🐴 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?

It’s a shame we’ve heard no Pat for ages. I am a fan. Can’t find anything ominous online about the actress...

Instead ‘poor rich old woman’ gets away with it
FTFY

Bold fail - there. I'm not entirely clear why. Because the original quote was 3 paragraphs (ie it had carriage returns in) - each paragraph has to be bolded separately. Catches me out every time.

a 96 year old. My mother of a similar age has some pretty awful opinions They were brought up in a different era. Even I was born nearer to the Victorian age than to the present day and I'm a long way off 96. You change your opinions as you age, but things learned in childhood are pretty well ground in and difficult to uproot..

Ah bloody hell ed n em are going to apply for the council farm now aren’t they

D'you think, MadameButterface? I'm not sure I can see them wanting the responsibility right now. Could be wrong, of course!

I do keep expecting to hear that Emma is pregnant, though.

BOOP for whichever kid it was wanting to smash the patriarchy this evening - Mia?

And double BOOP for Kirsty having finally caught up on the thread and taken up my suggestion she visit Gavin

Very pleased that Mia wants to smash the patriarchy, I thought teenagers didn’t believe in men and women these days.
I did think Emma telling Rex to go for the farm was the doings of the character transplant fairy. Where was the old “that should be ours, haven’t we lived here all our lives, not like the Fairbrothers. They think a fancy accent and a degree will get them everywhere but I’m not standing for it”?

@BeardieWeirdie

Very pleased that Mia wants to smash the patriarchy, I thought teenagers didn’t believe in men and women these days. I did think Emma telling Rex to go for the farm was the doings of the character transplant fairy. Where was the old “that should be ours, haven’t we lived here all our lives, not like the Fairbrothers. They think a fancy accent and a degree will get them everywhere but I’m not standing for it”?

This is a good point, why are Ed and Emma not interested in the council farm? Possibly they wouldn’t have the capital to get it stocked?

Thanks for confirming that Tony was born at home, Asking.

I see from the BBC website that Mia was 15 last month, so must be in year 10. (I wonder what her older brother Jake is doing now. I can't even remember if we've ever heard him speak. I suspect he'll do a Jamie Perks and not only remain silent but be totally forgotten about.)

Same actor as before - Molly Pipe. So long since we last heard from her, I wasn't sure. It must be a strain pitching the voice as high as that for minutes on end. It was paining me just listening to it. I hope Mia's voice deepens with age, which would be a perfectly natural development.

Mia as vegan - 2020s development of Lucy Perks being a vegetarian, 35 years ago. Same rants about factory farming! Good for Eddie pointing out that grass-fed beef in the UK isn't the same thing as US beef, which is not grass-fed on the whole.

Mia as vegan - 2020s development of Lucy Perks being a vegetarian, 35 years ago

Yes I made that comparison and rolled my eyes at the prospect of another rerun. Every time a woman (and it usually is a female character) voices views on vegetarianism, feminism or the environment they seem to become one dimensional characters and attract doom stories as they are used to reinforce a status quo argument.

This is a good point, why are Ed and Emma not interested in the council farm? Rex has a pig business and is being evicted, Ed has a few sheep and makes his money doing work for other farmers.
At the start of that episode I wondered why Mia was suddenly making a voiced reappearance - then we had the arguments for and against veganism and all became clear. It felt like a bit of a set piece - a topical insert. Kate is also a vegan of course, but a bit long in the tooth to be trying to teach any Ambridge farmers how to suck eggs (if you’ll forgive the pun). Also Kate’s veganism is all about her - my body is a temple etc etc

I think I've said it before but it has always surprised me that Kirsty isn't more vocal about food and environmental impact. At least being more conscious about source. Meat free Monday etc.

I think it is time they had some environmental issues readdressed although I have to say Mia's voice does grate (at least she is easily identifiable I suppose!) I'm a newbie listener having only started about the time Jack Woolley died (a mere 10 years or so) so I don't remember previous environmental focus' but I assume they haven't at least looked at plastic use. I hope they don't just turn it into an eye rolling teen story.

Also Kate’s veganism is all about her - my body is a temple etc etc

Kate's a good example of how such issues are covered. She is written as a self absorbed fruit loop and so the natural representative of eco/vegan type stuff.

