🏘️ Archers thread #129: Casey, Macy, Lily, Alice – Decent types or full of malice? Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads, which has now passed 125,000 posts! (See below for further details.)

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 lust after Russ, or other unusual things.

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/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-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.)

For the thread title I was very tempted to go with @R4's title suggestion of Come follow the exploits of Brine, Lily, Elizabeth, Usha, Ruari, George and Helen. Know collectively as bleurgh. because on the last thread @DadDadDad, our invaluable statistician, identified a post from @ILoveShula as the 125,000th. Many of us felt it was fitting that the post simply said Bleurgh!.

However, feeling that was a bit niche for the casual listener, I adapted @MayIDestroyYou's title suggestion in the end. Thanks, MIDY!

Back to Ambridge this week, after our enjoyable sojourn at Lower Loxley last week! Will we go with Alice to rehab? (Hope not.) Will the petulant Adam make good his threat to leave Home Farm? (Hope so.) What will Jennifer say? (Lots, I hope, and preferably to Brian.) Will the fete be a triumph? (Of course it will.) Will we ever return to Brookfield, or have they all fallen unnoticed into the slurry pit? (Let's hope Pip did, anyway.) WHERE IS PAT? (Can't answer this one.)

Over to you!

Yamyam and his lovely bride were clearly inspired by "Dynamo" Digby and Miss Titley of The Grimleys

I used to love The Grimleys especially the demi-god that is Mr Holder.
Didn't realise it was written by Jed Mercurio!

Neither did I R4!

And, somewhat controversially on MN, I thought Amanda Holden was excellent as Miss T.

I do think it's quite clear where the SWs got their inspiration for last night's offering.

I thought Amanda Holden was excellent as Miss T.
She had excellent material to work with but it was downhill all the way from there.

Hang on. Dynano Doug was ... was ...
I think I knew that but had forgotten.
We were all so young back then.

I thought Ruth talking about her experience of cancer with Ben wasn't too bad.
I normally have 20-30 quid in my purse. The local big issue sellers only take cash and so does my sons' barber. I also still tip in cash if eating out (from waitressing years ago, when tips on cards never made it to staff).

Ah ... You've clearly all had more sociable pandemic experiences than I have! All my voluntary expenditure nowadays involves simply pressing 'Confirm' on my device.

I had a takeaway the other day that only takes cash, no cards - which was odd, because I could order online, so they're not entirely anti-technology.

It's almost like they get advice from Ambridge...

Poor Roy!

I met up with someone on OLD for months using an assumed name. I have no idea if he knew.

@EBearhug

I had a takeaway the other day that only takes cash, no cards - which was odd, because I could order online, so they're not entirely anti-technology.

It's almost like they get advice from Ambridge...

My old chippy used to do this - it was a speed thing especially on busy Friday nights as their internet was rubbish so the card machine was really slow.

I thought Ruth talking to Ben about cancer was really well done actually. And I say that as someone who can of stand Ruth.

*cannot!!

So Joy is a good egg. That's nice.

What shocked me was when he causally threw in that he had only set foot in a hospital 3 times in his life! How in earth can he have worked out that nursing is for him when he has pretty much only seen it on TV? isn’t that more knowledge that most of us had before choosing our career?

@HaveringWavering I don’t think weevils was trying to put you back in your place. This isn’t AIBU - the best assumption is that everyone is feeling well disposed towards you. Even weevils.

I don’t know how to use google maps as a satnav. I’d have to look it up. Come to that, I’ve not driven with a satnav. Waiting till I replace my 20 year old banger

Should any of you be wondering what Natasha has been doing recently, she’s doing the bilingual Covid safety announcements in Welsh Aldis. But because she’s South Walian, she sounds so wrong up here in the North!
How long do we give the inevitable pairing up of Roy and Kirsty?

Thank you for those kind words, @MereDintofPandiculation. I am ill disposed towards Ambridge, its denizens* and, increasingly its perpetrators. Otherwise, mostly harmless.

*I sort of 💛 Kyle, though. 'Don't play out near the Stabby Lady's house. Don't talk to that weird kid Henry'

increasingly COMMA. ffs.

Is it too much to ask for a bit of consistency? Monday and Tuesday we had the ridiculous story line of a teacher getting married on a Tuesday of the last week of term. (It was established that he teaches at Borchester Green, not an indy with longer holidays.) Then today we have Phoebe querying whether a teacher would be able to meet up for a date during the week. Shouldn't a script editor have noticed this?

The quality of the scripts is so variable ATM. Alice being driven to rehab and Brian brokenly fessing up the truth of the journey to Eddie was TA at its best. Heck, there was even an historical reference to Greg. Then it's back to the barrel-scraping Grundy japes and the Oxford PPE graduate who has the My Little Re-wilding Project.

Croynge skools are still operating; some in the Midlands break up earlier. But an editor who was on the ball would spot that potential for quibbles and have the Useless Phoebe say something like '[how come midweek in termtime] they haven't broken up there yet?'yet
He's not so much Howe as Whye.

@theThreeofWeevils

Thank you for those kind words, *@MereDintofPandiculation. I am ill disposed towards Ambridge, its denizens and, increasingly its perpetrators. Otherwise, mostly harmless.

*I sort of 💛 Kyle, though. 'Don't play out near the Stabby Lady's house. Don't talk to that weird kid Henry'

Now, Douglas Adams references I DO get!

Is it too much to ask for a bit of consistency? Monday and Tuesday we had the ridiculous story line of a teacher getting married on a Tuesday of the last week of term. (It was established that he teaches at Borchester Green, not an indy with longer holidays.) Then today we have Phoebe querying whether a teacher would be able to meet up for a date during the week. Shouldn't a script editor have noticed this?

Agree.

So do we think that Roy is definitely being catfished then? That was the most I have seen Phoebe use her brain since she graduated!

Maybe she looked it up on line and discovered that schools in Croydon don't finish term until 25th, or something. Whereas she knows that schools in Borsetshire broke up on 9th, because the place is awash with random Yoof rejoicing in their freedom and falling off walls.

All that stuff that Ian was saying tonight about secrets never being a good idea in a healthy relationship - Adam still hasn’t told him about resigning from Home Farm, has he? I wonder how this is going to play out?

I’d forgotten about Adam resigning (Brian hasn’t mentioned it so he must have too). After Adam’s hypothetical conversation with Justin, in which he was told that there was no bloody way Brian would lose the contract for Demara (or BL??), I assumed Adam would go crawling back to Brian with a sub-apology and things would carry on as normal.