🐴 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?

Ruth seems to imagine that not being able to cook (beyond burnt pizza) makes her some sort of feminist. It doesn't; it just makes her a bad cook. On the other hand, being a bad cook is one of those roles which are not regarded as suitable for a woman

I feel that the Beeb is forgetting who its core audience is these days. It probably knows exactly who its core audience is. It's just taking the long view and wanting to shift to a core audience which isn't going start dying off in 25 years time.

Which started me thinking -when I first became aware of the TA, the core audience for Radio 4 was my mother's generation and a little older, I think. So late 20s, 30s, 40s. Can Radio 4 really get back to that, or has the whole listening experience moved on? ie is it the medium that is problem rather than the programme content?

@MereDintofPandiculation my DD occasionally texts me to say she's having a "Mum Sunday ". This apparently means prepping a roast whilst listening to the omnibus. She's 27, so there is hope!

[quote NomadNoMore]@MereDintofPandiculation my DD occasionally texts me to say she's having a "Mum Sunday ". This apparently means prepping a roast whilst listening to the omnibus. She's 27, so there is hope![/quote]
How fab! Your job is done

It probably knows exactly who its core audience is. It's just taking the long view and wanting to shift to a core audience which isn't going start dying off in 25 years time.
Didn't they used to have a tagline of "intelligent speech"? They used to be proud of the quality of their output. The age of the listener was irrelevant.

The age is irrelevant but as I got to middle age, I started switching off far more often.
I find myself questioning the so-called lack of bias.

Some of the programmes are excellent.

@ILoveShula

I like Lily. She is a bit of a spoilt princess, but that's due to parenting, and she last her father young. She was 'the sensible one' and Freddie 'the silly one'. (cf. Shula and Kenton) She and Freddie have a good relationship.

Pip on the other hand is the 'golden one' and always treated as a princess compared to her brothers, who are 'spares' to her 'heir'.
Ruth and David's fault.

Spot on!

Oh goodness, lost not last.

It is probably in character because David and Kenton don't get on very well and Ruth is an only child.

Neyull and Susan managed to bring Kristiffur and Emmur up to be friends, until Alice's drinking came between them.

I think there are possibly no characters which I don't EVER like. But there are some whom I rarely like. Pip is definitely one!

I don't like Pip at all, she is unpleasant to her brothers. I did like to hate the old teenage Pip.

ILoveShula
Neyull and Susan managed to bring Kristiffur and Emmur up to be friends, until Alice's drinking came between them.

I don't remember Christopher and Emma ever being friends.

They were good friends, but cordial sibling relationships don't get airtime.

Yeah; we only ever heard them when they were hating each other, or moving out to get away from each other. Or in Emma's case, resenting Chris for having been born.

I never heard them being pleasant to each other, ever. Not even as pleasant as Pip and Josh have been once or twice.

I'm a non Shula hater too. She used idol a bit as a child - horse riding, having fun, lots of parties and boyfriends and struggling to find a career.

She did suffer from the SWs getting bored with her when she got maried - so they killed Mark. Then got her married again and were bored with that.

At one point even the actor who played Alistair thought he must be having an affair - do you remember all those conferences?
I think they just grew apart - and not having a stroppy teenager around (and Alastair not having an affair) - one day Shula just woke up to the fact that she was bored with him.

I do think she should have gone travelling again rather than become a Vicar. But then I have lots of friends who have trained to become Vicar's usually about the point their youngest child goes to secondary school. So Shula is a bit old - but she had already trained as a lay reader.

Without training I thought she handled Philip in Prison quite well. And he showed what an odious man he is.

Without training I thought she handled Philip in Prison quite well If she was without training she shouldn't have been there in a pastoral capacity.

If she was without training she shouldn't have been there in a pastoral capacity

I was wondering this. Isn't visiting manipulative abusers in the advanced class of pastoral prison visiting? It would be (or used to be) for civilian prison visitors.

Or in Emma's case, resenting Chris for having been born

That's a bit harsh. Sibling envy is normal in children. When one child ends up needing all the focus and attention as Chrisduffer did then the elder child is doubly left out.

I think their relationship is pretty standard - agree sometimes, bicker at others but woe betide anyone who comes between them or attacks the other.

Ruth and David both cook. The difference seems to be that she resents doing it, and often cooks badly; he simply does it.

But its always presented as Ruth's "job". We hardly ever hear of David cooking. Ruth does the shopping, planning and is often in the kiitchen cooking. In that context and witih a household of 6 adults why is she doing so much of the cooking and wife work when she also works full time?

I still remember when they were first married in the bungalow and were being very modern and sharing the chores supposedely - Ruth, like most women, ended up doing more of both until it came to a head because David considered at the end of a long day that unwrapping a pork pie was good enough for Ruth's dinner whereas she was cooking on her nightes.

Ah - listening to A Point Of View now ...

It's an interesting pov from this particular speaker.

I thought Shulas reasons for leaving Alistair were perfectly reasonable

Relationships fail for all sorts of windows but the way she managed it was appalling.

"Hi hun, anything else for the shopping list - I have bread and milk oh and by the way I'm divorcing you because I'm bored"

Relationships fail for all sorts of windows but the way she managed it was appalling.
The divorce was the child of the Character Transplant Fairy and the Plot Pixie. The failure of follow-through is probably due to the Change of Editor Elf.

I think I remember her telling him she didnt love him but I may have made that up. I would have left Alistair too, no one could have thought it was working.

no one could have thought it was working. Alistair did

Does Philip actually believe in his own innocence? Or is he an incredibly good actor aka a psychopath?

@Taswama

Does Philip actually believe in his own innocence? Or is he an incredibly good actor aka a psychopath?

I reckon Philip is just a good actor. He knew exactly what he was doing when manipulating Blake in hospital/selling the slaves/etc. He's the opposite of innocent (and knows it)!