🎭 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'm sure Lillian will recommend Guinness for breastfeeding mothers as soon as she sees Alice.

Does anyone else think Clarrie was having Susan on about having to ride a horse?

Oh! That would be rather brilliant, Captain. I admit I was a bit lost as to why Susan was at the Stables wittering for England.

Jackie Weaver comes to Ambridge!

@CaptainMyCaptain

Does anyone else think Clarrie was having Susan on about having to ride a horse?

No, because Susan said a couple of episodes ago that Lynda had refused to consider changing round the roles of two of the Kings so that Lily Pargetter (who can ride) was the King on a horse, and Susan (who can't) was carried in on a throne.

Fair enough asking. I think that would have been quite funny.

It would have been, but alas, clearly the potential was not comedic enough for the editorial team.

I quite like the idea of Emmur as chairperson of the parish council.

There's casting against type and there's being a malign fuckwit. I know which explanation I find more plausible.

To return to previous conversations: has a social worker ever appeared in Ambridge? I can't actually think of one. Trying to think of situations that would have merited one:

Helen and the boys - whilst she was in prison/ after her release
Darrell (to protect him from St Shula!)
Jeck in decline
Pat's homeless lady

And that's only what springs instantly to mind from the last couple of decades.....

A combination of the relevant family and/or involved neighbours/Alan/ script fairy seems to be used as a substitute for social work, doesn't it?

Well, there was Jess Titchener - she was a social worker (IIRC) - but she wasn't there in a professional role.

I'm trying to think if there have been any others. It's true they seem strangely missing from all the domestic dramas we witness.

Was there never any conversation where Helen threw in "the social worker said ..."?

I think the person who was questioning Henry was a social worker, on more than one occasion, but I don't think we heard all that much of it. We did learn at the custody hearing that she had decided Rob posed a danger to the boys.

Oh, when Shula and Alistair were adopting Daniel they had several conversations with a social worker.

And there was one when Oliver and Caroline were going in for fostering. Her name was Bridget. One of the foster-children, Bruno Foster, had a different one, called Sheila.

Oh gosh, had forgotten the somewhat improbable fostering scenario.

Yes I vaguely remember social worker mention for Henry but it was very much in connection with the case, rather than ongoing, wasn't it? Wish they could have assessed the dreadful Ursula too!

It is as one of the previous posters said, Alice would have to consent to her information being shared, but the Social Worker would probably encourage that so a safety plan around her alcohol use could include the family around Martha and supporting Alice with triggers and also Chris in managing the situation. It is intrusive- a lot of child protection work is, which is part of what makes it understandably very hard for families.

Thanks, Tulips.

Perhaps all this is still to come for Alice.

I’m still quite worried for baby Martha in spite of Neil’s upbeat update yesterday.

I rather enjoyed hearing Susan having a riding lesson. I started riding myself last year and was sitting up straight and engaging my core as Shula was telling Susan to do so. I wonder what Shula charges for a lesson?

I'm slightly dreading the "hilarious" episode when the horse runs away with Susan at the first performance.

When are they doing this play? If it's Easter, surely they should be publicising it and selling tickets by now?

Not Easter; that's the Darrington one, and the Ambridge one is later. It might even be at the traditional time for a Mystery Play, which is Corpus Christi. This year that would be Thursday 3rd June or presumably the weekend just following it.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

Not Easter; that's the Darrington one, and the Ambridge one is later. It might even be at the traditional time for a Mystery Play, which is Corpus Christi. This year that would be Thursday 3rd June or presumably the weekend just following it.

They surely can't drag the tedium out until June can they?

I expect they can, bad cess to it. They did definitely say on air that the Darrington one will be earlier in the year than the Ambridge one.

This is when we discover just how glad we are that they only start getting together the Christmas pantos in mid to late November.

The Archers - dragging out tedium since 1951.

June! As if time doesn’t move slowly enough in lockdown anyway. Although I have now got something to look forward to - first vaccination next Wednesday.

Best laugh I've had for ages!

Susan's unguarded comment about Shula's 'whopping great backside' 🤣😁 🤣

Shula was very patient and professional last night.