🧚‍♀️ Archers thread #120: Magic time. Dialogue! Good Fairy Lilian made Lynda’s wish come true. Will Phil vanish in a puff of smoke? Join the Magic Circle in Alice’s shed, where time is never called!

[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 hear more about the Naughty Milkman, 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 @Roysnewshirt for the excellent title suggestion, which I tweaked a bit.

I wonder how much dialogue we're going to get in the coming weeks. They're back to normal recording, I believe, albeit socially distanced. Also, when will we get our Friday and Sunday episodes back? I know I'm not the only regular to miss TA a lot more on Friday than on Sunday. The Sunday episode is still an incomer, of course, having only been introduced some 20 years ago, of course.

(My parents retired to a village and some features of Ambridge life are very familiar from their experience, the 'incomer' label being one.)

Hmm ... So, if Ben is attending Felpersham, and living at home, then they need to be more careful with the script. If he's living in the same house as Jill her "How's university?" would be an odd question now. She's seeing him all the time.

Though I have to say I'm surprised there's been no mention of the family shielding her at all. Perhaps she's one of those "living in the now" 90 year olds.

Though I have to say I'm surprised there's been no mention of the family shielding her at all.
Knowing the Jill / Dopey family dynamic, she is probably shielding them.

As many other other professionals and experts on this thread have said over the years when something in their field (pun very much intended) comes up, as an archaeologist I’m a bit nervous of this ‘treasure’ storyline. Every time Jill or Ben said Treasure! my eye twitched slightly.

Two or more gold and/or silver coins over 300 years old found together are usually declared Treasure (‘trove’ was dropped some time ago). I’m feeling slightly less worried having heard last night’s episode as I was worried they were just going to grab a detector and have at it. Contacting the local university department but especially the museum person (who is hopefully going to be the local Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer or PAS FLO) is definitely the right way to go about it. Done right, this could be a good bit of public service announcing.

Despite all of that the relationship between Jill and Ben is one of my very favourite things about The Archers, and I would really love it if he took her to a foam party!

Also, you could hear in her voice how unimpressed she was with the whizzy food mixer couldn’t you?

...the relationship between Jill and Ben is one of my very favourite things about The Archers

Yes, it stands out because it actually sounds like a natural exchange. I’m not sure either are exceptional actors but there is clearly some sort of chemistry there that means they are actually believable. This is a particularly unusual feature in any scenes set at Brookfield. Anything with David in is soo laboured and wooden...

Does Jill now live with Leonard?

If Jill, Ruth, David, Josh and Ben are all living at the farm Pip and Rosie won't be able to visit? What a glorious outcome to the "rule of 6".

I actually logged on to comment that little Xander must be a precociously bright 12(?) month old to be keeping away from fireguards when asked to and running about.

So Alice is now sounding enthusiastic about the baby (judging by her reaction to Xander) - a swift volte face since weekend. We’ve had foetal alcohol syndrome spelled out to us in a public information type broadcast so I’m now predicting a miscarriage or no heartbeat at the scan (I don’t think the SWs have it in them to follow through FAS to its conclusion and I think if the baby got off scot-free it would send out the wrong message)

I think you are probably right, LillianGish. And to be honest, I would rather either of those, the sooner the better, than Alice having a late miscarriage or a damaged or dead baby after a full-term pregnancy.

Though I don't think that among all the many, many "something is wrong" pregnancies they have done on TA they have ever had late miscarriage, so I suppose that is possible.`

Kirsty's was quite late, IIRC.

Wasn't Nob there when the midwife (Ellie, who i believe is now Lily) ) came to see Hellin?

Felpersham Tech is now Felpersham University.

Kirsty had a late miscarriage.She seems to be remarkably resilient at all the things that SW life has thrown at her.

I think Jill and Ben do work well together. As much as I like David, both he and Jill sometimes sound like they are reading from a script.

I think Alice is being set up to have an accident (hence the bridal bridle bag gift from Lilian).

I wonder if they have a couple of possible endings depending on the "mood of the nation"? I just can't see them letting the Carters have a healthy baby when we have heard about her heavy drinking in nearly every episode. That isn't a great public health message.

I wonder when Emma will realise/find out. Where is Amy when we need her!

I did think a riding accident was a possibility when she was given the bridle bag, but I think it’s unlikely now she’s so anxious about doing the right thing and being seen to do so, giving up drinking etc. I wonder when Chris is going to realise his sister was right? Is Alice going to lose the baby and then return to drinking in earnest?

Re Xander. A few weeks ago he was playing farms with Ian. (This may have been commented on at the time). Don't any of the SWs have children? Or friends or relatives with children? They could even check in a book...

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
Kirsty's was quite late, IIRC.

I'd forgotten her.

She and Tom Did It on 16th September, 2016, in December she told him the baby was due in June, and she miscarried on 12th February, 2017, because of an infection she'd had; so yes, late and very traumatic for the poor woman.

I think you are probably right, LillianGish. And to be honest, I would rather either of those, the sooner the better

I agree. It may well trigger the end of the diverging relationship as well.

Wasn't Nob there when the midwife (Ellie, who i believe is now Lily) ) came to see Hellin?

Was that booking in or the home visit? I seem to remember going to the midwife for booking in but there was a home visit as well. My head is telilng me Ellie picked up on Rob but I could be misremembering.

Ellie certainly drooped around hanging on his every word and saying how wonderful he was and how lucky Helen was. I think that was at home, and they'd been to a previous meeting at a surgery somewhere.

Lowfield says, Thursday 15th October, 2015
Rob's important engagement is a visit from the midwife, Ellie, who sounds remarkably like Jess. He seems determined not to leave Helen alone with her, but has to when his mobile rings. Ellie seizes the opportunity to ask if Helen has any concerns about abuse. She seems startled, but even so, fails to sound entirely shocked at the very suggestion. Helen admits to an eating disorder, but fails to tell Ellie that it returned when she was pregnant with Henry. Rob reappears with coffee, and Ellie seems entirely won over by his charm, which he heaps on in spadefuls.

Jess not Lily. Thanks Asking.

Ellie was played by by Katie Redford, who started to play Lily Pargetter a couple of years later. I think they have quite often tried out an actor in a minor role like that before giving them a larger part.

You are forgetting the Ambridge Health fairy. All will be well.

I think Alice was deffo on MN

All will be well.

It can't be. Having shown us Alice desperately clock-watching for a wine delivery, joyfully stockpiling her secret stash in a shed, and drunk-calling Emma to spout vile abuse, the SWs are surely morally obliged to follow the public service route. As others have said, it would be rather questionable to show her "getting away with" such extreme consumption - even if that may happen in real life.

And just like that, Ruth was persuaded

Agree with Perse.
Emmur will be he one to raise the subject.
I had a quick search for FAS, and I don't think it bodes well for the Chrysalis, having been subjected to binge-drinking for the first 10 weeks or so.

I think that Emmur will knock some sense into Alice.

Alice is in that egypt river about her drinking and her foetus.

Ben, that smouldering smell is coming from your underwear.

Still, Ruth's stupid: obviously he musty have told people at the university, or they wouldn't be wanting to come and do the field-walk. So saying"only tell people in the family" is a horse/stable door moment..