😱 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!

Oh what a terrible problem to have! Hundreds of thousands you absolutely have to spend and you don't know what you want.

They could always try just not spending it: surely a financial whizz like Justin must know suitable investments for it! Or they could just buy another property to do up and then sell at a profit.

What ineffable drivel this week's SLs were.

Not sure Jakob can endure many more personality transplants. As for too much money....

We still haven't been told how J and L made so much money out of one barn sale. I wonder who bought it?

Am I right in thinking we are supposed to work out that Jakob is on the autism spectrum? In which case it seems a trifle odd that Denise hasn't worked that out for herself, or that Alastair or someone in HR hasn't taken her aside and had a quiet word with her.

We still haven't been told how J and L made so much money out of one barn sale or how much they actually made - this is so the Ambridge money fairy can pop up later with some other improbable storyline concocted on the back of mystery cash. Haven’t the SWs realised yet? No one cares. It’s a storyline that is tedious beyond belief - do they really think listeners will be on the edge of their seats thinking “Ooh I must keep listening to find out what J and L do with the cash”? Frankly, much as with the delayed Mystery plays, it’s having the reverse effect on me and after two weeks cold turkey on holiday, coming back to find I’ve missed nothing much I’m seriously wondering whether it’s worth continuing.

Agree with pp's, I found the "what shall we do with our massive pile of money" conversation tasteless.

I know I'm projecting a bit as we are having some financial difficulties at the moment and it's all fictional but it was horrendously crass. And boring but that appears to be the theme at the moment!

Jemand
We still haven't been told how J and L made so much money out of one barn sale. I wonder who bought it?

It's particularly remarkable given that the last we heard from Justin about the barns was that he had decided not to buy them after all, and wanted the rewilders to foot the entire bill for them.

Lowfield, 27th January, 2021
Brian tells Phoebe that one of the first things they need to sort out is how many cattle they’ll need; then Justin arrives. Phoebe has invited him to be there for a handover. He asks where the others are, and she tells him that Rex can’t make it and Pip has left the team. Justin takes advantage of this to snipe at Brian: since he took over, things have been going well – one awol and one deserter out of three. Brian points out that as Justin is well aware, Rewilding Ambridge is an independent operation, and he represents BL. He is trying to make sure they suffer no more reputational damage, as he had to with Justin’s mess at the pig farm. Phoebe calls him to order by asking whether they could discuss Berrow Farm some other time, and Justin wants to bring them up to date with his current position vis-à-vis the barns. He has decided not to buy them after all.

and the BBC for the same date:
Brian’s surprised to see Justin at his rewilding meeting with Phoebe. There’s some needle on both sides as Justin discovers Pip’s left the rewilding project. He also announces his proposal to drop any involvement with the barns; the rewilders can either buy him out, or put the barns on the market. Brian declares this is Justin’s revenge for being pushed out of Berrow. But Phoebe announces the barns aren’t useful to the rewilders anyway. Selling them will be the perfect opportunity to cut their connection by association to the incidence of slavery. When Justin leaves Brian confronts Phoebe. Surely it would be rash to sell the barns? But Phoebe asserts they’re not a good fit with the business.

So if the barns belonged to anyone, it seems to have been to Phoebe and Rex, not Justin; they were left being expected to sell them.

I had assumed this was some other random barn - never spoken of before in much the same way that we vanishingly rarely hear of either Lillian or Justin doing any work whatsoever or even talking about work that is being done on their behalf. As I said in a previous post, I simply don’t believe in Justin for this very reason - he only ever does anything for plot purposes he does not feel like a character in his own right. Lillian is rapidly going the same way though by dint of her having a proper hinterland she is marginally more acceptable.

Yes, it's extremely difficult to believe that supposed super-businessman Justin is really struggling to work out how to invest money. If he was as successful as has been made out, he would have had the proceeds earmarked long ago. Or, indeed, he would have take the prudent decision to ring fence it given the uncertainties of Covid and Brexit.

