😱 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!

@Chemenger

I’m fairly sure that chocolate mousse was referred to. I suppose it could be white chocolate mousse.

Only to specify the spelling, ie not moose, not to explain the naming, so the colour didn’t matter. They could have said “strawberry mousse”

What on earth is the point of bringing in the vet nurse for one episode for the soul purpose of having her flounce off? It would have been OK if there'd been some sort of back story where she was always there in the background helping Alastair and clashing with Jakob, but I don't remember her ever being mentioned.

Does anyone know how an eventing horse gets to be worth over £100K? Is it stud fees or something?

Denise has been mentioned a few times, I think. Certainly during Anisha's tenure.
So Jakob is back to his original 'bad at social interaction' persona, after a brief bout of emotional intelligence ( no, can't recall precisely, but he pulled Kate up on some bit of bad behaviour or another, which tbh doesn't narrow things down much).

I guess, Jemand, it would have been difficult to dramatise without her - otherwise we’d just have had Jakob describing the event to a bored Kate or horrified Alistair. I suppose the horse testing will now turn into disaster while he becomes his own nurse/receptionist.

He did behave appallingly, I must say. Surprised she isn’t rushing towards some sort of tribunal. (Unusually, I rather liked her brief appearance. She’s exactly the sort of incidental / peripheral character, with a real non-Archer-related job, that Ambridge needs.)

I think Jakob's pleasant interlude mainly involved him being surprisingly sympathetic when Kate found out she was not pregnant, as she hoped and persuading Kate not to have a big fight with Peggy when she discovered Peggy had said nothing to Jenny about Alice's drinking. At least he has had a personality reversion, as opposed to a personality change.

The barn was the one Justin tried to fob off on Phoebe for the rewilding. Luckily for Phoebe and Rex, Brian stepped in and warned Phoebe not to agree to Justin's plan. Can it really have sold for the price of a yacht or eventing horse? Surely even the Ambridge scriptwriters would google 'cost of new yacht/showjumping horse? I am surprised though.

Going backward, Josh offered Ben better advice than Pip. She sank to a new low encouraging him to split up with Evie. I am sure Evie was better than moany Beth Casey. However, as a student who could clearly organise a successful archaeological dig, Evie was destined to be pushed out of the Ambridge door quickly.

Jazzer and Tracy are nice together though.

Well that was an episode to warm your cockles on a cold bank holiday wasn’t it? What a load of tosh. Just when you thought Justin and Lilian couldn’t be any more unpleasant together, along comes Nancy to top it off. Is this supposed to be funny? They just sound like they hate each other to me.

Enjoyed Tracy and Jazzer (less so the hilarious ‘frightened of strangers’ dog), and Denise giving rude Jakob a piece of her mind. But there was far too much idiotic and implausible cash splashing from the gravelly-voiced duo for my liking. Yuk.

Just when you think a storyline couldn't be any more ridiculous, the SW team pull it out of the bag!

They lost me when Justin was fretting about the ferry; he'd fly (private charter). There must be loads of landing strips near Ambridge. I have a hazy recollection that he arrived in Ambridge by helicopter a few times in the early days.

I suppose this must be the "comical interlude" before Alice returns.

I suppose this must be the "comical interlude" before Alice returns

Desperate though the last two episodes have been, I can only be grateful that we are not being forced to listen to Eddie devising a new scam for our comic entertainment…

You could hardly find a more diehard Archers listener than me, but those last two episodes have sorely tried my loyalty. Tosh is a kind word for the drivel we've been fed up this week so far. Pah.

@Jemand

Does anyone know how an eventing horse gets to be worth over £100K? Is it stud fees or something?

One of my old work colleagues was into eventing. It takes a lot of hours to get a horse trained up for dressage apparently (maybe that's why it is £££).

The bigger costs would be paying for the livery and rider etc.

Normal people wanting to impress clients get a corporate event tent at The Festival of Speed or Badminton at a push (though horse trials at Blenheim and Chatsworth were cancelled this year).

Oops. Badminton was cancelled, Blenheim is still pencilled in for next month.

Desperate though the last two episodes have been, I can only be grateful that we are not being forced to listen to Eddie devising a new scam for our comic entertainment

You're absolutely right, I'm really grateful to be spared that.

