💀 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!

Simon and Garfunkel
Butthead and Beavis
Rodgers and Hammerstein

Jacob and Esau
Watson & Crick
Wallace and Gromit

Kate and Allie
Trinity and Susanah
Robson and Jerome

Tinny and Susanah!

Trinny, Trinny, Trinny

Darn spellchecker!

You’ve all lost me!

Haven’t heard tongith’s, but yesterday Russ was unbelievably rude about Freddie to show sister - why on earth doesn’t she defend Freddie and kick CMR out. He’s patronising and cannot even summon empathy for someone grieving an old man.

'Grieving'? Bit of an exaggeration.
It would be far more satisfactory for Freddie when eventually he inherits to tell Russ to leave and to take the obnoxious Lily with him while he's about it.

Enjoyed the Trevor cameo. Still sad he didn’t meet Joy and have a chance to exchange sandwich anecdotes for those about Oor Charlene or whatever she’s called.

I don’t understand why you suddenly all started listing double acts?!

@Prestissimo it definitely was ghost stories for Freddie’s triumphant Christmas production as I found out then that “ghost stories at Christmas” was a thing, had never heard of it before.

I would not have identified Julian Rhind-Tutt independently from the voice, but had read on here first that it was him so enjoyed listening out. I thought his accent sounded very much like he had listened to a lot of Archers!

What I couldn’t work out was how old Trevor was meant to be and whether he’d have spent any of his childhood in Ambridge as I feel like Bert has been there forever but none of the old Ambridge hands like Tony or Elizabeth mentioned remembering Trevor as a kid.

This is too magnificent to be lost at the end of a previous thread …

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

My name was Bert, my surname Fry
Today it was my time to die
It wasn't bad, could have been worse
I died while chatting to a nurse
In training, and his mum
Replete with Shires, full was my tum,
We’d chatted long about the farm
That time we kept it safe from harm
When foot and mouth raged through the land
And barricades the Archers manned
To keep the plague out – at a cost
Without my Freda I was lost
But only for a little while
Soon I could see her beaming smile
From close at hand, not o’er the gate
My dearest wife, my chosen mate
So many years we were together
Till parted by a freak of weather
The Ambridge Flood cut short her life
Beloved Freda, world’s best wife
But now we’ll meet again, I know
As through the Pearly Gates I go
It was my time, so don’t be sad
My life had far more good than bad
So goodbye Brookfield, goodbye Ambridge,
Goodbye Bull, heart of the village,
Goodbye St Stephen’s and the Green
A lucky man I’ve mostly been
To have this fine place to spend time
And try to celebrate in rhyme.

What I couldn’t work out was how old Trevor was meant to be and whether he’d have spent any of his childhood in Ambridge as I feel like Bert has been there forever but none of the old Ambridge hands like Tony or Elizabeth mentioned remembering Trevor as a kid.

Really interesting point, Havering - and, finally a moment where sheer ancientness is a benefit -

Bert died at 85 - born in 1936 (so was the same generation as my parents). Let’s assume he and Freda had Trevor when they were around 30 (probably younger but whatever) so he’d have been born in the mid-60s. (My generation.) As Asking very helpfully pointed out in the last thread, Bert didn’t appear (at least audibly) until 1988. At which time Trevor might have been 25-ish. For a First Family member 25 would be an age when they were still living at home, possibly in a cottage on family land - at most, moving into a starter flat a stone’s throw away, in order to be defiantly independent. But Bert was just a hired hand - it’s entirely likely that by 25 his son would have moved out of the parental home and be living wherever he worked. So he probably didn’t move to Ambridge with his parents.

Flaws in argument:

1. Surely he would have visited often enough for Archers generally to be familiar with him? (I thought I heard him at Freda’s funeral - but no one else seems to recall this, so …)

2. If Bert and Freda actually lived in Ambridge before they became part of TA, then … yeah. Let’s assume they didn’t! Let’s assume the SWs haven’t written any dialogue involving Archer offsprings’ fond memories of him at the village primary school, because he was not there.

Tom & Jerry
Bill & Ben

I’ve worked out it’s famous partnerships not known by the names in alphabetical order, but I cannot see why either, Havering!!

Is it one of those strange party games??

Apart from the fact that Ambridge folk were as beastly to Julian as they were to Joy, I enjoyed this week. Trevor had some fabulous lines.

I thought that Trevor sounded quite young, but it turns out that the actor is mid-50's.

Looking at the BBC website, Bert and Frieda married young (19/20 ish) in 1956. For their golden wedding (2006) Trevor is said to have paid for a Holiday to India (which I don't remember at all) so presumably he is comfortably off.

@JanglyBeads

I’ve worked out it’s famous partnerships not known by the names in alphabetical order, but I cannot see why either, Havering!!

Is it one of those strange party games??

You have to listen to yesterday's episode. I didn't know why either until I listened to it this morning.

presumably he is comfortably off
That's because people pay him to go away.

I very disappointed with Ambridge residents unable to put up with Trevor. What a load of callous wankers. It wasn't that bad. Where I drink there are several people like this and they are part of my community. Sometimes it is tedious but it's still worth it.

Of course in my mind I do have the fine JRT (I probably mentioned that I saw him once on the tube and he was most definitely accompanied by a heavenly host he was that stonkingly beautiful).

@stilldumdedumming

I very disappointed with Ambridge residents unable to put up with Trevor. What a load of callous wankers. It wasn't that bad. Where I drink there are several people like this and they are part of my community. Sometimes it is tedious but it's still worth it.

Of course in my mind I do have the fine JRT (I probably mentioned that I saw him once on the tube and he was most definitely accompanied by a heavenly host he was that stonkingly beautiful).

I’ve never seen him in Real Life but he’s magnetic in Green Wing

stilldumdedumming
I very disappointed with Ambridge residents unable to put up with Trevor. What a load of callous wankers.

Yes, how horrible of them to have spent the whole evening listening to him rabbiting on about himself not even his dad, himself and his infinitely tedious maunderings about events which had nothing whatever to do with any of them. Such callousness.

He even noted it by saying on his way home what good, kind people they were. So obviously they caused him hurt.

@stilldumdedumming

I very disappointed with Ambridge residents unable to put up with Trevor. What a load of callous wankers. It wasn't that bad. Where I drink there are several people like this and they are part of my community. Sometimes it is tedious but it's still worth it.

Of course in my mind I do have the fine JRT (I probably mentioned that I saw him once on the tube and he was most definitely accompanied by a heavenly host he was that stonkingly beautiful).

I agree - on both points.

Pinky and Perky
Torville and Dean

Before Freddy's Christmas triumph didn't he attempt a hidden histories tour of LL that turned out to be rubbish? Is that the event CMR is referring to?
I have a soft spot for Freddy. Don't like CMR being mean to him.

I very disappointed with Ambridge residents unable to put up with Trevor. What a load of callous wankers

This, absolutely. That was horrible to listen too. I don't believe adults would behave like that.