🎭 Archers thread 125: Ambridge Mysteries! The Case Of The Missing Pandemic. Where Is Pat? What Is Lynda Snell's Kompromat? Follow the clues and 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’d love to be in the Mysteries, 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 for thread title ideas to @Roysnewshirt and @Witchwife. Apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone else.

Do we think the Mysteries replace the usual fun storylines around giving things up for Lent? Light relief while we wait to see if the SWs go for realism and tragedy when Alice’s baby is born, or bottle out (as it were) and go for everything being fine? Will Jazzer and Tracy get back together again? (No bookie in the land would take money for that, of course they will.)

Over to you!

I agree the vaccine propaganda at the end was slightly overdone - although possibly not surprising that the BBC are officially pro-vaccine as an organisation.

However I was firmly on Syrah’s side here. After a year of endless changes in guidance and procedure, depressing nay-saying, limited services (and unbelievably long waits for those that are still functioning), minimal face-to-face patient and colleague contact and general misery at work, I have to say that doing a shift at the vaccine hub is by far my favourite type of work at the moment. It does sound incredibly cheesy but the atmosphere is so positive and heartwarming. When we started in January and we were vaccinating 80/90+ year-olds, many of whose hadn’t left their houses in the best part of a year, and had had very little human contact in that time, it really felt as though we were delivering hope as well as a vaccine. It was very moving.

(Mind you I don’t know what Syrah was doing all day to only have given ‘over 50 vaccines’ - I gave 60 in my last morning shift. So maybe she should jab more and pose for photos less )

I must admit I’ve been waiting for a clumsy ‘Mia is not just a vegan feminist but non-binary or trans’ storyline since she reappeared. To the point that I was actually quite surprised with how thrilled she was to be cast as Mary.

That’s lovely prestissimo

@Prestissimo, it was the comment about 'low pay, but that's cool, she's happy to be making a difference' that irked me. Bit close to 'angels' and 'it's a vocation', too often used to sprinkle glitter on the turd of poor pay & conditions.

Oh yes @theThreeofWeevils you’re not wrong there - classic nonsense that it’s a vocation so NHS staff don’t actually need a proper wage to pay mortgages and buy food.

They are nice shifts though.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
Definitely no woman present during the conversations involving Ben and Leonard. Angus Imrie's voice is quite light so maybe that's the issue. I like hearing Ben and Josh together. One of the more believable relationships at Brookfield, and I can also tell them apart. The Ben actor's voice is quite a bit deeper.

Ben and Leonard was a two-hander.

The high-pitched cackling laughter was Josh; the lower-pitched cackling laughter was Clarrie.

That an older brother of twenty-three may indulge in fifteen-year-old-style taunting of his younger brother never happened in my family, but I expect it's normal for some.

I suppose over-eighty Leonard may have been having his second dose of vaccine, if his first was before Christmas?

They are nice shifts though
That is good to know, @Prestissimo

I would have made Josh re-record that piece - the falsetto bits were really odd.

DD is about the same age as Mia. Most of year 9 seem to have "found their true gender" in this most recent lockdown, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that sort of storyline turns up at a later date.

Josh and Ben remind me a bit of Jake and Ben from Outnumbered, where Ben is four years younger but grows massive, whereas Jake is slighter and has a lighter voice (but not squeaky like Josh).

I saw Ben Archer actor do something else and he's about 25 and sounds completely normal in that context. Quite different from hearing him as Ben.

As I have mentioned many, many a few times Angus Imrie was in the same year at school as my son, so he must be about 27 now. Josh is a good bit younger.

Plenty of cackling and winding each other up in my family, and none of us will see 23 again.

Good point about the second vaccine. I'll assume that's it.

Coo ... TA must be great at the moment. Just realised I'm still on ITV Hub watching last week's 'The Voice'.

Liked the way tonight's episode ended...

I was worried they might be going for a PND storyline with Alice. Has that been done before?

