🍾 Archers thread 123: Goodbye & good riddance to 2020 – to Philip too? The Archers is 70 on New Year’s Day – celebrate or vent about it 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 wish we heard more from Shula, 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.)

So! 2021 beckons. Big anniversary next Friday, 1.1.21 (and to mark that we have episodes Tuesday-Friday next week). What would we like to see happen? I may be in a minority of one, but I'd like a nice gentle character-driven episode. I don't think we'll get that, but I really, really hope they don't kill someone else off, just for the headlines.

[Title edited by MNHQ at OP'S request]

That cornfield scene! They both sounded as if they were made of wood.

Anyone else done the quiz? I managed 12/15. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3H1k4L2FfpjCFfg41rdCPYs/are-you-an-archers-mastermind

Cast photo here. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4mpSlDJFD8CCGLlrwg86x5m/the-archers-in-2021-70-characters-for-70-years I shall while away the hours till tonight's squib special episode trying to work out who they all are.

A pet hate of mine at the moment is how some newsreaders subtly mangle the bulletin they are reading angry. Stresses in the wrong place, pauses in the middle of clauses which subdivide them and thus sometimes distort their meaning. It gets me shouting at the radio.

I knew standards would drop when the newsreaders stopped wearing dinner jackets and ball gowns.

Women's Hour special on women in the Archers on now! Presented by one of my favourite characters.

Well, that went wrong. damp squib is what I meant to type.

Woman's Hour is well worth a listen. It's a shame there isn't an Archers "Men's Hour" too.

Having enjoyed too many episodes of Bleak Expectations, I struggle with Edwin Drood.

Happy 2021!

Happy New Year!

Loved Woman's Hour - particularly Emma actress wanting Emma to become an Influencer, make her fortune and buy back the farm.

The 2.15 pm drama on R4 looks interesting
Hashtag Love
Drama

A live romantic comedy set behind the fictional scenes of The Archers. The drama will report and react to listeners' social media comments as it tells the story of an unravelling romance, with the audience steering the course of true love as it unfolds.

Starring Ruth Jones and Stephen Tompkinson and written by Peter Souter.

I'm impressed with myself, 13/15 on the quiz. But that was definitely with the aid of some lucky guesses.

I got 13/15 too.

Radio Times didn't think to mention any of these "Specials". It turns out that Farming Today looked at 70 years of Archers farming:
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000qmql

With Great Pleasure is on at the moment too:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qjcs?at_campaign=64&at_custom3=%40BBCTheArchers&at_medium=custom7&at_custom2=twitter&at_custom4=A3723D3E-455A-11EB-9FDA-26EC923C408C&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D

The Farming Today one was really interesting!

Really enjoyed Woman's Hour. Nice to hear Lily and Emma actors discussing their characters, and total unanimity from all concerned that TA could do with a strong woman character who hasn't inherited wealth and is successful from her own efforts. Mrs/Ms/Miss/Dr/Professor/Dame/Lady Gill, perhaps?

Actually I think that was an awful thing for Peggy to do.

Setting a test for Alice I mean

She's the only one who even suspected what the problem was so I expect she wanted to confirm those suspicions before saying anything.

Maybe. But people not ‘getting involved’ can leave the addict and their partners becoming desperately isolated, as she knows from experience. Yet general enquires or expressions of concern can be dismissed. Peggy didn’t want to say anything to Chris without being sure. I’m glad for his sake that someone is noticing him and helping him to see that he has choices too.

But the way she did it? There’s far better ways to try to get someone to address a problem. It could have horribly backfired .

She tried asking questions, and been comprehensively lied to. She knew that she had been lied to -- Alice was shifty and evasive and generally obvious to Peggy.

Yes, it was horrible to test Alice -- but if Peggy is to be of any help to the alcoholic's spouse, the person in the horrible place she was in herself for thirty years or so, she needs to be sure she is right before saying anything. And she had to test her in front of other people or Alice would simply lie again, this time about her. (She will anyway, of course.)

Remember Emma trying to call Alice out, and the lies Alice told, and Chris' reaction? He shot the messenger.

I worried about the future of [Tracy and Jazzer's] romance. While I want it to work, neither has any prospect of money or financing a place of their own so I fear the practicalities will get in the way and it will have no longevity
Don't forget that Tracy connived for Bert to name her as 'inheritor' of his council tenancy.

I was shouting at Chris last night!

Telling him to stop being so bloody rude, treating Peggy like a senile imbecile.

It really wound me up the way he was trying to convince her she was imagining things.

Grrr!

Well, I'll admit to having wondered last night why the words "I don't think my private affairs are really any of your business" never seem to occur to anyone in TA.

But they never do.

Tracey doesn't have doting GPs to look after their DGC at the drop of a hat.

Peggy did the only thing under the circumstances.
I love Peggy as a character.

I heard most of Wimmin Sour. Probably missed most of Today. Missed Farming Today. I normally switch off WH but listen to FT and the 3-hour COVID report Today. Something to do with staying up late last night.

Happy New Year!

December 12th Torygraph colour supplement had Angela Piper in the 'Flashback' bit.

Why todayyyyy? Far too little Archers all blimmin' year, then they inconsiderately pick the one day I've scheduled for desperate racing to meet a work deadline to broadcast Everything Archers.

Lordy ... When Chris announces he's divorcing Alice - and taking "moi baybee" with him, on Peggy's advice - the rest of the Aldridge clan will tear Great Granny Woolley limb from limb.

102, though. 102.