well controlled on meds. And in recent months, thanks to shielding, I’ve got lots of knitting done and got a sort of tidier house. But I get annoyed at medical stories being done unrealistically on TA anyway (you possibly know that already!) and I fear this story being inaccurately portrayed might have me reaching for my green pen.

I just wrote a long post on another thread and wasn’t able to send it. Phew that my offering has been posted here. Right, I must go now and do some other tasks before tonight’s episode of frustration.

It's Timotei isn't it?

Oooh! So is it Philip Moss??!! Maybe the writers are moving the plot along.

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue

Oooh! So is it Philip Moss??!! Maybe the writers are moving the plot along.

I wish it was the plot moving along but I think it's a reappearance of Oatey.

Definitely Scumbag Tim ...

"Ed's past catches up with him" as today's BBC spoiler does make it seem a bit more like Tim than Philip'n'Gav, and I don't think he would recognise the horses.

UnholyStramash
So did Alish have a drunken shag with this goldfish? (That sounds really weird) Did Chris know?

They were "friends" and they snuggled together under a duvet to watch a film, but I think we were meant to understand they had their clothes on at the time. She told lies to the police for him, though. I am unsure how much Chris was meant to know about him, but in the end he refused a loan from this creep and we had all that tedious saving and saving and buying food from the shop on the bypass and scandalising Jennifer. To buy a forge.

Ooh! And it's not Friday Thursday.

Could it be that the Moss crime dynasty has links with Timotei? It would be good if they all got sent down together and left dear Ed alone. (Did I mention my soft spot for Ed? Though, please everyone, like Emmur I do know he’s not perfect).

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime, I agree about listeners with knowledge getting annoyed. And not only do I have an oft misunderstood disease but I’m a former nurse so I have already winced at various stories in TA. So I know whatever happens with Alish I’ll be wincing and whinging with the best of you.

I have a soft spot for Ed too.

Excellent taste, MUM.

The flytipping was supposed to be after "Leroy" helped Joy and a neighbour dispose of rubbish. And I have a vague feeling that Leroy could be the name of the third "horse" in the flat (with Blake and was it Chase?).

But why would Ed recognise any of the 'horses' and say 'Oh no!' like that?

Maybe it was Gavin.

I have a massive soft spot for Freddie.

MollyButton, I think Leroy was another person who lived in Beechwood and whose rubbish had been taken by the flytipper, as opposed to being the flytipper himself.

We have heard the name before: I think Leroy works at the Grey Gables leisure centre.

Now you mention it, wasn't Leroy doing fitness classes and his 'fitness' was praised.

Seems likely: he was new to TA and male, naturally someone said he was fit.

13 hours since the episode and no one has commented! Hmm.Well, I'll try to show willing.

I'm glad Ed did the right thing in the end, and I hope that's an end of that storyline. I'd like things to go right for the Grundys for a while.

As for Alice - oh dear oh dear oh dear. Surely Chris is going to wake up to the problem soon? He must see the empties when he comes home. I suppose Alice can't buy alcohol from the village shop too often or her mil would have something to say.

I wonder if Brian has copped on this time. Alice was in a state when he turned up and then the mad phone call afterwards.