🎭 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 trust they're going to send Chris along to Al-Anon meetings, if only in the interests of public education.

send Chris along to Al-Anon meetings
He'll be far too busy looking after His Baybee. While Alice is down the pub. A pub a long way from Verona Ambridge.
And good luck to her

This page seems to attract all sorts of experts so I hope we have a social worker in our midst! Surely social services would be taking an interest in Martha? Is she going to be safe in the care of a drunk? Sadly I fear that Alice’s plummy accent, education and background would make it likely that Alice be deemed too respectable to be a risk to her daughter, not like some common drunk might be.

All the way through that episode I kept hearing Peggy's advice to Chris. I don't know much about alcoholism, but I can't help feeling more people need to know about Alice's condition otherwise she's going to end up in all kinds of 'wetting the baby's head' scenarios - putting temptation in her path. In the meantime, I'm hoping that the silent treatment for Eddie is going to extend to all further references to the Mysteries (I'm happy for them to remain just that in fact )

It would make a great episode if a social worker turns up to check on Martha whilst JennyD is visiting.

I don't think Alice has a plummy accent. It's too sharp.

She was doing that W-for-terminal-L thing a lot last night, it seemed to me. And we know where that ends. Cattoo, that's where.

I don't regard that as an accent so much as a speech impediment, really.

Aha! Now, I wonder if any TA producer or SW lives on the island of Arran. They're gearing up for a Lockdown Time Capsule project at the moment. (Link to local newspaper.)

I'm not going to subscribe to the Arran Banner just to read one article, I'm afraid; I can't feel I would use that subscription very often.

She certainly sounds plummy compared to Emma, Tracey and (😀) Sabrina.

I’m surprised that everyone in the hospital (staff wise) seems to know about Alice’s drinking (I didn’t imagine them talking to the dr about it did I?). I assumed they just hadn’t told anyone. I’m reasonably confident that a safeguarding referral would have been done when they told the MW about her drinking, and that there would have been an antenatal meeting to decide what level of support the family needed. I’m sure there would at least be an Early Help worker involved, if not a Team Around the Child. As Alice had stopped drinking and there’s another parent on the scene it probably wouldn’t go any further but I’m sure they would have multi-agency help involved. Perinatal MH team, addiction services etc.

I agree @LillianGish that they need to tell people. I thought Alice might have told Jennifer the other day but obviously the SWs are stringing it out a little longer. Then it will become clear that Peggy knew all along and didn’t tell anyone... cue much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

'Martha is already Marrthur Marthyr.

It's quite an interesting SL. There are so many possibilities of where it could go.

Kristiffur and Alish's marriage seems doomed. Marthyr probably will have some FAS-related condition.

Two doting grandmothers. Mother is an alcoholic. Blame etc.

Then it will become clear that Peggy knew all along
And don't forget the delightful Emmur. Recriminations all round.
I rather dislike the idea that Alish should be telling all and sundry. I hope she just gets the hell away from the lot of them, by whatever means necessary.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

I don't regard that as an accent so much as a speech impediment, really.

It must be the most common one ever, starting with Cockney.

Pip does it all the time which doesn't help with my general dislike of her.

Peggy's got to spill the beans soon surely? Though remembering the fall out after she kept Tom's doubts quiet maybe better if she keeps schtum.

I can't see how Alice can tell one of her family and not the rest of them, and once Kate knows Alice might as well give an interview to the Echo.

By which I mean that the only one of them I can imagine not talking about it to one of his or her brothers or sisters or best friends is Debbie.

I agree with @Prestissimo although there is no longer Team Around the Child but Team Around the Family (or certainly in our region anyway), they would definitely be looking at the type of help Alice would need and be looking to protect Martha. If they didn't feel Chris was doing enough to protect Martha and covering for Alice then social services would take a dim view. I think a segment on how social services can help a family in need would make an excellent and interesting storyline. I also think they have really swept Alice's drinking under the carpet. Honestly who manages to stay clean on just detox when they are so extreme that they hallucinate / cannot stop thinking about alcohol 6 months later (this is very extreme for her age I believe). They really should have weaved ongoing support into the the storyline (AA or equivalent, GP, Al-anon). I suppose their thinking is that she has stayed sober by being scared of harming her baby (which is possible) and it will all come tumbling down when it gets too much (Chris comes home to screaming Martha and Alice passed out on sofa).

Honestly you can't get sober without your support network knowing and working at it every day, she has referred to little help and I'm surprised there hasn't been more follow up from GP / midwife.

What’s frustrating as well is that we have no idea what hasn’t been happening and what the SWs just choose not to spend time on. That’s why I was so surprised that the hospital dr seemed to be fully aware of the situation but we’ve heard no medical input since the single GP appt and the weird MW booking appt, both months ago.

I always feel like the SWs, if challenged, will say “oh well of course that’s all happening, just in the background: we only have 48 minutes/week at the moment”, whereas in real life it’s entirely material to the story. Frustrating. (Or, of course, they could be choosing to “not go down the social services route” for dramatic purposes, as they have form for doing...)

Given that Alice consulted a doctor about her alcoholism, I can't see why it's surprising that the hospital doctor knew about it? Aren't medical notes online these days? Presumably the detox place sent a report to her GP as well.

FASD thread

Given that Alice consulted a doctor about her alcoholism, I can't see why it's surprising that the hospital doctor knew about it?

Yes I suppose I hadn’t put those two things together @Nith (despite being a GP blush) because we haven’t heard any appropriate medical input since. The GP would have had to write to the obstetrician for them to know (a basic notes summary is available online but is mainly meds and allergies, no details of individual consultations although may be different in some —fictional— areas I guess) - this was never discussed and there was no indication that C+A had spoken to a paed before delivery, or had extra scans, or social services input as discussed above, or anything else that I would imagine might happen if such concerns were raised. The MW might have seen Alice at the GP surgery with access to her notes (ours does here) but again no indication that she’s picked up on it or done anything about it.

Possibly the famous Plot de Weiss syndrome... (or they just genuinely haven’t had time to act all this stuff out - annoying only having 4 episodes per week).

But it will be a shame if the first input we hear from SS is when the aforementioned episode occurs when Chris (or someone else??) arrives home to find Alice blotto and Martha screaming and neglected. Does no service either to social workers or to women who may actually be in this situation and thereby terrified out of asking for help.

So many editorial issues with that post - apologies!

Well, you've educated me, Prestissimo, I assumed that everything in my medical notes was available unless I'd said no. I can see it makes sense to limit accessibility.

Presumably your medical notes are available even if you aren't registered with a GP? Many people seem not to be, especially in London (which may be the reason the Covid19 vaccination rate is lower in London than anywhere else in the country, now I come to think of it, since you can only book a vaccination if you are registered with a GP).