💀 Archers thread #132: The Grim Reaper joined the cast; The Bard of Ambridge breathed his last. 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 think Shula will make an excellent vicar, 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.)

Thanks to many of you for title suggestions. @JanglyBeads said that this thread had to be a Bert tribute so needed a rhyming title. From an excellent field, I chose the suggestion from @BorsetshireBanality (who also has a cracking username).

Check out the last thread for the other suggestions and various poetic offerings inspired by Bert Fry's passing. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4349822--Archers-thread-131-A-time-to-plant-a-time-to-reap-Discuss-The-Archers-here

So, who'll get the bungalow? Rex, Stella, Pip? If Rex has to move, will he doss down beside his pigs at Lower Loxley? Or will Rex be a resident at Her Majesty's pleasure, having bumped off Trevor for being the world's most boring man? Now Freddie's on the case, are Russ's days at LL numbered? Will we ever hear Jill again, or was Bert just the first of many older cast members to be dedded?

Over to you!

Natasha is funny!

My Radio lost its DAB signal while Natasha was suggesting she have Tony's trainset she'd for her office. I assume she was just scaring him and paying him back for them trying to muscle in on her business. I lost a couple of minutes and the scene had ended when the signal was restored.

shed not she'd.

Here's a question. You go camping in November, lured thereto by the promise of a rewilding project to see.

But you are not allowed actually to see the rewilded area, which is "not for visitors".

What sort of review will you leave on Tripadvisor?

I can understand that restricting people, and nasty dogs, will help the rewilding side of things. But yet, if it's used as a selling point of the campsite... mind you, although we've had a pretty mild autumn so far, I wouldn't necessarily expect to see lots of wildlife in November, but then the campsite is there all year... I would at least expect a guided tour or exclusive access to an on-site hide or something.

But also - Rex and Kirsty?

@CaptainMyCaptain

My Radio lost its DAB signal while Natasha was suggesting she have Tony's trainset she'd for her office. I assume she was just scaring him and paying him back for them trying to muscle in on her business. I lost a couple of minutes and the scene had ended when the signal was restored.

I assume so. She's so unpleasant.

I assume so. She's so unpleasant.

She is unpleasant but on this occasion they deserve it if she was doing this to prove a point. She built up her own successful business and they discussed behind her back their plans for it to be moved from its longterm base to whatever tiny little shed or outhouse on their site they saw fit to spare for her. Tom was clearly the main one at fault but then Pat steam rollered all over Natasha. I shall be interested to see how Natasha lets this play out - and I can say it's been a very long time since I've been interested in much on The Archers!

Thanks. It's a shame my signal let me down at such a rare interesting moment.

I had forgotten how much I hate Natasha! We haven’t seen a lot of her and so she had slipped down my list of irritations but last night reminded me all over again how loathsome she is. I know she is cross about having plans for her business relocation being made behind her back but that is no one other than Tom’s fault. It’s him she should be cross with, not poor Tony with his toy trains. She is lucky he is such a nice man - anyone else would have had a row with her and ruined the atmosphere over Sunday lunch.

BOOP for Kirsty having a nice time for a change and gaining some hope. (Once I’d firmly suspended my belief about anything naturey happening in a 20 mile radius without her being down there like a shot.)

There's something about Natasha - we've had some controlling husbands with secret lives (Knob and Phillip) - I can't help feeling she's being set up to be the female equivalent. We know she's a spender (no mention of that for a while), now we know she's away a lot doing her own thing (in Wales? Where is Summer Orchard based?). I can see she doesn't want to be subsumed by Bridge Farm, but she and Tom really don't feel like equal partners in this marriage. She is definitely in charge - I always get the feeling he's treading on eggshells.

Were we told she has bipolar, or was that speculation on the thread? She certainly seemed to be very up and down at one point, but that's entirely explicable by poor continuity, unfortunately.

It was speculation. As was Jakob's whatever it is

I think her father was bi-polar and there was speculation she had it too. She went through a depressed period during lockdown. But then didn’t we all…

I am still hoping the credit card spending SL goes somewhere…I enjoyed hearing about her shoe and handbag habit!

Thanks. Jakob might be on the autistic spectrum. As with so many characters, sometimes they seem to be written with a close eye on a list of symptoms/traits, and other times the writers seem to have forgotten about that aspect of the character altogether.

She is definitely in charge
Yeah, well, Tom...
I don't mind Natasha, except that it seems improbable that she'd tolerate a twonk like Tom, let alone his ghastly family.
Best that Summer Orchard stay in Wales. Anyway, there won't be room to keep her slaves at Bridge Farm, see...

regarding jakob, disn't he mention that he is autistic when he had to apologise to the receptionist?

Yes, I think it all came out when Denise resigned and was persuaded to retract, also by taking on the yapping dog whose owner went into a nursing home.

@CaptainMyCaptain

My Radio lost its DAB signal while Natasha was suggesting she have Tony's trainset she'd for her office. I assume she was just scaring him and paying him back for them trying to muscle in on her business. I lost a couple of minutes and the scene had ended when the signal was restored.

Not paying back, ensuring they drop the idea without her having to come out against it and look as if she’s being the awkward one.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Thanks. Jakob might be on the autistic spectrum. As with so many characters, sometimes they seem to be written with a close eye on a list of symptoms/traits, and other times the writers seem to have forgotten about that aspect of the character altogether.

We were told on Twitter by Keri Davies that it was no coincidence that Jakob was introduced during Mental Health Awareness week 2019. Davies had been asked if Jakob was being written as autistic in some way, and as usual gave a teasing "I could tell you if I wanted but I won't" reply.

Then they had him saying to Denise that he was awkward with people and bad at "inter-personnel relations", and he gave a list of times he had failed to understand what other people were getting at, but I don't think he actually said that he was autistic.

@EBearhug

I can understand that restricting people, and nasty dogs, will help the rewilding side of things. But yet, if it's used as a selling point of the campsite... mind you, although we've had a pretty mild autumn so far, I wouldn't necessarily expect to see lots of wildlife in November, but then the campsite is there all year... I would at least expect a guided tour or exclusive access to an on-site hide or something.

I've noticed a fair few "rewilding-style" posh campsites cropping up round here.

Most offer farm tours in the farm Land Rover and many have set up badger hides etc. One enterprising farmer offers an "over the fields to/from the pub" taxi service!

Nevertheless, it always seems to be a peripheral business, rather than something that might occupy two educated young folk.

The scene with Kirsty and Rex sounded like it had come from the Secret Garden.

I wonder whether Kirsty will be invited to join the rewilders?

I wonder whether Kirsty will be invited to join the rewilders?

How can they possibly be making enough to draw a salary let alone consider taking on a new recruit. The rewilding is little more than a vanity project.

Kirsty is now fast moving into Old Maid territory. Surely not even Roy will fancy her?

She's late 30s, isn't she?

Nearly 40.
@Roysnewshirt, did you mean to come across as sexist and ageist?