🎭 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!

Nigella would be more like it or even Gordon Ramsay or Nadiya

Yes! May be even Mary Berry at a push after the Bake-Off revival. Or potentially Paul ‘you know it’s wrong but you would anyway’ Hollywood.

(Sorry for crowbarring that excellent nickname in there. It’s not my own but it’s so right...)

Just listened to Tuesday's episode. That was awful. Agree that it doesn't ring true, can't see what Johnny or Jazzer would see in Jade!

The Archers seems to have become particularly weird at the moment (and I tolerated the monologues).

There have been so many new characters introduced over the past year and few are believable. These writers must have very strange home lives.

I keep thinking that there is/was such scope to bring back Kathy and Jamie Perks, Usha, Amy.... (and what has happened to Joy and Pat)! They have been missing for so long I doubt that I would notice replacement actors.

I don’t know who is playing Jade but I assume that in other roles she is capable of acting her way out of a paper bag? She sounds old enough to be her own mother. I know what she is being given to work with is woeful but her delivery doesn’t help us imagine a young woman who has Jazzer and Johnny mesmerised.

Ayesha Antoine plays Jade and according to the IMDb "was born on May 8, 1981", which makes her 39.

www.imdb.com/name/nm0031137/

She has a fair amount of experience since starting out in Grange Hill in 1995.

Jade does sound older than Tracey, yes. I think that, and the fact that she talks like what an old person imagines a young person to talk like, and that she is unrealistically rude and trappy, creates a very strange and jarring effect. Mind you Jazzer had a notion of Hannah at one time didn’t he? Another character who pushes the boundaries of believability in terms of how blatantly vile she manages to be.

Naylah Ahmed wrote yesterday's script, and I can't find any reference to her older than her winning a playwriting competition in 2008, so she may in fact be younger than the actor.

If she’s young she may have put in newer references and been told to make Changes because the listeners are old...

Or she may simply have written consistently tin-eared scripts since August 2017. Before that she had been a director on three weeks, in 2010, 2015 and 2016.

PPE - I actually enjoyed it on Zoom and Ebearhug was there too. The best bits? Finding Roy (Ian) is so near my new home, Lucy V Freeman, Keri Davis - but it did seem more serious but then Modern slavery isn't fun, I did like the Yoga (and the cake was delicious).
It would be nice to meet up if you ever make it again.

'Jade' actor.

Really wish she'd turned down this unutterably crappy role.

Here.

Yes, drivel sums it up. Terrible writing,over acting and an insult to regular listeners.
There have been dodgy episodes before but this was definitely the worst.

And if the 'dinner party' scene wasn't enough, we were treated to the tedious Phoebe too!

Just listened again.

My take is that Jim's treatment of Jade was not very far from bullying. I normally like him but this was definitely beneath him. Acting like that to his housemate's friend was horrible. Glad she refused to go along with it and stood up for herself. I hope he apologises to Jazzer.

Oh, did he start miscalling her for no reason, and insult her and her family and pick a fight? I didn't hear that bit.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

Oh, did he start miscalling her for no reason, and insult her and her family and pick a fight? I didn't hear that bit.

He's an older man who prides himself on good manners and correct behaviour. She's young (so we keep being told) and a guest.

He had every opportunity to be gracious but chose not to, continuing to make his guest uncomfortable

Is there anyone besides Peggy overseeing the use of the rewilding money? If so, they seem to be incredibly hands-off.

He had every opportunity to be gracious but chose not to, continuing to make his guest uncomfortable

Just how much is a host supposed to put up with?

Jim was perfectly polite welcoming. Jade had no intention of making the dinner successful (as per her conversation with Jazza afterward).

Almost her opening comments were to sneer at Jim reading a book that evening and then proceeding to complain about the food along with a bunch of ageist crap about Jim and Alastair. She was appalling.

Haven't listened yet and not sure if I want to now, but am not sure Jim consistently prides himself on his manners... do you remember how horrible he was to Shula when he first came to Ambridge??

@Nith

Is there anyone besides Peggy overseeing the use of the rewilding money? If so, they seem to be incredibly hands-off.

God knows. And also, if Phoebe is earning a full time wage from it, why isn't Rex? He's always short of money. Why wasn't Pip - I presume she wasn't or her giving it up would have been a bigger deal and discussed with her parents.

Or is it as I suspect, they are all being paid very part time (say half a day a week) and Phoebe is just mysteriously not looking for any more work, with her Oxford degree and incredible local connections?

I can't remember if Phoebe is living with Roy or with Brian and JennyDarling at the moment, but they're both in fairly small homes so could probably do with her rent money tbh.

@WitchWife, she lives with Roy and Cursedy at Willow Farm. Brine and JD and Ruairi live next door in Willow Cottage.

Thank you! Not heard "Cursedy" before!

Does she ever hang out with her "Uncle Ruairi"? TBH I used to think Phoebe was alright but now she's being a parasite off her family and sounding more and more like Pip I wonder why they keep creating default brats in the Archers scriptroom.

I remember jim being horrible to shula, but I can’t hate him for it 😁 given that they have a very sweet relationship now, mutually respectful despite their differences etc, i think it was a good set up - it’s very satisfying that their relationship has developed in this way. The archers is great when it does these unlikely friendships. It’s not so great when it does cardboard cutouts of villains. I’ve noticed something as well - male villains get a lot more light and shade than the female ones. Matt, justin, vince all developed from cartoon stereotypes into something more. Hazel, hannah, jade - not so much.

Phroebe doesn't particularly hang out with Uncle Ruairi aka Baspofald or Myson