Lucy was also presented as petulant and doing performance eco awareness.

Pat was always disparaged as "the feminist" (a bad thing to be on TA) and eco nut even when they were a couple of decades in and make a success of it.
Kirsty has been visited with the stories of doom and often presented as unreasonable or just a bit daft over eco stuff.

Mia can expect to participate in many conversations presenting her as an over woke gullible teen with the opposing views being presented as the voice of reason.

I found the Mere bit too long and too stereotypical. I'm all for being environmentally considerate, but would not like to see the end of livestock farming.

The only nice thing about the veganism chat was that they were still friends at the end of it. Brian would lose his shit (and presumably has, at Kate, many times).

Not sure about the flight thing - More or Less did a similar question about lamb a while back: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07pplj1

I quite liked that Mere did a naive parroting but Eddie pushed back with a "have you got the data (the correct data) to back up that assertion?"

I thought the discussions about carbon emissions from meat consumption were well pitched and nuanced.

Although I was surprised to hear about "Gen Zee" as I don't think I've heard it said aloud before and always assumed it was pronounced the English way!

I heard Jensie, assumed it was a lad from school.

I heard Jensie, assumed it was a lad from school
The younger brother of Kenzie?

I too was not a fan of how they presented Mia’s legitimate concerns about feminism and the environment as ‘duhhh teenagers lol’ , although i equally see why veganism isn’t all that popular in farming communities. I do hope they show the other side of veganism - the side where you’re just trying to live your life, minding your own business, doing no harm, and meat eaters think it’s edgy and hilarious to wave bacon sandwiches at you and go ‘hey, look tho, BACON!!!!’ as though being reminded of its very existence will make you have the screaming ab dabs or something , or try and get you to argue with them about it. (I always dodge these situations by cunningly not giving a shit what other people eat or don’t eat)

About ed n em and the council farm, i leapt to that conclusion i think because it would solve both their accommodation problems and their gig economy patchwork career problems i guess, I hadn’t considered how they’d stock it. William’s still at a loose end career wise isn’t he? They could have a battle of the brothers with the fairbrethren for it.

I do hope they show the other side of veganism [...] or try and get you to argue with them about it. (I always dodge these situations by cunningly not giving a shit what other people eat or don’t eat)

Definitely agree with this. They could also look at real life options which many try as a mid path - less meat but better production methods, meatless mondays etc I can easily see Lynda having that type of conversation with Mia and suggesting more modest but achievable targets. She has always been surprisingly good with the teens of Ambridge.

I don't eat meat and the bacon sandwich argument is wasted on me as I didn't like bacon. I get lots of 'rabbit-food' comments.

Plant-based food has come a long way but, oh dear, it doesn't agree with me. It sits in my stomach slimily, telling me it wants to get out from whence it came. The facon is the worst. Vile stuff.
** Not all of it is that bad, but the good bits are few and far between.

The vegan stuff is taking over the vegetarian stuff, not in a good way.
Mere did say Gen Zee. i'm Gen X and still think I'm cool.

Maybe the new M-W baby will be called Jenson, or Kenzie if a girl.

.... I don't remember previous environmental focus' but I assume they haven't at least looked at plastic use

It wasn’t that long ago we had to sit through Fallon’s plastic-free wedding.

@Roysnewshirt ah yes I stand corrected.

Vegans are fine by me, since it is their digestion not mine, but if they turn up for a meal I have already bought the ingredients for and only tell me after their arrival that by the way they can't eat what is being made for the rest of the family, well, tough, because since I can't eat them myself I don't keep pulses in the house. (This is why I do not expect to eat in vegan households: so embarrassing for them when the food they are sure is ever so much better for me than my usual diet makes me swell up and turn purple and vomit all over their carpet...) Mia is a mannerless little person for assuming there would be a vegan option for her when she gave no warning that she would want one.

As for haranguing her (non)relatives about how dare they make a living doing something she disapproves of and how stupid they are because they Just Don't Get It, she will learn, I suppose, that this sort of carrying on it isn't going to change anything except perhaps their opinion of her.