🎄Archers thread #122: Deck the Hall with Eddie, Freddie 🎵 'Tis the Season to be jolly (but orange juice for you, Alice)

[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 love Bert Fry’s poetry (as I do), 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 @C8H10N4O2 for requesting an annoyingly cheerful thread title which might take us up to Christmas and to @Prestissimo for the title suggestion. I was strongly tempted by @LillianGish’s suggestion: Eddie’s turkeys, Freddie’s show, village green with lights aglow, Stir Up Sunday, Deck the Hall, Merry Christmas one and all - with apologies to Bert Fry and @R4’s suggestion Wassail to the Ambridge Not-A-Panto where Freddie gets nine LESSONS in directing from CAROLe Lynda. Top work, all!

Three days to go until we can return to Ambridge.

My list for Father Christmas

In the next few weeks I’d like:

• Freddie’s show to be a huge success

• Philip and Gavin to be driven out of the village with pitchforks into the waiting arms of the police, and the three ‘horses’ rescued and taken in by kind people who will help them turn their lives around

• Pip to take a perpetual vow of silence and leave for a nunnery

• a terrific Grundy Christmas (although the travails of Alice and Chris will overshadow things)

• Alice to lose the baby, as this seems the least grim option for us listeners; she leaves Chris and makes a fresh start of some kind

What do you all want for Christmas from The Archers?

It was indeed perfect. Everything about it.

Detectorists Christmas special???!!!! How have I missed this!

It was broadcast between Seasons 2 & 3 @StillDumDeDumming.

Here you go
2015 Christmas Special: [[www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06tdq5d via @bbciplayer]]

Oooo thank you- we are having a weird Christmas for mom Covid reasons so a Xmas special extravaganza will be excellent (and a streaming of a west end musical).

All the episodes are on iplayer

@CaptainMyCaptain

Detectorists was one of the most perfect TV series ever.

It really was.

I agree that the treasure hunting story is dull dull dull now. All the stuff at Brookfield saps my will to live tbh. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat tho the other night when Philip was doing his full panto baddie routine, he's utterly menacing. PLEASE can Gavin grass him up soon, I can't take much more of this. And poor Kirsty, jilted at Easter, and now Christmas is going to be the anniversary of yet another awful life event. Poor woman, soon there won't be a day on the calendar left that doesn't remind her of times of woe.

Perfect, yes.

The Christmas Special was the first episode I saw! Then I found the rest. I truly think it's changed me in some way; I didn't know before that TV could be Like That.

I almost suggested a Mr Flynn special of Barwick Green - but he seems to be turning up more and more as an actor so probably wouldn't have time. Would be lovely though.

The awful thing, well, one of the awful things for Kirsty will be that she's had the luxury, recently, of being able to feel more fortunate than Helen. She must surely think she'd never make a disastrous choice of man again ...

What gets me about the Kirsty thing is that it stretches the bounds of credibility how much bad luck she's had - but not by much. We all know a Kirsty, a kind amazing person who is strong for everyone else but has the world's worst luck with men. God, now I think about it I know bloody loads actually!

I'm a Kirsty.

Thing is, Kirsty had a chance of happiness with solid, dependable, loving Philip.

Then they gave him a character transplant.

That's right Bore, they did.

And the same in reverse with Gavin

Yup, Kirsty was collateral damage after they decided to write in a modern slavery storyline. After they used her for the late miscarriage one as well.

They could have been so much more creative with the modern slavery, maybe Kate keeping a stable of trafficked Romanian women to service clients in her yurts.

@BringMeTheVoiceOfAnthonyHead

I'm a Kirsty.

I hope you meet a sexy yet morally wholesome and financially stable twitcher in the bird hide one of these days.

They'll just have to revive Patrick

I just wanted to say I was nodding along with William when he told his dad that Poppy didn't need a mobile phone.
I'm glad they reminded us how old Poppy and George both are, otherwise I would be asking here. I was thinking that Poppy is younger than DS2 (she is, although more than I thought) and George is older than DS1 (he is).

Please, please don't let the producers have decided to pit the Fairbrethren against each other. 🙄

How on earth does Alice think she's going to hide her stint in rehab? She's going to get a real shock about the advice they give I would imagine.

I liked tonight's episode!
Real farming (sounds), a reminder of what a good guy Rex is (Neil too) and Alice in complete denial

Not a fan of subtlety- tell me straight and I'm happy

Alice will be inside for Xmas.

How will they explain that to the family?

Especially without the benefit of bubbles.

Alice will be inside for Xmas
As it's a private bin, and they are paying for two weeks, I think that's extremely unlikely.

Ah, OK. I missed that detail.

2 weeks doesn't sound nearly long enough for detox & rehab.

Whats the betting she relapses on xmas day?

Very high indeed, I should think, since nobody will know she ought not to be anywhere near alcohol.

Just listened to tonight’s episode. I agreed that Alice will need more then two weeks to completely detox and begin recovering physically and mentally. I can’t see how she’ll be able to stay off the booze permanently after such a short stint in rehab.

I feel nasty saying this, but perhaps it would be better if she loses the baby naturally and then has time to truly recover before they start a family?

Although it might break them apart.

All her family will have to know otherwise she'll be straight back on the booze.