They lost me when Justin was fretting about the ferry; he'd fly (private charter).

So true. A person could expend 100% of their energy fretting over the inconsistent and uncertain portrayal of Justin. It’s almost pointless now - they tore up the ‘Justin Handbook’ almost as soon as he moved to Ambridge.

I'm at the end of my credibility stretch too. Lillian and Justin both mentioned the money was doing nothing and they wanted to find a 'business opportunity' they could do together. Fine so far but 'business opportunities' are usually to make money.

Now I know even less about competitive sailing than I do about eventing; but even I can see that both things would be an absolute cash sink. I imagine that I have a competitive sailing team is a bit like having a motor racing team and all the costs that go with it. Hard to see how it can make anything, especially with two muppets with no experience of the sport.

With the eventing stuff, I got the impression they'd be doing it for the social climbing opportunities, but again, hard to see how with no experience.

I just can't work out how Justin has gone from Mr Mega powerful (wasn't Brian in awe of him and desperate to impress?) and arriving by helicopter to this.

And 'walrus incident' really?????

Still, it's not long now until Lynda's tiresome Christmas production storylines start up again.

As I really can't stand Lilian I'm very amused by the derogatory possibilitied of the name "Lighthouse Lil" .

I know it is very wrong to make denigrating comments about a woman's sexual behaviour but "Lighthouse Lil" is straight out of a filthy sea shanty full of "colourful" characters- including "Lighthouse Lil" a beacon for all sailors.

Just caught up after a two week break. The reappearance of Usha and Pat gave me hope, but the cobbling together of some imaginary backstory for Lillian has made me despair. I thought Vince's daughter coming to her sense re an unsuitable suitor might be foreshadowing Lily coming to her senses about the unsuitable Russ (particularly taken together with her having to pay for their night away and her wistful musings about having no friends with Tracy). I loved that Stella neatly summed up all the reasons why Adam is leaving when she spelled out what she was happy NOT to see at Home Farm. It has further confirmed to me that it is far more more satisfactory to listen to the film, but that doing so effectively locks me out of the thread until Sunday lunchtime and it then takes ages to catch up with no opportunity to comment on pertinent observations (@Edmontine too many to mention) or join in with any punning outbreaks.

Cheque’s in the post!

@KimikosNightmare

As I really can't stand Lilian I'm very amused by the derogatory possibilitied of the name "Lighthouse Lil" .

I know it is very wrong to make denigrating comments about a woman's sexual behaviour but "Lighthouse Lil" is straight out of a filthy sea shanty full of "colourful" characters- including "Lighthouse Lil" a beacon for all sailors.

Oh, it's not so very filthy really; only a bit of innuendo about her being a Fisherman's Friend.

I know I'm probably a lone voice here but when I saw "Lillian is confronted by a ghost from the past" I was really really hoping to hear "Hello pusscat".

Not a lone voice At All!

For both the horse and yacht schemes it sounded like the benefits that Justin and Lilian were interested in were

a chance to flash the cash
cheering on said horse or yacht in competitions
drinking, much drinking, in the company of other owners

Lillian is wise to the ways of horse buying. She wouldn't be pressuring Jakob to skim an veterinary examination.

BTW the Tackroom board is worth a look for the ins and outs of horse ownership, and of riding.

@AlexCabot

I know I'm probably a lone voice here but when I saw "Lillian is confronted by a ghost from the past" I was really really hoping to hear "Hello pusscat".

You're on your own as far as I'm concerned. The only thing which could have made it worse is the return of scumbag, sleazy Matt.

As an event rider this story line is annoying me.

It’s an event horse not an eventing horse. And hundreds of thousands?? Ha! Only a horse with a badminton or Kentucky qualification maybe, or one that would make the Olympic team.

Most top level event horses would be in the £50k-120k. Not saying they’re cheap, but this story line is stupid.

My own I bought for £6k as a 4 yr old and was offered £30k for her at one point but as she’s a super mare and very well bred but then I couldn’t part with her as she’s the best horse I’ve ever owned. She promptly had a series of injuries and is worth about £5k now 😂. But I love the mad mare so I don’t mind.

They’ve spliced race horse prices with event horses.