🧦 Archers thread #133: Woolley socks it to them! Discuss The Archers and its Woolley thinking and plotting 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 would love to take part in the Mysteries, or other unusual views.

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 @ButtonSister and @BorsetshireBanality for title suggestions. I went with their idea in the interests of keeping the title fairly short.

@LillianGish and @FoxgloveSummers made cracking but longer suggestions, which (mashed up) will do a great job of kicking off our new thread.

Evictions (Tom and Tash), depictions (Bridge Farm Christmas card), conniptions (entire cast and crew of the Mysteries), convictions (Philip) and addictions (Alice) - what are our predictions for 2022 in Ambridge? All sure to make this the Best Ambridge Christmas Evah!

This thread should take us through to early January unless something very exciting happens (ha ha, fat chance). My predictions: this is a bit left field, but I wonder if Peggy will offer to buy the shop and flat so Tom and Gnasher (great coinage, whose was it?) can stay put. I don't believe Hazel is sincere about wanting to live in/regularly visit Ambridge. She's always been utterly two-faced and rotten to the core, why would she change now?

The Mysteries will, of course be a triumph and briefly borrowing the🔮 (sorry, Bore!) I expect we are going to hear them at some point over the New Year period.

Over to you!

@MereDintofPandiculation, but they don't get a chance. They're not pushed to do well, they're in large mixed ability classes, they might not want to do A-levels etc.

Someone I know lives in a nice area. Parents likely to have done better than average at school etc. State comp is excellent.

Mine went to a state comp where the kids'parents would have left school at 15/16, lower aspirations etc. Schools pretty rubbish

@MereDintofPandiculation, I think they all stay on to 18 now and get a chance to do GCSEs and A-levels.
Many go on to do degrees when an apprenticeship would have been a better option

What's the betting that Mary will ride into Bethlehem on an alpaca?

[quote WhoppingBigBackside]@MereDintofPandiculation, I think they all stay on to 18 now and get a chance to do GCSEs and A-levels.
Many go on to do degrees when an apprenticeship would have been a better option[/quote]
My dislike of grammar schools admittedly dates from when 90% (in our area, only 70% in the City) were hived off at 11 to an education that at worst ended at 15 and at best gave a clutch of CSEs which were held in zero regard by employers. But I feel that children don’t divide neatly into “academic” and “non academic” and should be able to keep options open as long as possible. Though irrationally I don’t think this applies at uni.

What’s really criminal is the way adult education has been destroyed. Very difficult to have a second start.

… which is why the phoebes of the world can piss around doing nothing, whereas Susan, Emma, even Freddy would find it very hard to improve qualifications.

(My feeble attempt to claim my post was on topic)

@MereDintofPandiculation, I went to a comp. One parent went to grammar school and left at 14 (yes, really - it was possible). Other parent wasn't even given the option to sit the 11+ (nobody from the school was)

Uncles and aunts who went to grammar school did ok. Uncles and aunts who went to 2ndary modern did ok. All were hard workers. Parent left at 16 with a full set of good CSEs

We are lucky in this country in that we have free education for all, but if you go to a good school and have supportive parents you are more likely to succeed. Your parents' income and background can make all the difference

Where the comprehensive system lets pupils down, is when the school is in a not-so-good area, and the child is not encouraged by the school or by parents

Freddie could improve his qualifications, but other than making sure he understood how to run an events/hospitality/estate mgmt based business, he doesn't really need to. Susan could ask for day release and do some course related to her job (kefir making?). Emma could probably go to night school or do OU

I always felt it was a hugely wasted opportunity not to have Susan go back into education years ago when she was trying to get on in life by working in the Estate Office and taking on the Post Office work. She could have attended an FE course back in the days when they were easier to find. I did a course at our local FE college to get the European Computer Driving Licence, back in the early 00s. I'd been on a longish career break after having my children and during that time the office had changed out of all recognition. My knowledge of IT was piecemeal and the course was a great way to fill in the gaps.

But they needed her in the shop for optimal radio services

I always felt it was a hugely wasted opportunity not to have Susan go back into education years ago

How long was she in prison for? She could have started her OU course there.

I didn’t listen again last night - too boring -but I will tune in again on Sunday in the hope of hearing how Alice’s transformation into Mary Berry goes…

@Roysnewshirt

I always felt it was a hugely wasted opportunity not to have Susan go back into education years ago

How long was she in prison for? She could have started her OU course there.

I didn’t listen again last night - too boring -but I will tune in again on Sunday in the hope of hearing how Alice’s transformation into Mary Berry goes…

Memory says Susan was given a six-month sentence and served it all because she absconded to go to Mark Hebden's funeral in the middle.

We won't hear Alice's Christmas Cooking because that was to be on Christmas Day and will be in the past on Sunday. A pity, because I'm sure it would be more entertaining than the mystery-guff

We won't hear Alice's Christmas Cooking because that was to be on Christmas Day and will be in the past on Sunday

Oh. Do you think so? Why did they mention it if it’s not an opportunity for Alice to have a small sherry while she preps the roast potatoes? I have hopes for the Boxing Day debrief…

@WhoppingBigBackside

Freddie could improve his qualifications, but other than making sure he understood how to run an events/hospitality/estate mgmt based business, he doesn't really need to. Susan could ask for day release and do some course related to her job (kefir making?). Emma could probably go to night school or do OU

Night school is not a patch on what it used to be, and OU is now exorbitantly expensive. I’m not sure now what the student loan situation is for part time courses.

Agreed family income/ support makes a huge difference. I gather there’s a big N-S divide too.

@Roysnewshirt

We won't hear Alice's Christmas Cooking because that was to be on Christmas Day and will be in the past on Sunday

Oh. Do you think so? Why did they mention it if it’s not an opportunity for Alice to have a small sherry while she preps the roast potatoes? I have hopes for the Boxing Day debrief…

Maybe the angle is going to be Brine's attempt to quote with a teetotal Christmas lunch without so much as brandy butter in sight.

cope, not quote.

Merry Christmas everyone!

🎄🎉 Yay! Potentially the better part of two and three quarter hours of Archers today!

Omnibus
Mystery Play
Sunday episode
Kirsty on Feeback

Happy Boxing Day!🎄

This may be quantity rather than quality, though.

I'm not sure about you lot, but the last thing I'd fancy doing today is to traipse around Ambridge listening to villagers robed in quilts and silk.

I'll track down Feedback, but I'll give the Mystery Plays a miss.

I missed the omnibus. For some strange reason I thought it was Monday. The Mystery Plays aren't on my to do list

I won't be listening to the Mystery Plays either.

So, am I the only listener?

It’s not bad so far.

Is there a cast list mapping characters to Ambridge inhabitants, I badly need one!

It is good