💀 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!

I’m not sure CMR will survive many more months of Vince, especially once Beth gets a look at him.

I’m getting frustrated with Russ/Freddy/Lilly now. Russ isn’t even enjoyably evil, he’s just exceedingly unpleasant and it makes zero sense that Lilly puts up with it. And the power balance is all wrong - Freddy is due to inherit, why doesn’t he use that? Or, possibly a more interesting (and frankly plausible) direction would be for Russ to wail about the injustice of F inheriting and how it ought to be Lilly because she’s such a better person etc etc.

I quite enjoyed Trevor. Though I recognised myself a little too much, give me five years and I reckon my conversational skills might be similarly one track.

Anyone else hoping the copy of Treasure Island turns out to be a first edition, Bert having willed the contents of his room to Rex?

I’m not sure CMR will survive many more months of Vince, especially once Beth gets a look at him

Was it Beth who offered the option of a threesome to Freddie? I’m trying to remember the precise details….

What a wonderful new title! Thank you.

"Trevor" was definitely channelling his inner Stephen Merchant/Charlie Cooper. The scenes with Trevor and Tony were a breath of fresh air in terms of the quality of acting. I'd love Trevor to do a scene alongside Amy (which might be plausible if there is a church funeral to arrange).

We've not long to wait until Freddie is 25; 12 December 2024! Conveniently, it falls on a Thursday.

The Russ story has made me loathe Elizabeth. She should never have let him move in to LL for even one night, let alone make him comfy and secure with a job and influence over Freddie. How can Lily get rid of him now?

It was the bride that was lusting. Not Beth.

It's not in Russ's interests for Freddie to realise some of his ideas might be good, and he'd be capable of running LL.

It’s bonkers though - is he hoping Freddie will give him and Lily a glittering future at LL when he comes of age? Does he see himself painting in his studio while Freddie hushes the domestic staff for fear they will startle his muse?

I think it was Beth's (elder??) sister who propositioned Freddie. That was quite funny. I do think TASW are getting less hung up on sex. Only a few years ago you barely had to glimpse a human penis in Ambridge before deciding to shack up/become pregnant/commit for life.

I honestly think CMR hasn't thought about who will inherit LL. It's a believable family dynamic there, with "hopeless" Freddie the drug dealer ex con with his hopeless (Nigelesque!) ideas and lack of forward planning getting all the attention albeit negative, v marvellous Lily with her perfect A levels and cry for help relationship and dropping out, basically being assumed to be an adult from birth. EVERYONE talks about the twins as if they're very different ages.

The problem with Freddie's idea btw wasn't that it was crap, it's that it was too late to plan a real event - but I can understand his confusion given that the whole of Ambridge expects to organise things 5 minutes in advance and the public to know about it and turn up.

I've always vaguely assumed that Freddie had some sort of learning difficulty given that he struggled so much more at school than Lily does - though I can't find any recognition of it in a quick Google. But either way you would think that, given Russ's apparently genius with dyslexic Chelsea, he would empathise more.

EBearhug
I think I'd get on okay with Trevor. I can do detailed conversation about train journeys.

Only if you can get a word in edgewise. Tony didn't manage to; I don;t think he finished even one sentence that he started to say totrevor.

Prestissimo
Actually I now don’t think it was ghost stories, was it the Christmas production? Anyway I’m sore Freddie helped organise it or was in charge, because it was the year Linda decided she was retiring, wasn’t it. Then CMR directed or something, maybe?

The Trustee who turned up to pass judgement about whether they would allow Freddie to inherit at all (or so Elizabeth gave us to understand) was very impressed by Freddie's Christmas show. Freddie had to do the continuity himself because Kirsty backed out with one day's notice, and did it very well, as well as having produced the entire thing from scratch on his own.

Perhaps this week's scriptwriter didn't happen to listen; but Elizabeth really should have remembered: the entire thing was showing the audience round the house from one performance to another.

December 30th 2020:
"Elizabeth says Freddie was amazing. She notes that he spent a long time talking with Bernard, and Freddie reports that Bernard did go on a bit, saying it was cold out of doors, and asking about the historical accuracy of the some of the costumes, and generally finding fault. Elizabeth is rude about Bernard, and tells Freddie to pay no attention because he really pulled it out of the bag tonight. She says some complimentary things, and Freddie tells her that's what Bernard said too: that it was full of goodwill. Bernard had in fact been polite about it, and he loved it. He told Freddie that he should be proud. Freddie played along with him, though he has teased Elizabeth about it. He now reckons it was obvious he should have played the host all along; Kirsty did him a favour really, calling in sick."

And indeed, there was little reason for Freddie to think a week was too short a time for organising such a thing; he didn't have all his performers in 2020 until 22nd December, and this time he only needed the one, Bert.

I knew you’d remember @Asking, thank you. Was it really only last December? What a long year it’s been…

You don't think that the SWs have also forgotten how traumatised all the children were at that past Halloween event with the actors (in the era of Geraldine)?

The movie choices do suggest that it isn't going to go smoothly

They'll be lucky to get an audience of three people. Rain forecast for the whole weekend. There's surely a reason why most outdoor film screenings happen in the summer.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

They'll be lucky to get an audience of three people. Rain forecast for the whole weekend. There's surely a reason why most outdoor film screenings happen in the summer.

Perhaps Russ was right to call it a drive-through rather than a drive-in! They come (a few), they look, and then they drive on to the exit and ask for their money back.

Where is this happening? a field? the car-park?

Thanks for the new thread @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, it wasn't just you @Madcats that heard echoes of Stephen Merchant in Extras.

I hope Rex survives till the weekend without having to organise a double funeral...

I've never been to an outdoor film screening so have no idea how they work. As a teenager, I went to an all-night sci fi film screening with friends and slept through at least half of it. I'm not a driver or a car owner, but don't you have to keep the engine on to have the heating running? Not great on the day the COP26 begins a couple of hundred miles to the north!

Was it Beth who offered the option of a threesome to Freddie?
I genuinely read that as 'Bert' for a second.
Pass the

Trevor's accent definitely much more West Country than West Midlands.

It was a rare treat though, listening to him and Tony doing proper acting. Hope we get a bit more tonight.

I was expecting ‘Rumpole’ and pleasantly surprised by the accent, certainly West Countryish but not actorly ‘mummerset’.

In my imagination Borsetshire is on the cusp of midlands and west country accent divide.

Trevor. Amazing. Well scripted and well acted.
He's going to want to move to Ambridge isn't he ?

But has Bert left all to Rex in his will ???

Bert had very little to leave, I'd imagine. He didn't own the bungalow and I can't imagine he had much in the way of savings.

Goodbye, Trevor. Very nice to hear a well-acted character, but we really don't need a crashing bore with the odd poignant moment in the cast.

Little & Large

Cannon & Ball

Starsky & Hutch

Tango & Cash

Reeves & Mortimer

Smith & Jones

Mel & Sue.

Duh! Mel & Sue is alphabetical....