😱 Archers thread #130: The Fall of the House of Aldridge. 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 look forward to Shula's first sermon, 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.)

I went for the obvious thread title this time. Poor Ruairi! We've had a good go on the last thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/a4289334--Archers-thread-129-Casey-Macy-Lily-Alice-Decent-types-or-full-of-malice-Discuss-The-Archers-here?msgid=109858475#109858475 at trying to work out where he's going and what he might be studying, as the SWs have not seen fit to tell us.

Whither now for Alice? Will Jennifer talk to Peggy soon? Good hint from Lilian the other day that at Peggy's age it's not wise to leave feuds bubbling on.

It's been a long time since we last heard from a certain Archer whose name I am not going to mention in case it acts as a summoning charm. Long may she remain unheard in the dairy or out in the fields, or better still somewhere near a sinkhole. That was a storyline that looked promising years ago and wasn't exploited as it could have been. Pah.

Over to you!

I hope he doesn’t have a heart attack.

Every time he turns red in the face with fury and frustration (latterly because of Alice) I worry about this too.

I didn't like Stella. I think she will turn out to be very unpleasant and the cause of much friction.

I quite liked Stella but she reminded me a lot of Hannah when she arrived and since then she's done nothing but be a spiteful knob and be off air a lot. What's the main difference going to be with Stella I wonder? I worry she's going to be another Ambridge "career woman" (I'm aware this is madly dated but so is Ambridge) they don't know what to do with like Natasha and that nice vet who fucked swiftly off. I'd like her to DO something in the village rather than her storylines being relationships - like turn Home Farm into a madly aggressive takeover business.

(BTW she seems to deserve far better than Shula - I'd rather see her in a power eco couple with Kirsty)

I thought Toby moved in with Pip (certainly for a while) because she couldn't cope with being a single parent (a popular theme in Ambridge).

Otherwise the Fairbrothers were living with Bert, who may or may not be dead.

Wasn't Rex going to make a bomb selling on Scruff Gin at one point?

I'd quite like a storyline where Stella encourages Phoebe (or Ruari) to get a postgrad farming degree. At a push, I'd be happy for Brian to have a land agent cope with day to day stuff (like Jeremy Clarkson does when he isn't making stuff for Amazon).

I thought it was a bit naff how Stella spoke of her previous employers.

In matters of the heart it is usual to ask your friends, not your siblings. Perhaps Rory (can't be bothered about spelling) is somewhere with no mobile signal (yeah right). So Ben can't ring him!!???

@TheSilveryPussycat

I thought it was a bit naff how Stella spoke of her previous employers.

In matters of the heart it is usual to ask your friends, not your siblings. Perhaps Rory (can't be bothered about spelling) is somewhere with no mobile signal (yeah right). So Ben can't ring him!!???

They’d be whatsapping every day! Don’t even need mobile signal. But yeah sounded like he was in “ask everyone!” panic mode, done the same myself (not about dumping anyone).

Ruairi is in Ireland and calling him would be expensive.

How long before Stella sounds exhausted?

You can call people on WhatsApp, and it's free. I expect everybody else has known this for ages, but I didn't, and the first time somebody did it to me it took me ages to grasp why I was hearing a ringtone but my phone wasn't showing an incoming call.

It was very useful to me during lockdown when I had a colleague stuck overseas for the first few weeks.

Thanks Gaspode I didn’t want to chime back in with that and cement my role as WhatsApp Explainer. Free international calls are brilliant.

Just quizzed teen DD who confirmed my suspicion that she only ever gets mobile phone calls (where you press the phone icon or go via contacts) from her parents! At a push she also answers WhatsApp calls (but again I'm probably the only person to contact her that way).

She uses Snapchat or Discord these days (I felt sure it was HouseParty last year, but that is so "last year").

So Ruari just needs Wi-fi.

Mentionitis?

Just caught up with yesterday's ep - is Pip still Pip? She did and didn't sound like Daisy Badger and we wondered if Daisy was out delivering pizza and had been replaced.

Daisy Badger in the cast-list.

Probably didn't recognise her because we haven't heard from her for so long.

On one level it feels like Susan is worrying too much and should just relax a bit; but with Shula waiting in the wings like a Black Widow with one leg in a sling, she probably is right to worry. I’m also very cross with Neil for crowbarring Shula’s name into the stilted dinner conversation. Clearly can’t stop thinking about her! Susan should have thrown her risotto at him…

It feels to me as though Neil is just oblivious to any question of there being a problem. Of course, we know that Shula’s got her knickers in a twist about implausibly suddenly being in love with him, but I’m not sure he’s picked up on that. I suspect he’s just being a nice friend and happens to have seen more of her because of Keira’s lessons/Shula’s broken wrist etc. Neil has always been a lovely loyal man and I suspect it doesn’t even cross his mind to consider an affair - I’ll be very cross if he does because it’s entirely out of character.

Susan has obviously got herself in a tizz about there being ‘something wrong’ and has picked up on Shula being weird more than Neil has, but a lot of the tension last night seemed to be because she thought something is wrong rather than the cause of that. It’s a shame he didn’t say ‘oh okay I’ll forget the hot chocolate and come to bed with you’ but we can blame the SWs for that and I suspect he was taking Susan at her word that she’s exhausted (why wouldn’t she be?).

It’s a shame because they’ve always been a great and very solid couple. Hope it works out.

I think Neil isn’t very emotionally aware (of himself) and hasn’t picked up that he is drifting towards Shula, but she’s clearly on his mind a lot. I’m thick about flowers but I’m willing to bet the ones he mentioned at GG are something Shula has in her garden. I don’t think he’d ever want to be disloyal let alone have an affair but he’s just directing his attention and “fun” side towards Shula and the stables, while keeping his solid dad and husband side at home. This has (understandably) got in Susan’s head and she can see the dire possibilities that he wouldn’t even imagine. She sees the fun and light side of life has left their home for now, and it must hurt.

She needs to get the chilli on.

She needs to get the chilli on

This is interesting, wonder if they will do a topical insert or a storyline. After all we have pig farmers and an abbatoir owner in the cast now. www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/27/worker-shortages-leave-uk-farms-with-70000-surplus-pigs?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

@HaveringWavering there is talk of using prisoners in abattoirs and meat processing

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58303679

Philip and Gavin could soon be back in Ambridge!

Working for Maurice.

😍😍😍

@HaveringWavering there is talk of using prisoners in abattoirs and meat processing
Taken out if context that takes in a very different meaning

Or even ON a very different meaning