🍾 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]

Does anyone know when/ if TA are resuming normal service ie back to six episodes per week?

Alastair should really have more faith in Jim. It was obvious to us what Jim was gearing up to do.

From what he was saying, Philip is quite clearly staying at the homeless shelter...

Nice one, Jim. And bit of closure for him, though he would detest that word.

As for Kirsty, she's losing the plot, though it will enable some stringing out of her "involvement" with the modern slavery SL when she gets rumbled with her amateur sleuthing and is accused of intimidating witnesses.

Forgot to say what a slimeball Philip is, already cooking up another "story" about Gavin.

wouldn't he be at the flat?

He talked about "that place" and his belongings being nicked.

It's being set up for Kirsty to bump into him when she goes volunteering.

@BoreOfWhabylon

From what he was saying, Philip is quite clearly staying at the homeless shelter...

I didn't pick up on that, so Kirsty really should stay away from there.

Yes, I just listened again. Says he's "Not been getting much sleep in that place anyway, more like a flea-pit. I swear someone's nicked my razor".

Can't be many homeless shelters in the vicinity, so as soon as the DBS Check Fairy does her thing, no doubt there will be a touching reunion.

Although he could stay at his house, since Kirsty isn't there.

I've always known a 'flea pit' as a grotty cinema. Is it not in the part of Wales Philip is supposed to be from?

Nice one, Jim. And bit of closure for him, though he would detest that word

Jim's not the only one who detests 'closure' (and most of the ret of the amateur psychobabble lexicon)

But I fail to see why it was a 'nice one' on Jim's part. His anger was not at Philip or his alleged misdeeds, it was at being sodomised by whatever his name was and Philip was merely a convenient scapegoat. One could argue that using someone else as therapy is in itself a form of exploitation

But I fail to see why it was a 'nice one' on Jim's part. His anger was not at Philip or his alleged misdeeds, it was at being sodomised by whatever his name was and Philip was merely a convenient scapegoat. One could argue that using someone else as therapy is in itself a form of exploitation

But what he said specifically addressed Philip and his actions. Any underlying anger is hardly inadmissible or no-one could ever use their experience to power their later actions.

I imagine Philip would be in a bail hostel. I don’t think it is being set up for him to meet Kirsty at the Elms. That is just to show how unbalanced she is becoming/obsessed with finding the horses.

Jim was phenomenal. Bad writing though to have Alistair not catch on.

I think it was just Jim reacting to others being
'taken advantage of'.

Helen was absolutely right. Kirsty is seriously dim if she doesn't realise that looking for the slaves could be interpreted as trying to find them so as to stop them giving evidence against her and Philip.

Helen could also justifiably point out that, when it comes to background checks, Kirsty isn't exactly in the same position as she was when she applied for the wildlife job: there are a couple of awkward matters to take into consideration now like being under police investigation and being married to someone out on bail for offences against the homeless.

Arobase
Helen was absolutely right. Kirsty is seriously dim if she doesn't realise that looking for the slaves could be interpreted as trying to find them so as to stop them giving evidence against her and Philip.

And if only Helen had given that as a reason, or shown the slightest sign that she thought it, I'd applaud her. But as it was, she was just preaching her usual gospel of "look out for number one and don't have any consideration for anyone else", as far as I could tell.

Also telling Kirsty how she is to grieve properly, as usual; I think Kirsty is quite likely to manage fine on her own until Helen bullies and nags her into a breakdown, as she did over the miscarriage.

Exactly @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime. Helen has no insight into what a bad idea it is for Kirsty to look for the boys not the imagination to consider it; she’s just lazy and self-centred and doesn’t understand why Kirsty would do anything other than sit around wallowing in her misery (which is what she, Helen, would do in this situation, along with being vile to everyone around her).

I enjoyed the Jim scene though - good for him.

Well done Jim. The SWs made good use of their most articulate character there. Jim was a university academic, wasn’t he? It’s hard to do that job and not be fond of young adults and realise their vulnerability. The horses might be very different from Jim’s students but he will still feel for them.

I was cheering Jim on.

@BlueCowWonders, I'm not from the same part of Wales as Philip, but a grotty cinema was called flea-pit.

Isn't The Elms the home for the elderly?

Phillip was almost convincing until you remember that he sold the boys for hard cash. He’s obviously trying to set Gavin up to take the blame but I think he may have said too much to Jim and Alistair for that to work, surely they will contact the police?

A flea-pit is definitely a cinema.

I'll be extremely disappointed if the lads never turn up. I want Philip and Gavin convicted on unassailable evidence and that needs at least one of the lads, ideally all three, to be questioned. Poor souls.

Well done, Jim! I enjoyed that.