🐴 Archers thread 124: And they're off! Pip on a high horse, Kirsty champing at the bit to find the lost ‘horses’, Alice on the wagon (or is she riding for a fall?). Discuss The Archers 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 Shula would make a brilliant vicar, 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 @PoulePouletteEternellement for the equine theme to the new thread title. I wanted to work in Rex being a dark horse and lots of others too, but (you may feel fortunately) there's a character limit for the title.

I wonder if this thread will see us through to the end of February. The last one filled up in under a month, which was like old times. All depends on what delights are in store for us in the coming weeks, I suppose. I'm hoping that Gavin has spilled the beans on Victoria, she's also arrested, and the lads are found. Having said that, I'm not confident that in the real world they would get the support and care they need to turn their lives around and get proper jobs. It was good to hear on the last thread from @Trickyboy, who has professional experience of investigating this vile crime. Any comments on how things turn out in the long run for those rescued?

Arobase
Phoebe's pronouncements about being an ethical business that can't be associated with Justin ring rather hollow in light of its association with convicted polluter Brian.

I think she had simply had enough of Justin's nasty behaviour and used an available pretext to stomp him. And good for her, said I as she did so: well past time for someone to give him back what he's always been happy to dish out.

I think Phoebe is fed up of people spitting out their dummies when things don’t go their way, first Pip , now Justin.

Lovely to hear Natasha again.

I ❤ Freddie.

Have I said that before?

I really really ❤❤ Freddie!

The voice of reason!

I really don't understand the rewilding. I must have dozed off in previous episodes because I really don't remember all those barns being built (I am quite surprised that Philip and his horses didn't put them up over a long weekend). Borsetshire's planning department must have been remarkably speedy.

I wonder why Rex hasn't thought to put his pigs on the land to root through the soil? It would tide him over until he found some new land to rent.

They didn't build the barns, just some barns came on the market close/adjacent to the rewilding land. Justin persuaded the rewilders to go into partnership to buy them, but really wanted to greenwash his own plans.
It was good to see him have the rug pulled out from under his feet. Especially after he got Brian to buy some land off him and then benefitted when Brian had to resell it after the pollution fine.

I don’t understand the whole idea of the rewilding as a going concern at all

But I do wish the Shula would occasionally indulge in a bit of private reflection rather than trying to whip up sympathy from everyone she can corner with her sighing and moping. But if she did that, we wouldn't know what she was thinking.

Whether we need to know what she is thinking is another matter.

I suspect that it works well if you own three thousand plus acres of inherited land, or have a large chunk of the Highlands to play with. Oh, and no particular need for income from them.

Probably not so good if what you have is 400 leased acres and the need to provide income for three from it as well as pay the rental.

Going by Defra figures, their land should be costing the Rewilders between £180 and £220 per hectare to rent, which is (goes and uses the calculator) call it 162 hectares would come to between £29,160 and £35,640 per year, and they have so far got no income from it whatever.

I'm finding the slow pace of the modern slavery line quite annoying.

And also finding Shula's querulous delivery extremely annoying.

An observation I have made before ...

Freddie was brilliant when he talked Elizabeth round. I also enjoyed hearing Natasha again, and thought she showed real maturity and empathy in the way she encouraged Tom to go and see Kirsty. Shame Tom utterly squandered that by not telling her about Kirsty railroading him into searching for the horses amongst the homeless. Why would he be so stupid?

Incidentally, Natasha’s reference to “Celebrity Squares” was a bit anachronistic- sounded like it had been written by a SW in their sixties. Was Celebrity Squares ever on air after about 1978?

According to Wikipedia, "[Celebrity Squares] first ran from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse—from 8 January 1993 to 3 January 1997."

Natasha was apparently born on 8th March, 1982.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

According to Wikipedia, "[Celebrity Squares] first ran from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse—from 8 January 1993 to 3 January 1997."

Natasha was apparently born on 8th March, 1982.

And then the show was brought back with Warwick Davis in 2014-15

Yes, but I was assuming she was too Posh to watch it this time round; she might have seen it as a kid.

Quite a while back someone wondered about Natasha. Now she's talked about her fathers bi-polar history it fits that she's following in his footsteps.
She's certainly shown the manic side quite often
I wonder how much Tom knows of her family history

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

Yes, but I was assuming she was too Posh to watch it this time round; she might have seen it as a kid.

Natasha posh?!

She wouldn't admit to being otherwise, would she? Her and her embarrassingly expensive presents for people she hardly knew...

I suppose there's a one in ten chance that bipolar is hereditary.

Is Stephanie getting her revenge on the Pargetter offspring for the way they treated her dad?

I refuse to believe she and her husband to be truly have designs on Freddie. (Or Lily.)

Maybe Stephanie will have more luck with CMR.

We've heard about her dad's condition before, a little - can't remember who she told though. It was the first time I felt any empathy with her.

Natasha never sounds genuine to me.

Mmm ... Oddly enough, I have no real problem with the characterisation of Natasha. It's her existence in Tom's life that I find incomprehensible. Can't really invest in her story because I just don't believe this person married Tom and is now an Archer.

Are we meant to like Natasha now? Bloody hell, we’ll be tolerating Shula next.