Lovely to hear your positive experience @Prestissimo

My parents 80s/90s are still enthusing about the vaccine programme as they are now on to their second jabs. DF had his 2 weeks ago and DM's is next week. They haven't stopped shielding yet. I am hoping that once I am 3 weeks post jab 1 they might let me pop up to visit, as I haven't seen them since end August.

I'd rather have some people being anxious/having doubts and having their fears allayed than a hard core anti-vaxxer. We do need the country vaccinated after all.

I felt a lot of empathy for Alice last night. That awful feeling when your baby won’t stop crying and you can’t fix it. I maybe had something in my eye at the end.

I’m not sure that’s the end of the FAS storyline but it’s nice not to listen to unremitting awfulness.

@Prestissimo

I felt a lot of empathy for Alice last night. That awful feeling when your baby won’t stop crying and you can’t fix it. I maybe had something in my eye at the end.

I’m not sure that’s the end of the FAS storyline but it’s nice not to listen to unremitting awfulness.

I don't like Alice. She's an arrogant, spoilt brat. I didn't feel sympathy for her and I really hope they aren't going to brush the FAS storyline under the carpet because she now claims to love her baby.

I haven't seen my parents since the start of December 2019. I was due to go up there in April last year, and obviously that had to be cancelled. They've been very cautious the whole time (which I'm extremely pleased about) but I am desperate to get up there again. Once they've had both vaccines and I have too (which should be by some time in May) I have every digit crossed that things will have unlocked in Scotland and I can get up there safely. Thank goodness they've had each other. It would have been far worse otherwise.

Anyway! Back to Ambridge. I doubt very much that's the end of the FAS storyline. We've just turned one corner. There will be many more to come.

I'm glad Brookfield isn't losing its sheep. Did we ever sort out why they can't just put the flock on Lakey Hill? Surely you couldn't put cattle on a hill, or use it for arable?

The FAS storyline should at minimum be an ongoing worry throughout childhood. Every time Martha is even a bit behind in meeting a milestone there should be a worry it is due to her being prem/FAS.

[quote theThreeofWeevils]@Prestissimo, it was the comment about 'low pay, but that's cool, she's happy to be making a difference' that irked me. Bit close to 'angels' and 'it's a vocation', too often used to sprinkle glitter on the turd of poor pay & conditions.[/quote]
Not often said about men.

Quite right MereDint, it isn't. Nauseating stuff about the pay. I know it's true that "no-one goes into nursing for the pay" but WHY NOT, people become doctors for the pay, and dentists and so on. It's the blind acceptance of this crap that keeps nursing wages (comparatively) low.

I liked the Alice and Jenny part of the programme, it was sweet. and it was nice to hear Alice truly feeling for another human being possibly for the first time ever. But I was a bit cynical about the idea that babies magically stop crying if you tell them you love them and/or promise never to drink again!!

Surely you couldn't put cattle on a hill NE and I think NT run a conservation herds on various upland areas in N England. The main aim is to keep down scrub and maintain the flower rich grassland. The cattle used are hardy breeds. They take a long while to come to maturity meat-wise, but they are used eg for organic babyfood.

I don't think that's quite how it was, WitchWife. Martha finally worked out how to latch. I remember myself that it was days after my daughter was born before both she and I knew what we were doing when it came to feeding. It was a huge relief, so that part did ring true for me.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I don't think that's quite how it was, WitchWife. Martha finally worked out how to latch. I remember myself that it was days after my daughter was born before both she and I knew what we were doing when it came to feeding. It was a huge relief, so that part did ring true for me.

Totally - but it did seem that it was presented almost like a "reward" for Alice saying the right things. Perhaps I'm oversensitive as many close to me have been driven to distraction and beyond by latching and feeding problems.

I don't even think it was that way round @WitchWife. Martha latched on, the milk flowed, Alice stopped thinking Martha hated her and was able to relax. I don't think she ever didn't love her. but she was scared. I don't like Alice at all but that rang true.