I gather the point is that from this sale (I assume they are always selling things as their jobs both seem to be Owning Things) Justin wanted to buy Lilian "something nice". Why he was so staggeringly idiotic as to think she wanted a boat based on one bit of hearsay I can't imagine. I assumed he was taking the piss and would turn out to know she was a crap sailor and it'd be a joke and haw haw haw here's your horse darling. But no, apparently he has no way of knowing his own wife.

I thought at first Lighthouse Lil was because she was always Smoking. A. Fag. (Harry Enfield reference in case you're all too young to remember) Has she given up?

Sorry not wife, Life Partner.

I haven't listened last night but I agree the week was entirely pointless.

I was just trying to imagine Lily n Rex as suggested below - I failed. Why is Ambridge so utterly full of these wishy washy directionless men? I wish I could think of anyone in Ambridge I personally would have sex with and I'm drawing a complete blank. All the men are either grubby, pathetic or elderly (sometimes all three), and I'm not one for the alpha male at all.

and I'm not one for the alpha male at all.

Oh, I don't know

🎶 misty, water-coloured memorieeees...🎶

Can't he just buy her some expensive shoes ir something? Nearly an hour of my life wasted this week.

I think that Jakob might be attractive but not a good shag.
Ed might be sexy. Harrison maybe? Jazzer?

They aren't a sexy bunch are they.

Robin Fairbrother! Bring me the voice of Anthony Head.

Maybe Justin and Lilian could talk to Peggy's wonderful financial advisor? Clearly strategy and risk/reward/reinvestment are things they've never considered for the past 1/2 century in their various enterprises.

I'm disappointed that there wasn't a plug for the Cinnamon Trust for Mousse. The Denise/Jakob piece was exceptionally dreadful.

Tonight I am relieved that we're only on 5 episodes/week. I don't envy all the Archers fan podcasters scratching about for some positives.

“ Ed might be sexy. Harrison maybe? Jazzer?”

Ed = possibly quite sexy but pathetic. Harrison = hot but pathetic and a bit dim. Jazzer = definitely grubby and probably full of STDs.

Don’t even go there with Ian, Adam, Chris etc. Maybe that’s why the relationships seem so unbelievable.

Jazzer is definitely a bit grubby. Roy now too.

Johnny might be worth a try

@UrsulaTitchener

Jazzer is definitely a bit grubby. Roy now too.

Johnny might be worth a try

Johnny, yes. Love a Leeds accent Like that reporter Dan Johnson on the BBC.

I could listen to Chris Mason all day, and have a soft spot for Chris Watson's voice. I don't think they are from Leeds though. CM is from N Yorks, and CW from S Yorks, I think.

Johnny is a bit young even for an Ambridge Fantasy League Table…

Can I just say that Ambridge feels so out of step with the real world it has become an irrelevance. They can’t hold the line any longer that it reflects rural life in the 21st century. Mystery plays, debates re what legislation applies to scarecrow contests and now a successful businessman, who is not even in Alan Sugar’s bracket, acting like he is a global billionaire. BTW, while they may have made a bit on the sale of a barn in Ambridge that is nowhere near enough for even a deposit on a tiny ski lodge.

I get that soaps provide escapism from the grind of real life and we don’t endlessly want to hear about export issues and staff shortages but a passing reference to the challenges real farmers are facing would be good.

I am pretty sure as a SW you are not meant to be so removed from reality that you alienate the listener to such a degree he/she switches off in idisgust.

Let’s hope whoever was writing this week has been fired and things pick up tomorrow night.

I'm about the same age as Adam, so the Ambridge men in roughly my age group are quite limited.
Alisatair seems to be the only one who is single, and I wouldn't want to have Shula as my DP's XW.

I hate to say it and I know it’s wrong but I probably wouldn’t want to get involved with a reformed gambler. I know that’s prejudiced and I like Alastair a huge amount but that would probably stop me from making a significant commitment to him.

Chris Mason is from Skipton. He sounds completely normal to me .

Harrison Burns is most definitely a Lancastrian, and I can't believe that listeners get him confused with the vicar. (I do know that I'd be equally hopeless with accents from 'down south')

Agree, @AnInspectorBores.