🐴 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?

@Paleodiet

Am I the only one whose heart sank at the prospect of another of Linda's productions? Her affected tones get on my nerves.

No, you’re not the only one. I’ve quite enjoyed the quieter, more humble Lynda, though I know that makes me a monster.

BOOP for Gavin and Kirsty.

I’ve quite enjoyed the quieter, more humble Lynda, though I know that makes me a monster.

I had a boyfriend once who liked me better when I was ill ...

👺

I just had a go at the DumTeeDum podcast while I was cooking dinner. Didn’t warm to it at all- it’s really rambling and they spent a good 20 minutes speculating that Tony might not be Jack Archer’s son, which struck me as the kind of thing that only a very casual listener might say. Nobody had anything like the level of historical knowledge displayed in this thread! There was a reasonable amount of Shula-bashing though, that is always welcome.

I remembered why I generally don’t like podcasts- most of them come across like pub bores and could do with a proper editor.

Lyndas affected tones:
Yes, does anyone really talk like that?

Apparently Lynda is based on a person once known by Carole Boyd, so presumably someone must!

@HaveringWavering if you didn't like DumTeeDum (which I did enjoy more when it was just background to my large amount of driving). You could try Ambridge on the Couch - presented by Lucy V Freeman who used to co-host DumTeeDum, there is chat, a bit by a Newbie to the Archers and his impressions, and then a bit where a supposed "travelling therapist" travels to Ambridge and has a Therapy session with one o the characters (Lucy's co host does the voices).

No, you’re not the only one. I’ve quite enjoyed the quieter, more humble Lynda, though I know that makes me a monster

I can’t stand Lynda, though such opinions tend to get stamped on pretty quickly on this thread. Lovely to see several other anti-Snell comments for once...

I loathe Lynda with an intensity that would imperil my immortal soul were she real and were there not many other offences to be taken into consideration.
Why did they bother getting my hopes up giving her those injuries? Not only did they let the foul creature recover from them, the had her do so implausibly quickly. And I don't understand the popularity of her simpering fool of a husband, who is basically just her enabler, either.

Is there any character in TA that you don't loathe, theThree?

Anyone watched Ozark?

There is a Snell family in that who could not be more unlike our own dear Lynda and Robert.

I agree with you about the Dumtedum podcast Havering . But I didn't have a lot of empty time to fill on my own a year ago and I've got a lot less now, so something has to be pretty good and to the point for me to bother listening to it.

Is there any character in TA that you don't loathe, theThree?

@UntamedWisteria

Anyone watched Ozark?

There is a Snell family in that who could not be more unlike our own dear Lynda and Robert.

Yes. Please don't give the character change fairy ideas

@theThreeofWeevils

I loathe Lynda with an intensity that would imperil my immortal soul were she real and were there not many other offences to be taken into consideration. Why did they bother getting my hopes up giving her those injuries? Not only did they let the foul creature recover from them, the had her do so implausibly quickly. And I don't understand the popularity of her simpering fool of a husband, who is basically just her enabler, either.

When I was small I used to hate Lynda like this, and practically had an allergic reaction every time she mentioned putting Ambridge on the map (which felt like daily).

Gavin has got a sexy voice. Sadly I think if Kirsty was going to fall for him she would have done by now. She knows what a sulky little boy he is.

I do wonder if Kirsty might discover a latent bisexuality and find herself a nice woman to settle down with. Preferably some nice feminist campaigner who can mentor Mia and put the wind up the old folk.

@Nith

Is there any character in TA that you don't loathe, theThree?

Oh yes. Can't think of any I like as such, not since Hilda proved as unreliable at controlling her fertility as every other Ambridge female, but it's a spectrum. For example, I despise Tony and Clarry but I wouldn't say I loathe them. And some, while loathsome, are enjoyable - Helen springs to mind here. The Snell-beast is not enjoyable; I would go so far as to say she is barely credible, and thay as a result, ridiculous storylines accrete around her.

IRL, 'Fuck off, Lynda' would never be far from Ambridge lips. It's certainly never far from mine.

Why doesn't anybody except Ruth simply tell Lynda to go away when she tries to dragoon them into performing in her pantos?

I am cheering Kirsty on at the moment, in that one respect only. You stick to your guns, Kirsty! Keep refusing!

IIRC way back when, not long after the Snells arrived in Ambridge, the SWs seemed to despise Lynda for her childlessness

I’m hopeless at this but an attempt at a title as just realised we are on 894:

Everything’s so mysterious - where are the horses? What will happen to the Chrisalice? And what on Earth is a Mystery Play? Follow the clues and discuss The Archers here...

Didn’t they do a mystery play before? I never listen to the Christmas performances so I’m not sure.

I think they have done the Mysteries before @Chemenger but it wasn’t a Christmas production. In my mind the Mysteries tend to be done around Easter - traditionally they’re done outside and move from place to place, I think, so better if the weather’s better! Someone upthread mentioned Chris playing Jesus and I think that’s right - I seem to remember various comments when he took his shirt off to carry the cross.

Yes, they have done the Mystery Plays already - Lynda mentioned it in one of last week's episodes.

Quite a lot of the characters must have had their first vaccination by now.

They have done a Mystery Play twice before, once at Christmas in 2003 when they had no Mary or Joseph for several weeks and were still casting it at the beginning of December, and once at Easter in 2014 when Chris Carter stopped having flail chest in order to cart a cross round the village.

(That phrase was difficult to write with a straight face.)

In neither case was there any pretence that they performed an actual Mystery Play from one of the known cycles.

Oooh - just turned the radio back on and accidentally caught The Listening Project. It's two Archers fans wondering if the show will survive.

(Still hate The Listening Project, though ...)

I hate TLP too. is it worth a listen? i normally switch off.